Even though 2026 MLS All-Star voting has perhaps come at the worst time for Austin FC's Brad Stuver, he's still in contention to return to the squad he debuted in last year in his home stadium.
Verde fans can still vote for Stuver through Thursday night at 11:59 pm, and gauging from MLS' recent tally, Stuver is among the top goalkeeper candidates. Adding to the narrative of Austin FC's troubled season, he's also the only Verde player with a chance to make the squad playing Liga MX stars on July 29 in Charlotte.
Whereas many players will make a show of not caring about getting an All-Star nod, Stuver took to Bluesky last week — before and, bravely, after a 5-0 midweek drubbing against San Diego FC — to actively campaign for his inclusion in the squad.
Brad Stuver
Brad Stuver
Brad Stuver
The race for the top three goalkeepers could be complicated by Charlotte head coach Dean Smith, who gets to select the players who aren't voted in by a mix of fans, players, and media. (Full disclosure: I've already submitted my media ballot, and I absolutely voted in Stuver as my lone Verde rep, picking many of the outfield players among the fans' top vote getters, including former Austin FC midfielder Sebastian Berhalter.)
Though Charlotte FC goalkeeper Kristijan Kahlina is having a dismal season by advanced goalkeeping metric standards (and we're going to get there in a moment), he's also tied for third in saves with 58, and there's a history of coaches naming their own goalkeepers to the squad. That's something Nico Estévez did last season — though it's plausible a different coach would have done the same were Austin not hosting — and Wayne Rooney infamously picked D.C.'s Tyler Miller in 2023.
So, should Smith follow the trend, Stuver needs to be a top-two rather than a top-three selection between the voters and Smith.
Let's dig into some numbers.
