NEW YORK (May 26, 2016) – Fan Voting for the 2016 AT&T MLS All-Star Team is now live on MLSsoccer.com. Starting at 2 p.m. ET, fans can vote their favorite players to the All-Star Fan XI via online ballot and/or the AT&T/EA SPORTS™ “More Than a Vote” Challenge through July 4 at 3 p.m. ET. The MLS All-Stars will face Arsenal FC of the English Premier League on July 28 at Avaya Stadium, home of the San Jose Earthquakes, in the 2016 AT&T MLS All-Star Game.
KICKOFF TIME CHANGE: The 2016 AT&T MLS All-Star Game will now take place at 7:30 p.m. ET (4:30 p.m. PT) and include 30-minute pregame shows on the ESPN, Univision, TSN, and RDS family of networks.
In addition to domestic coverage, the game will be shown in more than 140 countries worldwide via MLS’ international broadcast partners.
The AT&T MLS All-Star Week will feature six days of events leading up to the match including a concert at San Pedro Square on Monday, community service initiatives through MLS WORKS, a Special Olympics Unified Soccer Match at Avaya Stadium following All-Star training on Tuesday, the Chipotle MLS Homegrown Game on Wednesday evening, and pregame festivities outside the stadium leading up to the match on Thursday. For more information about the schedule of events, please CLICK HERE.
To create the fan ballot, media members nominated a total of 160 players. Ten players – one goalkeeper, three defenders, four midfielders and two forwards – with the highest combined votes will be named to the All-Star Fan XI.
The 11th player – a forward – will be determined by the AT&T/EA SPORTS™ “More Than a Vote” Challenge. Fans have the opportunity to vote one forward into the 2016 AT&T MLS All-Star Game by scoring goals in EA SPORTS FIFA 16 on Xbox One, PlayStation®4, Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system, and the PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system through July 4. The forward with the most votes – one goal equals one vote – on July 4 will occupy the final forward spot on the All-Star Fan XI.
“It’s exciting to work with EA SPORTS again, as we bring to life this unique opportunity for fans to be part of the 2016 AT&T MLS All-Star Game. MLS fans are so passionate about their favorite teams and players. ‘More Than a Vote’ is an engaging, fun experience, connecting them directly to the sport they love,” said Bill Moseley, Director Sponsorships, AT&T.
A total of 32 All-Stars are named each year, per the collective bargaining agreement. Media, fans, players, the All-Star coach, Dominic Kinnear of the San Jose Earthquakes, and MLS Commissioner Don Garber all contribute in the All-Star selection process.
The 32 players named 2016 AT&T MLS All-Stars will be selected in four phases:
- Ballot creation: Media members determined the field of players – eight players per team – who are most deserving of consideration for this year’s AT&T MLS All-Star Game. Those players are eligible for fan voting.
- Fan voting: From May 26 through July 4, fans will select the “Fan XI” All-Stars. Fans can vote at MLSsoccer.com beginning May 26.
- Via the AT&T / EA SPORTS “More than a Vote” Challenge: fans will score as many goals as possible with their favorite MLS All-Star forward candidate in FIFA 16, with one goal equaling one vote. The forward with the most votes will occupy one of the forward spots on the All-Star Fan XI.
- Team selection: The MLS All-Star head coach will select the gameday roster from the pool of eligible players, consisting of the Fan XI, MLS Commissioner Don Garber’s two selections and players who received votes from at least two players. The Commissioner selections and gameday roster will be announced at a later date.
- Player selections: MLS players will determine the remainder of the 32 All-Stars named annually per the CBA (known as the “inactive roster”).
