Keller and Ljungberg voted to MLS All-Star Team

Goalkeeper Kasey Keller and midfielder Freddie Ljungberg were named to the first XI of the MLS All-Star squad.

NEW YORK - Reigning Volkswagen Most Valuable Player and this season’s leading scorer, Columbus Crew midfielder Guillermo Barros Schelotto and Los Angeles Galaxy forward Landon Donovan, a nine-time All-Star, were among those unveiled as the MLS All-Star First XI this afternoon on MLSnet.com’s ExtraTime. Seven first-time All-Stars are included in the 11-player list and seven different nations are represented within the First XI. 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.

The First XI - consisting of one goalkeeper, three defenders, five midfielders and two forwards - received the most votes at their respective positions from four groups – fans, players, media, and coaches/general managers. Schelotto led all players in combined voting, followed by Donovan and Conor Casey.

Donovan (LA Galaxy), Dwayne De Rosario (Toronto FC) and Shalrie Joseph (New England Revolution) return as All-Stars, while Schelotto (Columbus Crew) is scheduled to appear in his first All-Star Game, after being selected for the inactive roster in 2008. Receiving the honor for the first time are two MLS Newcomers who are members of the expansion Seattle Sounders FC – goalkeeper Kasey Keller and midfielder Freddie Ljungberg. Houston Dynamo duo Geoff Cameron and Stuart Holden received their first nods as a defender and midfielder respectively, while defenders Wilman Conde (Chicago Fire) and Chad Marshall (Columbus Crew) round out the three-man back line with Cameron. Partnering with Donovan as the second forward is Casey (Colorado Rapids), who ranks third in the Budweiser Golden Boot race with eight goals scored.

The First XI is reflective of Major League Soccer’s diverse player pool, as seven nations are represented and the age range is from 23 years to 39 years. Holden, 23, is the youngest member of the First XI, 16 years younger than the First XI’s most senior member, 39-year-old Keller. Five members of the First XI have played for the U.S. Men’s National Team, while four others have represented their countries at the senior level -- Schelotto (Argentina), Ljungberg (Sweden), Joseph (Grenada) and De Rosario (Canada).

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.

The All-Star First XI selections are below:

2009 MLS All-Star First XI

Goalkeeper:Kasey Keller (Seattle Sounders FC)

Defenders:Geoff Cameron (Houston Dynamo), Wilman Conde (Chicago Fire), Chad Marshall (Columbus Crew)

Midfielders:Dwayne De Rosario (Toronto FC), Stuart Holden (Houston Dynamo), Shalrie Joseph (New England Revolution) Freddie Ljungberg (Seattle Sounders FC), Guillermo Barros Schelotto (Columbus Crew

Forwards: Conor Casey (Colorado Rapids), Landon Donovan (Los Angeles Galaxy)

Denotes first selection to the MLS All-Star Team

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.