FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – Many of Major League Soccer’s top players will be on display when the MLS All-Stars take on legendary Spanish side Atletico Madrid on Wednesday night at Exploria Stadium.
But not all of them.
As long as there are All-Star games there will be All-Star snubs, and perhaps the biggest snub of this year’s midsummer showcase is New England Revolution captain Carles Gil. The 26-year-old playmaker has burst onto the scene in his first year in MLS, registering eight goals and nine assists to lead the Revolution in both categories.
Gil’s stats aren’t just tops with the Revs, though – his 17 combined goals and assists put him amongst the league’s elite attacking talent. In fact, only one other player with 15 or more combined goals and assists didn’t make the All-Star team: Portland Timbers’ maestro Diego Valeri (six goals, 12 assists).
Amongst league newcomers, Gil’s attacking contributions are almost unmatched. Those 17 combined goals and assists are second-most amongst 2019 debutants, trailing only Toronto FC’s Alejandro Pozuelo (18) and just ahead of Orlando City SC’s Nani (16).
Pozuelo and Nani, however, are on the MLS All-Star team. Gil is not.
“He’s on my All-Star team,” center back Andrew Farrell said of Gil. “He’s played great throughout the season, throughout the ups and downs of how our team has been doing. He’s such an important player for us, and for the league, also.
“So yeah, he’s an All-Star. I hope he keeps on getting that treatment and keeps on doing what he’s been doing for us.”
Gil’s contributions on the field should’ve been reason enough to land him on the All-Star team, but his presence in the locker room has been just as important for a Revolution side in the midst of a remarkable midseason turnaround.
A leader in every sense of the word, Gil first took the captain’s armband on May 8 in Chicago, desperate to help the Revs get back on track after a miserable start to the 2019 campaign. The Revolution’s record since Gil claimed the captaincy: 7-1-4.
“I think he works hard,” sporting director and head coach Bruce Arena said of Gil. “He’s a very positive guy, and obviously he plays very well, so when you blend those things together, that’s good leadership.”
It’s no surprise, then, that Gil responded like a leader when asked about his All-Star snub, brushing aside the notion that he deserves to be playing on the league’s showcase stage, and instead focusing on the Revs’ upcoming meeting with Los Angeles FC and the final 11 games of the regular season.
In short, while it may be bothering Revolution fans – and, maybe, this writer – that Gil was left off the MLS All-Star roster, the player himself couldn’t be less concerned.
“It’s not that important to me,” Gil said through an interpreter. “I think in the end, the most important thing to me is the team here, and continuing the rhythm we’ve had over the last three months. Obviously, we want to put in a fight over the next three months and try to qualify for the playoffs.”
Good answer, Carles.
But you still should’ve been an All-Star.
