Yanks Soccer

Fans proved they are never to be trusted with voting for MLS All Stars.  Anybody who watched MLS would know that David Beckham was worthy of a All star appearance, heck, even a starting spot, but he certainly wasn’t the best player in MLS.  David Beckham won the fan vote by a mile, proving that fans are not capable of identifying the best player and voting for him purely on merit.  Beckham’s name recognition and his multitude of sponsorships really do affect the public’s opinion of him.  Beckham however, is not the only person who made the all star team.  Big names such as Bad Boy Blanco and Landon Donovan also made the starting XI.  Coach Steve Nicol is supposed to start the players who the public, players, media, and coaches picked, but he will not have some players available.  Robbie Rogers and Sacha Kljestan will be on Olympic duty if picked, and Kenny Cooper could well be on his way to Norway to play for Rosenborg.  This is the starting lineup picked, but the above variances will probably occur.

————Kenny Cooper——–Landon Donovan————–

———————-Cuauhtemoc Blanco————————-

Robbie Rogers————————————David Beckham

————–Shalrie Joseph——Sacha Kljestan—————–

Jimmy Conrad———Michael Parkhurst——–Frankie Hejduk

—————————-Matt Reis———————-

MLS ALL-STAR BENCH

• Jon Busch
• Gonzalo Segares
• Dwayne DeRosario
• Steve Ralston
• Luciano Emilio

COMMISSIONER’S PICKS

• Jim Brennan
• Guillermo Barros Schelotto

Some of the things that interest me about the lineup:

1) Eastern Domination No Longer

We all know how superior the East is to the West but oddly, we don’t see that represented in the MLS starting lineup.  Seven of the starting XI are from the East, and four from the West.  An almost even split is an odd occurrence, considering that the East has dominate .

2) USA! USA! USA!

Foreigners who write MLS off as a “Mickey Mouse League” and who say we import has beens can shove it.  Eight out of starting XI are Americans.  Not only are eight of them American, four can be considered National Team members in the making.  Robbie Rogers, Sacha Kljestan, Kenny Cooper, and Michael Parkhurst are four very promising young players.

3) Where did Schelotto Go?

Guillermo Barros Schelotto had to be picked by the commissioner.  What happened?  Schelotto was easily one of the top five midfielders and definitely has had a more influential role for Columbus than Shalrie Joseph has had for New England.  I can’t be grudge people for picking the five midfielders listed because they are all very talented and deserving, but he couldn’t make the bench.  He has certainly had a better year than Dwayne De Rosario, and Steve Ralston has been injured for most of the season.  I’m bewildered that Schelotto wasn’t picked.

What do you think of this year’s all stars?  Are they the right picks?  Who did you vote for?  Are there any interesting trends you saw?  Will we beat West Ham?  Leave your thoughts below.