MLS All-Stars…No Landon, Jack

All-Star Games seldom include all of the players who are having truly outstanding seasons. The starting teams selected by fans are often the result of the most popular players getting the most votes.

The game, which will be played against Italy’s legendary club AC Roma, will be played at Sporting Park in Kansas City on July 31.

The 18-player Major League Soccer all-star game-day roster Sporting Kansas City head coach Peter Vermes has settled on has most of the league’s stars, but there are several missing who are worthy of a conversation.

Landon Donovan is the marquee player who is missing. It would appear that his string of 12 consecutive all-star games is about to end. Nev[show_disconnected][show_to accesslevel=’Subscriber’]er in his career has he not played in the all-star game.

He missed the start of the MLS season with his extended vacation from the game, and has been absent this month with the U.S. Gold Cup team.

Also missing is a young pro who is having a very good year, Jack McInerney from the Philadelphia Union. Not only is he not on the list, but there are no other Philadelphia players on the team. Surely the fourth-place team in the Eastern Conference had someone who was worthy of all-star selection.

McInerney spent most of July with the U.S. MNT during the Gold Cup. That may have been a factor in not being selected. When he left the Union for national team camp he was tied for the league scoring lead with Chicago’s Mike Magee and Montreal’s Marco Di Valo, each with 10 goals.

By the time he returned to the Union, after not playing in any of the three group games, Vancouver’s Camilo Sanvezzo had 12 goals and Di Valo had 11.

Vermes chose Sanvezzo, Magee and Los Angeles’ Robbie Keane as his descretionary picks. The fans selected Di Valo.

McInerney, who is leading Philadelphia in scoring and having his best season as a professional, may still make the all-stars. It is possible that Keane will withdraw from the squad with a hip injury.

There are others on the all-star team who are currently with the Gold Cup team. If the U.S. advances out of the semifinals by beating Honduras, the Americans will play the championship game on the day before the All-Star Game.

Chris Wondolowski, who is making a case for his inclusion in World Cup qualifying with a solid Gold Cup performance, was selected to the all-star team by the fans. He was the league’s scoring leader a year before, and hugely popular. However, his stats with San Jose don’t measure up with those in 2012.

Those added by Vermes include Real Salt Lake captain and US national team regular Kyle Beckerman and Keane, the LA Galaxy striker.

MLS Commissoner Don Garber opted to use his traditional two Commissioner’s picks on New York Red Bulls Designated Player Tim Cahill and the young Seattle Sounders defender DeAndrea Yedlin, who becomes the first rookie named to the gameday roster since defender Michael Parkhurst earned the honor for the New England Revolution in 2005.

Vermes also added Real Salt Lake’s Nick Rimando as a backup goalkeeper, defenders Corey Ashe (Houston Dynamo) and Tony Beltran (Real Salt Lake), midfielder Patrice Bernier (Montreal Impact) and forward Sanvezzo (Vancouer Whitecaps).