Eight Portland Timbers players made it onto the 2015 AT&T MLS All-Star ballot this year: Adam Kwarasey, Liam Ridgewell, Alvas Powell, Nat Borchers, Diego Chara, Darlington Nagbe, Diego Valeri, and Fanendo Adi. All have an opportunity to be part of the MLS All-Star team that will host the Premier League's Tottenham Hotspur at Dick's Sporting Goods Park on July 29.
Along with voting online on the ballot above, fans can vote on Twitter and Facebook by including the players first and last name (with or without a space) and the hashtag #MLSAllStar.
In this series, Timbers.com takes a look at each positional area and makes the case for each candidate within. First up, the Timbers defense.
Alvas Powell
On August 30, 2014, Alvas Powell was back in the Timbers' starting lineup for the first time since May. The Jamaican defender has started all but one of the Timbers' next 25 matches. In that time, the team has a record of 11-6-7.
There's little question that the speedy right back has had a major influence on his team, both in defense and on the attack.
Take a look at these numbers:
34Powell ranks fourth in the league in dribbles completed, behind only Fabian Castillo, Timbers teammate Darlington Nagbe and Juan Ramírez.
54Among fullbacks, Powell ranks first in the league in interceptions and third among all defenders. Astoundingly, Powell's interceptions comprise over a fifth of the team's total.
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Powell, Alvas [POR]
VOTE: ALVAS POWELL for MLS All-Star Game
77Powell leads all MLS players in tackles won with 77, eight more than Vancouver Whitecaps FC's Matias Laba. More impressively, he's won over 96-percent of his tackle attempts.
157Powell leads the league in the number of duels won (defined by Opta as "a 50-50 contest between two players of opposing sides in the match"). His nearest competitor is LA Galaxy defender Omar Gonzalez, with nearly 36 fewer duels won.
1,209Powell also ranks second in the league in total number of touches this season. This number ranks up there with some of the most influential players in the league like LA Galaxy midfielder Juninho and New York Red Bulls midfielder Dax McCarty.
Because in case you've forgotten, Alvas Powell can do some very special things with the ball:
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Liam Ridgewell
Since joining the Timbers midway through last season from the English Premier League, Liam Ridgewell has been nothing short of a revelation.
In Ridgewell's 31 matches with the club, all starts, the Timbers have compiled a 15-8-8 record with 14 shutouts. During that same span of games, the defense has conceded 34 goals, an average of only 1.10 goals per game.
This season, the Timbers defense has been even more impressive. Through the first 16 matches this year, the Timbers have conceded 14 goals – good for third-best in MLS – and recorded seven shutouts.
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Ridgewell, Liam [POR]
VOTE: LIAM RIDGEWELL for MLS All-Star Game
There's little question that Ridgewell's arrival and consistent play on the pitch has played a huge part in the Timbers' defensive turnaround.
“A good central defender oftentimes doesn’t get noticed because they don’t make mistakes, and he’s one of those guys,” said Timbers head coach Caleb Porter. "He doesn’t maybe always jump out as making a ton of plays, but he’s just a really solid central defender, positionally solid, good on the ball, and he makes a lot of little things look routine...Which is good because we obviously brought him in to be a top-five central defender, and I think he’s shown that.”
Ridgewell is also calm under stress. He ranks third in all of MLS in clearances and headed clearances. When a cross or through ball comes near Ridgewell, he's consistently been there to clear it out of danger.
What's more, Ridgewell has been integral helping the Timbers maintain and build possession out of the back. He ranks near the top of MLS central defenders in possessional passes with 694 thus far this year.
And the Englishman can strike a great long pass:
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Nat Borchers
Veteran defender Nat Borchers hasn't always gotten the recognition that he's deserved. But like his partner in central defense, Liam Ridgewell, Borchers has never played a flashy or physical game. Instead, Borchers relies on his positioning and game intelligence.
This season, Borchers ranks first in MLS in blocks (20) and 10th in headed clearances (53). He also scores goals. His two goals ties him for first among all MLS defenders in goals scored.
Borchers, Nat [POR]
VOTE: NAT BORCHERS for MLS All-Star Game
But a lot of what Borchers does so well doesn't always end up in the highlight reel. Take a look at this play from the Timbers' recent June 6 victory over the New England Revolution:
This is what Nat Borchers does. He reads the passing lane, judges the angle, and puts himself in the right place at the right time to make the right play.
Few people appreciate these qualities in Borchers more than his former Real Salt Lake teammate and perennial MLS All-Star Kyle Beckerman.
"He’ll bring leadership," Beckerman said of Borchers following a game between the two teams earlier this year. "That’s first and foremost. He’s a guy that goes out every day in training. He works just like it’s a game every single day. He leads by example. He may not have the captain’s armband out there, but he’s a captain-like person. He’s a great defender, he can get a couple goals for you that you can count on throughout the season and he’s going to help get shutouts for Portland."
