MLS Awards: Giovinco and Hedges repeat Best XI picks
- by Ridge Mahoney @ridgemax, Dec 6, 2016
Rounding out the heavily foreign squad are
forward Sebastian Giovinco, striker David Villa (New York City FC), winger Ignacio Piatti (Montreal), defender Axel Sjoberg (Colorado),
and goalkeeper Andre Blake (Jamaica).
Hedges and Kljestan are the only Americans among the 11 players.
Votes from MLS players, club executives, and media
members were compiled to form the squad, aligned in a 3-4-3 formation. Squeezed out of the equation are outside backs, even though most teams play with four-man back lines. All three defenders listed
are centerbacks. Hedges and Giovinco are the only returnees from the 2015 team.
2016 MLS Best XI:
FORWARDS
David Villa (New
York City) -- Tallied 23 goals in second MLS season, has 41 in league play.
Bradley Wright-Phillips (NY Red Bulls) -- Won second Golden Boot with 24
goals, also named Best XI in 2014.
Sebastian Giovinco (Toronto FC) -- Led MLS in combined goals (17) and assists (15), is already TFC’s all-time leading goalscorer.
MIDFIELDERS
Ignacio Piatti (Montreal) -- Third in league with 17 goals, scored four more in the playoffs to emerge as a star in his third MLS season.
Sacha
Kljestan (NY Red Bulls) –- Ran away with assist crown (20), five more than runner-up, also scored six goals.
Mauro Diaz (FC Dallas) –- Notched 13 assists (seven
on game-winning goals) and scored five goals before Achilles’ injury ended his season prematurely.
Giovani Dos Santos (LA Galaxy) -- There’s something about guys named
Gio when it comes to goals (14) and assists (12).
DEFENDERS
Matt Hedges (FC Dallas) –- Won Defender of the Year honors as Dallas captured Shield
and reached 60 points for second consecutive season.
Jelle Van Damme (LA Galaxy) -- Logged four assists in 28 games as Galaxy finished second in goals allowed (39).
Axel
Sjoberg (Colorado) -- Anchored the league’s stingiest defense (32 goals) and was second in clearances (162).
GOALKEEPER
Andre Blake (Philadelphia)
– The Human Highlight Reel justified Philly’s selection of him as the No. 1 pick in the 2014 SuperDraft.
So how is the MLS doing as a league to develop the American player? Coming up short due to foreign player excellence? Or enhancing that effort due to foreign player excellence?
Your guess is as good as anyone's, but one year is a very limited sample from which to draw conclusions. Last years best 11 had 5 Americans so who knows if this is just one of those years. And it's not just MLS dealing with this situation. Last year the Premier Leagues had 4 Englishmen and 7 foreign players in their First 11. And there was much weeping and wailing over that on the far side of the pond too.
Apparently, all outside backs and defensive midfielders in MLS suck.