Villa, Pirlo and Kaka headline MLS All-Star squad to face Arsenal
The best of the best from MLS will take on Premier League giants Arsenal in San Jose later in July.
The 2016 MLS All-Star squad has been announced, with David Villa, Andrea Pirlo and Kaka headlining the team set to face Arsenal on July 28.
This season's top goalscorer Villa, New York City team-mate Pirlo and Orlando City captain Kaka are among the 26 players in the star-studded side that will face the Premier League giants at Avaya Stadium in San Jose.
Reigning MVP Sebastian Giovinco, Montreal Impact and former Chelsea striker Didier Drogba, Mexico international Giovani dos Santos and United States star Clint Dempsey have also been selected by San Jose Earthquakes coach Dominic Kinnear – factoring in the Fan XI and player voting.
Mauro Diaz and Kyle Beckerman are also in the side via the Commissioner's two picks.
Last year's All-Star game also featured Premier League opposition, with fellow London outfit Tottenham suffering a 2-1 defeat in Colorado.
Bayern Munich, Roma, Chelsea and Manchester United have also played in the All-Star game over the past few years.
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MLS All-Star squad in full:
Goalkeepers: David Bingham (San Jose Earthquakes), Andre Blake (Philadelphia Union)
Defenders: Matt Besler (Sporting Kansas City), Steve Birnbaum (D.C. United), Laurent Ciman (Montreal Impact), Andrew Farrell (New England Revolution), Liam Ridgewell (Portland Timbers), Keegan Rosenberry (Philadelphia Union), Brandon Vincent (Chicago Fire), Kendall Waston (Vancouver Whitecaps FC)
Midfielders: Kyle Beckerman (Real Salt Lake), Mauro Diaz (FC Dallas), Giovani dos Santos (LA Galaxy), Jermaine Jones (Colorado Rapids), Kaká (Orlando City SC), Sacha Kljestan (New York Red Bulls), Darlington Nagbe (Portland Timbers), Andrea Pirlo (New York City FC), Wil Trapp (Columbus Crew SC)
Forwards: Clint Dempsey (Seattle Sounders FC), Didier Drogba (Montreal Impact), Sebastian Giovinco (Toronto FC), Cyle Larin (Orlando City SC), Ignacio Piatti (Montreal Impact), David Villa (New York City FC), Chris Wondolowski (San Jose Earthquakes)