CARSON, Calif. (Tuesday, July 26, 2016) – LA Galaxy defender Jelle Van Damme has been added to the 2016 AT&T MLS All-Star Gameday Roster, Major League Soccer announced today. Van Damme will join Galaxy forward Giovani dos Santos and the MLS All-Stars to represent MLS in the summer showcase at Avaya Stadium in San Jose, Calif. this Thursday, July 28 at 4:30 p.m. PT, live on ESPN, UniMás, UDN, TSN, and RDS. Van Damme replaces Liam Ridgewell (Portland Timbers FC) and Matt Besler (Sporting Kansas City) on the 2016 AT&T MLS All-Star Gameday Roster.

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This year, Van Damme has made 17 appearances for the LA Galaxy in MLS play. He has solidified a backline that has given up an MLS-best two goals in their previous six matches and has allowed just 19 goals on the season, the second fewest in MLS. The central defender joined LA this year from Standard Liège in Belgium’s top-flight division.

Sporting Kansas City defender Matt Besler had to withdraw from the 2016 AT&T MLS All-Star Game due to injury. Portland Timbers defender Liam Ridgewell is currently undergoing a medical to determine his availability for Thursday’s match. The MLS All-Star Gameday Roster is located HERE.

The Gameday Roster is made up of players chosen by All-Star coach Dominic Kinnear, taking into consideration the All-Star Fan XI and player voting, and the two Commissioner’s Picks.

2016 MLS All-Star Game Roster by Position

Goalkeeper: David Bingham (San Jose Earthquakes), Andre Blake (Philadelphia Union)

Defenders: Steve Birnbaum (D.C. United), Laurent Ciman (Montreal Impact), Andrew Farrell (New England Revolution), Keegan Rosenberry (Philadelphia Union), Jelle Van Damme (LA Galaxy), Brandon Vincent (Chicago Fire), Kendall Waston (Vancouver Whitecaps FC)

Midfielders: Kyle Beckerman (Real Salt Lake), Mauro Diaz (FC Dallas), Giovani dos Santos (LA Galaxy), Jermaine Jones (Colorado Rapids), Kaká (Orlando City SC), Sacha Kljestan (New York Red Bulls), Darlington Nagbe (Portland Timbers), Andrea Pirlo (New York City FC), Wil Trapp (Columbus Crew SC)

Forwards: Clint Dempsey (Seattle Sounders FC), Didier Drogba (Montreal Impact), Sebastian Giovinco (Toronto FC), Cyle Larin (Orlando City SC), Ignacio Piatti (Montreal Impact), David Villa (New York City FC), Chris Wondolowski (San Jose Earthquakes)

2016 MLS All-Star Gameday Roster by Team

Chicago Fire (1): Brandon Vincent

Colorado Rapids (1): Jermaine Jones

Columbus Crew SC (1): Wil Trapp

D.C. United (1): Steve Birnbaum

FC Dallas (1): Mauro Diaz

LA Galaxy (2): Giovani dos Santos, Jelle Van Damme

Montreal Impact (3): Laurent Ciman, Didier Drogba, Ignacio Piatti

New England Revolution (1): Andrew Farrell

New York City FC (2): Andrea Pirlo, David Villa

New York Red Bulls (1): Sacha Kljestan

Orlando City SC (2): Kaká, Cyle Larin

Philadelphia Union (2): Andre Blake, Keegan Rosenberry

Portland Timbers (2): Darlington Nagbe

Real Salt Lake (1): Kyle Beckerman

San Jose Earthquakes (2): David Bingham, Chris Wondolowski

Seattle Sounders FC (1): Clint Dempsey

Toronto FC (1): Sebastian Giovinco

Vancouver Whitecaps FC (1): Kendall Waston

LA Galaxy single game tickets for the 2016 MLS season are available for purchase now. Galaxy fans can go to www.lagalaxy.com/tickets or call 877.3GALAXY (342.5299) for information, purchasing, and special offers.