2009 Women's Professional Soccer All-Star Game Voting Begins Online

The All-Star team voting for the inaugural season of the Women's Professional Soccer League will be comprised of a combination of fans, the media and the teams themselves. Voting for the 2009 WPS All-Star Team begins Friday on the Women’s Professional Soccer Web site.

The 2009 WPS All-Star Game will feature the WPS All-Stars against Swedish league champions, Umea IK. The game is being played at The Anheuser-Busch Soccer Park in Fenton, MO, on Sunday, Aug. 30 with kick-off scheduled for 5:30 p.m. ET/4:30 p.m. CT.

The event will be televised live nationally on Fox Soccer Channel and regionally on select Fox Sports Net affiliates (check local listings) with coverage starting at 5:00 p.m. with a half-hour pre-game show prior to kick-off.

A total of 18 WPS players will take part in game with the Starting 11 players selected through voting and the other seven chosen by the WPS Commissioner and the All-Star Game head coach.

Players voted to the Starting XI who are not available to play in the game will be replaced by the next-highest vote-getters at that position. The Starting 11 will be comprised of one goalkeeper, three defenders, five midfielders and two forwards. 

The voting will end at 8 p.m. ET on July 31.

The WPS All-Star team will be selected according to the following vote breakdown and will be announced the week of August 3:

    11 players     Vote—25% fans, 25% media, 25% players, 25% coaches
      7 players     At-Large Selections (WPS Commissioner and All-Star Head Coach)

In order to be on the All-Star Game Ballot, players need to have played at least 50 percent of their team’s total minutes this season through June 22. Write-in votes are also accepted.

In a unique twist for the first year of the WPS All-Star Game, the head coach will be voted on collectively by the players.

The Anheuser-Busch Soccer Park is currently the home field of the Saint Louis Athletica and has a rich soccer tradition dating back almost three decades to when it opened in 1982.

For information or to reserve tickets for the 2009 WPS All Star Game call 1-888-STL-GOAL or visit www.SaintLouisAthletica.com. Group Rates are available now and individual tickets will go on sale July 23.

Photo Credit: Quinn | isiphotos.net

The previous story is excerpted from a press release by Todd Civin, who is a free lance writer for the Bleacher Report. Todd can be contacted for comment or hire at [e-mail]. His stories can be reprinted only with permission by writing to Todd at this address. Todd is also a supporter of A Glove of Their Own—the award winning children's story that is capturing the heart of the nation. Visit www.agloveoftheirown.com for details.

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