MLS All-Star selection process sparks debate
DENVER — Like the other American sports leagues, Major League Soccer selects its all-star team through a process that combines player popularity and performance.
In the leadup to Wednesday's All-Star Game against Tottenham Hotspur at Dick's Sporting Goods Park-- which the MLS won 2-1--some players questioned whether the current selection procedure overvalues popularity.
MLS allows fans to elect 11 players to the 22-man roster. Commissioner Don Garber chooses two players, and then the all-star coach picks the nine remaining spots from a pool of athletes nominated by MLS players. The coach also names 10 additional players to the inactive roster. The league has followed this selection procedure since 2000.
This year Colorado Rapids head coach Pablo Mastroeni chose nine of the league's top performers, including current goals leader Kei Kamara of the Columbus Crew and Sebasian Giovinco of Toronto FC, who leads the league in shots on goal.
"You have nine [picks]. Obviously not everyone who is deserving is going," Mastroeni said.
Fans selected a smattering of foreign stars and U.S. national team regulars, such as Toronto FC's Michael Bradley, LA Galaxy striker Robbie Keane and the Houston Dynamo's DaMarcus Beasley. Garber then chose British superstars Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard, who joined the league this summer. At the time of Garber's selection, however, neither Gerrard nor Lampard had played a single game in MLS.
Mastroeni started eight of the 11 fan-chosen players during Wednesday night's game, and the lineup jumped on Tottenham from the whistle. Brazilian star Kaka scored on a penalty kick at the 20th minute and then assisted New York City FC's David Villa goal three minutes later. While Tottenham's star striker Harry Kane added a goal, MLS held on for the victory.
"I wanted to get the guys that the voted by the fans on the field but by their peers," Mastroeni said. "I felt that continuity was important."
Whether the win silences critics of the selection process, however, is yet to be seen. After the team was announced on July 13, a handful of players took to Twitter to voice their displeasure with Garber's picks.
After the team was announced, a handful of players took to Twitter to voice their displeasure with Garber's picks.
"Expecting Chicharito, Gio Dos Santos and Landon Donovan as late additions to ASG," wrote Colorado Rapids goalkeeper Clint Irwin. Donovan retired after 2014, Dos Santos has yet to play with the LA Galaxy and Manchester United's Chicharito is rumored to be in talks to join the league.
"They should call Ronaldinho for the #MLSAllStar," wrote Mohammed Saeit of the Columbus Crew, referencing the Brazilian star who plays in Mexico.
The debate subsided after both Gerrard and Lampard backed out of the game due to lingering injuries. Garber defended his choices, however, explaining that the All-Star roster should reflect both skill and marketability.
"We have a lot of objectives with the game — part of it is to have a good television product, and part of it is to have a tent pole event for our partners, fans and owners," Garber said. "First and foremost we want to have a competitive match."
The popularity versus performance debate is familiar to fans of the NBA, NFL, NHL and Major League Baseball, which all allow fans to vote for all-star selection. In 2014 NBA fans elected Lakers star Kobe Bryant to his 16th all-star team, even though Bryant had played just six games. This year, four players from the Kansas City Royals were elected to the American League lineup after that team's fan base voted en masse.
MLS heavily promotes its foreign stars and national team members across the league, and the promotion does not always align with player performance. Current assists leader Ethan Finlay, for example, is relatively unknown outside of Columbus. Finlay was initially left off the All-Star team, however he received a spot after Bradley, Gerrard and Robbie Keane backed out due to injuries.
Kamara said the league's promotion of its foreign stars occasionally irks players with better stats.
"I admit it, it hurts sometimes, and you feel overshadowed," Kamara said. "I feel I'm just as good as Robbie Keane or [Steven] Gerrard."
New York Red Bulls veteran Dax McCarty, who earned his first All Star nod after Lampard bowed out, said he understands the balancing act MLS performs during all-star selection. While Garber's two choices were not popular, McCarty said he understood the commissioner's objective.
"Those two are really marketable players," McCarty said. "I felt bad for some guys who deserved to be here, but that's the nature of the beast."