Major League Soccer today revealed the selection process for its representatives for the 2021 MLS All-Star Game on August 25, at the Banc of California Stadium, where they will face the Liga MX stars.
As part of the voting process, MLS reviewed performance metrics for the current 2021 season to rank players in the positions where they are most used. For the first time, players can be selected in seven specific positions: goalkeeper, right back, center back, left back, defensive midfielder, offensive midfielder and forward / winger.
Of the 26 MLS players who will be selected for the All-Star Game, the breakdown is as follows:
12 will be determined by a vote of MLS players, fans and media. Each of the three voting groups will represent one third of the combined vote.
12 will be selected by the head coach of the MLS All-Star team, Bob Bradley, of the host team Los Angeles Football Club.
2 will be selected by MLS Commissioner Don Garber.
Players, fans and journalists will vote for 11 players: one goalkeeper, one right-back, two center-backs, one left-back, one defensive midfielder, two attacking midfielders, three forwards / wingers.
The best players in each position of the combined voting will be named All-Stars.
The twelfth honored player will be the one with the next highest number of votes overall.
To qualify for the ballot, players must have appeared in at least 50 percent of this season’s games at the time the ballot was created, on July 10.
Players who did not qualify for the ballot are still eligible to be selected by Bradley or Commissioner Garber.
Fan voting begins today via the MLS app and on MLSsoccer.com, and each fan has a unique opportunity to share their picks on social media using a widget created by the League. Fan voting concludes on Wednesday, July 21 at 11:59 pm PT.
All MLS players will be provided with a special link to vote for the teammates they believe are most deserving of All-Star recognition this season. Approximately 350 members of the media who regularly cover MLS will also select the best players in the league.
Selection process for the Stars of the MX LEAGUE
The Liga MX team that will face the MLS All-Star Game will be made up of 26 league figures whose selection process will be carried out as follows: In search of having the best footballers of the last season, the base The team will be the 14 players nominated for the 2020-2021 Ballon d’Or in the different positions: goalkeeper, defender, winger, defensive midfielder, offensive midfielder and forward, including the two best rookies.
The Ballon d’Or will air on Saturday, July 17 at 11 pm CT. The team’s coach will be the winner of the Ballon d’Or for Best Technical Director and will also be in charge of choosing 11 players to complete the best roster to face the MLS stars.
Finally, the 26th Liga MX player will be determined through a selection process proposed by the executive president of the LIGA BBVA MX, Mikel Arriola.