The first group of MLS stars have been named to the 2015 AT&T MLS All-Star Game after the Fan XI was unveiled on Monday, nearly two weeks before the match against English Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur on Wednesday, July 29 at 9 pm ET, live on FOX Sports 1, UniMás, TSN and RDS.
The Fan XI list, as voted on by supporters, features three of the league's most prominent international stars as well as eight US national team veterans. First-year MLS players Kaka of Orlando City SC and David Villa of New York City FC were voted in along with familiar faces like Real Salt Lake goalkeeper Nick Rimando, Seattle Sounders forward Clint Dempsey, LA Galaxy defender Omar Gonzalez and Sporting Kansas City midfielder Graham Zusi.
2015 MLS All-Star Fan XI:
GK
(Real Salt Lake)
DEF
(Sporting Kansas City)
DEF
(LA Galaxy)
DEF
(Houston Dynamo)
MID
(Orlando City SC)
MID
(Toronto FC)
MID
(Sporting Kansas City)
MID
(Sporting Kansas City)
FWD
(New York City FC)
FWD
(Seattle Sounders FC)
FWD
(Seattle Sounders FC) – "More than a Vote" winner
Media members nominated a total of eight players from each club to create the original league ballot for the Fan XI. Then fans voted through online balloting and via social media, with the 10 players with the highest combined vote total earning a spot on the Fan XI.
The 11th player on the Fan XI – a forward, Seattle’s Obafemi Martins – was determined by the AT&T/EA SPORTS™ MLS All-Star "More Than a Vote" Tournament. It's the second consecutive year that Martins has earned his spot on the Fan XI via EA SPORTS FIFA 15 as fans scored more than one million goals with the Sounders forward.
Rimando, in his 16th MLS season, is the elder statesman of the group, having been named to his sixth All-Star Game. LA Galaxy veteran center back Gonzalez, making his fifth All-Star team, isn’t far behind Rimando.
Zusi, who has a goal and four assists for Sporting Kansas City this year, has been selected to his fourth All-Star squad as has Dempsey, who's in the midst of another stellar season with Seattle (seven goals and six assists).
Joining first-timers Kaka and Villa, will be debutant Benny Feilhaber. In his fifth MLS season, Feilhaber has five goals and has already racked up a career-high nine assists.
Houston Dynamo defender DaMarcus Beasley, who returned to the league after 10 years abroad, is making a return of sorts to the All-Star team, making his first appearance since 2003 and his fourth overall.
The Fan XI will be joined by All-Star newcomers Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard, who were named to the team as Commissioner Don Garber’s picks.
The 22-man AT&T MLS All-Star gameday roster will officially be announced on Saturday, July 18 and will include both Commissioner's picks as well as 20 players selected by Colorado Rapids and MLS All-Star head coach Pablo Mastroeni, including from the list of players from the Fan XI. While the players named to the Fan XI are not guaranteed a spot on the gameday roster, the outcome of fan voting is taken into consideration as the 22-man roster is decided.
