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MLS Chicago Fire FC

Kovalenko Earns Second All-Star Nod and Bocanegra Gets First

July 17, 2002 - Major League Soccer (MLS)
Chicago Fire FC News Release


CHICAGO (Wednesday, July 17, 2002) - Major League Soccer Commissioner Don Garber today unveiled the starting 11 for the MLS All-Stars and included are Fire defender Carlos Bocanegra and midfielder Dema Kovalenko. The MLS All-Stars will face the U.S. National Team in the 2002 Pepsi MLS All-Star Game at RFK Stadium in Washington, D.C., on Saturday, August 3, at 2:30 p.m. CT and will be televised live on ABC Sports. Fire forward Josh Wolff and midfielder DaMarcus Beasley were named to the U.S. team yesterday.

"It's an honor, especially since the players got to vote this year," said Bocanegra. "That means a lot to me and I am excited to go. I am looking forward to having fun over the weekend at the events. Dema has had a great first half of the season and he deserves this opportunity. I can't wait to play against Josh (Wolff). I am going to take care of him the way I do every day in training." Bocanegra continues to excel in MLS as one of the premier defenders, since being drafted by the Fire in the 2000 MLS SuperDraft. He earned MLS Rookie of the Year honors that season, but was plagued by an ankle injury during 2001. In 2002, the UCLA product has flourished for Chicago in the center and left side of the defense. An excellent distributor of the ball out of the back, Bocanegra has proven to be valuable all around defender for the Fire scoring a goal and two assists for four points this season. His solid play has earned him six caps with the U.S. National Team and this will be his MLS All-Star Game debut.

Kovalenko has tallied a team-high six assists for six points on the 2002 season. The Ukrainian midfield dynamo has also registered a league high three game-winning assists with two of the coming in the last two games. His hardworking approach to the game, knack for the dramatic, and endless skill on the ball make him a fan favorite. This MLS All-Star Game will be his second consecutive, but the first where he was elected as a starter.

All-Star reserves for the MLS roster will be named on Tuesday, July 23, by Head Coach Frank Yallop in conjunction with Major League Soccer. In addition, MLS Commissioner Don Garber will select two players to round out the roster of 18 players that will face the U.S. National Team on August 3. Yallop earned the honor of coaching the MLS squad by leading the defending champion San Jose Earthquakes to the best record in the League through the midway point of the 2002 season (8-4-2, 26 points). Named MLS Coach of the Year in 2001, Yallop will make his first MLS All-Star appearance after masterminding San Jose's worst-to-first turnaround last season.

The starters were selected by (1) fans, (2) fellow players, (3) MLS coaches and general managers, and (4) a media panel, with each group's total votes representing 25% of the total. Fans had determined the starting 11 during the four previous MLS seasons.

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