All-Star games are kind've like the great improv show Whose Line is It Anyway: everything's made up and the points don't matter. That's what make them so fun. You get to watch the the league's best and not have to worry about the result. This year, goalkeeper Maarten Paes will represent FC Dallas at the All-Star game on July 24 in Columbus, Ohio against the All-Stars of Liga MX.
But first, let's take a look at the best FC Dallas/All-Star game moments from yesteryear.
#5 Juan Toja, 2007
Who remembers Juan Toja and his iconic flowing locks? The Colombian midfielder's stay in Dallas lasted less than two years but that was time enough to make his mark on the league. Toja scored some important goals for FCD and was named to the MLS All-Star game during both seasons with the club. It was the 2007 edition against Scottish giants Celtic where he stamped his name on the game with a clever toe-poke finish following a miscued free kick. Toja's goal sealed a 2-0 win for the All-Stars in the newly minted Dick's Sporting Good's Park in Commerce City, Colorado.
#4 - Jason Kreis, 2004
Jason Kreis, Dallas' all-time leading scorer, the first American-born MLS MVP and a five-time All-Star. He was FCD's undisputed GOAT before Matt Hedges came along but he's still one of the league's early greats. Kreis scored three goals over his five All-Star games including this long-range beauty in 2004 (back when it was always West vs. East), assisted by none other than Landon Donovan.
#3 - Jason Kreis, 1996
It's hard to make an all-time FC Dallas list of any kind that doesn't include Jason Kreis at least twice. So here he is again. The year was 1996 and it was the very first All-Star game. Kreis was just a floppy-haired rookie enjoying a breakout season. Again, the All-Star game was West vs. East and Kreis came up big for the West in the first half with a go-ahead goal following a deep run from midfield. It was a quintessential Kreis goal as the then 23-year-old acted as both playmaker and finisher to score the third-ever All-Star goal, and the first by a Dallas player.
#2 - Jesús Ferreira, 2022
"Like father like son." In 2022, FCD Homegrown Jesús Ferreira followed in his father's footsteps and appeared in his first MLS All-Star game. In doing so, the Ferreiras became the first father-son All-Star duo in MLS history. Jesús helped the MLS standouts overcome the Liga MX All-Stars 2-1 just 12 years after his dad faced off against Manchester United in Houston. Ferreira the Younger repeated the trick a year later, lining up for the All-Stars once again against Arsenal in Washington, D.C.
#1 - Ricardo Pepi, 2021
Last but not least, Ricardo Pepi's game-winning penalty from the 2021 edition. It was the first iteration of the MLS All-Stars vs. Liga MX All-Stars and it didn't disappoint. The MLS All-Stars and their southern counterparts played to a 1-1 draw over 90 minutes before a penalty shootout was required to break the deadlock. And up stepped 18-year-old Ricardo Pepi.
The shootout was tied 2-2 and Pepi was MLS's fifth kick taker. It was likely the more pressurized moment of his young career up to that point but Pepi is made for the big moments. The FCD Homegrown stood tall before slamming his penalty off the underside of the crossbar and in to give MLS some much-needed bragging rights over its southern rival.
