SB Nation's soccer editors were given a bit of a blank canvass when they were asked to pick an All-Star lineup. We simply told them to pick their Bext XI without forcing them to pick players by position. Although most of our editors used a 4-4-2 alignment, when taken together the only real way to make it work would be to roll out a 3-5-2 formation. Brek Shea, Brad Davis, Landon Donovan and Thierry Henry all appeared on
MLS At Midseason: Brek Shea, Landon Donovan, Brad Davis, Thierry Henry Nearly Unanimous All-Star Picks
Our lineup features three center backs and only one purely defensive midfielder, but they are a group that any coach would be happy to have.
Goalkeeper: Nick Rimando. The Real Salt Lake goalkeeper is not posting numbers quite as audacious as what he did a year ago, but he's still the class of the league.
Defense: Nat Borchers, George John and Omar Gonzalez. Obviously, this will not be the fleetest of foot defense. But no one is going to outmuscle this crew. Borchers, John and Gonzalez all have tremendous size, but also add a little something on set pieces.
Midfield: Osvaldo Alonso, Brek Shea, Jack Jewsbury, Brad Davis and Landon Donovan. I'm not sure this is most practical midfield ever to be deployed, but, man, it could be fun. With Alonso playing almost as a fourth defender, Shea would probably have a fair amount of defensive responsibility. Jewsbury and Davis may be a bit redundant, but is there really too much of a good thing? This midfield would certainly have no shortage of playmakers, as this crew has combined for 24 goals and 18 assists.
Forward: Thierry Henry and Charlie Davies. Both of these guys have been proving naysayers wrong this season and might just make a nice pairing with Davies playing more of the burner. They've already combined for 17 goals and five assists.
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