Houston, TX - Houston Dynamo midfielder Dwayne de Rosario was named to this year's MLS All-Star First XI, it was announced today by Major League Soccer.
De Rosario, who was also the top vote getter among MLS All-Stars, celebrates his first All-Star selection as the best players in Major League Soccer take on English Premier League champions Chelsea FC in the 2006 Sierra Mist MLS All-Star Game on Saturday, Aug. 5, at TOYOTA PARK in Bridgeview, Ill. The game will be televised live on ESPN at 5:30 p.m. CT.
"It's a dream come true. I feel blessed to have the opportunity to represent a great league against one of the top teams in the world, which is Chelsea. I feel grateful that I've reached a level where I can show my talents, and represent the Houston Dynamo", said De Rosario.
While Brian Ching was away on World Cup duty, De Rosario led the Dynamo to a, 3-1-5 record, good enough to help the team maintain a firm hold on the second spot in the Western Conference.
"I am very happy for Dwayne", said Dynamo head coach Dominic Kinnear. "This season has really been a continuation from last season for him, where he did very well. It's all a credit to him, to his attitude, and to his intention of playing well, impressing, and pleasing the fans."
Among his many accomplishments, De Rosario boasts winning the 2004 and 2005 MLS Goal of the Year award. He was also the 2005 League MVP runner-up, and has also won 3 Sierra Mist Goal of the Week honors.
"We are delighted that he is (in the All-Star Game). He has established himself as one of the top midfielders in the league", said Dynamo President and General Manager Oliver Luck. "His selection is well-deserved, and we wish him all the luck in the world on August 5."
Tickets for the midsummer showcase range from $55-$125, and can be purchased at the TOYOTA PARK Box Office, located at 7000 S. Harlem Avenue, in Bridgeview, Ill. from 10:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. CT Monday-Friday, by calling TicketMaster at 312-559-1212 or visiting www.MLSnet.com.
MLS First XI
Goalkeeper: Troy Perkins (D.C. United)
Defenders: Jimmy Conrad (Kansas City Wizards), Chris Albright (Los Angeles Galaxy), Eddie Pope (Real Salt Lake)
Midfielders: Dwayne De Rosario (Houston Dynamo), Landon Donovan (Los Angeles Galaxy), Christian Gomez (D.C. United), Clint Dempsey (New England Revolution), Shalrie Joseph (New England Revolution)
Forwards: Ante Razov (Chivas USA), Jaime Moreno (D.C. United)
The First XI was determined by votes from online fan balloting (25 percent of total), media (25 percent), players (25 percent), and MLS coaches and GMs (25 percent). With each voting category counting for a quarter of the total votes, the formula used for determining the starters involved assigning 25 total points to each category for a possible total of 100 points. Therefore, if a player received 50 percent of the votes in any category, he would earn 12.5 points for that category. For example, Donovan received 7.53 points for online balloting, which is 30.12 (total percentage of online votes) percent of 25. The voting totals were as follows:
Online |
Media |
Players |
Coach/GM |
Total |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Dwayne De Rosario |
4.78 |
13.73 |
14.56 |
15.85 |
48.92 |
Jimmy Conrad |
3.18 |
9.80 |
10.03 |
18.29 |
41.31 |
Landon Donovan |
7.53 |
13.24 |
7.97 |
11.59 |
40.32 |
Christian Gomez |
3.33 |
11.77 |
11.26 |
12.81 |
39.163 |
Ante Razov |
1.98 |
14.22 |
8.93 |
9.76 |
34.88 |
Jaime Moreno |
3.34 |
8.33 |
9.75 |
13.42 |
34.84 |
Clint Dempsey |
6.45 |
9.31 |
7.01 |
9.76 |
32.52 |
Shalrie Joseph |
1.70 |
5.39 |
10.30 |
10.98 |
28.37 |
Chris Albright |
4.17 |
6.37 |
3.85 |
10.98 |
25.37 |
Troy Perkins |
3.52 |
11.77 |
2.75 |
5.49 |
23.52 |
Eddie Pope |
5.02 |
8.82 |
4.81 |
2.44 |
21.09 |
D.C. United coach Peter Nowak earned the honor of coaching the MLS side by virtue of leading his team to the highest point total in the League through games played on July 4 (Week 14). On Monday, July 17, Nowak will select the five MLS All-Star reserves and the Commissioner will add two picks to round out the 18-man MLS roster.
