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MLS D.C. United

Forward Christian Benteke and Defender Aaron Herrera Selected to the 2024 MLS All-Star Game

July 1, 2024 - Major League Soccer (MLS)
D.C. United News Release


WASHINGTON, D.C. - D.C. United forward Christian Benteke and defender Aaron Herrera are among the 30 players honored today as Major League Soccer unveiled the complete roster for the 2024 MLS All-Star Game presented by Target.

Benteke has led D.C. United's attack this season and currently ranks second in Major League Soccer with 14 goals in 18 games. This marks the Belgian's second consecutive All-Star selection after being named to the 2023 roster last season. Since joining D.C. United in 2022, Benteke has scored 29 goals and recorded six assists in 56 appearances, while leading the league in aerial duels the last two seasons. Herrera has had a standout first season with the Black-and-Red, notching six assists and ranks second in Major League Soccer in blocks with 35. The defender has been a staple of the Black-and-Red backline this season, starting 18 games.

The 2024 MLS All-Star Game presented by Target will be played on Wednesday, July 24, and features the MLS All-Stars taking on the best of LIGA MX at Lower.com Field, home of the defending MLS Cup presented by Audi champion Columbus Crew. In conjunction with LIGA MX, the MLS All-Star roster was expanded to 30 players in 2024 to provide additional depth. The roster was selected through a combination of fan, player, and media voting (12 players), designations by MLS All-Star head coach Wilfried Nancy of the host club, the Columbus Crew (16 players), and a pair of selections by MLS Commissioner Don Garber.

The Commissioner's picks for the 2024 MLS All-Star Game are Columbus Crew midfielder Darlington Nagbe and Houston Dynamo FC midfielder Héctor Herrera.

Nagbe, the captain of the All-Star host club, became just the 10th player in MLS history to win four MLS Cup presented by Audi titles with the Crew's 2023 victory. An all-time MLS great, Nagbe eclipsed 400 career games played earlier this season and has started 15 matches for the Crew this year, while also helping the club advance to the final of the 2024 Concacaf Champions Cup. One of the top midfielders of his generation, Herrera will make his second consecutive All-Star appearance and captains a Dynamo team that sits in the thick of the Western Conference playoff picture. The former captain of the Mexican national team, Herrera has 25 goal contributions in 52 career matches for Houston.

The 2024 MLS All-Star roster by position and selection mechanism:

GOALKEEPERS (3): Roman Bürki (St. Louis CITY SC / Coach's Selection), Hugo Lloris (LAFC / Coach's Selection), Maarten Paes (FC Dallas / Voted in)

DEFENDERS (9): Jordi Alba (Inter Miami CF / Voted In), Rudy Camacho (Columbus Crew / Coach's Selection), Justen Glad (Real Salt Lake / Voted In), Aaron Herrera (D.C. United / Voted In), Thiago Martins (New York City FC / Coach's Selection), Steven Moreira (Columbus Crew / Coach's Selection), Luca Orellano (FC Cincinnati / Coach's Selection), Miles Robinson (FC Cincinnati / Voted In), Keegan Rosenberry (Colorado Rapids / Coach's Selection)

MIDFIELDERS (10): Luciano Acosta (FC Cincinnati / Voted In), Sergio Busquets (Inter Miami CF / Voted In), Mathieu Choinière (CF Montréal / Coach's Selection), Evander (Portland Timbers / Coach's Selection), Ryan Gauld (Vancouver Whitecaps FC / Coach's Selection), Héctor Herrera (Houston Dynamo FC / Commissioner's Pick), Robin Lod (Minnesota United FC / Coach's Selection), Hany Mukhtar (Nashville SC / Coach's Selection), Darlington Nagbe (Columbus Crew / Commissioner's Pick), Riqui Puig (LA Galaxy / Voted In)

FORWARDS / WINGERS (8): Cristian 'Chicho' Arango (Real Salt Lake / Voted In), Christian Benteke (D.C. United / Voted In), Federico Bernardeschi (Toronto FC / Coach's Selection), Denis Bouanga (LAFC / Coach's Selection), Juan 'Cucho' Hernández (Columbus Crew / Coach's Selection), Lionel Messi (Inter Miami CF / Voted In), Luis Suárez (Inter Miami CF / Voted In), Diego Rossi (Columbus Crew / Coach's Selection)

For assets of the 2024 MLS All-Star jersey | Click Here

When the MLS All-Stars take on the best of LIGA MX, they will do so in the 2024 MLS All-Star jersey. The jersey design is a celebration of the best that MLS has to offer and pays homage to the iconic style and flash of '90s soccer on the 30th anniversary of the last time the U.S. hosted the World Cup. Jerseys are on sale starting today at MLSstore.com and in Columbus at various All-Star activations. Fans can also support the MLS All-Stars by purchasing the 2024 jersey with their co-branded MLS Forward Credit Card powered by Avant, issued by WebBank and have the opportunity to receive 5x rewards at MLSstore.com**.

