CINCINNATI — Fans of FC Cincinnati and Columbus Crew have just about two weeks to help their favorite players land a spot on the 26-player roster for the 2023 Major League Soccer All-Star Game.
What You Need To Know
- Voting for the 2023 MLS All-Star Game is now open
- Fans have a say in the selection of 12 of 26 players
- The game will take place on July 19 in Washington, D.C.
The MLS talent showcase works a little differently than those in other North American sports leagues. For instance, its top players are on the same team. They’ll square off against English powerhouse Arsenal FC on Wednesday, July 19, at Audi Field, home of D.C. United.
A skills challenge will take place the day before the big game in the nation’s capital.
All-star voting works a little differently in MLS as well. Players, fans and media get to vote for 12 members of the squad. They’ll each pick one player at all 11 positions: one left back, one defensive midfielder, two attacking midfielders and three forwards or wingers. The top combined vote-getter at each position will make the squad.
The 12th player will be the one who receives the next-highest vote total.
To qualify for the ballot, players must have appeared in at least 50% of his club’s matches this season as of May 18.
MLS All-Star head coach Wayne Rooney — he’s the coach of the host team, D.C. United — gets to pick 12 players for his side. The final two picks are made by the league's commissioner, Don Garber.
Rooney and Garber can select players who didn’t meet the play-time qualification.
Last season, Luciano Acosta and Brandon Vazquez became the first two players in FC Cincinnati history to be named to the MLS All-Star Team. The duo also earned the honor of being named to the MLS Best XI at the end of the season.
The pair is off to a strong season again this campaign. The Orange and Blue have the most team points (36) through 15 games in league history.
Columbus Crew has had players appear in the MLS All-Star game 20 times since 1996. This season, Lucas Zelarayán has been one of the few highlights for the 10th-place Crew. He has seven goals in 13 appearances so far, including three in his last four games. The midfielder made the MLS All-Star game in 2021.
Fan voting closes at 11:59 p.m. PT on Wednesday, June 14. All fans can vote on MLSsoccer.com or via the MLS App.