HARRISON, NJ (Nov. 10, 2011) – New York Red Bulls forward Thierry Henry was named to the Major League Soccer 2011 Best XI today. The Best XI recognizes the League’s top 11 players at each position on the field.
Henry was the Red Bulls’ 2011 Most Valuable Player, taking home the club’s Golden Boot after scoring a team-high 14 goals in the regular season. The Frenchman played in and started 26 games, logging 2,266 minutes and registering four assists in his first full season in the League. He also notched his first career MLS Cup Playoffs goal in New York’s 2-0 victory over FC Dallas on Oct. 26 in the Wild Card round. His 14 regular season goals ranked third-best in Major League Soccer this season, as he was two goals behind co-leaders Dwayne De Rosario and Chris Wondolowski. This is the first time the former Arsenal, FC Barcelona, Juventus and AS Monaco star, World Cup winner and French National Team all-time leading goalscorer has been named to the MLS Best XI.
This year, players, club leaders, and media members voted one goalkeeper, three defenders, five midfielders and two forwards to the Best XI, listed below by alphabetical order within each position:
Goalkeeper – Kasey Keller (Seattle Sounders FC)
Defender – Todd Dunivant (LA Galaxy)
Defender – Omar Gonzalez (LA Galaxy)
Defender – Jamison Olave (Real Salt Lake)
Midfielder – David Beckham (LA Galaxy)
Midfielder – Brad Davis (Houston Dynamo)
Midfielder – Dwayne De Rosario (D.C. United)
Midfielder – Landon Donovan (LA Galaxy)
Midfielder – Brek Shea (FC Dallas)
Forward – Thierry Henry (New York Red Bulls)
Forward – Chris Wondolowski (San Jose Earthquakes)
