Columbus, Ohio – Maarten Paes won't be the only FC Dallas representative at this year’s MLS All-Star game after all.
Petar Musa, Dallas’ top scorer, was a late addition to the squad that will face the Liga MX All-Stars on Wednesday, July 24 at the Crew’s Lower.com Field.
“I got the call from Sporting Director André (Zanotta) and he told me that I'm an All-Star," Musa told FCDallas.com upon arriving in Columbus late Monday. "I’m really happy and grateful to be here and to represent FC Dallas and myself. I’m really excited and I hope the game will be good against Liga MX so let’s see how it goes.”
While Musa didn’t make the cut during last month’s fan vote, his goal-scoring heroics of late make him a worthy selection by All-Star head coach Wilfried Nancy. The Croatian striker has netted eight goals in his last seven MLS games, including his first-career hattrick against Minnesota United.
“He’s a complete striker who is able to defend but also connect with players and also score goals," Nancy said in the All-Star press conference Monday. "It’s simple, he deserves to be here because he’s doing a good job with his team all season. I also like his profile, he’s able to make runs in behind if we need to, he’s able to play between the lines and I think that’s very interesting."
But Musa’s performances have been even better than his goal tally suggests. The 26-year-old has scored 13 goals (fifth-most in MLS) but has done so off just 8.4 Expected Goals. His over-performance of 4.6 goals is second-best in the league behind LAFC’s Mateusz Bogusz, per Fbref. That elite efficiency in the box is exactly why FC Dallas broke its transfer record to lure Musa way from Portugal’s SL Benfica this offseason. If Musa scores once more this season, he’ll become the club’s most prolific debutant in its 29-year history (Jason Kreis and Damian Alvarez both scored 13 goals in their debut seasons).
“Every season I set goals for myself and the first one was to adapt to life in the United States because it’s very different to Europe," Musa explained. "My teammates and my club helped me adapt as soon as possible and I feel comfortable now. I’m so happy I came here and I’m enjoying it every day.”
Since his inclusion was only made official Sunday afternoon, Musa arrived a day after his All-Star colleagues and missed the team’s first training session together on Monday morning. Now in Columbus, Musa will train once with the squad before lining up alongside them and FCD teammate Maarten Paes Wednesday night.
"I’m so glad my teammate (Paes) is here so I’m not alone. It’s great for the club to have two players here representing as All-Stars and I’m looking forward to the game."
