Soccer By Ives

SBI's 2011 MLS Best XI

The 2011 Major League Soccer season was arguably the best in league history, from both a competition and entertainment standpoint, and as a result, it made for some tough calls when deciding on the league's Best XI.

MLS commissioner Don Garber will announce the league's official Best XI later today, but based on the voting of the SBI editorial staff (Ives Galarcep, Avi Creditor, Adam Serrano, Mike Nastri, Jose Romero, Thomas Floyd, Joey Samuel), we came up with a first, second and third team to honor those who put forth standout performances this season.

Four players were unanimous selections to SBI's Best XI, and three players were repeat selections from our 2010 SBI MLS Best XI.

Now, without further ado, here is SBI's 2011 MLS Best XI:  

SBI 2011 MLS All-Rookie Team

The 2011 MLS Draft was considered a good one with more long-term upside than immediate contributors when it took place last January, but as the season went on, we realized that the number of rookies who would wind up playing key roles on teams would be higher than most would have expected.

Whether it was C.J. Sapong playing a major part in Sporting Kansas City's climb from worst to first in the East, to A.J. Soares establishing himself as the best defender on New England in year one, there were several rookies who flourished in their first seasons as pros.

In fact, there were so many solid rookie seasons that we wound up with a handful of worthy candidates for the SBI MLS All-Rookie Team who fell short of selection. Columbus' Rich Balchan, New England's Stephen McCarthy and Vancouver's Michael Boxhall all earned 18 starts for their clubs this seasons and all have bright futures as they move forward into 2012, but none of them made our MLS All-Rookie Team.

When thinking of the 2011 MLS Rookie class, you should also remember that there were several top young prospects in it who didn't contribute much in 2011. Players such as Omar Salgado (Vancouver), Diego Fagundez (New England) and Zach Pfeffer (Philadelphia) to name a few.

Please keep in mind that our selections are players who qualify as rookies under the MLS definition of a rookie, which is any player who hadn't been under a professional contract prior to the 2011 MLS season. That means Toronto FC standout newcomer Joao Plata does NOT qualify despite having been selected in the 2011 MLS Draft.

So who were the top rookies in MLS this season? Here are my picks for the 2011 SBI MLS All-Rookie Team:

SBI MLS Best XI: Week 18

 

 

In a week when goals were even tougher to come by than most weeks in MLS, the Seattle Sounders and Philadelphia Union had no trouble finding the nets.

The two clubs combined for seven goals in their most recent victories, and their impressive performances led to a combined six selections on this week's SBI MLS Best XI. Midfield maestro Mauro Rosales earned MLS Player of the Week honors for his goal and assist in Seattle's 4-3 win, while Union defender Sheanon Williams garnered a nod on SBI's Best XI after scoring his first career goal in his home market of Boston.

Columbus Crew goalkeeper Will Hesmer took the nets in a week that saw several goalkeeper standout, while Brad Davis made the cut for the Houston Dynamo.

Here are this week's selections for the SBI MLS Best XI: 

SBI's MLS Best XI (First Half)

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 MLS Best XI: Week 13

The past week in MLS was an outstanding one for amazing goals, and also a stellar week for standout forwards.

There were so many of them, in fact, that we had to find a way to squeeze the four best onto this week's SBI MLS Best XI.

How could you really choose from Eric Hassli and his stunning goals, to Alan Gordon's clutch brace, to Steven Lenhart hat-trick-plus-assist masterpiece, to Thierry Henry carrying an understrength and battered New York Red Bulls team to victory?

We didn't, choosing instead to honor all four.

So who else made this week's SBI MLS Best XI? Here are our selections:

SBI MLS Best XI: Week 9

Carlos Ruiz and Bobby Convey scored two of the best goals of the season last weekend, and those scores as well as their overall performances helped them both earn places in SBI's MLS Team of the Week this week.

Ruiz's long-range volley and Convey's curling free kick were the highlights, but not everyone on the Best XI scored goals. Steven Lenhart and Osvaldo Alonso made the cut for their impressive overall efforts, while Nick Rimando made the team for keeping another clean sheet in acrobatic fashion.

Here is this Week's SBI MLS Best XI:

SBI MLS Best XI: Week 9

Landon Donovan was at it again last week, finding the net and helping the Los Angeles Galaxy record another victory.

Donovan moved into first place on the MLS goal-scoring charts with his latest performance, and he also took up what has become a regular place on the SBI MLS Best XI.

Justin Braun made his debut on the Best XI, courtesy of his improbable hat-trick against New York. FC Dallas goalkeeper Kevin Hartman made the squad courtesy of his two shutouts last week, while there were several other repeat selections in this week's eleven.

So who else made this week's squad? Here is SBI's MLS Best XI for Week Eight:

SBI MLS Best XI: Week 7

 

It was an interesting week in Major League Soccer, what with three scoreless draws, a few rather awful matches, and one beautiful display of soccer between Los Angeles and New York.

The Galaxy-Red Bulls tilt didn't produce a winner, but the quality of soccer led to several players from the match earning SBI MLS Best XI honors this week. A total of four players from the match, two from each team, made the Best XI.

As for the most well-represented team? It was actually a good balance, with only D.C. United joining New York and LA with two selections on this week's team. There were some new faces in the group, such as Joao Plata, and some familiar faces to the Best XI, such as FC Dallas goalkeeper Kevin Hartman.

