Sounders FC fans making voice heard in All-Star vote
Goalkeeper Keller takes the overall lead among players
One week into the balloting and it's all about Sounders FC. Goalkeeper Kasey Keller is the overwhelming leader in fan voting for the 2009 MLS All-Star Game. The former United States national team goalkeeper has a league-best 0.41 goals against average and has four clean sheets in eight appearances.
But it doesn't stop there.
Seattle players Freddie Ljungberg, Fredy Montero, Osvaldo Alonso, Tyrone Marshall, Steve Zakuani and Jhon Kennedy Hurtado and Sebastian Le Toux have also accumulated high enough totals in the first week of fan voting to be in the top 11.
Fans can vote for the All-Star First XI online by selecting one goalkeeper, three defenders, five midfielders and two forwards. Fans can vote up to 10 times per day. The online fan balloting program, which concludes on July 6, will comprise 25 percent of the total vote for the All-Star First XI, with coaches and general managers, players, and media each holding 25 percent of the vote.
Those selected will participate in the 14th annual MLS All-Star Game and take on Everton of the English Premier League at Rio Tinto Stadiun in Sandy, Utah on July 29 at 9:30 p.m. ET.
The game will be televised in the U.S. on ESPN2 and Telefutura.
This is the sixth consecutive year the best in MLS takes on a high-profile international opponent. Last year, Cuauhtemoc Blanco, Christian Gomez and Dwayne De Rosario scored in a 3-2 win against West Ham United of the English Premier League at a sold-out BMO Field in Toronto.
The MLS All-Stars have also defeated Mexican club CD Guadalajara, English opponents Fulham and Chelsea and Scottish Premier League standouts Celtic FC.
As currently constituted, the First XI would consist of eight Sounders FC players. The only exceptions in the opening week of voting are veteran Columbus Crew fullback Frankie Hejduk, who holds a slim lead on Seattle's James Riley, De Rosario, a Toronto FC midfielder, and Los Angeles Galaxy forward Landon Donovan.
The expansion Sounders FC have taken Major League Soccer by storm, opening the season with a rousing 3-0 win against the New York Red Bulls in front of a crowd of 32,523 at Qwest Field and followed with 2-0 wins against Real Salt Lake an Toronto FC to briefly lead the Western Conference.
Currently second in the West with 15 points from nine matches, Sounders FC are 3-1-1 at Qwest Field and are averaging 29,536 per game, far and away the best in the league.
And it's clear the Sounders FC fans have also embraced the MLS All-Star Game fan voting, which in the past was dominated by Toronto FC fans. Consider the gauntlet thrown down, TFC supporters.
Dylan Butler is a contributor to MLSnet.com
