Johnson and Soumare added to MLS All-Star roster
July 25, 2009 - Major League Soccer (MLS) News Release
NEW YORK (Saturday, July 25, 2009) - Real Salt Lake midfielder Will Johnson and Chicago Fire defender Bakary Soumare have been added to the 2009 MLS All-Star Team roster as replacements for Houston Dynamo forward Brian Ching and New England Revolution midfielder Shalrie Joseph.
The 22-year-old Johnson replaces Joseph, who has been diagnosed with bone bruising in his right knee. Johnson was a member of Canada's Gold Cup roster and helped lead the Canadian squad to the Gold Cup quarterfinals, where they fell to Honduras.
Soumare, a 23-year-old defender from Mali, will replace Ching on the roster, as the Dynamo star striker is being given rest after a grueling stretch of games with the U.S. National Team. Ching has played in four of five Gold Cup games as the U.S. men advanced to the CONCACAF Gold Cup Final where they will face Mexico on Sunday, July 26. Now in his third MLS season, Soumare has become one of the League's most outstanding defenders. He has started 14 games this season helping lead Chicago to the top of the Eastern Conference standings.
This will be the first All-Star appearance for Johnson and Soumare, but not the first League accolade for either. Last season Soumare was named to the League's Best XI, while Johnson won the MLS Goal of the Year.
The 2009 MLS All-Star Game will be played on Wednesday, July 29 at Rio Tinto Stadium - home of Real Salt Lake - in Sandy, Utah when the MLS All-Stars play Everton FC of the English Premier League. The game will be televised live on ESPN2 and Galavision at 9:30 p.m. ET.
Major League Soccer Stories from July 25, 2009
- Wizards Tie Los Angeles Galaxy 1-1 in Front of Standing-Room-Only Crowd - Sporting Kansas City
- Rapids Cruise 4-0 Over New York - Colorado Rapids
- Bulls rushed by Rapids - New York Red Bulls
- Kheli Dube nets game-winning goal in second half as Revs post third-straight shutout - New England Revolution
- Fire battle Sounders FC to scoreless draw - Chicago Fire FC
- MLS adds Fire's Soumare to All-Star roster - Chicago Fire FC
- Johnson and Soumare added to MLS All-Star roster - MLS
- RSL come back for late dramatic victory - Real Salt Lake
- FC Dallas stunned in second half by RSL - FC Dallas
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