Highlights of the 2024 MLS All-Star roster include the following:

- Leading the way with five selections is the host club and defending MLS Cup presented by Audi champion Columbus Crew, which is the most by a club since the Seattle Sounders had six in 2021. Supporters' Shield leader Inter Miami CF ranks second with four players selected.

- Three Columbus players will be making their All-Star debut - forward Cucho Hernández and defenders Steven Moreira and Rudy Camacho - while Diego Rossi will be making his third overall All-Star appearance (2019 and 2021 with LAFC) and first with the Crew. Darlington Nagbe, a Commissioner's pick, will also be making his third All-Star appearance (2016 with the Portland Timbers and 2022 with the Crew).

- All four Inter Miami selections were voted into the All-Star Game in their first year on the ballot: forwards Lionel Messi and Luis Suárez, midfielder Sergio Busquets, and left back Jordi Alba.

- Overall, 18 clubs are represented on this year's All-Star Game roster: FC Cincinnati, Colorado Rapids, Columbus Crew, D.C. United, FC Dallas, Houston Dynamo FC, Inter Miami CF, LA Galaxy, LAFC, Minnesota United FC, CF Montréal, Nashville SC, New York City FC, Portland Timbers, Real Salt Lake, St. Louis CITY SC, Toronto FC, and Vancouver Whitecaps FC.

- The All-Stars were born in 17 different countries: Argentina (three), Brazil (two), Canada (one), Colombia (two), Democratic Republic of the Congo (one), Finland (one), France (four), Germany (one), Italy (one), Liberia (one), Mexico (one), the Netherlands (one), Scotland (one), Spain (three), Switzerland (one), the United States (four), and Uruguay (two).

- Eighteen of the 30 players will be making their MLS All-Star Game debut, while four players - Luciano Acosta (FC Cincinnati), Hany Mukhtar (Nashville SC), Darlington Nagbe (Columbus Crew), and Diego Rossi (Columbus Crew) - will each be making their third All-Star appearance, the most of any players on the 2024 roster.

- Ten club captains were named to the MLS All-Star roster: Luciano Acosta (FC Cincinnati), Chicho Arango (Real Salt Lake), Roman Bürki (St. Louis CITY SC), Ryan Gauld (Vancouver Whitecaps FC), Héctor Herrera (Houston Dynamo FC), Thiago Martins (New York City FC), Lionel Messi (Inter Miami CF), Hany Mukhtar (Nashville SC), Darlington Nagbe (Columbus Crew), and Keegan Rosenberry (Colorado Rapids).

- Eight players who have received MLS Best XI accolades feature on the roster: Luciano Acosta (three), Denis Bouanga (one), Roman Bürki (one), Cucho Hernández (one), Héctor Herrera (one), Hany Mukhtar (three), Miles Robinson (two), and Diego Rossi (one).

- Eight of the 30 players on the All-Star roster made their MLS debut in 2023 or later: Jordi Alba (Inter Miami CF), Roman Bürki (St. Louis CITY SC), Sergio Busquets (Inter Miami CF), Evander (Portland Timbers), Hugo Lloris (LAFC), Lionel Messi (Inter Miami CF), Luca Orellano (FC Cincinnati), and Luis Suárez (Inter Miami CF).

- All three Canadian MLS clubs are featured on an All-Star roster for the first time since 2018: CF Montréal (Mathieu Choinière), Toronto FC (Federico Bernardeschi), and Vancouver Whitecaps FC (Ryan Gauld).

- Three former MLS Golden Boot presented by Audi winners are included on the roster: Denis Bouanga (2023, LAFC), Hany Mukhtar (2022, Nashville SC), and Diego Rossi (2020, LAFC).

- Three World Cup champions are featured on the roster: Argentina's Lionel Messi (Inter Miami CF), France's Hugo Lloris (LAFC), and Spain's Sergio Busquets (Inter Miami CF).

The MLS All-Star Game presented by Target and MLS All-Star Skills Challenge presented by AT&T at Lower.com Field will be available to watch in more than 100 countries and regions in English, Spanish, and French on MLS Season Pass on the Apple TV app. Fans can subscribe to MLS Season Pass now through the Apple TV app on Apple devices, smart TVs, streaming devices, set-top boxes, game consoles, and the web at tv.apple.com.

Tickets for the MLS All-Star Game presented by Target are on sale at MLSSoccer.com/All-Star.

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