The full All Star Roster has just been announced and the Rapid’s very own Jeff Larentowicz has made the cut. The Ginga’ Ninja has been rock solid at defensive mid for the Rapids this season.  Larentowicz has helped the Rapids maintain an enviable defensive record this season by breaking up attacks in front of the back four. His game isn’t about finesse but of crunching tackles and simple distribution.

While these All Star games are meaningless, they are fun to watch.  These teams make me day dream of the day when the salary cap is lifted and teams can purchase rosters such as this one. The team looks like the American version of Chelsea. Despite the friendly nature of this match, I’m sure the players are excited about testing their abilities against Manchester United, one of the elite sides in Europe. This match is a few steps up from past All Star matches featuring Celtic or Fulham.

Here is the full All Star Roster:

Goalkeepers (2): Donovan Ricketts (LA Galaxy), Nick Rimando (Real Salt Lake)

Defenders (7): Omar Gonzalez (LA Galaxy), Chad Marshall (Columbus Crew), Jamison Olave (Real Salt Lake), Jonathan Bornstein (Chivas USA), Heath Pearce (FC Dallas), Wilman Conde (Chicago Fire), Kevin Alston (New England Revolution)

Midfielders (9): Dwayne De Rosario (Toronto FC), Marco Pappa (Chicago Fire), Javier Morales (Real Salt Lake), Guillermo Barros Schelotto (Columbus Crew), Sebastien Le Toux (Philadelphia Union), David Ferreira (FC Dallas), Brad Davis (Houston Dynamo), Shalrie Joseph (New England Revolution), Jeff Larentowicz (Colorado Rapids)

Forwards (5): Edson Buddle (LA Galaxy), Landon Donovan (LA Galaxy), Juan Pablo Angel (New York Red Bulls), Brian Ching (Houston Dynamo), Jaime Moreno (D.C. United)

I have no real arguments with the list. It would’ve been nice to see a few rookies like Michael Stephens, Danny Mwanga, or Andy Najar selected. I feel those players are more deserving than Brian Ching or Brad Davis at the moment.

The midfield has an international feel to it. On the bright side, it’s good to see that MLS is attracting talented international players. The down side, it’s a reminder that the US isn’t producing enough creative playmakers.

Only two DP’s made the All Star team this year, Landon Donovan and Juan Pablo Angel. These two players are model DPs in my opinion. Both have the skill and production rate to warrant their high salaries, and both are invested in the growth and development of MLS.

Of the other DPs, Beckham is out this season with an Achilles injury. Theirry Henry, Blaise Nkufo, Mista, and Branko Boskovic have just arrived to their new clubs. Freddie Ljungberg and Julian de Guzman are the only two DPs in real contention for an All Star spot that failed to make the cut.

Per the CBA, the league must pick 9 more All Star players. These players will receive the All Star bonus but won’t dress on game day.

Here are my picks for the final 9 non-active All Star players:

Bobby Convey, Michael Stephens, Andy Najar, Conor Casey, Drew Moor, Matt Pickens, Alvaro Saborio, Jimmy Nielson, and Brek Shea.

Share your thoughts on the All Star roster.

The Rapids lost 1-0 to the LA Galaxy on Wednesday night.  The Rapids suffered their second loss in a row and their first home loss of the season.  The Rapids managed to outplay the highly regarded LA squad for about 60 minutes but failed to convert. The Galaxy had their fair share of possession and chances on goal, but the early goal on the road combined with the elevation, forced the LA club to play more conservatively in the second half.

This is the second time the Rapids out played their opponent and failed to come away with any points. Coach Smith believes there are plenty of positives to take away from this match and hopes his players will believe in their quality.

“I think we’ve seen a group for seven games now that have kept the ball well. Good possession, have a nice shape, we’ve evolved a little bit, but we’ve certainly got enough strength and enough quality to be reckoned with. Sadly we’ve lost two games on the spin, and you know our stock will go down somewhat, but as long as those guys keep the belief in that changing room, that they are a good team, which they are, I do believe we’ll get enough points to reach the achievements.”

“If we continue to play like that I have no fear that we will achieve something we haven’t’ done for the past 3 or 4 years. The challenge is obviously to continue to play like that, and be a tad more clinical in front of goal.”

The sentiment was echoed by Drew Moor in the changing room. He thought the group played extremely well but failed in that final third.  Drew thinks it is only a matter of time before the goals start pouring in.

“Obviously we need to score goals. We have some fantastic attacking players, some great goal scorers.  The goals will come, I have no doubt they will come. They’ve come from other sources lately, but they will start coming and we need to be patient.”

The Rapids will have a few days off before they resume training.  Their next match is on Saturday May 15, at DC United.

Player Ratings:

Pickens: 7, best game of the season so far. Looked solid and had some big saves.

Earls: 8, excellent on both sides of the ball, a real revelation this season.

Baudet: 7, not a perfect game but a fantastic performance by the big man.  Kept Buddle off the score sheet.

Moor: 6, much better when he moved into the middle, looked a little uncomfortable on the right.

Wynne: 6, earned man of the match, but needed to do more offensively in the second half.

Larentowicz: 7, moved the ball well for the Rapids and took control of the midfield.

Mastroeni: 6, not his most dominating performance, but helped control the midfield.

Ballouchy: 5, ineffective as an attacking midfielder but great at keeping possession.

Thompson: 5, invisible for most of the first half, mainly because the Rapids failed to use the left side of the field. Substituted at the half.

Cummings: 7, electric going forward and created plenty of opportunities. Drops a point for failing to put the ball on frame.

Casey: 6, won some important physical battles but wasn’t available to convert chances.

Subs:

Clark: 7, made an impact off the bench. Was able to get outside the defenders and deliver crosses.

Lopez: 6, first few touches were poor, but provided some very dangerous deliveries at the death of the match.