CARSON, Calif. - Major League Soccer announced today that Chivas USA midfielder Sacha Kljestan has been elected to the MLS All Star First XI for the first time in his career. Kljestan is the second Chivas USA player named to the first eleven of the All Star team after defender Jonathan Bornstein was elected to the team in 2007.
The announcement was made by MLS Deputy Commissioner Ivan Gazidis in Toronto, where the MLS All-Stars will take on historic English Premier League club West Ham United in the 2008 Pepsi MLS All-Star Game on Thursday, July 24, at BMO Field. The game will be televised live on ESPN, TeleFutura, and CBC Sports at 7 p.m. ET.
Kljestan, third-year player from Huntington Beach, Calif., will be making his first MLS All-Star game appearance. Just 22, he currently leads Chivas USA in scoring with five goals, and is tied for first on the team with three assists. Kljestan has made seven appearances with the U.S. Men's National Team and helped the U.S. U-23 squad qualify for the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.
Online fan balloting comprised 25 percent of the combined First XI vote, with MLS coaches and GMs (25 percent), media (25 percent), and players (25 percent) accounting for the remainder. Players and coaches/general managers could not register votes for players on their own teams.
On July 15, Revolution head coach Steve Nicol and his staff will select five additional All-Stars, who will join two Commissioner selections to complete 18-man game-day MLS roster. Nicol earned the honor of coaching the MLS side by leading his team to the highest points per game average in the League through games on June 29.
The First XI is not necessarily the starting lineup. Nicol will select the starters based on player availability and tactical considerations. If First XI selections are unavailable due to injury, international duty or other commitments, Nicol will select alternates for the game day roster, but all First XI players are All-Stars. The First XI selections are below:
MLS All Star First XI
Goalkeeper: Matt Reis (New England Revolution)
Defenders: Jimmy Conrad (Kansas City Wizards), Frankie Hejduk (Columbus Crew), Michael Parkhurst (New England Revolution)
Midfielders: David Beckham (Los Angeles Galaxy), Cuauhtémoc Blanco (Chicago Fire), Shalrie Joseph (New England Revolution), Sacha Kljestan (Chivas USA), Robbie Rogers (Columbus Crew)
Forwards: Kenny Cooper (FC Dallas), Landon Donovan (Los Angeles Galaxy)
Chivas USA will battle the Los Angeles Galaxy for first place in the Western Conference this Thursday night at 8:00 p.m. in a match to be broadcast live on ESPN2 and ESPN Deportes. The Red-and-White continue an important week against reigning CONCACAF and SuperLiga champions Pachuca in the group-stage of the 2008 SuperLiga. The match takes place at 7:00 p.m. PT on Sunday, July 13 at The Home Depot Center, and will be broadcast live on TeleFutura. Tickets can be purchased by calling 1-877-CHIVAS-1 or visiting www.cdchivasusa.com.
