My Canadian MLS Team All-XI

[Dub Narcotic]

Using the 4-3-3/4-5-1 formation that all three teams kind of follow. I took into account consistent MLS production along with the ability to stay uninjured and actually contribute, and tried not to go on reputation.

----------Koevermans----------

----Camilo------------Johnson--

----Felipe----Frings----Warner--

--Rochat--DeMerit--Ferrari--Lee-

------------Cannon-------------

Coach: Rennie

Bench:

Sebastian Le Toux

Joao Plata

Davy Arnaud

Nelson Rivas

Doniel Henry

Donovan Ricketts

Bench Coach: Jess Marsch

6 Whitecaps, 5 TFC, 6 Impact. Didn't plan it to be that equal, but seems about right.

Rationale for attackers. The starters were pretty easy, those are the three best and most productive attackers in Canada. I am a huge Johnson fan, he can attack from the wing, win headers and score in the box. Camilo would be great with those two and not the static Hassli clogging the box. Koevermans was the best choice up front, although his injuries and small sample size gave me pause. For the main bench striker, I took Le Toux because he's a great worker and can play in all three forward positions. Plata was the hardest choice for me to include and is more based on his work last year. I wanted a tricky winger type, who are thin on the ground in Canada. It was between he, Lambe, and Nyassi for that spot. I also thought about Hassli (not versatile enough from the bench), Coarradi (small sample size, has mostly scored pentalties) and Omar Salgado (small sample size, not yet better than any of the starters) for those spots.

Names to watch: Salgado, Mattocks, Di Viao, Wenger.

Rationale for Midfield: The starters also pick themselves here. The Impact central midfield has been the key to their surprising start, and Frings has been a rock when healthy. The bench was a bit harder; I went through my reasons for Plata already, and I chose Arnaud because of his work rate, versatility and ability to score. The other options there were Chiumiento (too inconsistent) and Koffie (not the finished article). No one from TFC was really in my thoughts here.

Names to watch: Barry Robson, Eric Avila.

Rationale for Defenders: Also pretty easy to pick starters. A healthy DeMerit has been a huge difference for Vancouver and Ferrari has been great so far. Rochat is a lock choice, probably the easiest one after Johnson. He and DeMerit and Cannon are in the running for all-star nods, in my opinion. At right back, I like Lee but he looks like he is wearing down already, only 1/3rd through the season. However, there is no competition at right back, with $400k cap-hit Eckersley not even starting consistently and Montreal sub-par at fullback. Rivas has looked good in his limited time, although it is close between he and Bonjour, who had a solid start before his recent nosedive in form. Morgan has been up-and-down but a strong finish to the season may let him push Rochat some. Henry gets the nod on the bench because he seems to improve game-by-game and can play both center back and fullback.