Expect a star-studded lineup to be on display when the MLS All-Star Team takes on Everton FC at Rio Tinto Stadium on July 29.
Kasey Keller, Freddi Ljungberg, Landon Donovan and Guillermo Barros Schelotto were among the 11 players named to the MLS First XI on Monday.
In a voting process divided evenly among fans, players, media and coaches/general managers, Columbus midfielder and reigning league MVP Schelotto was the leading vote-getter overall, including among players, media and coach/GMs.
Schelotto was third in fan voting behind Seattle's Freddie Ljungberg and Los Angeles' Landon Donovan.
Eight MLS teams and seven nations are represented in the MLS First XI, which will take on Everton FC of the English Premier League, even though that doesn't guarantee any of those players a spot in the starting lineup.
The First XI includes two players each from Seattle (Ljungberg and Keller), Houston (Geoff Cameron and Stuart Holden) and Columbus (Schelotto and Chad Marshall).
The remaining five MLS All-Stars are Chicago's Wilman Conde, New England's Shalrie Joseph, Toronto's Dwayne DeRosario, Colorado's Conor Casey and L.A.'s Donovan.
All-star host Real Salt Lake didn't have any player among the top 20 in overall voting. The club will find out next week if it lands anyone on the all-star team.
Next Monday, all-star coach Dominic Kinnear will select five reserves for the MLS All-Star Team, with commissioner Don Garber adding two more players to round out the 18-man squad. Several big-name players could still be added to the squad, including Los Angeles' David Beckham, Seattle's Freddy Montero and Chicago's Cuauhtemoc Blanco and Brian McBride.
Realistically, Houston's coach Kinnear will be selecting six reserves, as DeRosario won't be available to play in Utah that week with Toronto FC participating in the CONCACAF Champions League. New York and D.C. United are also participating in the Champions League that week, further decreasing the available players for the coaching staff to select from.
The lone all-star in Real Salt Lake's history was Eddie Pope in 2007. He was a Commissioner's Pick along with L.A.'s Cobi Jones, each of whom had announced they were retiring at the end of the season.
With the game being played at Rio Tinto Stadium, it's virtually inevitable that Kinnear or Garber will select at least one player from Real Salt Lake.
Tickets ranging in price from $35 to $200 are still available for the MLS All-Star Game and can be purchased at riotintostadium.com.
2009 MLS All-Star Team First XI
Goalkeeper
Kasey Keller, Seattle
Defenders
Chad Marshall, Columbus; Geoff Cameron, Houston; Wilman Conde, Chicago
Midfielders
Guillermo Barros Schelotto, Columbus; Freddie Ljungberg, Seattle; Shalrie Joseph, New England; Stuart Holden, Houston;Dwayne DeRosario, Toronto
Forwards
Landon Donovan, Los Angeles; Conor Casey, Colorado
e-mail: jedward@desnews.com