FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – The MLS All-Star Team: the best of the best in Major League Soccer; a glittering lineup of the country’s brightest stars, who light up the beautiful game with their mesmerizing skill, masterful technique, and majestic ability.
An exceptional plethora of top talent; with the exception of one star name.
On Tuesday afternoon, the final roster for the 2023 edition of the eagerly-awaited MLS All-Star Game was revealed – the squad who will face Premier League aces Arsenal in the marquee showdown on Wednesday, July 19 in Washington, D.C.
While the news of goalkeeper Djordje Petrović’s inclusion (though of course pleasantly unsurprising given his imperious form) brought glad tidings for the New England Revolution, the roster announcement proved somewhat bittersweet.
Whenever any decision is put to a vote (the All-Star squad is comprised by a combination of fan, player, and media voting, designations by head coach Wayne Rooney, and two selections by MLS Commissioner Don Garber), there will always be disagreements.
But to say this one left those who follow MLS – staff, players, fans, media; even those with a passing interest – a little perplexed would be an understatement.
There was one notable (and seemingly nonsensical) omission.
Revs sporting director and head coach Bruce Arena captured the sentiment perfectly: “You shouldn’t call it an ‘MLS All-Star Team’ if Carles Gil isn’t on it.”
Well said.
The cast list of the league’s ‘best players’ does not include one of its best players – in Arena’s view, “one of the top five players” in the country.
It is hard to disagree. Gil has been in sensational form this term, inspiring New England’s remarkable, record-breaking start to the year which has propelled the team to second place in the Eastern Conference and Supporters’ Shield standings.
Pulling the strings in the iconic number 10 role with a captivating and flairful creative spark, the captain is the conductor of his attacking orchestra; an integral cog in the Revolution machine – and his stats speak for themselves.
Having crafted his 100th goal contribution for the club (33 goals, 67 assists across all competitions) with an assist in Saturday’s comeback win over Toronto FC, he became the fifth Revs player to achieve the feat – and now leads the league’s assist charts for 2023, tied on nine with Atlanta United’s Thiago Almada and Philadelphia Union’s Daniel Gazdag.
Since his move to the United States in 2019, no player has carved more goalscoring opportunities (435) than Gil, who became the fifth-fastest player to reach the half-century milestone for assists in MLS action (50 in 105 games). He has in fact created 11 more assists than any other player since making his MLS debut, with 61 across the regular season and playoffs.
Of those goal involvements, 19 have marked game-winning contributions – the second-most in New England history – including four this season. A result of his creative genius, the Revs hold a noteworthy overall record of 34-3-12 when Gil has teed up a teammate to score, demonstrating his key influence, as midfielder Matt Polster explains.
“I think it’s a little disrespectful,” Polster reflected of Gil’s All-Star exclusion. “Hopefully something happens where he is in the team. He’s by far been the most consistent performer – not just for us but within the league. He’s definitely an All-Star in our team’s eyes, and I’m sure in his own eyes.”
Defender Andrew Farrell was equally complimentary of his offensive counterpart, agreeing: “He’s very deserving of a place. Even if he didn’t get voted, he’s still our All-Star.
“These votes are always interesting. I’m really happy for Djordje because he deserves his inclusion, and I think Carles should join him in there. Both guys have been so great for us. I’m happy for all the guys who have been voted in, but Carles has been one of the top three, five players – especially midfielders – in the league throughout the season.
“Obviously, we would have loved to have seen him play against Arsenal, and play with those guys who were selected. It’s always great to see him get recognized in Team of the (Matchday) and things like that, but we’d have loved to have seen him as an All-Star.”
With a team-high 16 goal contributions this season (seven goals, nine assists), Gil stands in second spot leaguewide, while he is also amongst the top three in MLS for chances created (49). Topping the rankings for opportunities made in the previous two campaigns, he set a league record of 130 in his MVP-winning 2021 season.
Averaging 0.58 assists per 90 minutes since the start of that memorable campaign – the best rate in MLS – he has clocked a career ratio of 0.51 (ranking third in MLS history for players with 20+ assists), and holds the Revolution record for his 0.48 per game return. (Shall we go on …?)
Six more assists will crack the league's all-time top five for the highest number tallied in a three-year span, with Gil having collected 41 since the start of 2021 – also the most ever achieved by a Revolution player in the same duration. Nine multi-assist games since the start of 2019 is also a league-best, and three more than his closest challenger – the Spaniard’s vision, touch, passing range and finishing ability all enviable and essential strings to his brilliantly lethal bow.
“He’s been such an important piece to our team for the past four, five years he’s been here,” Farrell added. “Obviously, he’s good on the ball, he initiates our attack; he comes back to drop in between the midfield to get the ball, he’s scoring goals, getting assists ... On and off the field, he’s our leader.
“It’s his desire [that stands him out]. He does it all. When we sign DPs, they are often flair players, guys who are gamechangers. When you’ve got a guy who’s a gamechanger like he is, but also does the dirty work, defending, and truly cares … Every game he’s on the field, we have a chance to win – that’s the biggest stat, and that’s testament to his hard work and skill level.”
Gil has consistently contributed at the sharp end of the pitch, and is on his way to besting his own Revs career figures this term. In his last eight appearances alone, he has claimed five goals and five assists, and has starred at Gillette Stadium to steer New England to a record-breaking undefeated start to the campaign (7-0-3) with four goals and eight assists in eight games in Foxborough.
To sum up, his stats are impressive. This season, he even set a Revolution record for corner kicks (482) just to add another note to his dazzling resume!
Held in such high regard by all connected with the club, it is safe to say Gil is very much considered to be one of New England’s all-time greats – hugely respected and deservedly celebrated by his fans, coaches and perhaps most profoundly, his peers.
“His ability to see the game is different to most players,” Polster continued. “When he gets on the ball, he’s able to create space for himself, and he’s able to pick passes not many other players can find within this league. He’s able to unlock defenses single-handedly, and that’s what’s made us that much better of a team.
“He’s a guy who demands a lot from the group, and from himself. He’s one of the most demanding players. Especially when we’re not winning games, or we’re not performing at a high level, he’ll definitely voice his opinion – and it means a lot because he doesn’t do it often. When he speaks up, it means something amongst this group.”
While there is no doubt the MLS All-Star roster boasts an array of the league’s finest talent, showcasing some of the biggest and best names the country has to offer, as Revs head coach Arena remarked, Gil’s oversight just “doesn’t make any sense.”
Regularly recognized by the league for his accomplishments throughout his time at Gillette Stadium, including a selection in the 2022 All-Star squad and that 2021 MLS MVP award, the decision is all the more baffling. Strange things do happen in soccer however, and though we’ll be wholeheartedly cheering on Petrović and co. against the Gunners, we can quietly hope the All-Stars’ loss will prove to be the Revs’ gain.
The 2023 MLS All-Star Game presented by Target kicks off at 8 p.m. ET on Wednesday, July 19, on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV.
