MLS reveals finalists for MVP

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MLS reveals finalists for MVP and other year-end awards


The finalists all of the year-end awards were determined by polls of MLS players, general managers, coaches, referees and members of the media.

THE FINALISTS

Rookie of the Year Finalists – Winner to be announced Nov. 8
• Michael Farfan (Philadelphia Union)
• Perry Kitchen (D.C. United)
• C.J. Sapong (Sporting Kansas City)

Xbox 360 Individual Fair Play Finalists* – Winner to be announced Nov. 8
• Darrius Barnes (New England Revolution)
• Kosuke Kimura (Colorado Rapids)
• Sébastien Le Toux (Philadelphia Union)

*Selected by MLS based on objective criteria such as fouls committed, cards received, games and minutes played, as well as subjective evaluation of sportsmanlike behavior.

Xbox 360 Team Fair Play Finalists* – Winner to be announced Nov. 8
• Chivas USA
• Philadelphia Union
• Portland Timbers

*Selected by MLS based on objective criteria such as fewest fouls committed, cards received, and on subjective evaluation of sportsmanlike behavior.

Defender of the Year Finalists – Winner to be announced Nov. 9
• Nat Borchers (Real Salt Lake)
• Omar Gonzalez (LA Galaxy)
• Jámison Olave (Real Salt Lake)

MLS W.O.R.K.S. Humanitarian of the Year Finalists – Winner to be announced Nov. 9
• Zak Boggs (New England Revolution)
• Brad Davis (Houston Dynamo)
• Chris Wondolowski (San Jose Earthquakes)

Referee of the Year Finalists – Winner to be announced Nov. 9
• Mark Geiger
• Ricardo Salazar
• Kevin Stott

Assistant Referee of the Year Finalists – Winner to be announced Nov. 9
• Sean Hurd
• Corey Rockwell
• Adam Wienckowski

Coach of the Year Finalists – Winner to be announced Nov. 14
• Bruce Arena (LA Galaxy)
• Sigi Schmid (Seattle Sounders FC)
• Peter Vermes (Sporting Kansas City)

Comeback Player of the Year Finalists – Winner to be announced Nov. 14
• David Beckham (LA Galaxy)
• Charlie Davies (D.C. United)
• Dominic Oduro (Chicago Fire)

Goalkeeper of the Year Finalists – Winner to be announced Nov. 15
• Kevin Hartman (FC Dallas)
• Kasey Keller (Seattle Sounders FC)
• Faryd Mondragón (Philadelphia Union)

Newcomer of the Year Finalists – Winner to be announced Nov. 15
• Eric Hassli (Vancouver Whitecaps FC)
• Luke Rodgers (New York Red Bulls)
• Mauro Rosales (Seattle Sounders FC)

Volkswagen Most Valuable Player Finalists – Winner to be announced Nov. 18
• Brad Davis (Houston Dynamo)
• Dwayne De Rosario (D.C. United)
• Brek Shea (FC Dallas)


www.mlssoccer.com/news/article/2011/11/07/mls-reveals-finalists-mvp-and-other-year-end-awards

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Sporting KC's Sapong named Rookie of the Year

Striker dominates vote, becomes first KC player to win ROY

NEW YORK – Major League Soccer announced the MLS Rookie of the Year on Tuesday, adding Sporting Kansas City forward C.J. Sapong to an impressive list of previous award winners.

Sapong scored five goals and dished out five assists for Kansas City in 2011, leading all rookies in points, and appeared in all 34 regular-season matches for manager Peter Vermes, the only Sporting player to do so. He also scored in the club’s Eastern Conference Semifinal against the Colorado Rapids.


www.mlssoccer.com/awards/2011/rookieoftheyear

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Le Toux wins second straight Xbox 360 Individual Fair Play award
Frenchman has never received a card in his MLS career


www.philadelphiaunion.com/news/2011/11/le-toux-wins-second-straight-xbox-360-individual-fair-play-award


Timbers receive 2011 MLS Fair Play Award
Team picks up honor in inaugural season



www.portlandtimbers.com/news/2011/11/timbers-receive-2011-mls-fair-play-award

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Galaxy's Gonzalez named Defender of the Year
LA center back collects majority of votes as youngest-ever winner


NEW YORK – Omar Gonzalez’s international future may still be in limbo, but he can add MLS Defender of the Year to his growing résumé.

MLS announced on Wednesday that the towering LA Galaxy center back beat out fellow finalists Jámison Olave, who collected the honor in 2010 and finished second this year, and Nat Borchers to earn the award given to the league’s top defender. The 23-year-old garnered 33 percent of votes from MLS club management, 40 percent from media and 21 percent from MLS players to win the award by a wide margin.

www.mlssoccer.com/news/article/2011/11/09/galaxys-gonzalez-named-defender-year

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Revolution's Boggs named Humanitarian of the Year
New England midfielder earns honor for work in cancer research


NEW YORK – Major League Soccer named New England Revolution midfielder Zak Boggs as the 2011 MLS W.O.R.K.S. Humanitarian of the Year on Wednesday.

