FIFA 13 players can send an MLS athlete to the All-Star Game

FIFA 13 users will be able to vote a Major League Soccer player into the last open spot on the 2013 All-Star team by scoring goals with MLS players in the video game, publisher Electronic Arts announced today.

EA and MLS provided a list of 26 MLS candidates for the final spot, all forwards; you can see the full list below. From noon ET today, July 3, through noon ET July 10, any goals scored with one of those players in any game mode of FIFA 13 will count as a vote for that player. This applies for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and Windows PC versions of the game.

MLS fans were able to vote for 10 of the 11 All-Star starters through the league's website, text messages and Twitter, which is nothing unprecedented for sports — Major League Baseball has held All-Star fan voting online for more than a decade. But according to EA and MLS, this is the first partnership of its kind for a professional sports league.

The first 10 players will be announced July 7, during halftime of the Chicago Fire-Sporting Kansas City match. The highest vote-getter in the FIFA 13 program will be revealed after its conclusion July 10.

"The AT&T MLS All-Star 'In the Game' Challenge exemplifies how we're deepening the connection between the game of FIFA and the real world of soccer," said Jamie McKinlay, VP of marketing for EA Sports, in a press release today.

Here's the list of eligible MLS players:

• Claudio Bieler (SKC)
• Tristan Bowen (CHV)
• Deshorn Brown (COL)
• Will Bruin (HOU)
• Edson Buddle (COL)
• Kenny Cooper (DAL)
• Marco DiVaio (MTL)
• Landon Donovan (LA)
• Robert Earnshaw (TOR)
• Fabian Espindola (NY)
• Diego Fagundez (NE)
• Thierry Henry (NY)
• Federico Higuain (CLB)
• Adam Jahn (SJ)
• Eddie Johnson (SEA)
• Robbie Keane (LA)
• Sebastien Le Toux (PHI)
• Jack McInerney (PHI)
• Darlington Nagbe (POR)
• Dominic Oduro (CLB)
• Lionard Pajoy (DC)
• Blas Perez (DAL)
• Chris Rolfe (CHI)
• Alvaro Saborio (RSL)
• Camilo Sanvezzo (VAN)
• Chris Wondolowski (SJ)