Former Aston Villa and Birmingham defender Liam Ridgewell said that he was extremely shocked to hear that he was named in the MLS All-Stars team as the replacement for Kyle Beckerman. Beckerman suffered an injury just before the match, which was of huge pride to the nation. The MLS All-Stars were taking on Bayern Munich in a pre-season friendly match for the Europeans. Portland Timbers manager Caleb Porter will be managing the MLS All-Stars team that also features the likes of Landon Donovan. After hearing the news of Beckerman’s absence, Porter decided to call up Ridgewell.
The former England under 21 international had just moved to the United States after more than a decade of playing in the Premier League and championship. He has represented the likes of Aston Villa, Birmingham and West Brom. Ridgewell is one of the few players to have played for all three Midland rivals. At just 30 years of age, he still has a long time left at the top. Portland Timbers were clearly overjoyed at the prospect of being able to use the former under 21 international, who has made eight appearances at this level.
Ridgewell had completed the move to MLS only a few weeks ago. He said that he was still moving into his new house as he got the news of his inclusion in the MLS All-Stars team.
“I got the news yesterday morning. I’ve just moved into a new house, so me and my old man were putting up curtains for our son and daughter, and I got the phone call that I had been drafted in for the game – I nearly fell off the ladder. For me, it’s something new and it’s just something that’s maybe a one-off thing and I’m really enjoying it. Hopefully I can enjoy the next two days and enjoy it a little bit more,” said the defender.