Boggs received the award for volunteering his time in assisting with cancer research at Children’s Hospital Boston. The hospital’s cancer research laboratory will receive a $5,000 donation from MLS W.O.R.K.S on behalf of the Revs midfielder.

www.mlssoccer.com/news/article/2011/11/09/revolutions-boggs-named-humanitarian-year

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Beckham, Henry, Keller highlight MLS Best XI team
Six newcomers in the mix to join regulars De Rosario, Donovan



2011 MLS Best XI

G - Kasey Keller (SEA)
D - Jamison Olave (RSL)
D - Omar Gonzalez (LA)
D - Todd Dunivant (LA)
M - Landon Donovan (LA)
M - David Beckham (LA)
M - Brek Shea (DAL)
M - Brad Davis (HOU)
M - Dwayne De Rosario (DC)
F - Chris Wondolowski (SJ)
F - Thierry Henry (NY)


www.mlssoccer.com/news/article/2011/11/10/beckham-henry-keller-highlight-mls-best-xi-team

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Galaxy's Arena named MLS Coach of the Year
LA manager wins record 3rd award after dominant 2011 season


NEW YORK – There's no one greater than Bruce Arena as far as MLS managers go and he has the silverware to back it up.

MLS announced on Monday that Arena was voted the 2011 MLS Coach of the Year, giving him the honor of being the first person to win the award three times (1997, 2009, 2011) with his first one coming 14 years ago. Seattle Sounders manager Sigi Schmid finished second while Sporting Kansas City’s Peter Vermes came in third.

www.mlssoccer.com/news/article/2011/11/14/galaxys-arena-named-mls-coach-year



LA's Beckham named Comeback Player of the Year
Galaxy MF returns from torn Achilles to lead LA to brink of title


NEW YORK – MLS Cup may still be days away, but LA Galaxy star David Beckham has already hauled in another piece of MLS silverware.

Beckham on Monday claimed the 2011 MLS Comeback Player of the Year award, narrowly edging out D.C. United’s Charlie Davies for the honors. Chicago Fire forward Dominic Oduro, who was offloaded from Houston earlier this season and scored 12 goals for the Fire, finished third.

www.mlssoccer.com/news/article/2011/11/14/las-beckham-named-comeback-player-year

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Seattle's Keller wins Allstate Goalkeeper of the Year
Sounders netminder voted the league's best in final season


NEW YORK – Kasey Keller didn’t end his career with an MLS Cup appearance, but the Seattle Sounders goalkeeper will add one final piece of silverware to his trophy case.

MLS announced on Tuesday that Keller was voted the 2011 Allstate MLS Goalkeeper of the Year. The 41-year-old, who retired following Seattle’s two-leg defeat to Real Salt Lake in the MLS Cup Playoffs, finished comfortably ahead of the Philadelphia Union’s Faryd Mondragon and FC Dallas netminder Kevin Hartman.

www.mlssoccer.com/awards/2011/goalkeeperoftheyear

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Seattle's Rosales named Newcomer of the Year
Sounders MF's standout season overshadows Rodgers, Hassli


NEW YORK – Injuries may have disrupted Mauro Rosales’ MLS Cup quest, but they didn’t keep the Argentine winger from being the second Sounder honored in quick succession.

MLS announced on Tuesday that Rosales was voted the 2011 MLS Newcomer of the Year, finishing ahead of fellow finalists Luke Rodgers (New York Red Bulls) and Eric Hassli (Vancouver Whitecaps). Rosales, who signed with the Sounders in March after leaving River Plate in Argentina, scored five goals and distributed 13 assists in just 22 starts (26 appearances) this season.


www.mlssoccer.com/news/article/2011/11/15/seattles-rosales-named-newcomer-year

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Darlington's Dazzler

Portland rookie's juggling-act volley tops Hassli's bomb

Portland's Darlington Nagbe came into MLS with a bigger reputation as a creator than a goal-scorer. But the lasting image from the Liberian's rookie campaign turned out to be a juggling wonder-strike for the ages, good enough to claim the title of the 20111 AT&T Goal of the Year.

Nagbe scored the golazo in the 45th minute of what was eventually a 2-1 home loss to Sporting KC in Week 16.

Anatomy of a Goal: Nagbe's stunner: www.mlssoccer.com/news/article/2011/11/16/att-goal-year-winner-darlington-nagbe




The Safest Hands

Sounders legend takes second straight title with 4-save sequence

There's quality in quantity, and over the course of his 20-year professional career, Kasey Keller gave fans plenty of both.

And one of his last acts as a pro was to combine the two in a spectacular four-save series for Seattle against the San Jose Earthquakes in Week 31, a performance that earned the now-retired legend his second straight Save of the Year award.

www.mlssoccer.com/news/article/2011/11/16/2011-save-year-winner-kasey-keller

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D.C. United's De Rosario voted Volkswagen MLS MVP
Canadian legend honored after memorable run in US capital


LOS ANGELES – On Friday, D.C. United attacker Dwayne De Rosario officially did the individual double, adding the 2011 Volkswagen MLS Most Valuable Player crown to the Golden Boot he won earlier this year.

The Canadian international, who played the last 18 games of the season with D.C. after spending the first half of the year with Toronto FC and the New York Red Bulls, beat out Houston's Brad Davis and FC Dallas' Brek Shea to become the fourth D.C. player and first Canadian to win the award.

www.mlssoccer.com/awards/2011/mvp