News & Observer | newsobserver.com | MLS All-Stars face West Ham Thursday

Published: Jul 23, 2008 12:30 AM
Modified: Jul 23, 2008 01:23 AM

MLS All-Stars face West Ham Thursday

 

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TORONTO - With David Beckham, Landon Donovan and Cuauhtemoc Blanco at his disposal, New England Revolution coach Steve Nicol loves considering his attacking options for Thursday's Major League Soccer All-Star Game.

"They're all pretty tasty, to be honest," Nicol said Monday in a conference call. "All you're going to get is quality. For me, it's fantastic."

Nicol is still debating how to best use his offensive-minded lineup when the MLS All-Stars face English Premier League team West Ham at Toronto's BMO Field.

This is the fifth time in six years that the MLS All-Stars will face a foreign squad; they're unbeaten in the previous four games and haven't allowed a goal the past two years, edging Chelsea 1-0 in 2006 and beating Scottish side Celtic 2-0 last summer.

Both Nicol and Donovan said it's important for MLS to keep the streak alive.

"We want to show people what we're made of and this is the perfect way to do it," Nicol said.

West Ham finished 10th in the Premier League last year, a five-place improvement over the previous season. Led by England striker Dean Ashton, Swedish midfielder Freddie Ljungberg and American defender Jonathan Spector.

"They're going to be a very good team and they're going to be difficult to play against," Donovan said. "I think they'll be as prepared as any team we've ever played in an All-Star Game."

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