"It's a great honor," says Ljungberg, who signed last summer with the expansion Seattle Sounders after a career in Europe that included a 10-year stay with another Premier League club, Arsenal. "We don't have this in Europe, so it's a totally new experience for me. I'm not nervous; it's just enjoyable to be here."
Ljungberg, who led MLS players in fan voting, has played in two World Cups (2002 and 2006) and three European Championships (2000, 2004, 2008) for Sweden and won two league titles with Arsenal.
"We come together to play against a team from a country where I played my whole life," says Ljungberg, one of four Sounders named to the active 18-man squad along with U.S. goalie Kasey Keller, forward Fredy Montero and defender Jhon Kennedy Hurtado. "So it's a great occasion."
The All-Stars are directed by Houston Dynamos coach Dominic Kinnear, who won MLS titles in 2006 and 2007 and has three players on the squad.
The format puts something of a competitive sheen on the exhibition, although Everton is in preseason training for the league campaign that starts next month. The Everton roster includes former MetroStars goalie Tim Howard, who left the league in 2003 to sign with Manchester United and has since established himself as the No. 1 U.S. goalie.
Voting by fans, coaches-GMs, players and news media each represent 25% of the total balloting.
