Photo by ISIphotos.com
Real Salt Lake fans worried that their team wouldn't be represented in the MLS All-Star Game at Rio Tinto Stadium on July 29th can rest easy. RSL will have its players there.
The Deseret News is reporting that Kyle Beckerman and Javier Morales will be selected as all-star reserves. The report did not identify whether the players were chosen by MLS commissioner Don Garber, who makes two all-star selections, or Houston Dynamo head coach Dominic Kinnear, who is coaching the MLS All-Stars vs. Everton and will make five all-star reserve selections on Monday.
The selections come a year after Real Salt Lake had no players in the All-Star Game.
What's the SBI take? Beckerman is certainly deserving of the nod, and while Morales is definitely talented and one of the better playmakers in the league, does an MLS All-Star team that already had Cuauhtemoc Blanco, Freddie Ljungberg and Guillermo Barros Schelotto really need a player like him Morales on it? If the pick was made to appease the home team, Clint Mathis would have been a better and more meaningful choice.
What do you think of this news? Glad to see the home team represented? Think Morales got the nod a year later than he deserved it? Think Mathis was more deserving?
Share your thoughts below.
I couldn’t agree with you more…Mathis deserves it over Morales, and arguable over Beckerman too, but I don’t think it really matters much. I think MLS is trying to make up for the snub of Morales last year.
Neither Kyle nor Javi had a strong start to the year, but over the last 4-5 games (since the change to 4-3-3) they have both been excellent.
I do think Javi’s call is a bit of a make up selection, I would’ve given the nod to Mathis.
Both are deserved and overdue.
RSL fan sits here and wonders what criteria they use for these selections. I can only think of a few criteria that would end up with these two being selected. Both had stellar years last year, but have not quite shown up this year. Just my opinion.
I do think Mathis has had a better year than either of them in comparison to the Mathis of 3 years ago. However, I think that there are better players that deserve this more than any of the three.
Beckerman is desrving. Morales is a punk.
I believe it has been officially reported now that these are Don Garbers Choices, so Don Kinnear will be adding in his own some time.
I would have gone for Mathis, who has to be considered one of the comeback players of the year for all of MLS. 6 assists and 2 goals isn’t too bad for someone almost everyone thought was washed up. Clint is fit and focused and it would be a shame if he didn’t get a nod from someone to be included on the team.
Beckerman kinda looks like Roger Federer in that pic
it all depends on how you look at all star selection criteria. If its how the player has performed since the last all star game then Morales is a shoe in. If its how they’ve performed in the first half its more of a reach.
Beckerman is a great selection. The Morales selection is a bit of a head scratcher. I think Morales getting the nod is a bit of a makeup for the fact that he was snubbed for the all star game last year and then proceeded to be a legit MVP candidate. In my opinion, Mathis would be the more deserving selection for his play on the field in 2009…
I am super excited for Kyle he deserves it! He is the heart of RSL.
Javi was definitely a snub last year, but has not dazzled that much this year.
Clint on the other hand has done TONS more for RSL this year. He has had a come back year that in my opinion is worthy of an All-Star nod. (If only because of that amazing volley goal!) 🙂
I wonder if Beckerman’s nod was due to the success in the Gold Cup? he is a great player, albeit this season hasn’t been his best since joining RSL. Good to see the captain get it.
Javi’s or Morales? could go either way with me. they seem to shine at different times.
I am just glad Olave didn’t get picked. he is way overrated.
Very happy. A lot of RSL Supporters were going to cheer for Everton if no RSL players were selected.
RSL just traded for Pablo campos from San Jose….. Any San Jose fans care to offer opinion on campos
I love the picks. Kyle is definitely deserving and Javi may not have the numbers yet this year but he has been excellent. Clint Mathis does deserve a nod as well. He has been a very (perhaps the most) consistent player for RSL this year.
Side note on Clint: He wore Andy Williams’ #77 in the RSL v Club America friendly last Saturday as a way to show his support to Andy and his wife Marcia. She fighting a hard battle with Leukemia. Please keep Marcia in your prayers!
Fun fact: Youngest player to reach 200 appearances in MLS?
Oh yeah, it’s Kyle Beckerman, who has 207 appearances (187 starts).
One of the most underrated players this league has seen.
Also important to note that there has to be at least 36 players selected as All Stars (the minimum number of players an East vs West match would require) for contract bonuses but not necessarily for actual play, as required by the Collective Bargaining agreement.
Morales IS Real Salt Lake. They are nothing without him. This more than makes up for his snub last year.