U.S. Men’s National Team Ready to Represent at 2026 MLS All-Star Game in Charlotte

Four U.S. Men’s National Team players who recently represented the Stars and Stripes in a historic run at the FIFA World Cup 2026 were named MLS All-Stars earlier this month.

Max Arfsten (Columbus Crew), Tim Ream (Charlotte FC), Sebastian Berhalter (Vancouver Whitecaps FC) and Matt Freese (New York City FC) will join 25 other MLS players as they take on All-Stars from Mexico's top soccer league Liga MX in the MLS All-Star Game presented by Chime on Wednesday, July 29 in Charlotte, N.C.

Freese, Ream and Berhalter will also compete in the 2026 MLS All-Star Skills Challenge presented by AT&T on Tuesday, July 28.

Max Arfsten – Columbus Crew

Defender Max Arfsten earns his second consecutive MLS All-Star selection, this time chosen by 2026 MLS All-Star head coach Dean Smith of Charlotte FC.

Arfsten has started all 15 of the Crew’s league matches this season, tallying four goals and four assists. He scored the game-winning goal in Columbus’ 1-0 win over NYCFC in the 2026 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Quarterfinals, helping the Black & Gold reach the Semifinals for the first time in 16 years. Arfsten has recorded 14 goals and 22 assists in 87 matches since joining the Crew in 2023.

Arfsten broke onto the international scene last year, where he earned the first 16 of his 21 caps. The wingback scored one goal and added five assists and was named a nominee for 2025 U.S. Soccer Male Player of the Year. The former UC Davis walk-on and MLS NEXT Pro product made his FIFA World Cup debut in the second half of the USMNT’s Round of 16 match against Belgium.

Tim Ream – Charlotte FC

Defender Tim Ream will represent the hosts at the All-Star Game for the second time in his career, having previously made the 2011 All-Star Game as a Red Bull New York selection. The 38-year-old is competing in his third season with Charlotte FC after spending nine with Fulham FC in both the English Premier League and EFL Championship. Ream has made 54 total appearances for the club across the regular and post-season and has started all 11 matches for the Crown in 2026.

Named captain for the USMNT heading into FIFA World Cup 2026 by head coach Mauricio Pochettino, the center back has become a leader over his 15-year international career, captaining the U.S. more than 30 times. He was a part of the last two World Cup rosters, playing every minute in 2022 and starting four of the five matches in 2026. He has earned 86 total international caps to go along with four assists and a goal.

Sebastian Berhalter – Vancouver Whitecaps FC

Sebastian Berhalter is set to appear in his second consecutive MLS All-Star Game following a 2025 season where he was also named to the MLS Best XI. The midfielder has recorded six goals – a career high – plus seven assists in 14 appearances for Vancouver this year and has been named to the MLS Team of the Matchday six times.

He made his USMNT debut on June 11, 2025, and he has since appeared 18 times, tallying two goals and four assists. The 25-year-old appeared in all five World Cup matches this summer for the USA. In the match against Türkiye, Berhalter made history, becoming the first active MLS player to record both a goal and assist in a FIFA World Cup match and the first USMNT player to do so since 1966.

Matt Freese – New York City FC

This year is the first MLS All-Star selection for goalkeeper Matt Freese. The Philadelphia native joined NYCFC in 2023 and has since recorded 323 saves and 25 clean sheets in 110 appearances. Freese anchored the NYCFC defense in both 2024 and 2025 runs in the MLS Cup Playoffs. Last season, Freese finished second in MLS Goalkeeper of the Year voting.

The NYCFC standout earned his first international call-up in January of 2025 before making his USMNT debut in June of that year. He has since earned 19 caps and five clean sheets. He started in goal for four matches during this summer’s World Cup and recorded shutouts against Australia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, moving him into a three-way tie with Jimmy Douglas and Matt Turner for most World Cup clean sheets all-time by a USMNT goalkeeper.