Major League Soccer revealed it’s First XI for the All-Star game against West Ham United in Toronto on July 24th. As expected, David Beckham made the starting lineup, as did teammate Landon Donovan, who had the largest combined vote total (the team was chosen based on voting from fans, players, media, coaches and general managers).
Here is the MLS All-Star First XI:
————Kenny Cooper——–Landon Donovan————–
———————-Cuauhtemoc Blanco————————-
Robbie Rogers————————————David Beckham
————–Shalrie Joseph——Sacha Kljestan—————–
Jimmy Conrad———Michael Parkhurst——–Frankie Hejduk
—————————-Matt Reis———————————
The actual squad that plays West Ham United will look a bit different, with New England head coach Steve Nicol having the option of selecting different players to make up the actual Starting XI for the match. With Kljestan and Rogers expected to make the U.S. Olympic team, and therefore miss the match, Nicol will have plenty of decisions to make.
Here’s a closer look at the voting:
Some notes on the voting, by position:
GOALKEEPERS– Matt Reis won every voting category, with Jon Busch finishing second overall.
DEFENDERS: Frankie Hejduk won the fan and player voting while Michael Parkhurst won the voting among media and coaches/general managers. Chicago teammates Gonzalo Segares and Bakary Soumare finished fourth and fifth among defenders in overall voting. Segares did edge Jimmy Conrad in the media voting category.
MIDFIELDERS: David Beckham ran away with the fan vote, but also won the player vote, with only Sacha Kljestan close to him in the player voting. Beckham and Blanco crushed the field in the media voting while Beckham won the coach/GM voting. Interestingly enough, Blanco finished just fourth among coaches/GMs, behind Beckham, Shalrie Joseph and Sacha Kljestan. Shalrie Joseph got no love from the fans, finishing eighth in that category. Dwayne DeRosario and Steve Ralston finished sixth and seventh in the overall voting and are good bets to replace Rogers and Kljestan in the starting lineup. Guillermo Barros Schelotto finished eighth and should get a reserve nod. It’s interesting to note that Schelotto finished fourth in the media voting.
FORWARDS: The voting wasn’t even close here, although Luciano Emilio did beat out Kenny Cooper in the media voting. Kenny Cooper’s big win came in the coach/GM category, where he crushed Emilio. I wonder when that voting took place, if it came early, that might have cost Emilio the nod.
Nicol and his coaching staff will select five reserve players, while MLS commissioner Don Garber will also select two players, to round out the 18-man roster. Who could we see making those groups? Here is a potential list:
MLS ALL-STAR BENCH
- Jon Busch
- Gonzalo Segares
- Dwayne DeRosario
- Steve Ralston
- Luciano Emilio
COMMISSIONER’S PICKS
- Jim Brennan
- Guillermo Barros Schelotto
So what could the actual Starting XI look like against West Ham? Well, if there are no injuries, this is a starting lineup we could see:
————Kenny Cooper————-Landon Donovan———-
———————–Cuauhtemoc Blanco————————-
Steve Ralston———Dwayne DeRosario——David Beckham
—————————-Shalrie Joseph————————–
Gonzalo Segares——-Michael Parkhurst——-Frankie Hejduk
——————————Matt Reis——————————-
I see Ralston getting the call because he’s been great since returning from injury while DeRosario is one of the league’s best AND a Toronto native who should help make up for the lack of a Toronto FC player in the starting lineup.
One player missing from my lists is Marvell Wynne, who I really feel should be on the team. If either Jimmy Conrad or Michael Parkhurst gets the call as a U.S. Olympic Team overage player I think you’ll see Wynne get the nod.
What do you think of the First XI? Any surprises? Anyone you thought would make it that didn’t? Share your thoughts below.
we want GONZALO SEGARES…he should have been #3!
Oh, and to all those American fans on here who keep talking up Marvell Wynne becuase the USMNT keeps picking him, I can tell you that TFC fans who live every minute of this team will largely confirm he is not having a good season;
————————————-
When did the USMNT call up Wynne? He made the U-23 Olympic Qualifying roster but he rarely gets called up to the senior team. He’s about 8th or 9th in the depth chart.
Ives, I remember hearing that the agreement between the league and the players’ union required that they still choose (and pay) two full teams of All-Stars even though only one of the teams will actually play.
A remnant from when it used to be East vs. West in the All-Star game.
Is that still the case? If so, Luciano Emilio can just kick back with his All-Star pay and not actually have to risk injuring himself.
Sounds like a sweet deal to me.
