As we hit the mid-way point of the MLS season, it is time to look at the players who have enjoyed the best seasons in the league.
There are plenty of worthy candidates for the Mid-Season MLS Best XI, including some no-brainer selections like Chris Wondolowski and Dwayne DeRosario. Some positions are very tough to choose from, like defensive midfield, where Kyle Beckerman and Osvaldo Alonso are both worthy selections.
The SBI Mid-Season MLS Best XI was voted on by SBI's editorial staff and comprises of our picks for players at all 11 positions in a 4-4-2 formation. So no, our midfield doesn't have two playmakers and zero defensive midfielders like the fan-voted MLS All-Star First XI.
Eight teams are represented in the Mid-Season Best XI, and it shouldn't come as a surprise that San Jose, D.C. United and Real Salt Lake are the only squads with multiple selections in the first team.
Here are SBI's selections for the Mid-Season MLS Best XI:
SBI MID-SEASON MLS BEST XI
FIRST TEAM
———-Chris Wondolowski——Thierry Henry————-
———————–Dwayne DeRosario———————–
Chris Pontius———————————-Landon Donovan
————————Kyle Beckerman————————-
Gonzalo Segares—————————–Steven Beitashour
—————Aurelien Collin—Jamison Olave—————-
—————————Dan Kennedy————————–
SECOND TEAM
——————Will Bruin——–Kenny Cooper————–
————————–Graham Zusi————————–
Brad Davis—————————————Marvin Chavez
————————-Osvaldo Alonso————————-
Daniel Woolard———————————-Lee Young-Pyo
——————Carlos Valdes—-Jay DeMerit—————–
————————Andy Gruenebaum———————–
——
What did you think of our selections? Who is missing that you think should have made the team? What player are you happy to see honored?
Share your thoughts below.
Have to agree — Nyarko makes everyone else sooo much better with his creativity going forward and work rate on defense.
I think that Cooper and Woolyard are both rated a bit high and I’d want to find space for Marco Pappa. Otherwise, I’m surprisingly in agreement with every other selection.
He is only good enough for the national team as the no 3 keeper. But that does not make you good enough for the MLS top two. These things are rubbish. He is always underrated.
(SBI-You don’t grasp the difference between a Best XI and a Best Player depth chart. Just because someone is highly rated as a national team player doesn’t mean they’re having a great club season. As for Rimando “always” being overrated, he was SBI’s Goalkeeper of the Year in 2010. Nobody’s saying Rimando isn’t quality, but for the first half of THIS season, he hasn’t been one of the best in the league.)
Pretty accurate Best XI I must say. Marco Pappa maybe deserves a spot?
(SBI-Not over Pontius. Over Davis you can probably argue, but Pappa didn’t start off the season too strongly and that may have cost him in the voting.)
@ Vik, I understand that but to have Valdes over Bernardez is Laughable
Mr. Farfan,
Don’t be coy – you have had a much better season that Fredddy. Sure he has shown flashes, but has lacked consistency. You have 4 assists while Adu only has one – and he has been taking the bulk of corners as well!
Be careful using logic on these posts to point out how messed up the salary cap is coupled with the DP exemption. People here love their overpaid players and don’t want to see the league grow with more players EARNING $300,000 salaries. More Beckermans, fewer Beckhams.
Good luck making that argument in the real world. Olave was injured for four games. He still made the list because he is the best.
Half of these dudes aren’t on the all star team because we have to make room for underwear models who are “building the league” one tighty whitey at at time.
I absolutely disagree.
Matt Pickens
(SBI-He’s having a great year, no question, but can’t get the nod over the above two. He’d be third in my book based on the first half of the season.)
Nick Rimando
certainly not his best year ever but him an Henry are the only ones in top 10 in goals and assists. also 4/6 goals are on the road, all of which were pretty important.
interesting.. at least the money is being spent well
Castrillon has been a golden pickup for the ‘pids but id say its a stretch to put him in the Second Best XI, maybe in place of Zuzi?..
The only Criticism/Question I have regarding SBI’s pick is Donovan. While I’ve not seen many Galaxy games this year….the ones I have seen were not impressive showings for Donovan. Expecially in the beginning of the year. While I can’t identify an alternate to Donovan off the top of my head…I’ve got to believe that there is someone out there who’s played better/more consistent.
(SBI- Donovan did have some bad and/or mediocre games early in the year, but he did turn it on later and was key to the team’s turnaround. That, and the fact right midfield isn’t exactly a loaded position in MLS are how he still makes it.)
dax mccarty
very cool
I think him missing a bunch of games from his injury affects his chance of making teams like this. Hopefully by the end of the season he’ll have shown he belongs.
Also, in revisiting San Jose’s 2012 salaries: Wondo is the highest paid player at $300k. Pretty awesome.
Nice. Crazy that Landy and Henry compose more than 75% of the first team’s salaries. The remaining players (particularly DeRo) are incredible bargains.
That’s just not true. Cooper has had some very impressive finishes starting with his first goal with, a very delicate chip. Only true gimmies were the pk’s. He certainly has benefited from talent around him but its the same talent Agudelo had at the beginning of the year and he couldnt get off the bench.
Your first team has a combined guaranteed salary of $10,343,790.53 and your second team’s salary is $2,136,491.67.
