SAN JOSE, Calif – Eight San Jose Earthquakes players have been nominated for the 2018 MLS All-Star team: goalkeeper Andrew Tarbell, defender Nick Lima, midfielders Magnus Eriksson, Anibal Godoy, Florian Jungwirth and Vako, and forwards Danny Hoesen and Chris Wondolowski. Fans can vote for the Quakes through the MLS app.
Hoesen ranks tied for sixth in MLS in goals scored this season with six, just two shy of the league leaders. He is one of three players in all of Major League Soccer with at least six goals, two game-winning goals and two assists so far this season, joining LAFC’s Carlos Vela and NYCFC’s David Villa. He has scored in each of the last three games for San Jose and was previously named the MLS Player of the Week for his two-goal performance in Week 1.
Eriksson, who tallied a goal or an assist in five of his first six league matches, and Jungwirth, who is one of two MLS players to tally at least two goals and two assists while playing primarily on defense, are two other leading candidates for San Jose.
The MLS All-Stars are set to take on seven-time defending Italian champions Juventus at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta on August 1 in the 2018 MLS All-Star Game presented by Target. The summer showcase will air at 4:30 p.m. PT on ESPN, UniMás, TSN and TVA Sports domestically as well as across 170 countries globally.
All-Star voting is available through the free MLS app and the EA SPORTS™ “More Than a Vote” Challenge. Fans can continue to vote their favorite players to the Fan XI via online ballot on MLSsoccer.com starting on June 8 at 7 a.m. PT. Fan voting will run until June 20.
Ten players – one goalkeeper, three defenders, four midfielders and two forwards – with the highest combined votes will be named to the 2018 MLS All-Star Game Fan XI presented by Target.
The 11th player – a forward – will be determined by the EA SPORTS™ “More Than a Vote” Challenge. Starting today, fans have the opportunity to vote one forward into the 2018 MLS All-Star Game presented by Target by scoring goals with their favorite MLS All-Star forward candidate in EA SPORTS FIFA 18 on Xbox One, PlayStation®4, Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system, and the PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system through June 20. The forward with the most votes – one goal equals one vote – on June 20 will occupy the final forward spot on the 2018 MLS All-Star Game Fan XI presented by Target.
The 24 players named 2018 MLS All-Stars will be selected in three phases:
- Ballot creation: Media members determined the field of players – eight players per team – who are most deserving of consideration for this year’s MLS All-Star Game presented by Target. Those players are eligible for fan voting.
- Fan voting: From May 24 through June 20, fans will select the 2018 MLS All-Star Game Fan XI presented by Target. Fans can vote via the free MLS app starting on May 24 and on MLSsoccer.com beginning June 8.
- Team selection: The MLS All-Star head coach will select the gameday roster from the pool of eligible players determined by the media as well as the 2018 MLS All-Star Game Fan XI presented by Target and MLS Commissioner Don Garber’s two selections.
