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Messi, Drogba, USMNT trio set for World Soccer Masters exhibition match

MessiDrogba (Getty Images)

The stars will be out in Miami on Saturday night.

The World Soccer Masters takes place at Sun Life Stadium, with a cast of stars from around the world led by Lionel Messi and U.S. national team stars Clint Dempsey, Carlos Bocanegra and Jozy Altidore taking to the field in the exhibition event (7 p.m., Fox Soccer Channel).

Coached by Brazilian legend Dunga, Messi's side contains other firepower in the form of former Chelsea striker and UEFA Champions League hero Didier Drogba and Argentine and Napoli standout Ezequiel Lavezzi.

They are opposed by Capello's Masters, a team coached by recent England manager Fabio Capello and one that is slated to field the American trio in addition to Radamel Falcao, Luis Suarez and Diego Forlan.

Here are the tentative rosters for Saturday night's match, according to match organizers:

WORLD SOCCER MASTERS ROSTERS

DUNGA'S STARS

GOALKEEPERS: Jose Pinto (Barcelona)

DEFENDERS: Dani Alves (Barcelona), Alessandro Nesta (Unattached), Diego Lugano (Paris-St. Germain), Martin DeMechelis (Malaga), Andre Santos (Arsenal)

MIDFIELDERS: Javier Mascherano (Barcelona), Marek Hamsik (Napoli), Ariel Ortega (Defensores de Belgrano), Gerardo Torrado (Cruz Azul), Jhon Viafara (Junior de Barranquilla)

FORWARDS: Lionel Messi (Barcelona), Didier Drogba (Shanghai Shenhua), Ezequiel Lavezzi (Napoli), Diego Milito (Inter Milan), Jose Salomon Rondon (Malaga)

CAPELLO'S MASTERS

GOALKEEPERS: Guillermo Ochoa (Ajaccio)

DEFENDERS: Carlos Bocanegra (Rangers), Marco Materazzi (Unattached), Lucio (Inter Milan), Fabio Cannavaro (Al-Ahli)

MIDFIELDERS: Walter Gargano (Napoli), Clint Dempsey (Fulham), James Rodriguez (Porto) 

FORWARDS: Jozy Altidore (AZ Alkmaar), Luis Suarez (Liverpool), Diego Forlan (Inter Milan), Radamel Falcao (Atletico Madrid), Edinson Cavani (Napoli), Daniel Osvaldo (Roma)

Comments

  1. Smaller endzones and narrowing of the field goal posts!!! Then the scoreline will be more like REAL futbol…

    Reply
  2. Relax, guys, this is nothing more than a scrimmage. It will be no more dangerous than an average practice session (actually, probably much less so, since no one is trying to impress a coach/earn a roster spot).

    Hopefully our boys can match the flair that Messi and Drogba will undoubtedly show.

    Reply
  3. I’m on the side of this being a terrible idea for any player who is still pursuing a professional career. I know it benefits Messi’s foundation, but just send a check, boys.

    Reply

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