CARSON, Calif. (Sunday, July 7, 2013) – LA Galaxy defender Omar Gonzalez was named today to Major League Soccer’s 2013 MLS All-Star Fan XI that will compete against Italian giants AS Roma in the 2013 AT&T MLS All-Star Game on Wednesday, July 31 at Sporting Park in Kansas City, Kansas. The match will be televised live on ESPN2, UniMas, and in Canada on TSN and RDS starting at 6 p.m. PT.
This is the third time in Gonzalez’s five year MLS career that he has been selected to the All-Star Team, having played in the 2010 All-Star Game against Manchester United while being named to the All-Star Team in 2011, but missing the All-Star Game because of an injury. The 2009 MLS Rookie of the Year and the 2011 MLS Defender of the Year, Gonzalez was also selected to the MLS Best XI in 2010 and 2011.
The 24-year-old has played in 18 games for the Galaxy in all competitions this season, scoring once and adding an assist. In five seasons with the Galaxy, he has appeared in 115 regular season games, scoring six times and adding four assists while registering two goals and an assist in 17 postseason games, helping LA reach MLS Cup three times and win each of the last two championships while also claiming the Supporters’ Shield twice.
After missing the first half of the 2012 season while recovering from a serious knee injury, Gonzalez returned to the lineup in early July and helped lead the Galaxy to the best record in MLS over the second half of the season en route to their second straight MLS Cup title. In the 2012 MLS Cup, Gonzalez scored the game-tying goal in the 60th minute and was selected as the game’s Most Valuable Player.
The Fan XI received the most votes at their respective positions from combined fan voting on three platforms – online at MLSsoccer.com, via text message, and via Twitter. The ballot consisted of at least six players from each club, as chosen by a panel of media members.
The 11th player – a forward – on the Fan XI will be decided on July 11, as part of the innovative AT&T MLS All-Star ‘In the Game’ Challenge. Among the remaining forwards on the ballot, the player with whom fans score the most goals in FIFA Soccer 13, with one goal equaling one vote, from July 3-July 10 will be named to the Fan XI. Both Landon Donovan and Robbie Keane are eligible to be added to the Fan XI as part of the ‘In the Game’ Challenge.
