Their supporters believe Nick LaBrocca and Heath Pearce, the chief on-field figures in Chivas USA's renaissance, belong on the team that will take on Manchester United in Major League Soccer's July 27 All-Star Game.
Both would like to be in Harrison, N.J., for the game, and we'll know if they're going by late Monday morning, when New York Red Bulls coach Hans Backe unveils the final six to nine names for the league's 20-man game-day roster.
There are plenty of deserving players for those few slots, so it's a long shot either of the Goats' standouts will receive an invitation, and if they don't, well, that's OK, too.
“If it happens, I'll be very honored,” said LaBrocca, 26, who plays atop Chivas' midfield diamond and has scored six goals after netting just five in four seasons with Colorado and Toronto FC. “But right now, it's all business. We have to pick up points, and that's really the only thing that's on my mind.”
Pearce, 26, a U.S. national team veteran at left back who started the campaign at right back and then moved into the middle after injuries sapped the Goats' backline depth, has been the pivotal defensive figure for Chivas, which has flustered foes with an organized defensive scheme that plays into its possession game.
“I'm hoping, but, you know, I don't [choose] the All-Star team,” Pearce said. “I'm just trying to focus right now on getting results for the team.”
Both players were picked up in preseason trades, with LaBrocca arriving from Toronto and Pearce from FC Dallas.
Fourteen players already are on the All-Star roster, including Galaxy midfielders David Beckham and Landon Donovan and defenders Sean Franklin and Omar Gonzalez, but Backe will have additional picks because not everyone from the fan-chosen First XI will be available.
Source: http://espn.go.com/blog/los-angeles/soccer/post/_/id/9735/chivas-usa-labrocca-pearce-wait-hope
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