My True MLS All-Star Team, based on performance, not notoriety

All-Star voting for the MLS All-Star game is in the hands of the voters. This is nice, but at the same time, a terrible tragedy. That's why I am taking control away from the voters and naming my MLS All-Star team. The team will be chosen unilaterally by me, but I'm a dictator you can get along with. The team will be based on statistical performance through the first half of the season, with some intangibles that the players bring to the game.

Here is my 23-man roster that I would be pleased if DC United and MLS All-Stars Coach Peter Nowak took to Bridgeview on July 29th to take on EPL Champs Chelsea FC.

Goalkeepers
Goalkeepers are going to have to be in top form for MLS to have a chance against a glamour team like Chelsea. The stats I considered were GAA, shutouts, and wins (not as important).
1) Troy Perkins (DC United) Perkins has a GAA of 0.88. His presence in the nets is one major reason why DC United is the best team in the league. Taking over from starter Nick Rimando, Perkins has a record of 10-1-5 with 5 shutouts.
2) Pat Onstad (Houston Dynamo) takes the second spot as a reward for his 1.21 GAA, and for only losing 3 of his 14 games. Onstad also has 2 shutouts, and has Dynamo in the race for home-field in their first season in Houston.
3) Star-power-wise, I take Matt Reis (New England Revolution) who was a World Cup alternate for the US, and will likely be in the nets in 2010. Reis has a 1.13 GAA and 5 shutouts. His team has let him down however, as he only has a record of 5-4-6. But if I really had my pick, I'd write in a name who doesn't appear on the online ballot. Preston Burpo (CD Chivas USA). Burpo is the best player that nobody knows about in MLS. Taking over from the woeful early season performances of Brad Guzan, Chivas USA has done a complete 180. Chivas is 5-1-3 under Burpo (GAA 0.78) with 3 shutouts.

Defenders
Defenders are hard to pick because there aren't really a lot of stats that quantify defense. I used fouls committed as a guide because that shows their aggressiveness and their involvement in the run of play.
4) Bobby Boswell (DC United) Perhaps the next great American defender. Is among the league leaders in fouls committed.
5) Jose Burciaga, Jr. (Kansas City Wizards) Burciaga is a defender, but also finds ways to work himself into the attacking mix. He is 2nd on Kansas City in shots taken, and of those shots, 5 have gone in the net. Burciaga has more goals as a defender than many forwards have! His 2 assists in 14 matches make him a dangerous player.
6) Jimmy Conrad (Kansas City Wizards) Conrad was one of the few AMericans who had a decent World Cup. In club play, he has 1 goal in 6 matches. Not a very large sample size, admittedly, but there aren't a lot of other promising candidates on this ballot.
7) Facundo Erpen (DC United) Erpen has 2 goals, and 1 assist as a defender, but don't let these stats fool you. If I recall correctly, both of those goals came in the same game, a 4-1 trouncing of Red Bull New York in April. Erpen leads DCU defenders in fouls committed with 22 and is part of arguably the best backline in the league.
8) Ugo Ihemelu (Los Angeles Galaxy) Ugo is on because he is the league leader in fouls committed among defenders.
9) Claudio Suarez (CD Chivas USA) Suarez shouldn't be on the all-star team because he only appeared in 4 matches, however, in those 4 matches, he scored 2 goals and recorded an assist. His absence from the team can be explained because of his national team duties with the Mexican National team, where he was the only MLS representative with El Tri.
10) Simo Valakari (FC Dallas) Technically a midfielder, Valakari plays with qualities more suitable for a defender or a defensive midfielder. He leads the league among all players for fouls committed with 42.

