Defense might win championships, but can it also win an All-Star Game?
MLS released the list of players eligible for fan voting for the 2012 AT&T MLS All-Star Game on Thursday, and the best defenders in the league are all on the ballot for you to make you pick. So who gets the nod?
How about Houston do-it-all defender Geoff Cameron, who was one of the catalysts of the Dynamo’s run to the Eastern Conference crown last year? Or maybe Sporting Kansas City’s Aurélien Collin, who has emerged as one of the top center backs in the league in just his second seasons in MLS?
And don’t forget the others: Real Salt Lake’s Jámison Olave, New York Red Bulls veteran Heath Pearce, San Jose’s breakout star Steven Beitashour and Vancouver Whitecaps stalwart Jay DeMerit are on here, too, along with a host of other defenders worthy of your vote.
Whoever you choose, don’t forget that All-Star voting opens on Friday, June 8 at noon ET on MLSsoccer.com. Fans can also vote by sending a player’s first and last name via text message to 22442. Twitter voting will occur later this month.
The players with the highest combined votes from these three voting methods will become the first 11 All-Stars – known as the All-Star First XI. The player who receives the most text votes by 5 pm ET on Monday, July 2, will automatically earn a spot among the All-Star First XI.
MLS ALL-STAR DEFENDER CANDIDATES (26):
CHICAGO FIRE (1): Gonzalo Segares
CHIVAS USA (1):James Riley
COLUMBUS CREW (2):Chad Marshall, Sebastián Miranda
COLORADO RAPIDS (1):Drew Moor
FC DALLAS (2):George John, Ugo Ihemelu
HOUSTON DYNAMO (3): Bobby Boswell, Geoff Cameron, Andre Hainault
LA GALAXY (1):Todd Dunivant
MONTREAL IMPACT (2): Matteo Ferrari, Nelson Rivas
NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION (1):A.J. Soares
NEW YORK RED BULLS (1): Heath Pearce
PHILADELPHIA UNION (2): Carlos Valdés, Sheanon Williams
PORTLAND TIMBERS (1): Eric Brunner
REAL SALT LAKE (2):Nat Borchers, Jámison Olave
SEATTLE SOUNDERS (1): Jeff Parke
SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES (1):Steven Beitashour
SPORTING KANSAS CITY (1):Aurélien Collin
TORONTO FC (1): Ashtone Morgan
VANCOUVER WHITECAPS (2): Jay DeMerit, Young-Pyo Lee
