Fire's Soumare joins all-stars
Chicago Fire defender Bakary Soumare has been added to the 2009 MLS All-Star Team roster as a replacement for Houston Dynamo forward Brian Ching.
Soumare, a 23-year-old defender from Mali, joins the Fire's Wilman Conde and Cuauhtémoc Blanco on the All-Star roster.
Ching, the Dynamo star striker, is being given rest after a grueling stretch of games with the U.S. National Team. Ching has played in four of five Gold Cup games as the U.S. men advanced to the CONCACAF Gold Cup Final in which they will face Mexico on Sunday.
Soumare has started 14 games this season helping lead Chicago to the top of the Eastern Conference standings. Although this will be the first All-Star appearance for Soumare, last season Soumare was named to the League's Best XI.
The 2009 MLS All-Star Game will be played on Wednesday at Rio Tinto Stadium in Sandy, Utah. The MLS All-Stars will play Everton FC of the English Premier League, and the game will be televised live on ESPN2 and Galavision at 8:30 p.m.