Looking at the possible starting midfield my first impression is old and slow (and I am a Revs season ticket holder). I know it is simply an exhibition and West Ham will be in its early pre-season, but if West Ham has any speed/size up front and a midfield that can possess the ball it could be an interesting game.
Also, not a big fan of Brennan. Is he even a stand out talent in this league? He certainly is not an All-Star.
Ive got a feeling the TFC fans will be booing this entire team, with no TFC players and all.
Brennan? Really? He could be good, I’d have no idea. He’s been really under the radar, there are a solid 5 names in the TFC midfield. Actually, the only other time I’ve thought about him was seeing him named captain, and wondering exactly the same thing. If that was a nod to the home folks, I’d much rather have seen Wynne as well.
how did the 3-5-2 become the default formation?
correct me if I’m wrong but most MLS teams still play with 4 in the back, no?
Kirk, that’s ridic. They follow the voting, it’s just that fan voting only counts for 1/4 of the tally.
wth k last time i check tfc players led every one n now there r none on the team
thats soo dumb i m pretty sure gurvarea is way better then rogers y does the mls let us vote when they dont follow the voteing
I love the All-Star team but, I have a question for all the readers. How do you think this team will fair throughout a whole EPL season?
I have a feeling that this Yanks/foreign team could at highest UEFA CUP 6th and lowest 12.
Cheers.
Anybody else looking forward to seeing Beckham play with Cooper?
heffe-
you’re right in that morales from rsl is having a great year. don’t worry next year the allstar is in utah. he’ll get his shot then.
Would be most happy of DeRo makes an appearance in front of home crowd. Can’t argue much with that starting lineup though, it’s pretty solid.
Oss. Mental Youth – I just don’t see a compelling argument against any of these guys. If I were to try it would be this: Segares for Conrad. However, Conrad started out solid with a couple goals and the voting starts early. Also, I don’t think in reality Blanco to be that far ahead of other mids either. The guy walks around and expects his teamates to cover the ground he’s suppose to and spends the game crying and intimidating the refs. I’n not a fan of that. I am a fan of his skill so I’m cool with his inclusion (as if my opinion matters).
There are still spaces to be filled. With the game in Toronto I’m willing to bet what little cash i have on a player or two from Drunk Canuck FC to be included.
heffe-
you’re right in that morales from rsl is having a great year. don’t worry next year the allstar is in utah. he’ll get his shot then.
Oh, and to all those American fans on here who keep talking up Marvell Wynne becuase the USMNT keeps picking him, I can tell you that TFC fans who live every minute of this team will largely confirm he is not having a good season; he’s being beaten constantly at right back by leaving too much space behind himself.
While his speed still usually allows him to close his player down, it’s not until he’s all the way down to the byline, and five supporting opposition players are in the TFC box. He has mad speed and skills and is excellent offensively, but he’s driving us all crazy on defense.
QUOTE: “Kpuggs,
No offense taken, I love Dichio, hes a great player and an incredible character but hardly one of the best strikers in the league”
He should, however, be in the team as one of the best target forwards in the league. He’s not a striker, never has been.
But when you h ave a guy whose primary job is to hold up the ball and distribute it scoring five times in six chances, and still fulfilling his role as well as any (of the few around) who still play the target forward position, yeah, he should at least make the bench.
The downside is he’s missed quite a bit of time due to reoccuring injuries, so maybe he hasn’t really been active enough to qualify.
that one vote that was cast for xavier was me
What about Javi Morales (RSL)?
What about Javi Morales (RSL)?
Wow. This might be the first time in my life that I’m seeing an all-star team where I don’t have a major problem with any selection (though I do agree that Wynne should end up there eventually, certainly over Brennan). MLS may have found a solution other leagues should take a look at . . .
oh that’s just a potential list. well hopefully gbs goes.
good of garber to pick GBS. that guy is a beast (Schelotto) and i enjoy watching him play whenever columbus is on the tube.
Betinho,
Fair enough, however last year we had the likes of Ronnie O and Juan Toja, those guys are hardly stars… Why not throw Claudio Lopez, hes a star? All stars is a mix of big names and good players, simply that. Regardless i dont have a beef with the starting 11, that being said, as a person with a ticket to the game, it would have been more interesting if a TFC player had made the cut (could be a bench player but prob not) and or the team reflected more of the league as opposed to only several teams (guess this is another argument all together).
I’m happy with this list. We did ourselves well. There’s not one person there who isn’t having a great a season and, I’m sorry Aljarov, are in good form. I don’t understand people who harp on Hejduk. I don’t think it’s a matter of a lack of competition at that position, it’s simply that no one brings it like he does. The guy is a freak of nature.
