THE CANADIAN PRESS
TORONTO -- Toronto FC midfielder Dwayne De Rosario has been named to the MLS Best XI, becoming the first Toronto player to earn the honour in the club's three seasons.
The annual award recognizes Major League Soccer's top 11 players at each individual position -- a goalkeeper, three defenders, five midfielders and two forwards.
"It's a huge honour to be selected, and even more special this time around because I'm back home," De Rosario said in a release. "I know I have a lot of young fans, and any time I get recognized, I hope they use that as motivation to follow their dream of becoming a professional soccer player."
De Rosario, who earned the honour for the fourth time in his nine-year MLS career, becomes the first player to be named to the Best XI with three different clubs.
Zach Thornton of Chivas USA named Best XI goalkeeper, while Geoff Cameron of the Houston Dynamo, Wilman Conde of the Chicago Fire, and Chad Marshall of the Columbus Crew earned defensive honours. The other four midfielders were Landon Donovan of the LA Galaxy, Houston's Stuart Holden, Shalrie Joseph of the New England Revolution, and Freddie Ljungberg of Seattle Sounders FC, while the two forwards honoured were Conor Casey of the Colorado Rapids and Jeff Cunningham of FC Dallas.
De Rosario's honour comes on the heels of a couple of team awards he picked up last week. De Rosario was awarded the Toronto's Golden Boot award for the most goals scored this past season (11), as well as the team's Most Valuable Player award. The midfielder also received the fan's choice for the "Keno Goal of the Year."
2009 MLS Best XI:
GOALKEEPER (1): Zach Thornton (Chivas USA)
DEFENDERS (3): Geoff Cameron (Houston Dynamo), Wilman Conde (Chicago Fire), Chad Marshall (Columbus Crew)
MIDFIELDERS (5): Dwayne De Rosario (Toronto FC), Landon Donovan (Los Angeles Galaxy), Stuart Holden (Houston Dynamo), Shalrie Joseph (New England Revolution), Freddie Ljungberg (Seattle Sounders FC)
FORWARDS (2): Conor Casey (Colorado Rapids), Jeff Cunningham (FC Dallas)
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