Four players from the United States Men’s National Football Team (USMNT), who recently featured in a memorable FIFA World Cup 2026 campaign, have been named among this year’s MLS All-Stars.
Max Arfsten (Columbus Crew), Tim Ream (Charlotte FC), Sebastian Berhalter (Vancouver Whitecaps FC) and Matt Freese (New York City FC) will join 25 other Major League Soccer players to face off against top talents from Mexico’s Liga MX in the MLS All-Star Game presented by Chime on Wednesday, 29 July, in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Freese, Ream, and Berhalter are also slated to participate in the 2026 MLS All-Star Skills Challenge presented by AT&T on Tuesday, 28 July.
Defender Max Arfsten has been selected for his second straight MLS All-Star appearance, chosen this time by 2026 MLS All-Star head coach Dean Smith of Charlotte FC. Arfsten has started all 15 league matches for the Crew this season, contributing four goals and four assists. He netted the decisive goal in Columbus’ 1–0 victory over New York City FC in the 2026 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup quarter-finals, helping the Black & Gold reach the semi-finals for the first time in 16 years. Since joining the Crew in 2023, Arfsten has tallied 14 goals and 22 assists in 87 appearances.
Arfsten made his international breakthrough last year, earning his first 16 of 21 total caps. The wingback scored once, provided five assists, and was nominated for the 2025 U.S. Soccer Male Player of the Year. A former UC Davis walk-on and MLS NEXT Pro graduate, he made his FIFA World Cup debut in the second half of the USMNT’s Round of 16 clash against Belgium.
Veteran defender Tim Ream will represent the host side at the All-Star Game for the second time in his career, having first been selected in 2011 as part of the New York Red Bulls. Now 38, Ream is in his third season with Charlotte FC after nine years at Fulham FC, where he competed in both the English Premier League and the EFL Championship. He has made 54 total appearances for Charlotte across all competitions and has started all 11 matches for the club in 2026.
USMNT head coach Mauricio Pochettino appointed Ream as team captain ahead of the FIFA World Cup 2026. Over his 15-year international career, the centre-back has captained the U.S. more than 30 times. He featured in consecutive World Cups, playing every minute in 2022 and starting four of five matches in 2026. Ream has earned 86 international caps, recording one goal and four assists.
Midfielder Sebastian Berhalter is set to appear in his second straight MLS All-Star Game following a stellar 2025 season in which he was named to the MLS Best XI. This year, he has already scored six goals—a personal best—and provided seven assists in 14 appearances for Vancouver, earning six MLS Team of the Matchday selections.
Berhalter made his USMNT debut on 11 June 2025 and has since accumulated 18 caps, scoring twice and assisting four times. The 25-year-old featured in all five World Cup matches this summer, making history against Türkiye by becoming the first active MLS player to register both a goal and an assist in a FIFA World Cup match, and the first USMNT player to achieve the feat since 1966.
Goalkeeper Matt Freese earns his first MLS All-Star selection this year. The Philadelphia native joined New York City FC in 2023 and has since registered 323 saves and 25 clean sheets across 110 appearances. Freese was instrumental in NYCFC’s defensive efforts during the 2024 and 2025 MLS Cup Playoffs and finished second in MLS Goalkeeper of the Year voting last season.
Freese received his first international call-up in January 2025 and made his USMNT debut in June of the same year. Since then, he has earned 19 caps and kept five clean sheets. During this summer’s FIFA World Cup, he started four matches, registering shutouts against Australia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, tying Jimmy Douglas and Matt Turner for the most World Cup clean sheets by a USMNT goalkeeper.