Mental – it’s an All STAR game. You tend to have big names in ALL STAR games.
Ives’ lsit in perfect for me as well. I can’t think of anyone obvious snubs. Garber always seems to pick a head scratcher. I’m interested to see what he does.
Question…what happens to Rogers an Kljestan’s spots? Does Nicol fill those? If so that means he gets to pick 7 players?
I find it hilarious that Toronto players were very high up in the fan voting and yet there isn’t a single Toronto player in the first 11.
Emilio will dominate that all star game!
Wow, 8 of those 11 were on my ballot. I guess I like, represent the people or something…
That DC is playing well only now is why they don’t have any players on the first 11. Voting takes place over a period of time and when people were first casting votes no United player deserved one. Voting always favors players that start hot and, of course, have name recognition.
It’s too bad RSL aren’t a team everybody likes to watch. I think because of that, Javi Morales is really missing out. He has not established himself as a “big name,” but I think he is a wonderful talent, and I believe he still leads the league in assists. He is a classy player to watch on the field.
I have to say, I am not really a fan of the whole “vote for your all stars” format. I didn’t like it when the NBA did it, and I don’t like it here either. People can inflate the number of votes players get, and can over shadow some of the smaller players who may deserve a better look when it comes time to team selection.
Kpuggs,
No offense taken, I love Dichio, hes a great player and an incredible character but hardly one of the best strikers in the league. Cant say i was surprised or angry that he wasnt part of it. Would like to have seen a piece of our group in there none the less tho…
As someone else said, its basically all the DPs/Big names of the league, noone surprised with that. Kinda disappointed really..
Ummmmm, Wynne should have been there. No question
Emilio didn’t do anything for about 2 months, even though he’s hot now, he in no way, shape or form deserves a top 11 nod.
I quite like the list. Of course you can make a few arguments here or there, but these are all deserving players.
Segares and Soumare should have been on that list. It will be a crime if Nicol doesn’t choose the two of them along with Busch too be back ups or replacements!!!! Do the right thing Nicol!!!!!!!!!
All star game in general = lame
All star game against a mid-table EPL team = lame, embarrassing.
No TFC players does surprise me…Wynne should definitely be in and Sutton has been as good as Busch this season and second only to Reis.
Wynne would have started on my XI.
I think it looks like fans just picked the 11 biggest names and most obvious choices, regardless of form.
A slight correction: This isn’t the starting XI, it’s the First XI. Whoever starts the game is up to the management at the game, and they aren’t obligated to start any of the First XI. It’s simply an honorary team comprising the top vote-getters when all the different voting methods are combined.
Cooper obviously gets the call ahead of Emilio because Emilio has more of a team behind him. Cooper has been doing this by himself. Emilio will make the final roster, which I think will be announced tonight during the LA-Chivas broadcast.
Conrad is good.. but i’m a bit surprised Segares (s/p) didnt make the starting lineup
I wonder how West Ham will treat Beckham….
No offense to Toronto fans meant here. You guys are the best fans in this league, and I’m jealous of that.
But thank god Danny Dichio isn’t starting. Not that I think we’ll have any trouble dominating the all star game. I just wanted a true version of an MLS best XI out there and that just doesn’t include Dichio. I’m happy with this lineup, here’s to opening a Red Bull can sneak onto the bench.
Methinks the voters got is correct. All of these players have been delivering consistently from the beginning of the season. As for Mr. Emilio? Well he has been on fire,….but where was he when DCU was floundering at the beginning of the season.
Rogers and Kljestan won’t be a part of the team due to the olympics.
No complaints with thi starting 11, all of whom are having noteworthy seasons. I agree with Danny that the absence of Emilio is something of a snub, but he did have a very slow start whereas all of the starting 11 have been consistent all season.
6 of these guys are starters on my ESPN fantasy league team, the “Tallahassee Terrorists,” which is currently in 43rd place overall. Go Tallahassee!
I’m betting Emilio made the squad, just not the starting XI.
These are just the starters. Emilio will probably be on the bench.
Mig22,
yes, Marvell Wynn…
Bit surprised noone from TFC made it.
I mean we dont dominate the league but doesnt the US of A love Edu? Hes played only so so but regardless… Even Guevara, isnt he a supervillain?
Ah well, who cares anyways…
I’m a Frankie Hejduk fan and all but is there nobody under the age of 50 that can play right back in this league?
The team looks good but considering that DCU is looking like the hottest team right now they should have a player get good playing time.
Will Blanco play considering what happened in the US Open Cup?
No L.Emilio? His one of the hottest forwards right now in MLS…How he didn’t make the All-Star team is beyond me