FOXBOROUGH, Mass. - Major League Soccer announced Thursday the selection of the New England Revolution's Matt Reis, Michael Parkhurst and Shalrie Joseph as MLS All-Star First XI selections. The trio will be among the 18 MLS All-Stars who face English Premier League club West Ham United in the 2008 Pepsi MLS All-Star Game at 7 p.m. on Thursday, July 24 at BMO Field in Toronto. The match will be broadcast live on ESPN (English), Telefutura (Spanish) and CBC (Canada).
Online fan balloting comprised 25 percent of the total vote for the All-Star First XI. The remaining 75 percent was comprised of voting by coaches and general managers (25 percent), players (25 percent) and media (25 percent).
The Revolution (10-4-3, 33 pts.) currently sits atop the Major League Soccer table, leading the league by six points. For the second consecutive year, the Revs placed the most players (3) in the MLS First XI All-Stars, as Reis, Parkhurst and Joseph were all First XI All-Stars in 2007.
The First XI selection is the fourth consecutive All-Star nod for Reis, and his second First XI selection. Parkhurst - who will be appearing in his third consecutive All-Star Game - will join Kansas City's Jimmy Conrad and Columbus' Frankie Hejduk on the backline. Joseph - a five-time All-Star and two time First XI selection - will feature in the midfield along with David Beckham of the Los Angeles Galaxy, Chicago Fire's Cuauhtémoc Blanco, Chivas USA's Sacha Kljestan and Robbie Rogers of the Columbus Crew. Forwards Kenny Cooper of FC Dallas and L.A.'s Landon Donovan round out the First XI.
For the second consecutive year, Revolution Head Coach Steve Nicol and his staff will guide the MLS All-Stars after New England secured the league's highest points per game average as of June 29. Following the First XI announcement, Nicol will select five additional players and MLS Commissioner Don Garber will make two selections to round out the 18-player roster. The remaining seven players on the 18-man roster will be announced on Tuesday, July 15.
If First XI selections are unavailable due to injury, international duty or other commitments, Nicol will decide on alternates, which will be announced on Thursday, July 17.
The First XI is not necessarily the All-Star game's staring 11, as Nicol will select the starters based on player availability and tactical considerations.
A full break-down of voting results is available here.
