MLS All-Star voting still has green tint
Seattle Sounders FC hold 10 of top 11 spots in fan balloting
Sounders FC fans have embraced the expansion team with the best attendance in the league and they've stuffed the ballot box in a big way, increasing the number of Seattle players to 10 in the fans' First XI, up from nine last week and eight two weeks ago.
Still, the fan vote doesn't mean those players will be in the actual starting XI. That decision will be made by the coaching staff of the MLS All-Stars. The current top 11 vote-getters also do not factor in the balloting from the other three voting bodies (media, players, and coaches/GMs).
Joining Donovan, who is among the league leaders in goals, is a sea of green led by veteran goalkeeper Kasey Keller, who is the runaway leader in total votes. Keller is second in MLS with a 0.68 goals against average.
Keller has four clean sheets in 11 appearances and a big reason is the defenders in front of him, including Tyrone Marshall, Jhon Kennedy Hurtado and James Riley, who are each among the fans' First XI. Riley is just in front of Columbus Crew veteran Frankie Hejduk in a tight race.
Seattle also has the top five vote-getters among midfielders (Freddie Ljungberg, Osvaldo Alonso, Brad Evans, Steve Zakuani and Sebastian Le Toux). However, Columbus Crew star Guillermo Barros Schelotto, who is tied with Colorado's Conor Casey for the league lead with eight goals, and Toronto FC's Dwayne De Rosario are closing in on Le Toux.
Fredy Montero rounds out the Sounders FC contingent on the fan First XI and he is joined by Donovan up front. Other leading striker candidates are Seattle's Nate Jaqua, Chicago's Brian McBride and Juan Pablo Angel of the New York Red Bulls.
If you have yet to vote, it's not too late. Just select 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 Stadium 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, Cuauhtémoc Blanco, Christian Gomez and 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.
Dylan Butler is a contributor to MLSnet.com.
