Photo by ISIPhotos.com
MLS announced it's Best XI on Tuesday and made one slightly surprising move in selecting the team.
Landon Donovan was listed as a forward on the ballot, but was listed as a midfielder on the Best XI announced by the league, a change which allowed for him, Edson Buddle and Chris Wondolowski to all make the team. It is also a change SBI made when selecting its own Best XI.
Here is the squad:
GK- Donovan Ricketts, D- Jamison Olave, D- Omar Gonzalez, D- Nat Borchers, M- David Ferreira, M- Dwayne DeRosario, M- Sebastien LeToux, M- Javier Morales, M- Landon Donovan, F- Edson Buddle, F- Chris Wondolowski
———-
This Best XI had nine of the 11 players on the SBI Best XI, with Ricketts and Borchers edging out SBI selections Nick Rimando and Heath Pearce.
What do you think of the Best XI? Which player would you add to the list?
Share your thoughts below.
And Red Bulls fans, can we please stop complaining? We had a very good team this year, deep with good players all around, but no one was a real unquestionable standout Best XI type superstar. Lindpere and Ream were certainly in the conversation, but even they are borderline Best XI, and it’s no major snub that they didn’t make it. These individual accolades are not worth bitching over. I’d rather have a team with talent and depth and a bright outlook than a crappy team (which we have been for most of the past 15 years) with a Best XI player.
Pretty solid list all around. I only disagree with Ricketts. Would have gone with Hartman. If not Hartman, then Rimando.
Not criminal. I’m a Red Bull fan. Our team was a deep squad of very good players all around, even if no one was a standout superduper star. Nothing wrong with that.
That’s a superb idea.
It bugs me that they only choose 3 defenders instead of 4. How many MLS teams play with 3 defenders? They should do a 4-3-3 Best IX, imo.
It would represent the MLS better.
Not sure about what deserving players might have been left out, but I like Landon as a mid – must inclusion in the XI – and Wondolowski is a better forward than Landon is.
Nice that US soccer has gotten to a point that we don’t have one great player who makes the team in any spot. Competition for places is getting better…
+1, it ain’t easy being a defender :-/
+1
As a disappointed Galaxy fan, I definitely think these two deserve some recognition.
Damnit, damnit, damnit …
Looks good.
Why do you like Heath Pierce Ives? Do any of those Ream lovers remember how easily Convey turned him?
Ream is good but let’s not get carried away!
David F. deserved MLS MVP; I’m glad he got it.
“Midfielders and forwards get more attention and grab more headlines.”
So? Are you suggesting they rename it “Most Attention Grabbing XI”?
Clearly it needs to be 6 from LA and five from NY.
After all, those two not being in the finals has all the fan boys up in arms with teenage-puberty like emotional rage and depression.
You guys do realize this isn’t a REAL team right? They won’t be taking the field against the Mexican League’s best XI or anything. Midfielders and forwards get more attention and grab more headlines. Relax.
Ricketts and Rimando had great seasons to be sure but I think Hartmann and Coundoul were even better than them this year. Hartmann had a great GAA and Coundoul had a fantastic save percentage and faced the second most shots of any goalkeeper.
Wasn’t that established when their stadium was half empty regularly?
Oops, I went there.
People, people, people…. Four LA Galaxy players made the Best XI. And in the end, isn’t THAT what truly matters?
Hartmann for GK of the year. He had a .62 goals against average. Unbeaten by any other keeper.
I’m glad MLS got their heads out of the a**es about the whole Midfield/Forward thing with Landon Donovan
Agreed, in a league where nobody except DCU plays with a back 3, the best XI is a 3-5-2?
Perhaps the downfall of this list is it overlooks defensive minded midfield players. Ok everyone in the mid is a great player, but there’s more to the middle of the field than just attacking.
I would have thought it would have been 4-4-2 instead of 3-5-2, but whatever.
I think you misunderstood what boosted335 said. I don’t think he meant “flopped” as in “falls down a lot”, but rather that they came up short when the games really mattered.
Omar Cummings had 14 goals…
Juan Pablo Angel had 13.
Not saying 15 goals isn’t admirable but it takes more than just scoring to make the Best XI.
And I’m not saying DeRo doesn’t have that, just that Lindpere may be MORE deserving. Maybe.
What are you talking about?
Henry flops a bit.
Marquez bitches a lot.
Richards is tiny so he falls.
Dare you to name another RBNY player unafraid to get in another player’s face. Certainly not Lindpere.
ream and lindpere deserve at least an honerable mention.
but aside from that, good list.
DeRo had 15 goals. How do you argue that isn’t worth Best XI?
Agree. Or Rimando. Both are better than Ricketts. Cmon.
Who would I add? I would add a fourth defender. Because there isn’t a single team that plays with three defenders. Since 4 of every 11 starting players on every team is a defender, is it really that difficult to include a 4 defenders on the Best 11?
hell yes. Ives had a great article for Fox in this vein.
haha good joke
that’s exactly the point you’re missing. when fans/public actually start to care and bicker…that’s called one of those good problems. how many arguments do you hear about nba or nfl players getting ‘snubbed’ by getting left off their respective “best” lists. its exactly because there is the increase in depth and quality we can even have this conversation and argue about it.
No New York players.
Criminal.
so SBI and MLS got it wrong by not putting Hartman in the best XI
(SBI-I voted for Hartman, but the consensus was Rimando. The injury absence ultimately cost him both.)
i think all the bickering about who should or shouldn’t have been on it needs to stop, as we can see the strength of the league by the quality that is surely in the best second and third teams. this is a good thing for MLS that we are finding it difficult to nail down a single top 11
+1
haha
Heath Pearce left out. At least Ives gave him a well deserved shout out.
Read the title as “MLS Best Names XI” — couldn’t figure out how Teal Bunbury had been left out.
I’m shocked it took two whole minutes before the New York fans started complaining.
haha who is really going to play defense in the midfield or sit back
GSS, define entire offense. LeToux would like to argue with your statement
That is a nice looking line up. I think they’d stay up in the EPL.
They also flopped when it counted
I guess the Redbulls are in another class above. Because Ream, Marquez shut down the entire offense on this XI. Lindpere toyed with defense, as did richards.
MLS should also create a “Next XI” made up of 23 year old and younger players.
I don’t really follow MLS but don’t they have honorable mentions? Guys like Lindpere, Najar, Ream. I’ve heard tons of praise toward them
Did no one watch the New York Red Bulls this year?
I still maintain that Ream deserved some real Best XI consideration, but maybe I’m just bitter since Lindpere didn’t beat out DeRosario on MLS’ list.
sounds about right!
Love it.