Sporting Kansas City’s Matt Besler, Benny Feilhaber and Graham Zusi were named to the MLS All-Star Fan XI on Monday ahead of the 2015 AT&T MLS All-Star Game on July 29. The club’s three selections are the most of any MLS team.
2015 MLS ALL-STAR FAN XI
Goalkeeper: Nick Rimando (RSL)
Defenders: Omar Gonzalez (LA), Matt Besler (SKC), DaMarcus Beasley (HOU)
Midfielders: Kaka (ORL), Michael Bradley (TOR), Benny Feilhaber (SKC), Graham Zusi (SKC)
Forwards: Clint Dempsey (SEA), David Villa (NYC), Obafemi Martins (SEA)
Besler and Zusi each earn MLS All-Star honors for the fourth time. Feilhaber is a first-time MLS All-Star during a career-year in which he ranks second in MLS with nine assists while also contributing five goals.
Besler, 28, has led Sporting KC to a league-high nine shutouts in 2015. The club captain is in his seventh season and has won MLS Best XI (2012, 2013), Defender of the Year (2012) and Breakout Player of the Year (2012) awards in recent years. The World Cup veteran has 25 career appearances for the U.S. Men’s National Team since his debut in 2013 and helped lead the U.S. MNT to the CONCACAF Gold Cup title in 2013.
Zusi, a fellow Designated Player and 2009 MLS SuperDraft pick, is the only MLS player with at least five goals and seven assists in each of the last four regular seasons. He has led the club in assists every year since 2011 and earned team MVP honors each of the last three seasons to go along with MLS Best XI (2012, 2013) and Breakout Player of the Year (2011) recognitions. The 28-year-old has 31 international caps for the United States with three goals and six assists, including two assists at the 2014 FIFA World Cup.
Feilhaber, 30, was named Etihad Airways MLS Player of the Month for April and has 13 assists across all competition in 2015, five shy of the club’s all-time record. A five-year MLS veteran, Feilhaber began his professional career with Hamburg (Germany), Derby County (England) and AGF Aarhus (Denmark) in Europe before joining the New England Revolution in 2011. Feilhaber has played 41 times for the U.S. Men’s National Team, highlighted by his game-winning goal in the 2007 Gold Cup final and roles in the 2008 Summer Olympics, 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup and 2010 FIFA World Cup.
Club History: KC All-Stars (1996-2015)
The MLS All-Stars will face English Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur at 8 p.m. CT on July 29 at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City, Colorado. The annual showcase will air live on FOX Sports 1 and UniMas in the United States.
Major League Soccer will announce the official 22-player MLS All-Star Gameday Roster on Saturday, July 18, featuring Commissioner’s Picks Frank Lampard (New York City FC) and Steven Gerrard (LA Galaxy). All-Star head coach Pablo Mastroeni of the Colorado Rapids will select the remaining 20 players.
