If you don’t vote, you can’t complain.
OK, that’s not entirely true, but in the case of the AT&T MLS All-Star Fan XI, there are no legitimate excuses. On Thursday’s ExtraTime Radio, we revealed our first attempts at filling out the ballot. Check mine out below, then cast your vote.
You’ll choose from 160 players (eight per team) that were nominated by media members, narrowing down your ballot to 10 players – a goalkeeper, three defenders, four midfielders and two forwards.
The 11th player, a forward, will be determined by AT&T/EA SPORTS "More Than a Vote" Challenge. A player will receive a vote every time a fan scores a goal while playing FIFA 16 using a forward on the MLS All-Star ballot. The forward with the most eligible goals will earn the final spot on the All-Star Fan XI.
Narrowing the field down to 10 players is not an easy task, in case you haven’t figured that out already, so take it easy on my team in the comments section below.
GK: Andre Blake (Philadelphia Union)
If you listen to ExtraTime Radio, you’re probably rolling your eyes right now. I’ve been leading the Blake Bandwagon for a while now, but the love is deserved. The kid – in goalkeeping terms, 25 years old is basically the toddler stage – is a special talent. Don’t be surprised if he turns up on the Copa America Centenario Best XI.
DEF: Axel Sjoberg (Colorado Rapids)
The big Swede is half of MLS’s stingiest center-back tandem – shout out to Bobby Burling – and has quickly made himself into one of the league’s most effective defenders. Key word: effective. Sjoberg isn’t going to fill up the stat sheet with tackles or duels won. He puts out fires before they start with good positioning and wise-beyond-his-years decision making. Yes, at 6-foot-7, he’s also dominant in the air.
DEF: Laurent Ciman (Montreal Impact)
For me, Ciman is the league’s best defender. Enough said.
DEF: Drew Moor (Toronto FC)
Bradley Wright-Phillips did a number on Moor and Toronto FC this weekend (after I cast my ballot, for what it’s worth), but I still think the vet deserves a vote. What the Reds did on the road to the start the season was borderline historic, and Moor’s ability as an organizer was a big reason for that success. Still, there’s no rest for the weary in MLS, and Moor will have to step up again with the Giovinco-Bradley-Altidore threesome either injured or away on international duty.
MID: Ignacio Piatti (Montreal Impact)
Didier Drogba gets the headlines and the superstar treatment, but I’d wager MLS defenders are more terrified of the Impact’s Argentine slasher. He embarrasses people, and I can’t wait to see Piatti vs. Per Mertesacker in open space come late July.
MID: Jermaine Jones (Colorado Rapids)
The man needs a nickname. My suggestion is “The Talisman,” for obvious reasons. What Jones has done with the Rapids is downright incredible, especially after most wrote him off as old and unrealistic during contract talks this winter. Clearly, he feeds off the doubters. These days, Jones is an MLS mashup of Zlatan and Pepe – beautiful goals plus defensive bite, with plenty of unpredictability and swagger to boot – and he’s a shoo-in for this team.
MID: Giovani Dos Santos (LA Galaxy)
My ballot isn’t about 2016 performance alone, though Dos Santos appears to have finally found his rhythm in LA. Personal preference matters, and I want to see the man who has wowed us with chips, flicks and volleys in the starting XI against Arsenal.
MID: Sacha Kljestan (New York Red Bulls)
Matt Doyle posed this question in his weekend review: Is Kljestan leading the MVP race? He’ll have a case if he hits the 20-plus assist mark and helps drag the Red Bulls back up the Eastern Conference table after that dreadful start. Considering he’s at 10 helpers already and BWP is heating up, that’s a reasonable scenario.
FWD: Sebastian Giovinco (Toronto FC)
Yes, he’s hurt. Yes, he’s still the best player in MLS. Yes, you could vote for someone else knowing he’ll make the All-Star team no matter what.
FWD: Chris Wondolowski (San Jose Earthquakes)
This isn’t just about lingering guilt from my idiotic preseason prediction – made under duress, I’ll argue forever – that Wondo would fail to hit double digits this year. He’s just a goal-scoring machine, and comes up big against London-based EPL giants. Remember 2012 against Chelsea?
