Blanco to replace De Rosario in First XI
De Rosario unavailable due to Toronto FC's CONCACAF Champions League match; Blanco earns selection as next highest midfielder in voting
Blanco, who received the next highest voting percentage in the midfield, will join teammate Wilman Conde giving the Fire two representatives on the All-Star team. Seattle Sounders FC, the Columbus Crew, Houston Dynamo and the Fire each have two players on the roster.
This is Blanco's second consecutive All-Star Game selection. He starred in the 2008 All-Star Game in Toronto, scoring a brilliant goal and providing an assist on a Christian Gomez goal in the MLS All-Stars 3-2 victory over West Ham United.
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.
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.
The First XI is not necessarily the starting lineup. Kinnear will select the starters based on player availability and tactical considerations. If First XI selections are unavailable due to injury, international duty or other commitments, Kinnear will select alternates for the game day roster, but all First XI players are All-Stars. The inactive, or alternate All-Star roster, will be announced at a later date.
Tickets to the 2009 MLS All-Star Game remain on sale, with prices starting at $35 (North Goal, South Goal and Upper Deck), and continuing at $45 (Corner Flag), $60 (Lower Sidelines), $105 (Front Row and Midfield) and $200 (Club Seats). To purchase tickets for the MLS All-Star Game's first visit to Utah, please visit www.RioTintoStadium.com, call 1-800-838-3380, or visit the Rio Tinto Stadium Box Office, open Monday-Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. local time.
Online fan balloting comprising 25 percent of the combined First XI vote, with MLS coaches and GMs (25 percent), media (25 percent), and players (25 percent) accounting for the remainder. Players and coaches/general managers could not register votes for players on their own teams. The chart below shows 20 of the top vote-getters, with the weighted percentage of total votes within each group that the players received.
