Major League Soccer will be announcing it's All-Star First XI at halftime of Sunday's Portland-Seattle match, so it's a perfect time to roll out SBI's picks of the league's top performers for the first half of the season.
We've picked three teams, using a 3-5-2 formation that is typical of an MLS All-Star Game ballot. The teams don't necessarily represent a workable formation with players at their natural postitions, but they do indicate who we feel have been the top players in the league at their respective positions through the first half of the season.
Here is SBI's MLS First-Half Best XI (as voted on by SBI staff):
SBI's MLS FIRST-HALF BEST XI
FIRST TEAM
GK: Faryd Mondragon
DEF: George John, Omar Gonzalez, Nat Borchers
MF: Landon Donovan, David Beckham, Brek Shea, Brad Davis, Joel Lindpere
F: Thierry Henry, Chris Wondolowski
SECOND TEAM
GK: Kevin Hartman
DEF: Chad Marshall, Jan Gunnar Solli, Jamison Olave
MF: Jack Jewsbury, Marco Pappa, Osvaldo Alonso, Mauro Rosales, Juninho
F: Charlie Davies, Luke Rodgers
THIRD TEAM
GK: Nick Rimando
DEF: Heath Pearce, Ugo Ihemelu, Carlos Valdes
MF: Nick LaBrocca, Graham Zusi, Sharlie Joseph, Kyle Beckerman, Davide Chiumiento
F: Eric Hassli, Andres Mendoza
———————-
What do you think of SBI's MLS Best XI for the first half of the season? Think any players are not deserving of their spots? What changes would you make?
Share your thoughts below.
you watch the goals, then watch the 110+ saves…rimando is short and would have missed some of those diving saves frei made, hartman is old and slow and wouldn’t have left his box on some of the breakaways frei was able to break up, mondragon i could agree with, and ricketts is too injury prone to be worth a damn
George John finally getting some love. I can dig it.
Even the retarded say you are retarded
Red Bull 3rd kits are still better than the Galaxy’s
he chooses to chase dream far away from the USA
Agree..Agudelo will be great but right now Wondo is the better finisher
imposiblay
Could be right. I don’t watch galaxy games as intensely as FCD games so i wouldn’t know their younger players as well as you.
I’ll be sure to keep a closer on the pair.
sebastian miranda
But he was injured, soo…
People who think the Castrol Index is bunk are probably just stat haters. There are still plenty of neanderthals that think Baseball Prospectus is useless…
He’s 69, which seems a bit low for a guy on a best list. BUT he’s between Beckerman, Jackson, De Rosario, and Dunivant.
Beckerman also made the list, Dunivant has been mentioned multiple times in this thread, and Jackson once.
Both Chandler and Lichaj (when he’s not playing LB).
Yup. It’s pure name recognition, or potential, or something.
Not just overrated, “extremely overrated”!
Or he has heard of Pickens and correctly believes Hesmer is doing better.
6 goals 2 assists in league play this year, and he missed 4 games for the Gold Cup.
The Castrol Index has Wondolowski 6th in the entire league this year, behind Henry, John, Borchers, Donovan, and Gonzalez. All of those guys made the Best XI.
+1
Dawkins would be on here if not for his injury
It’s a shame Morales and Ferreira…MLS’ best players aren’t on the squad…Thanks, MLS hacks
beast of a hobbit…nice building block for TFC and Ecuador
Ream vs Galaxy even better
watch the all-star game, eurodouche
not much this year in league play or national team play…last year is over…agree
Guess you havent heard of Matt Pickens
best in the region
Ricketts was the best keeper in Concacaf before the injury
I agree. He’s been good in all three of the games for which he was healthy.