The MLS All-Star First XI was announced on Monday, and as expected, Seattle led the way with selections, only not as many might have thought.
Kasey Keller and Freddie Ljungberg were named to the MLS All-Star First XI in their first seasons in the league. Voted on by fans, players and media, the MLS All-Star First XI is the group of players who received the most votes, but isn't necessarily the group that will start against Everton at the All-Star Game at Rio Tinto Stadium on July 29th.
Here is the MLS All-Star First XI:
Kasey Keller, Chad Marshall, Wilman Conde, Geoff Cameron, Guillermo Barros Schelotto, Freddie Ljungberg, Shalrie Joseph, Stuart Holden, Dwayne DeRosario, Conor Casey, Landon Donovan
Dwayne DeRosario won't be available for the match as he leads Toronto FC in CONCACAF Champions League play that week.
So how would this group look in a formation? Here's a lineup:
--------------Casey---------Donovan-----------
---------------------Schelotto-------------------
DeRosario---------Ljungberg----------Holden
----------------------Joseph--------------------
-------Conde--------Marshall-------Cameron---
-----------------------Keller-----------------------
Okay, so maybe this formation isn't going to work, but again, the All-Star First XI isn't the actual lineup Houston Dynamo head coach Dom Kinnear will go with.
Surprise picks? I'd have to say it's LJungberg, but the popularity contest aspect of things clearly won out. He's skilled and famous, but has he had one of the best half-seasons in the league? No way. Color me a bit surprised that Fredy Montero didn't edge out Conor Casey. He came on strong in recent weeks, and he also had the Seattle fan voting push, but that still wasn't enough. Here's hoping he makes the team and starts anyway. He's fun to watch and very deserving.
The rest of the picks make sense, though I would argue that Chad Marshall hasn't had a better first-half of the season than Jhon Kennedy Hurtado. If anything, these picks wind up being more about reputation than performance when it comes down to the closely-disputed slots.
What do you think of this group? Which selection was the most surprising? What MLS player do you think was the biggest snub? Which selection do you think was the least deserving. Which seven players do you see being added to the roster?
Share your thoughts below.
