The 2009 MLS All-Star first XI team is as follows:
Kasey Keller (Sounders FC), Geoff Cameron (Houston), Chad Marshall (Columbus Crew), Wilman Conde (Chicago Fire); Shalrie Joseph (New England Revs), Stuart Holden (Houston), Guillermo Barros Schelotto (Columbus Crew), Freddie Ljungberg (Sounders FC), Dwayne De Rosario (Toronto FC); Landon Donovan (LA Galaxy), Conor Casey (Colorado Rapids)
Here is the press release:
NEW YORK (Monday, July 13, 2009) – Reigning Volkswagen Most Valuable Player and this season’s leading scorer, Columbus Crew midfielder Guillermo Barros Schelotto and Los Angeles Galaxy forward Landon Donovan, a nine-time All-Star, were among those unveiled as the MLS All-Star First XI this afternoon on MLSnet.com’s ExtraTime. Seven first-time All-Stars are included in the 11-player list and seven different nations are represented within the First XI. The 2009 MLS All-Star Game will be played on Wednesday, July 29 at Rio Tinto Stadium – home of Real Salt Lake – in Sandy, Utah when the MLS All-Stars play Everton FC of the English Premier League. The game will be televised live on ESPN2 and Galavision at 9:30 p.m. ET.
The First XI - consisting of one goalkeeper, three defenders, five midfielders and two forwards - received the most votes at their respective positions from four groups – fans, players, media, and coaches/general managers. Schelotto led all players in combined voting, followed by Donovan and Conor Casey.
Donovan (LA Galaxy), Dwayne De Rosario (Toronto FC) and Shalrie Joseph (New England Revolution) return as All-Stars, while Schelotto (Columbus Crew) is scheduled to appear in his first All-Star Game, after being selected for the inactive roster in 2008. Receiving the honor for the first time are two MLS Newcomers who are members of the expansion Seattle Sounders FC – goalkeeper Kasey Keller and midfielder Freddie Ljungberg. Houston Dynamo duo Geoff Cameron and Stuart Holden received their first nods as a defender and midfielder respectively, while defenders Wilman Conde (Chicago Fire) and Chad Marshall (Columbus Crew) round out the three-man back line with Cameron. Partnering with Donovan as the second forward is Casey (Colorado Rapids), who ranks third in the Budweiser Golden Boot race with eight goals scored.
The First XI is reflective of Major League Soccer’s diverse player pool, as seven nations are represented and the age range is from 23 years to 39 years. Holden, 23, is the youngest member of the First XI, 16 years younger than the First XI’s most senior member, 39-year-old Keller. Five members of the First XI have played for the U.S. Men’s National Team, while four others have represented their countries at the senior level -- Schelotto (Argentina), Ljungberg (Sweden), Joseph (Grenada) and De Rosario (Canada).
On Monday, July 20, Dynamo head coach Dominic Kinnear and his staff’s selections will be announced. Two Commissioner’s selections will complete the 18-man game-day roster. Kinnear earned the honor of coaching the MLS side by leading his team to the highest points per game average in the League through games on June 28.
Here is how the voting played out:
GOALKEEPERS | Fans | Players | Media | Coach/GMs | Combined |
Kasey Keller (SEA) | 2.30 | 6.34 | 7.28 | 10.91 | 26.83 |
Pat Onstad (HOU) | 2.09 | 3.11 | 2.53 | 6.36 | 14.09 |
DEFENDERS | Fans | Players | Media | Coach/GMs | Combined |
Chad Marshall (CLB) | 2.30 | 6.34 | 7.28 | 10.91 | 26.83 |
Geoff Cameron (HOU) | 1.54 | 4.55 | 6.65 | 7.73 | 20.47 |
Wilman Conde (CHI) | 1.44 | 4.43 | 4.43 | 10.00 | 20.30 |
Jhon Kennedy Hurtado (SEA) | 5.42 | 2.87 | 5.70 | 4.55 | 18.54 |
Jonathan Bornstein (CHV) | 1.80 | 3.71 | 5.70 | 7.27 | 18.48 |
MIDFIELDERS | Fans | Players | Media | Coach/GMs | Combined |
Guillermo Barros Schelotto (CLB) | 4.83 | 14.23 | 20.25 | 18.18 | 57.49 |
Freddie Ljungberg (SEA) | 7.42 | 4.55 | 9.18 | 8.18 | 29.33 |
Shalrie Joseph (NE) | 1.40 | 8.85 | 4.43 | 12.27 | 26.95 |
Stuart Holden (HOU) | 2.28 | 8.01 | 5.06 | 10.00 | 25.35 |
Dwayne De Rosario (TOR) | 4.06 | 4.90 | 7.91 | 5.46 | 22.33 |
Cuauhtémoc Blanco (CHI) | 3.93 | 2.75 | 11.08 | 4.09 | 21.85 |
Ricardo Clark (HOU) | 2.03 | 5.86 | 4.75 | 8.18 | 20.82 |
Osvaldo Alonso (SEA) | 5.34 | 2.39 | 7.28 | 3.18 | 18.19 |
Paulo Nagamura (CHV) | 1.02 | 4.67 | 2.85 | 9.55 | 18.09 |
FORWARDS | Fans | Players | Media | Coach/GMs | Combined |
Landon Donovan (LA) | 4.87 | 10.05 | 11.08 | 16.82 | 42.82 |
Conor Casey (COL) | 1.25 | 12.80 | 7.28 | 18.18 | 39.51 |
Fredy Montero (SEA) | 6.39 | 6.22 | 12.98 | 5.46 | 31.05 |
Brian McBride (CHI) | 3.40 | 8.49 | 3.48 | 6.82 | 22.19 |
