COMMERCE CITY, Colo. – The “three amigos” has long been a nickname synonymous with Denver sports lore, but with three representatives on this year’s MLS All-Star squad, Colorado Rapids fans might need to consider a reboot.
Colorado's Drew Moor, Sam Cronin and Clint Irwin were all named to the MLS All-Star team by Rapids head coach Pablo Mastroeni, giving the local fans plenty to cheer for at Dick's Sporting Goods Park on top of the All-Stars' 2-1 win against Tottenham Hotspur in the league's annual midsummer showcase.
“The support was great and I’d love to do this every year here,” said Moor, who played the second half. “I don’t know how many times I could hear my name being yelled tonight, playing alongside Clint Dempsey and David Villa. It was as much fun as I’ve ever had playing soccer, even if it was just 45 minutes playing on the field.”
It wasn’t all fun and games, however. With Tottenham’s star striker Harry Kane playing well into the second half, Moor was tasked with some serious defending, going toe-to-toe with Kane on several occasions. He was up to the task.
“He’s just such a special player and he’s got a presence about him. Any time he’s in dangerous areas, you have to get close to him,” Moor explained. “He didn’t do too much in the second half so I’m happy with the way we matched up against him.”
Playing in his home stadium in front of his own fans helped, but so did having his Rapids teammates alongside him.
“It was very special that [Irwin] and [Cronin] were here for this. They certainly deserved to be here among all these other players,” added Moor. “When you don’t know if you’re going to get this opportunity again, it was very nice to share some special moments with these guys.”
“It was a big celebration of soccer and really fun to be a part of,” added Cronin, who also subbed on at halftime before leaving the match in the 77th minute for Jozy Altidore. “To see the city of Denver energized for this event was really cool to see.”
Rapids goalkeeper Clint Irwin didn’t see the field as the All-Stars third ‘keeper, but was still happy to be named to the roster on Wednesday as cover for starter Nick Rimando, who was nursing an MCL injury.
“Even though it was in the 11th hour, I was really happy to be named,” Irwin said. “When you look back at it, no one is going to ask how you got there. They’re going to say, ‘That guy was an All-Star.’”
With the All-Star festivities concluded, the Rapids vets are keen to extend their win streak to four games with a home win against the LA Galaxy on Saturday (9 pm ET, MLS LIVE).
“Now we’re excited to get back to work,” said Cronin. “We have a huge game against LA and we’re excited to continue the momentum that we built up before this break.”
