COMMERCE CITY, Colo. – Earlier in the 2015 MLS season, Colorado Rapids head coach Pablo Mastroeni’s fame grew with his mustache, one which gained him comparisons to the likes of Snidely Whiplash, Captain Hook, Dick Dastardly and other nefarious characters.
But when it came to filling in the roster for the AT&T MLS All-Star Game against Tottenham Hotspur – a task which always generates controversy – he didn’t want to be painted as the villain when selecting players to the squad.
“You’re trying to balance everything out. The strengths in my picks are who their peers thought belonged in the lineup, because who am I to tell – I went by who had the highest number of [player] votes in each category,” Mastroeni told reporters. “You have nine [picks]. Obviously not everyone who is deserving is going. There’s probably 39 other players who could potentially slide in.”
Goalkeeper has been one of the most top heavy positions in MLS this season, making it one of the more difficult positions for Mastroeni to select. With an important game against LA coming up for the Rapids three days after Wednesday's All-Star Game, Mastroeni appears to be giving Colorado’s starter Clint Irwin a rest, instead opting for Vancouver Whitecaps ‘keeper and MLS win leader David Ousted to join Fan XI selection Nick Rimando on the roster.
“Ousted was voted way up there, he’s having a good year,” Mastroeni said. “Would I like to have put Clint [Irwin] there? Absolutely.”
MLS goal leader Kei Kamara was among the easier additions to the roster for Mastroeni, though five of his nine selections – 13 slots were accounted for by the Fan XI and Commissioner’s Picks – came along the backline.
“Most of the fan selections were attacking players so we needed players at all positions that could play as opposed to playing a right winger at right back,” he said. “What I have to do is put guys around them that can do the work on the defensive side of the ball so that the guys with flair and attacking can do what they do. The toughest thing for me was to get all types of players to round out the team a bit more.”
While plenty of responsibility was placed upon the Rapids manager in player selection, Mastroeni is planning on taking a hands-off approach when it comes to in-game logistics.
“You look at the players and try to think of what is the best system with the players I have. What am I going to tell these guys? These guys are made men,” he said. “This game isn’t about coaching. I’m going to eliminate myself. If the coaching becomes important then the game is bad. I want to be as invisible as possible, allow these guys to play with one another.”
