WRAL Sports Fan

 
                 **** MLS Preview from The Sports Network ****
                            Thursday, July 19, 2007
                              (All Times Eastern)
 
 
                       Celtic FC at MLS All-Stars, 9 p.m.
 
 Commerce City, CO (Sports Network) - Scottish champion Celtic FC has brought a
 talented team, which includes several World Cup veterans, to play Major League
 Soccer's All-Stars on Thursday.
 
 Poland  striker Maciej  Zurawski and goalie Artur Boruc. and Danish midfielder
 Thomas  Gravesen have  combined for nearly 150 appearances with their national
 teams.
 
 Those  three only scratch the surface of the amount of talent Celtic has as it
 tries  to  end the MLS  All-Stars' perfect record against international clubs.
 The  MLS league  stars have  previously  beaten England's  Chelsea (2006)  and
 Fulham (2005), and Mexico's CD Guadalajara (2003).
 
 The  All-Star Game  is Thursday at 9  p.m. (ET) at Dick's Sports Goods Park in
 Commerce City, Colo., home of the Colorado Rapids of MLS.
 
 Gravesen,  who has made more than 60 appearances for the Danish national team,
 is  a stalwart in  midfield for Celtic. He had six goals last year for Celtic.
 He  had  prior stints with  Hamburg VA in  German's Bundesliga, Everton in the
 English  Premier  League and Real Madrid  in Spain's La Liga, among other club
 teams.
 
 Massimo  Donati, one of Celtic's key signings this offseason, and Jiri Jarosik
 are  also  midfielders. Donati joined Celtic  in June from AC Milan of Italy's
 Serie  A. Jarosik has made 20 appearances for the Czech national team. He also
 had a short stint with Chelsea.
 
 In  addition  to Zurawski up top,  Celtic's leading scorer last season was Jan
 Vennegoor of Hesselink. He had 18 goals for Celtic last year, including one in
 the Champions League. Scotland international Kenny Miller, who had three goals
 in the Champions League, is also available.
 
 Bobo  Balde  of Guinea, Lee Naylor  of England and Stephen McManus of Scotland
 are key players on Celtic's defense.
 
 Celtic will not have a few players available Thursday, including Japanese star
 Shunsuke  Nakamura, Ireland defender Darren O'Dea and Dutch midfielder Evander
 Sno.
 
 The MLS All-Stars are led by the league's leading scorer, Eddie Johnson of the
 Kansas City Wizards. The U.S. National Team striker is tied with D.C. United's
 Luciano Emilio - who is not on the roster - with 10 goals this year.
 
 Los  Angeles' Landon Donovan, Houston's Brian Ching and Ricardo Clark, Chivas'
 Jonathan  Bornstein,  New England's Michael  Parkhurst and Kansas City's Jimmy
 Conrad are other current U.S. National Team players on the roster.
 
 Former U.S. stars and MLS veterans Eddie Pope of Real Salt Lake and Cobi Jones
 of L.A. are also on the squad.
 
 Red  Bull New York striker Juan Pablo Angel, who has nine goals this year, was
 the  top choice for  the MLS First XI. Houston's Dwyane De Rosario, a Canadian
 international, was the second choice in voting for the First XI.
 
 New England's Steve Nicol will coach the team.
 
 Following is the complete MLS All-Star Roster:
 
 Forwards:  Juan Pablo Angel (Red Bull New York), Brian Ching (Houston Dynamo),
 Landon Donovan (Los Angeles Galaxy), Eddie Johnson (Kansas City Wizards).
 
 Midfielders:  Ricardo  Clark  (Houston  Dynamo), Dwayne  De  Rosario  (Houston
 Dynamo),  Christian Gomez  (D.C.  United), Cobi  Jones  (Los Angeles  Galaxy),
 Shalrie  Joseph  (New England  Revolution), Pablo Mastroeni (Colorado Rapids),
 Ronnie O?Brien (Toronto FC), Juan Toja (FC Dallas).
 
 Defenders:   Jonathan  Bornstein  (Chivas  USA),  Jimmy  Conrad  (Kansas  City
 Wizards),  Michael  Parkhurst (New England  Revolution), Eddie Pope (Real Salt
 Lake).
 
 Goalkeepers:  Matt  Reis (New England  Revolution), Kevin Hartman (Kansas City
 Wizards).
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 07/17 19:31:59 ET