Wondolowski, Busch lead Earthquakes nominations on MLS All-Star game ballot

Major League Soccer revealed the ballot for the All Star game selections earlier today, with each team in the league represented by six players. For the San Jose Earthquakes, obvious choices like Chris Wondolowski, Jon Busch, Simon Dawkins, and Bobby Convey made the list. The remaining two selections were the solid players Jason Hernandez and Khari Stephenson. Given that the Quakes are not a team of superstars, any of a dozen players on the roster could be safely considered “top six” worthy.

Fan voting began today at noon and continues until July 5 through the MLS website or via text messaging. In a new wrinkle to the usual procedure, MLS will open up voting on Twitter between June 17 and 20. For one long weekend fans are encouraged to vote via tweet using a player’s name plus the #MLSAllStar hashtag and the @MLS Twitter handle. I imagine if American soccer fans embrace the opportunity, we might see a whole lot of Fail Whales that weekend.

Of course, remember that fan votes are not the only way players will be considered for the MLS All-Star team. Commissioner Don Garber gets a pair of selections, and All-Star coach Hans Backe will determine some of the players to make the 32-man roster. Even the rank and file MLS players have a say in the proceedings. In addition, while the fan ballot contains 108 players selected by a distinguished panel of media members, all MLS players are still eligible for selection through the other methods. Do, if you don’t see a name among the 108 that should be on the field to take on Manchester United on July 27, there are plenty of back doors available for him to make the squad.