Major League Soccer unveiled the fan ballot this week for the 2014 AT&T MLS All-Star Game featuring eight representatives from each of the 19 clubs as voted on by media.
Sporting Kansas City’s nominees eligible for selection:
GK Eric Kronberg – Best goals against average (1.00) among goalkeepers with a minimum of five games played and leads all MLS goalkeepers with five shutouts
DEF Matt Besler – Two-time All-Star (2011, 2013) became team captain and earned a spot on the U.S. Men’s National Team roster for the 2014 World Cup
DEF Aurelien Collin – Two-time MLS All-Star (2012, 2013) leads MLS defenders with two goals and anchors the second best defensive team in MLS
DEF Seth Sinovic – Leawood, Kansas native has contributed to five shutouts, most of any player this season, and leads all Sporting KC defenders in minutes played
MF Benny Feilhaber – In MLS, Feilhaber is 2nd in fouls suffered (37), 3rd in duels won (95) and 6th in successful passes (647); 2nd on team in assists (3)
MF Oriol Rosell – Broke MLS records, kept by Opta since 2011, for successful passes (160) and touches (174) in a match in 3-0 win at Montreal
MF Graham Zusi – Two-time MLS All-Star (2012, 2013) leads team with four assists and has recorded the second most successful crosses/corners in MLS (30)
FWD Dom Dwyer – Second in MLS with 10 goals and 46 shots while ranking first among all players in game-winning goals (3) and multi-goal games (3)
Fan voting is available online at MLSsoccer.com now through July 11. Additionally, votes will be tallied via Twitter from July 2-6. Eleven players – one goalkeeper, three defenders, four midfielders and three forwards – with the highest combined votes will be named to the All-Star Fan XI.
The 11th player – a forward – will be determined by the AT&T/EA SPORTS “More than a Vote” Challenge. Fans have the opportunity to vote one forward into the 2014 AT&T MLS All-Star Game by scoring goals in EA SPORTS FIFA 14 on the Xbox One, PlayStation®4, Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system, and the PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system. The forward with the most votes – one goal equals one vote – on July 11 will occupy the final forward spot on the All-Star Fan XI.
The 2014 MLS All-Star Game will be held Aug. 6 in Portland, Ore., featuring the MLS All-Stars against Germany’s Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich. The marquee match will air live on ESPN2 and UniMas from Providence Park.
A total of 32 All-Stars are named each year, per the collective bargaining agreement. Media, fans, players, the All-Star coach and MLS Commissioner Don Garber all contribute in the All-Star selection process.
MLS All-Star Game Voting Timeline:
May 28: Fan voting begins
July 2-6: Fan voting – Twitter Window
July 11: Fan voting closes
July 16: Fan XI unveiled
July 19 or 21: Game day roster and commissioner’s picks announced
Aug. 6: Final list of 32 All-Stars (4 goalkeepers, 8 defenders, 13 midfielders and 7 forwards) announced
– Story from Sporting KC