MLS best XI is all wrong

The annual award of MLS best XI dropped today and immediately I noticed how the team that was assembled makes no sense.

It would be as it the folks over at the NFL all pro selection committee or those voting for the MLB All-Star game failed to select a center or catcher respectively. Here are the 2016 best XI winners:

Goalkeeper: Andre Blake
Defenders: Matt Hedges; Axel Sjoberg; Jelle Van Damme
Midfielders: Mauro Diaz; Giovani dos Santos; Sacha Kljestan; Ignacio Piatti
Forwards: Sebastian Giovinco; Bradley Wright-Phillips; David Villa

On the surface I can easily imagine this collection of players adapting and winning games in MLS, but where are the outside backs or defensive midfielders?

None of the winning midfielders play or are capable of excelling in the role of holding midfield, they are all creators. It is fine that the voters all wanted to reward these players on their strong seasons and by all accounts, they were all excellent but perennially overlooked players need an opportunity to accept awards.

Let’s start from the back in what should have been the best XI in a lineup that makes more sense. Donning the hamburger helper gloves between the pipes, I have no problem with Andre Blake. The long-limbed youngster did for Philadelphia what Bill Hamid has done for D.C. United for years. Blake was routinely among the save of the week nominations and was under constant siege as the Philly back line was so poor.

More from Playing for 90

The group of three defenders is where I begin to have problems. Ok, Hedges, Sjoberg, and Van Damme are likely capable of playing in a three-man back line. All three are fairly mobile for the position and pass well enough to get by. However, the teams in MLS that play with a three-man backline consistently can be counted with half a hand. If this was the 2016/17 Premier League that is suddenly all about the 3-4-3, then it would be a different story.

My fix is easy for the backline and that is to play it like the majority of MLS teams, with two central defenders and two fullbacks. I’ll keep the first two MLS appointed central defenders in Matt Hedges and Axel Sjoberg and stick Hassoun Camara of Montreal and Ronald Matarrita of NYCFC on either side. On top of Camara and Matarrita playing predominantly as fullbacks, they also have some positional versatility so MLS can just stick them somewhere else if the urge strikes them.

Matarrita has been one of the best players in MLS this season, let alone best fullbacks. He ranks second in the league in tackles per game and is in the top 35 in interceptions per game according to whoscored.com. These numbers don’t take into account how difficult that is for a wide player as well. Matarrita has been a key element in the improving fortunes of NYCFC’s continued improvement in year two. Camara also deserves consideration for his contribution to Montreal’s continued success. With a thinner pool of quality right backs, Camara was the best of the bunch combining a wide range of attributes, mostly defensively.

In the midfield, I’m sorry MLS, but there needs to be at least one defensive midfielder. The way the league is set up, every good team has standout players in a more withdrawn role. Just look at the MLS Cup finals, with Osvaldo Alonso for Seattle and Michael Bradley pulling the strings for Toronto. I respect the need for MLS to award three forwards awards if for no other reason than to boost discussion, so I’ll stick to one DMF selection.

Alonso is without question the most logical pick here as he has been an absolute destroyer for a club that was on the ropes early in the year. Because the Sounders were limited in creating and scoring options before Nicolas Lodeiro sprung onto the scene, Alonso was largely responsible for keeping the score close by breaking up opposition attacking moves and marking number 10s.

So here is my remade midfield: