Wil Trapp played 45 minutes — as a second-half substitute — and thus cemented himself as Columbus Crew SC's first homegrown player to feature in a MLS All-Star Game, as the All-Stars fell to English Premier League giants Arsenal, 2-1, at Avaya Stadium in San Jose, Calif.
"I think it was like (MLS All-Stars coach Dominic Kinnear) said before the game," Trapp said. "He said to 'Just go out there, have fun and try to compete to win the game.' I think we all did that, had a good time and we competed well."
Trapp, the 22nd player selected as an All-Star in Crew SC history, entered for the LA Galaxy's Giovani Dos Santos to start the second half.
Arsenal struck first, winning a penalty in the 11th minute that Costa Rica international Joel Campbell finished for the early lead. The All-Stars leveled the match just before halftime via Montreal Impact forward Didier Drogba's trio of shots in quick succession. His first was saved by Arsenal goalkeeper Petr Cech, his second was blocked off the line only for the rebound to come to his left foot for the eventual finish.
After Trapp's entry, the match remained knotted for 42 minutes. The 87th minute saw the match turn in Arsenal's favor, when Chuba Akpom neatly touched a cross into an empty net.
"I think the game itself obviously was a great experience, but the whole week is something that I'm going to look back on and enjoy," Trapp said.
