FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – New England Revolution midfielder Wilfried Zahibo has been named to the 2018 MLS All-Star Gameday Roster by MLS All-Star coach Gerardo "Tata" Martino. Zahibo is one of 26 players selected to represent MLS as it faces Italian powerhouse Juventus in the 2018 MLS All-Star Game presented by Target on Wednesday, Aug. 1, at 7:30 p.m. ET at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. The match will be broadcast nationally in English on ESPN and in Spanish on UniMás.
Zahibo is one of four newcomers selected to this year's All-Star roster, joining LA's Zlatan Ibrahimović, LAFC's Carlos Vela, and Atlanta's Ezequiel Barco. The complete 2018 MLS All-Star Gameday Roster is comprised of 26 players, including the All-Star Fan XI presented by Target, 13 players selected by Tata Martino, and the two Commissioner’s Picks.
Midway through his debut MLS campaign, Zahibo is one of three Revolution players to appear in every match across all competitions. A physically imposing midfielder with a deft touch and creativity on the ball, the 24-year-old native of Marseille, France, has made 17 appearances, one coming in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, and contributed three goals and four assists. Showcasing dexterity both defensively and in the attack throughout the season, he paces all Revolution field players in recoveries (110) and successful passes in the opponent's half (288), and ranks third in successful passes (434), per Opta.
Zahibo's season highlights include an MLSsoccer.com Team of the Week nod after propelling New England to a decisive 4-0 win against Montreal on April 6, and an AT&T Goal of the Week nomination for his volley against the Impact on May 5.
Prior to signing with the Revolution on Jan. 11, 2018, Zahibo made more than 125 appearances and logged over 10,000 minutes played across all competitions in a seven-year professional career in Europe, which is highlighted by stints in Spain's top-flight La Liga and with French side AC Ajaccio. His most recent experience includes two seasons with Gimnàstic de Tarragona of La Liga 2, where he made 24 appearances and helped lead the club to a first-place finish in the 2016-17 Copa Catalunyan. Prior to joining Nàstic, Zahibo spent three seasons with Spanish powerhouse Valencia CF. He scored one goal in seven appearances across all competitions for Valencia, including two starts in La Liga in 2016. He also made five appearances in the 2015-16 Copa Del Rey and earned a starting nod against Barcelona in the second leg of a semifinal tie.