IF you applied the DP rule, your first team would fit nicely under the MLS salary cap at $2,730,600.
None of your second team make more than $350,000 so that team wouldn’t benefit from any DPs.
How is Bernardez not on Either team?? He’s the best Centerback in the League right now
(SBI-Missing a big chunk of the first half cost him. Before the injury he was definitely on pace to be a first or second team pick.)
No, Just mean a guy like Collin will get more pub than say Besler because he scores goals. Not the goals aren’t important etc.
Zusi has a ton of assists from FKs, I don’t think he is a “top” attacking mid
All these players mentioned are solid players, and I know from my inexperience with other teams, guys jump out more that show up more in the box score, absent of context etc
So you’re saying Besler is overrated because of fantasy stats? How many people do you think actually follow that?
as Ives said, that is clearly: A)debatable and B)a toss up.
Both are very good. Ozzie covers more ground, Beckerman dictates pace/passes better
First team would kick second team’s butt. Chavez is nothing without the San Jose system and Wondo.
Erm. Bump, that is?
Agreed, Alonso should be first team and Beckerman second team.
Obviously biased towards them by Lee Nguyen has looked dangerous against almost every team he’s played against. Probably not first team material but definitely honorable mention material. Hard to pump guys like Pontius and Davis.
+1 on Cooper
Or maybe you have a pro-Canada bias based on your two comments (although I agree w you on Koevermans over Bruin)… Gruenenbaum and Kennedy are the top two keepers in trhe league, almost everyone agrees on that. Cannon is good but there are five others at the same level as him.
Olonso > Beckerman
Most fans would tell you Espinoza is our best midfielder too. Fantasy/goals/assists dictate a lot of this
**two-way midfielders**** I was missing “way” in my original post.
No Patrick Nyarko either. Probably one of the most underappreciated players in MLS.
What’s interesting is that you guys had Gruenebaum as the best goalie in the first half, but he’s 2nd team here.
Hard to disagree with your selections, except that Paul Gardner won’t be happy to see only one alleged Hispanic in your first XI — apparently, he doesn’t think De Rosario counts. Also, he won’t be happy to see Henry in the first XI, even though his MLS strike rate is the best in the league’s history. He’s also not a big fan of Zusi….
Me — personally, despite his goal total, I don’t see Cooper in the mix here. He’s just not that good. He’s benefited from talent around him. Few of his goals were impressive in any way — not his finishing, not his positioning, etc.
I know the Rapids haven’t been great this season as they are in the midst of a big transition going from a kick-n-run to possession style but right at the hub of that transition has been Jamie Castrillon. He’s been absolutely brilliant. He’s been one of the best two-midfielders in MLS. Castrillon could have easily been in these mid-season Best XI’s but maybe it’s best he’s not. I get the feel he likes flying under the radar and enjoys that unsung hero role. Nonethless, he’s been a great acquisition not only to the Rapids but MLS.
No Marco pappa???
Vancouver has 2 defenders on the 2nd team…you might have a little pro-Canada bias?
Some of this has to be tied to the success of the teams… MON and TOR are NOT having good seasons, so it’s hard to argue the value of any of their players (even though obviously Bernier and Koevermans are strong candidates).
also, from VAN, what about Joe Cannon… not better than Gruenenbaum? (you may have a bit of an anti-Canada bias?)
(SBI- Cannon is having a very good season, but Cannon is playing behind a much better defense than Gruenebaum or Kennedy. Both of those keepers have had to play behind weaker defenses than Vancouver, as evidenced by the fact the Whitecaps had two defenders make second team Best XI and neither Chivas USA or Columbus garnered any selections at all. When you consider that, AND the fact Gruenebaum and Kennedy have better goals-against averages AND saves per game averages than Cannon, you might see our line of reasoning.
And an anti-Canada bias? That’s pretty hilarious.)
No room for Patrice Bernier at MF, even on 2nd team? How does Will Bruin rank over a guy like Koevermans on TOR?
(SBI-Bernier is having a great season for Montreal, but isn’t beating out Beckerman or Alonso. As for Bruin over Koevermans, one of those players has been scoring goals all season, the other just started a month ago.)
Where’s Adu? You can’t tell me he’s not having a good year. Oh no you can’t!
Way to go Ives! Pit this team against Chelsea and we MAY have a match on our hands.
It’s really hard to argue any of the selections for the first team. I approve.
I’m a SKC fan, but I am thrilled that you recognized the work that Dan Kennedy and Andy Gruenebaum have done this year.
I would not trade Jimmy Nielsen for either of them, BUT I can recognize when quality is being displayed and I think Kennedy is the #1 most underrated player in the entire league.
It’s interesting how much love Collin gets from the national media. I think most SKC fans would say Besler is the better overall CB. Collin is good, but takes too many risks that don’t pay off.
(SBI-I would argue that some KC fans still hold Collin’s many mistakes from 2011 against him. If we’re talking strictly the first 17 games of the 2012 season, Collin has been better than Besler. Besler you can say is steadier, but Collin has improved on the mistakes and makes more big-time plays than Besler. Both are very good, but for first half of 2012, Collin is the pick.)
About right. I wish the ASG would play two different XIs, one in the first half and one in the second, so as to avoid mass substitutions.