MLS All-Star Ballot Announced - Opportunity For Fans
by Dave Clark on Jun 8, 2011 1:34 PM PDT
in Sounders: MLS Regular Season
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Major League Soccer with its partner AT&T have announced the All-Star ballot for 2011. There are some decent changes to the system, as now select media whittle the list down to 6 players from each team, and then fan voting will determine the First XI (not starting XI). Don Garber will pick two after that point, and then Hans Backe will fill out his gameday 18. Players will get to choose the remaining 32 players all of whom will receive bonuses per the CBA (between 14-19 players). It is a decent system, but did wind up with Carlos Ruiz on the ballot ignoring too many of the Philadelphia Union defenders. Of course players will get missed.
The Seattle Sounders 6 nominees are;
But there are some key likely All-Stars missing from the list of 100+ players. These All-Stars and MVPs give sign to larger issues facing the league than who gets a bonus to face Manchester United.
While Steve Zakuani is the key example missing here in Seattle. Branko Boskovic, Javier Morales and 2010 League MVP David Ferreira are also missing, this is due to during game harsh tackles, poor officiating and even worse "defending." Recently MLS sent out a fan survey to many season ticket holders around the league. Many fans will use that survey to try and let the League know about their desires for better officiating and higher quality of play overall.
The All-Star 2011 Ballot offers another opportunity, as the League says that one of the First XI will be picked via TEXT ONLY.
You may also vote via text by sending a player’s last name to 22442.
Player receiving most text votes earns a First XI spot
That's where you have an opportunity. Text in League MVP David Ferreira to 22442 as a symbol to the League that losing these talented and creative players is an issue to fans. This is the opportunity for direct fan feedback on a league wide basis. Show the desire to have a league of players like Ferreira; a league of Zakuanis; a league of Morales. The system won't accept a "write-in" over the text system, and probably won't over their twitter system, and yet they've still lost several of their best players, and risk more as toughness/effort are still deemed more important than skill/technique.
Sure, MLS is a physical league now. It doesn't have to be.
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At least they got rid of the positional categories
So you don’t have to vote for Leo Gonzalez as a midfielder anymore (not that you would).
Nos Audietis
Fail
Message I got back “Sorry we don’t understand. Please check the keyword and try again.”
Shame on MLS for refusing a vote for one of their own players
I am not a Supporter | I am not a Fan | I am a Sounder
Sounder At Heart
My thought exactly.
Hopefully they still find their way into a cue and noticed by someone. Worth the time I think.
by Derek Young on Jun 8, 2011 2:02 PM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
Players with injuries that would force them to miss the MLS All Star match
were not considered in the media panel selections. While Ferreira, Morales, and Zakuani would be automatic selections if healthy, they are not eligible for the fan vote. While a move to protest the unpunished physical play that leads to the sorts of injuries they picked up as commendable, doing so within the framework of the MLS All Star voting mechanism strikes me as doomed to ineffectiveness.
Still, flooding Twitter with votes for the fallen MLS stars during the June 17-20 window might get someone’s attention at MLS headquarters…
Grammar fascist is grammatical
“missing due to during game harsh tackles due to poor officiating even worse “defending.” <- eh.
I think that some of the physicality is bound to go away...
…as teams gradually get better and better at converting free kicks to goals. If every team had a Brad Davis or David Beckham (or even Landon Donovan, I think his service is underrated), you couldn’t be quite so cavalier about just conceding free kicks.
Turns out that the Twitter portion will be a true write-in
I am not a Supporter | I am not a Fan | I am a Sounder
Sounder At Heart
Nice sentiment but...
I’m not quite clear on what you think you’re trying to accomplish, and how you think this is going to accomplish it.
Do we want longer suspensions for tackles like Mullan’s? Do we want players who commit reckless tackles banned for life? What is it that you want to change? And how is letting MLS know that Ferreira is awesome going to change it?
A league of Ferreiras and Zakuanis would be pretty sweet, but I don’t see how Ferreira earning 1% of the write-in vote instead of 0% is going to accomplish that.
Managing Editor for BlackAndRedUnited.com. Weekend Writer for SBNation DC.
Upon further thought
Since I’m inclined to automatically oppose anything suggested on S@H, I’m going to vote for Mullan, Leathers, Mondaini, and Koger. :)
Managing Editor for BlackAndRedUnited.com. Weekend Writer for SBNation DC.
by Martin Shatzer on Jun 8, 2011 7:25 PM PDT up reply actions
Go ahead and include your old goalkeeper
Wicks too. Sure he is not MLS anymore but he fits the mold you want! :)
Scoreboards, not billboards.
Regular season, not pre-season.
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