While FC Dallas has had plenty of ups and downs this season, one of the main bright spots has been goalkeeper Maarten Paes.
The Dutch-born keeper was voted to the league’s annual All-Star Game roster by a massive fan vote from his new home in Indonesia. Paes has started every game for FC Dallas, going 8-11-6 in the 25 games before the All-Star and Leagues Cup break. He is fourth in the league in saves (with 99) and has five shutouts on the season.
Teammate Petar Musa will join Paes for Wednesday’s All-Star Game against the Liga MX All-Stars. Having a teammate on the roster helps add to the experience for Paes.
“I'm looking forward to Petar (Musa) joining this afternoon. It's amazing that we can have that experience together,” said Paes during Monday’s press conference. “He definitely deserves it. It makes a little easier for me because you already have someone to sit with that you already know.”
Paes and other fellow All-Stars have been in Columbus since Sunday and were able to spend some time together at a concert.
The Dallas keeper is also excited to spend time with players from around the league he normally competes against, especially his fellow All-Star goalkeepers Roman Burki from St. Louis and Hugo Lloris from LAFC.
“That’s something that I really look forward to because I really want to learn from them. Hugo Lloris, World Cup winner, (Roman) Burki, when I was starting to be a goalkeeper, played amazing for Dortmund, so they're both playing their heads off this year.”
Tonight, Paes will compete in the 2024 MLS All-Star Skills Challenge. The event will include five competitions: Shooting Challenge presented by AT&T; Touch Challenge presented by Crest; Cross & Volley Challenge presented by AT&T; Passing Challenge presented by Old Spice; and Crossbar Challenge presented by GilletteLabs. Each team will be competing for charity as part of the commitment from both sides to be a force for positive change in local communities.
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