Charlotte FC will be represented in the MLS All-Star Game for the first time in the club's history, and its own head coach will run the All-Star team, when the league's midsummer showcase comes to Bank of America Stadium on July 29. Defender Tim Ream, midfielder Pep Biel, and captain Ashley Westwood will all be on the matchday roster, and head coach Dean Smith will lead the MLS All-Stars against the best of Mexico's Liga MX.
The three players reached the roster by two different routes. Ream, who also captains the United States men's national team, was voted onto the roster by fans and media. Biel and Westwood were named as Coach's Selections by Smith, who as the host club's manager was handed the job of filling out the rest of the team.
"I think 11 were voted in by fans and media," Smith told reporters on Friday. "So very nice to see Tim's name in there." He noted the vote closed before the World Cup and called the nod a boost for Ream "going into the World Cup."
For his own two picks, Smith said he leaned on the season to date. "I picked two of what I felt were our best players or best performing players in the first 15 games of the season: Ashley Westwood and Pep Biel," he said. Both, he added, were "deserving of the accolade of becoming an all-star." Biel, signed permanently from Olympiacos, has been the club's most productive attacking midfielder. Westwood wears the captain's armband.
Smith described the roster build as a balancing act. He said he wanted the game to be "a commercial success and a sporting success," but also "a community success for this city," with players spread across the league and a majority drawn from World Cup nations.
The game itself is a cross-border exhibition: the MLS All-Stars against a team of Liga MX All-Stars, a rematch of a format the two leagues have used before. Kickoff is set for 8 p.m. on Wednesday, July 29, the first All-Star Game played at Bank of America Stadium. It will stream on MLS on Apple TV in English, Spanish, and French.
Charlotte's turn as host was announced in March. "Our stadium has consistently shown that it can deliver unforgettable experiences through world-class events," Kristi Coleman, the chief executive of Tepper Sports & Entertainment, said at the time.
The recognition arrives during a lull. Charlotte FC sits at 6-6-3, an even record worth 21 points, and has not played a league match since a 1-0 win over the New England Revolution on May 23. The regular season resumes July 22 against Atlanta United, a week before the All-Star Game. Biel and Westwood have been central to the club's plans all season; Ream has been the veteran anchor of the back line.
Charlotte FC joined MLS in 2022. Four seasons in, it will not just host the All-Star Game. It will be in it.