Major League Soccer announced today that D.C. United midfielder Dwayne De Rosario has been selected to the All-Star First XI by fans through Twitter, text messages, and online submissions at MLSsoccer.com. The ballot consisted of six players from each club, as chosen by a panel of media members. De Rosario will join the MLS All-Stars, coached by D.C. United’s own Ben Olsen on July 25 as they take on Chelsea FC. The game will be broadcast live on ESPN2, TeleFutura, and in Canada on TSN and RDS starting at 8:30 p.m. ET.
“It’s a huge honor to represent this League, represent D.C. United and represent myself,” said Dwayne De Rosario. “It’s a tribute to those guys in the locker room here at D.C. United, the coaching staff, and the whole D.C. United family. I’m going to enjoy myself, enjoy playing with some of the guys I admire in this League, and its nice to know Ben Olsen is going to be our coach.”
De Rosario is the lone United player to play in and start all of the Black-and-Red’s 18 games this season with an impressive 1566 minutes played. He currently leads all of Major League Soccer in assists with ten, while finding the back of the net five times. After an impressive month of May, where he won Player of the Week (5/14-5/21) and Player of the Month, De Rosario is just two goals away from reaching 100 career MLS goals.
This selection marks the seventh time De Rosario has been named to an MLS All-Star squad, improving upon an already impressive list of accomplishments that solidifies his place as one of the most decorated players in MLS history. Along with seven MLS All-Star selections, De Rosario boasts four MLS Cups, two MLS Cup MVP awards, and an MLS MVP award.
2012 MLS All-Star First XI – As voted by fans
Goalkeeper: Jimmy Nielsen (Sporting Kansas City)
Defenders: Steven Beitashour (San Jose Earthquakes), Aurélien Collin (Sporting Kansas City), Jay DeMerit (Vancouver Whitecaps FC), Heath Pearce (New York Red Bulls)
Midfielders: David Beckham (LA Galaxy), Dwayne De Rosario (D.C. United), Landon Donovan (LA Galaxy), Graham Zusi (Sporting Kansas City)
Forwards: Thierry Henry (New York Red Bulls), Chris Wondolowski (San Jose Earthquakes)
