NEW YORK (Thursday, June 7, 2012) –Major League Soccer will launch fan voting for the 2012 AT&T MLS All-Star game at www.MLSsoccer.com and via text messaging tomorrow, Friday, June 8 at 10 a.m. MT.
A panel of media members nominated a total of 114 players – the top six per team – to the fan ballot. CLICK HERE TO VOTE.
The six Colorado Rapids players on the MLS All-Star ballot are: goalkeeper Matt Pickens, defender Drew Moor, midfielders Jeff Larentowicz, Jaime Castrillon, and Martin Rivero, and forward Omar Cummings.
WHO RAPIDS FANS WOULD HAVE NOMINATED
Fans can also vote by sending a player’s first and last name via text message to 22442. Twitter voting will occur June 21-22.
The 11 players with the highest combined votes from these three voting methods will become the first 11 All-Stars – known as the All-Star First XI. The player who receives the most text votes by 3 p.m. MT on Monday, July 2 will automatically earn a spot among the All-Star First XI.
All-Star Head Coach Peter Nowak of the Philadelphia Union will choose the gameday roster and the starting lineup against Chelsea FC on July 25. The first marquee MLS event ever to be held at PPL Park in Chester, Penn., will be broadcast live on ESPN2, TeleFutura, and in Canada on TSN and RDS starting at 6:30 p.m. MT
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.
The Commissioner selections and gameday roster will be announced on Sunday, July 15 on ESPN during halftime of the New York Red Bulls vs. Seattle Sounders FC game that begins at 4 p.m. ET.
The final list of 32 All-Stars (4 goalkeepers, 8 defenders, 13 midfielders and 7 forwards) will be announced on MLSsoccer.com on July 25.
