Brandon Vincent is simultaneously back in his comfort zone and in a whole new stratosphere.
The Chicago Fire rookie is in the spotlight in San Jose after earning selection to the 2016 AT&T MLS All-Star Game at Avaya Stadium, a site just a short drive from the college campus where Vincent made his name as one of the top up-and-coming fullbacks in the country. Flanked by stars like Drogba, Villa, Giovinco and dos Santos, Vincent is preparing to line up against Premier League giant Arsenal in the league's annual midsummer gala.
WATCH: Vincent reacts to MLS All-Star selection
Fans can tune into the match Thursday with pregame coverage beginning on ESPN at 6:30 p.m. CT followed by kickoff at 7 p.m. Adrian Healey (play-by-play), Taylor Twellman (color) and Monica Gonzalez (sideline) will have the call from the Earthquakes' second-year home, where the stars of MLS will try to secure the league's ninth win in 13 all-time matches against international clubs.
To do so, they'll need to knock off an Arsenal side coming off a runner-up finish in the 2015-16 Premier League table and featuring plenty of first-choice talent, even without the likes of Alexis Sánchez, Mesut Ozil and Olivier Giroud:
Arsenal FC:
Goalkeepers (3):Petr Cech, Emiliano Martinez, David Ospina
Defenders (7): Hector Bellerin, Krystian Bielik, Calum Chambers, Mathieu Debuchy, Kieran Gibbs, Rob Holding, Nacho Monreal
Midfielders (9):Santi Cazorla, Francis Coquelin, Mohamed Elneny, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Jeff Reine-Adelaide, Chris Willock, Jack Wilshere, Granit Xhaka, Gedion Zelalem
Forwards (4):Chuba Akpom, Joel Campbell, Alex Iwobi, Theo Walcott
So will the Chicago Fire rookie get his chance to test himself against some of the Premier League's best Thursday night? Vincent is among seven defenders at coach Dominic Kinner's disposal and one of only three traditional outside backs, but Philadelphia's Keegan Rosenberry and New England's Andrew Farrell typically man the right flank for their respective clubs. Regardless of whether Vincent gets the nod on the left side, the coach that drafted him No. 4 overall in the 2016 MLS SuperDraft is excited to see him in an elite setting like the MLS All-Star game.
"We are very happy for him to be there, it's going to help him having that experience to learn from more experienced guys on the All-Star team," Veljko Paunovic said Wednesday. "I spoke to Dominic (Kinnear) in San Jose this Monday when I went for some meetings, we spoke briefly but I didn't want to influence him. I know that he's an experienced coach and whatever minutes [Vincent] can get is going to be helpful for him and for us, his performance and for him to become the player we all want him to be."