Fire's Armas Added to All-Star Roster
Published on July 30, 2003 under Major League Soccer (MLS) News Release
LONG BEACH, CA (Wednesday, July 30, 2003) - Major League Soccer announced today that MLS All-Star coach Bob Bradley has added Chicago Fire captain Chris Armas to the active MLS All-Star roster that will represent the League in the 2003 Pepsi MLS All-Star Game this Saturday, August 2 at The Home Depot Center in Carson, California. The League granted Bradley an additional player at his request, increasing the number of players available to the former Fire boss against Mexican powerhouse CD Guadalajara (also known as Chivas) to 19. The match will be televised live on ABC Sports at 2:30 p.m. CT with the national radio broadcasts carried by Radio Unica and the Sports Byline USA Radio Network.
Earlier this month, Armas was named to a list of 16 additional MLS All-Stars that would be available for selection by Bradley in the case replacements were needed for the original 18-man roster. The 30-year-old midfielder joins teammate Zach Thornton, who was named as a replacement for former MetroStars goalkeeper Tim Howard last Friday, as the only two members of the pool of additional players to be called into the MLS All-Star camp. Armas will join Thornton and fellow Fire original Ante Razov plus DaMarcus Beasley and Carlos Bocanegra on the now 19-man active All-Star roster for Saturday's contest, tying the "Men in Red" with the host Los Angeles Galaxy for a League-best five selections on the squad.
Armas, who replaced the retired Peter Nowak as the captain of the Fire in 2003, has returned to the field for the Fire this year after suffering an ACL tear in May of 2002 that kept him out for 11 months of MLS play. Widely considered as one of the world's premier defensive midfielders, the eight-year MLS veteran's trademark leadership has helped solidify this year's revamped Chicago squad and lead the "Men in Red" to the best record in the Eastern Conference (8-4-4, 28 points) heading into the All-Star break.
The 2000 U.S. Soccer/Chevrolet Male Athlete of the Year and U.S. National Team mainstay has been named an MLS All-Star or a reserve All-Star during each of his last six seasons. Armas made his All-Star debut in 1998 as a second-half substitute for the MLS USA All-Stars and followed that performance with starting nods in the 1999 and 2000 games for the MLS West All-Stars. Armas has sat out of the last two MLS All-Star contests due to injuries, including the ACL tear that sidelined him for most of 2002. Despite the injury, Armas was named the honorary captain of the U.S. National Team side that fell 3-2 to the MLS All-Stars in last summer's Pepsi MLS All-Star Game at RFK Stadium in Washington, D.C.
This year, for the first time in the history of MLS' midsummer showcase, a squad of MLS All-Stars will take on an international club. Last year's edition of the Pepsi MLS All-Star Game also featured a single MLS All-Star team which defeated the U.S. National Team, 3-2, at RFK Stadium. The game honored the historic feat of the U.S., which advanced to the 2002 World Cup quarterfinals in Korea/Japan led by a large contingent of MLS players. Past All-Star formats have included East vs. West match-ups ('96, '97, '99, '00, '01) and a game featuring USA vs. World Stars (1998) that was staged on the heels of the U.S. participation in the 1998 FIFA World Cup.
The 2003 Pepsi MLS All-Star Game offers four levels of ticket pricing, ranging from $35 to $65 for individual seats. Tickets are available via Ticketmaster (213-480-3232), online at www.lagalaxy.com, at The Home Depot Center box office and at the following ticket outlets: Robinsons May, Tower Records and Warehouse Records. For season ticket package and group sales opportunities fans can contact the Los Angeles Galaxy Ticket Office at 1-877-3GALAXY.
Major League Soccer Stories from July 30, 2003
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- Fire's Armas Added to All-Star Roster - MLS
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