Hoping to extend Major League Soccer's unbeaten run in All-Star games, MLS Deputy Commissioner Ivan Gazidis announced the First XI for this year's competition, which will feature the best of MLS against English Premier League side West Ham United at a sold-out BMO Field in Toronto on July 24.
"The league's pride is at stake," Gazidis said at the announcement, which was made in Toronto. "We see that in the way that our players approach this game. It's not approached simply as an opportunity to have fun. They want to win this game. It's been an important part of developing our U.S. player pool."
Making up the First XI, who were voted on by fans, players, coaches/general managers and the media are six players with all-star game experience and five first-year players, including Los Angeles Galaxy midfielder David Beckham, who was the leading vote-getter among the fans, players and media. He was second only to teammate Landon Donovan in the overall vote.
Donovan, who is the MLS leading scorer with 11 goals, will be making his seventh MLS All-Star Game appearance.
"It's going to be sweet. I can't wait. I can't remember being this excited for an all-star game," Donovan said in a taped video response played after the selection. "A good team we're playing against, a very good team and I'm hoping, knock on wood. ... I want to play this year and I want to play with some of these guys around the league I watch and analyze."
The New England Revolution, which has a league-best 10-4-3 record, has the most First XI picks, with goalkeeper Matt Reis, defender Michael Parkhurst and midfielder Shalrie Joseph selected.
Reis, who has a 1.18 goals against average and five clean sheets, is making his fourth consecutive MLS All-Star Game appearance. It will be the third for Parkhurst, who was the MLS Defender of the Year in 2007.
The 24-year-old, who was the leading overall vote-getter among defenders, also scored one of the greatest goals of 2007 at BMO Field when he caught Toronto FC goalkeeper Kenny Stamatopoulos off his line and lofted a shot from before the halfway line.
Joseph, who has again been selected as the top defensive midfielder in MLS by his peers, was selected for his fifth consecutive All-Star Game. After Beckham, the Grenadian international out of Brooklyn, N.Y. received the second most votes from coaches/general managers.
The Columbus Crew, who currently sit in the second place in the Eastern Conference, had two players selected. Veteran right back Frankie Hejduk, who was the fans' leading vote-getter among defenders, was selected for his sixth All-Star Game in his eighth MLS season while midfielder Robbie Rogers, the youngest player selected at age 21, will get his first taste of the MLS All-Star Game.
"Toronto's an amazing place to play," said Rogers, who is second on Columbus with five goals. "It's always sold out. I played there during the [FIFA Under-20] World Cup and there were some great crowds. Playing there is always a joy."
Chicago Fire star Cuauhtémoc Blanco will also be making his first All-Star Game appearance. The former Mexican international, who was fourth overall in the voting, has four goals and is among the league leaders with seven assists.
Rounding out the defenders is another veteran as Jimmy Conrad, who is a big reason why Kansas City has league-best six shutouts, has been selected for the fifth consecutive year. The U.S. international has also matched his season-high with three goals.
Chivas USA's lone selection in the First XI is Sacha Kljestan, a rising star on the U.S. national team. In his third MLS season, the creative midfielder has a team-high five goals and will be making his first MLS All-Star Game appearance.
Joining Donovan up front is FC Dallas forward Kenny Cooper, who has bounced back from a broken leg in 2007 to score eight goals, good for fourth in MLS this season. This will be Cooper's first MLS All-Star Game.
The First XI is a diverse mix featuring three players who have captained their national teams in Beckham (England), Blanco (Mexico) and Joseph (Grenada) and ranges in age from 21 (Rogers) to 35 (Blanco).
The First XI is not necessarily the starting XI. That decision will be made by New England Revolution coach Steve Nicol, who will coach the MLS All-Stars for a second consecutive year. Nicol will choose from a pool that consists of the First XI, five players of his choosing and two selected by MLS Commissioner Don Garber. That announcement will be made July 15.
Among the players bidding to be selected are D.C. United forward Luciano Emilio, who is tied for second in the league with 10 goals and was the third favorite forward among the voters, Chicago goalkeeper Jon Busch, who has the best goals against average (0.93) in the league, Fire teammates Gonzalo Segares and Bakary Soumare, who were runners-up among defenders and a host of creative midfielders, including Canadian international Dwayne De Rosario from Houston, New England veteran Steve Ralston, Argentinean Guillermo Schelotto from Columbus and Toronto FC's Maurice Edu.
Dylan Butler is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