Now, without further ado, here is the SBI MLS Best XI for Week 7:

SBI MLS Best XI: Week 7

Will Bruin looks like a player destined to score plenty of goals in his pro career, but he may never forget his first multi-goal game.

Bruin's hat-trick helped Houston roll to a 4-1 win against D.C. United last Friday, and earned him his first nod to the SBI MLS Best XI.

The Dynamo rookie wasn't alone among Houston's standouts to earn a place. Brad Davis made the cut as well, capping off an incredible month with another stellar effort, assisting on two of Bruin's goals.

The Philadelphia Union also enjoyed a strong week, fending off an early red card to post a hard-fought 1-0 victory. Union star Sebastien LeToux capped a tremendous effort with a clutch penalty kick while goalkeeper Faryd Mondragon and Carlos Valdes helped anchor yet another Union shutout.

So who else made the squad this week? Here is SBI's MLS Best XI for Week 7:

SBI MLS Team of the Month: March/April

Photo by ISIPhotos.com

The first seven weeks of the 2011 MLS season have seen some real roller-coaster rides for some teams, but for the cream of the crop, the season has been a steady rise to the top of the standings.

For the clubs enjoying the best early goings, their successes can be linked to the strong performances of the league's best players in the early going. Whether it is Teemu Tainio running the midfield in New York, Brad Davis spear-heading the Houston attack or Faryd Mondragon leading the stingy Philadelphia back-line, there is a strong collection of talent leading the charge in the season's opening weeks.

So who has been the very best in MLS through the season's first six week's? Here are SBI's selections for the first MLS Team of the Month:

SBI MLS Best XI: Week 6

The New York Red Bulls and Los Angeles Galaxy sent clear messages last weekend that they are, in fact, legitimate championship contenders, and their respective blowout victories were led by four players who headline this week's SBI MLS Best XI.

Landon Donovan returned to his dominating ways to lead this week's group, while Donovan Ricketts made some amazing saves to join him. Thierry Henry continued his recent hot streak, while Red Bulls fullback Jan Gunnar Solli made the cut thanks to one of the best performances by an MLS fullback in recent memory.

Here were SBI's selections for MLS Best XI for Week Six:

SBI MLS Best XI: Week 5

Three attacking duos highlight this week's SBI MLS Best XI, with Portland, New York and D.C. United being represented after their teams posted impressive romps in Week Five.

SBI Player of the Week Khalif Alhassan and teammate Jack Jewsbury got the nod, as did New York strike force of Thierry Henry and Luke Rodgers. Charlie Davies impressed in his first D.C. United start, while Chris Pontius' two-goal performance earned him a place.

Here is the full SBI MLS Best XI for Week 5:

SBI MLS Best XI: Week 4

 

 

When selecting this week's SBI MLS Best XI, one spot was easy to fill. David Ferreira was Player of the Week by a good margin, leaving ten other spots up for grabs and a boatload of worthy candidates for those positions.

Ferreira wasn't alone among FC Dallas players to make this week's squad, with Ugo Ihemelu being honored for helping shut down a normally dangerous Colorado Rapids attack.

Seattle is also well-represented this week, with three players chosen for the squad, including veteran goalkeeper Kasey Keller, who reminded us that he can still deliver when called upon.

 Real Salt Lake also has multiple players included, but not the usual suspects. RSL showed off its depth in a comprehensive 2-0 win at New England, and Collen Warner helped lead the way.

Here is this week's SBI MLS Best XI:

SBI MLS Best XI: Week 3

A trio of two-goal scorers leads the way for SBI’s MLS Week 3 Best XI selections.

Colorado's Caleb Folan, Sporting Kansas City's Teal Bunbury and Vancouver's Camilo Sanvezzo each notched braces over the weekend. Folan led Colorado to a 4-1 dismantling of D.C. United, while Bunbury and Sanvezzo scored their goals in the same match, a 3-3 thriller in which the Whitecaps came from three goals down to earn the point.

Some other individual performances were rewarded as well, such as Houston keeper Tally Hall's masterpiece against the New York Red Bulls and San Jose newcomer Simon Dawkins' showing against Seattle.

Here are SBI's Best XI picks for MLS Week 3:

SBI MLS Best XI: Week 1

The first week of the MLS season was loaded with top-flight individual performances, but certain ones stood out above the rest.

Just how many great games were there? Consider that players such as Charlie Davies, Juan Agudelo and Nick Rimando actually didn't make SBI's Best XI for Week One.

So who did make it? The picture above gave away one of our selections, while an expansion team joined the reigning MLS Cup champions as the only two team with two representatives on this week's team.

Here are SBI's picks for MLS Best XI for Week One:

SBI MLS Best XI (Week 6)

Photo by Tim Bouwer/ISIphotos.com

In a week where the Los Angeles Galaxy and Houston Dynamo posted impressive victories, the Western Conference powers accounted for nearly half of this week's SBI MLS Best XI.

Edson Buddle and Juan Pablo Angel are familiar names on the Best XI, but Houston forward Dominic Oduro joined that elite group after his stellar performance in leading the Dynamo to a 3-0 humbling of Kansas City. Dynamo teammate Brian Mullan was also part of the action, and part of this week's squad.

The Galaxy led the way with three Best XI selections, with Buddle and Landon Donovan joined by first-time selection A.J. DeLaGarza.

One of the toughest calls was in goal, where Joe Cannon and Wil Hesmer were both deserving, but New England goalkeeper Preston Burpo stepped up to help his team salvage a point despite finishing down two men against FC Dallas.

Here is this week's SBI MLS Best XI