It has been a difficult and frustrating season for Rapids defender Drew Moor. He because of a knee injury suffered last August that required ACL repair, and the Rapids entered Saturday with only four wins in 19 games.
But Moor received some consolation this week when he was chosen for the MLS all-star team, which will play Tottenham Hotspur on July 29 at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park. It is the first all-star selection for the 12-year MLS veteran who grew up in Dallas.
“I’ve always wanted to go to an All-Star Game, and individual awards are great, but it feels really good,” Moor said. “Hopefully my body of work has been enough to prove that I need to be in an All-Star Game, especially here in front of my home fans, which is awesome.”
Moor is the first Rapids player to be chosen since forward Omar Cummings was selected for the 2011 team that played Manchester United in New York. Cummings was traded to Houston after the 2012 season.
Moor was one of eight defenders chosen for the team, so there is no guarantee he will get on the field. He does have an edge with the man who will make those decisions, though. Rapids coach Pablo Mastroeni will be coaching the MLS stars.
“It’s something that if I go out there and step on the field, I will give it absolutely everything,” Moor said. “It has been a roller-coaster season and year for me, and to be picked to the All-Star Game is pretty special.”
, and commissioner Don Garber used his discretionary picks to select Frank Lampard of New York City FC and Steven Gerrard of the Los Angeles Galaxy. Those two were major English Premier League stars who joined their MLS clubs this month.
The fan selections and commissioners picks were announced Monday. The rest of the team was picked by Mastroeni and was announced Saturday.
Tottenham Hotspur finished fifth in the highly regarded EPL last season with a 19-7-12 record. The MLS stars beat Bayern Munich 2-1 last year in a testy game that left Bayern coach Pep Guardiola fuming about some of the aggressive challenges he saw on the field.
“We obviously beat Bayern last year,” said Sporting KC midfielder Benny Feilhaber, one of three SKC players among the 11 selected by fan voting. “I’m sure the mentality is to try to win. Obviously, nobody wants to get hurt. We want to save our legs, as well, for the regular season. But it’s a game that we want to show well in, and I’m sure everybody wants to win.”
John Meyer: jmeyer@denverpost.com or twitter.com/johnmeyer
MLS all-star roster
The MLS all stars will play Tottenham Hotspur of the English Premier League on July 29 at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park. Rapids coach Pablo Mastroeni will coach the MLS side.
GOALKEEPERS
David Ousted, Vancouver Whitecaps FC
Nick Rimando, Real Salt Lake
DEFENDERS
Omar Gonzalez, LA Galaxy
Matt Besler, Sporting Kansas City
DaMarcus Beasley, Houston Dynamo
Chris Tierney, New England Revolution
Laurent Ciman, Montreal Impact
Chad Marshall, Seattle Sounders FC
Drew Moor, Colorado Rapids
Tony Beltran, Real Salt Lake
MIDFIELDERS
Kaká, Orlando City SC
Michael Bradley, Toronto FC
Benny Feilhaber, Sporting Kansas City
Graham Zusi, Sporting Kansas City
Fabian Castillo, FC Dallas
Steven Gerrard, LA Galaxy
Frank Lampard, New York City FC
FORWARDS
Clint Dempsey, Seattle Sounders FC
David Villa, New York City FC
Robbie Keane, LA Galaxy
Sebastian Giovinco, Toronto FC
Kei Kamara, Columbus Crew SC