Midfielders
11) Freddy Adu (DC United) The MLS wunderkind hasn't put many balls in the back of the net, but he does have 5 assists (tied for 2nd in the league).
12) Dwayne DeRosario (Houston Dynamo) DeRo is a playmaker, and has been the central pin in Houston's offense, especially with the absence of Brian Ching. DeRosario has 5 goals and 4 assists in 13 matches. The Canadian international is the winner of the last two Sierra Mist Goal of the Year Awards has taken 12 shots, put 7 on goal, and 5 in the net, despite incredibly tight marking. Incredible.
13) Clint Dempsey (New England Revolution) The only American to score a goal in the World Cup has made winning MLS Cup his primary goal to make up for his "poor performance." As much as I hate Dempsey personally, the man is a gamer and will step up against Chelsea. Before leaving for Germany, Dempsey had scored 3 goals and recorded an assist in 7 matches. His 13 out of 26 shots on goal is the best on the team.
14) Landon Donovan (Los Angeles Galaxy) As much as I hate Donovan, and as much time as he missed because of US National Team duty (he's only played in 9 matches), he has 4 goals and 4 assists in those matches, and his popularity with casual fans makes him a shoo-in. I however, will start Donovan on the bench. He has a history of mailing it in against top-flight competition.
15) Andy Dorman (New England Revolution) Dorman has proved to be a prolific offensive threat, thriving in Clint Dempsey's absence. Through 16 matches, Dorman has 4 goals, 6 assists, and has put 17 of 31 shots on net.
16) Jason Kreis (Real Salt Lake) MLS's all-time leading goalscorer is getting up there in years, hence my playing him as an attacking mid rather than a forward. Kreis has 5 goals and 4 assists through 13 matches.

FORWARDS
It's a forward's job to score goals, create opportunities, be creative, and combine speed with strength and technical finesse to put the ball in the back of the net.
17) Brian Ching (Houston Dynamo) Before leaving for National Team duty in the World Cup, Ching was MLS's most prolific striker. He has scored 8 goals in 9 games, adding 2 assists.
18) Jeff Cunningham (Real Salt Lake) Likely to make the 2010 US World Cup team, Cunningham never forgives teams for failing to guard him. The striker has 7 goals and 2 assists in 14 games, while playing for a cellar-dweller where he is the primary offensive threat. I'll bring him in off the bench.
19) Alecko Eskandarian (DC United) If Alecko doesn't win the comeback player of the year, there is something wrong. Sitting out a good portion of last season with a severe concussion that forces him to wear protective headgear, Esky started out by scoring 2 goals on Opening Day against Red Bull New York. His production has since tailed off, but he still has 5 goals and 4 assists on the season. I would start him, but he's gonna sit on the bench because he's lost me $100,000 in my fantasy league.
20) Jaime Moreno (DC United) What can you say about Moreno. He has only failed to put 9 of his 29 shots on target, and has scored 9 goals in 16 games. He also added 3 assists. Start Moreno up top.
21) Ante Razov (Chivas USA) Simply the league's leading goalscorer. He's also the only player with double digit strikes, and is playing in form that hasn't been seen since his missed PK in MLS Cup 2003.
22) Carlos Ruiz (FC Dallas) The Guatamalan international, as villified as he is across the country, is simply one of the most electrifying players in the league, and forces teams to change their game plan to contain him.
23) Taylor Twellman (New England Revolution) Advocates argue he should have gone to the World CUp, where his offensive production would have been appreciated. Instead, he scored 7 goals and 1 assist in 16 games in Foxboro.

Formation (3-4-3)
Starters

Forwards: Ching, Moreno, Razov
Midfielders: DeRosario, Dempsey, Dorman, Donovan
Defenders: Burciaga, Boswell, Valakari
Goalkeeper: Perkins

Subs: Twellman for Ching, Kreis for Donovan, Adu for Dorman

Now, is this a team capable of beating the likes of Ballack, Drogba, Cech, Lampard, Terry, Schevchenko, Cole, and the likes? Maybe. The bottom line is that statistically, this is the best team the league can put forward. However, fame and reknown often trump statistics in All-Star contests, and I would not be surprised if about half this roster doesn't take the field in Bridgeview.