The 2013 edition of the MLS All Star game will emulate from Sporting Park on July 31st. In preparation for the big game, fans have had the opportunity to vote for their favorite players in hopes of seeing them face AS Roma. The New England Revolution has six players in contention but no player has a better resume than Jose Goncalves.
Goncalves joined the Revs during the offseason and quickly established himself as one of the best center backs in the league. With the help of the Portugal native, the Revs have recorded nine shutouts while only allowing 14 goals. Goncalves’ case for a spot on the All Star team is strengthened by the fact that he has been the only constant on the backline with various personnel being shuffled in-and-out.
Goncalves commented, “They play different but they play the same position so that basics are still there. Maybe the communication is different. You just need a couple of days to get used to. Of course, this season has been special because of a lot of injury.”
The All Star game is new concept to Goncalves, who spent the bulk of his career in Europe playing for teams like Hearts, St. Gallen and FC Sion. Although it’s new to him, the 6’2 defender is completely onboard with soccer’s version of the Mid-Summer Classic.
“It’s something very special. I think it’s very cool. It’s something different than Europe and other leagues. It’s also a very good advertisement for MLS because you can see that there are good players in MLS, definitely. You can play such a big team like AS Roma with big players. It’s very good for the league.”
Revolution fans have been doing their part to help the captain experience the game first-hand by launching various voting campaigns. The most entertaining initiative occurred during the dying hours of the Twitter vote when fans presented various “Jose Facts,” much in the vein of Chuck Norris Facts.
Chris Brown claimed that “Medusa looked at Jose Goncalves but nothing happened because he’s already made of stone!” Ben Saufley speculated that “Jose Goncalves inspired The Star Spangled Banner…’Jose can you see’-the J was later softened then dropped altogether.” Heather O’Neill advertised that “airport security agents remove their belts and shoes for Jose Goncalves.”
The tweets did more than help the “Goncalves for All Star” campaign since they also made the defender feel valued.
“A friend of me told me about one. You have to laugh. It’s very cool. People joke about this stuff and this is what it’s all about. It’s very nice that people care about you, vote about you. I’m very pleased. I said thank you to all these people.”
Although Revolution fans have shown support for Goncalves, other fans around the league have ignored him. The newcomer isn’t one of the top seven defenders according to fans with players like Matt Besler, Omar Gonzalez and Aurelien Collin fetching more votes. There is still hope for Goncalves, however, as commissioner Don Garber and All Star coach Peter Vermes will have their say before the big event.
“For myself, it’s only a plus. If I can make it to the All Star (game) I will be more than happy to be there.”
(image courtesy of USA Today Sports)
