Alvaro Saborio is leading RSL is goals this season. (Getty Images)

The end of season awards can always be tricky to gage, especially going into the final two weeks of the season. But I’d like to think the Newcomer of the Year award is really down to just a couple of guys for once. The league brought in a slew of quality players this year and a larger number of Designated Players but before all those high profile guys came in this summer there were a couple guys that were brought in to start the year that have made the real difference.

It may be an advantage over those mid-season additions but either way you spin it to me the one’s that have made the biggest difference this season are the ones worth voting on in this award.

Now there have been some disappointments this season for sure in the new talent department but we have to expect that each season. Thankfully we did have a few guys that showed up for real when they came to MLS and showed they can make a big impact on their teams and the playoff race.

1. Alvaro Saborio (Real Salt Lake) – If I had to vote today it would be for this guy. His production is is tops on his club with 10 goals and he’a also brought in four assists. His toughness and speed are hard to handle and opposing teams still have trouble figuring him out. Lucky for RSL he wants to stay with the club once the season ends and not return to Switzerland where he came in on loan.

2. Joel Lindpere (New York Red Bulls) – Before there was Rafa Marquez and Thierry Henry there was Lindpere. The real difference maker in my eyes for the Red Bull’s remarkable turnaround this season. His six assists this season have help guide the Red Bulls from dead last in the east a season ago to the top of the food chain in their conference.

3. Jimmy Nielsen (Kansas City Wizards) – I think its safe to say that without the White Puma the Wizards would not even be close to the playoff chase that they are currently in. Nielsen comes up with monster stops each week and has kept the Wizards in the hunt much longer than most folks around the league expected. He’s also made KC fans forget some guy named Kevin Hartman.

4. Ryan Smith (Kansas City Wizards) – Yes another Wizard player. Smith has been huge in getting the offense going for the Wizards this season. His speed and ball skills on the wings have been very tough to handle for other clubs and his play with Kei Kamara as of late shows real potential for the future in KC.

5. Thierry Henry (New York Red Bulls) – Even though he’s only played in a few games he’s presence on the field has greatly improved the Red Bulls mentality and approach to the game. Had he come over to start the year he’d likely be ending the season with this award.

6. Blaise Nkufo (Seattle Sounders FC) – Same as with Henry, Nkufo has helped change the locker room in Seattle from their mid-season issues to a team that is looking for the USOC-MLS Cup double this season.

7. Marko Perovic (New England Revolution) – One of the lone bright spots this season for the Revs is Perovic. His six goals lead the club and he’s been one of Steve Nicol’s go-to guys over the last two months.

8. Geovanni/Khari Stephenson (San Jose Earthquakes) – I lump these two together for a couple reasons. Both have only played a small number of games but each have been big in their own way of getting the Quakes into the playoffs since joining the team.

Add another award for Zach Thornton on the season. Today the league named Thornton it’s Comeback Player of the Year. At the same time the league also announced Fredy Montero as the Newcomer of the Year.

Montero was one of the league leaders in goals scored this year. His 12 goals on the season blew away any other newcomer in that category. While he didn’t win a Golden Boot award he did gain a lot of attention for his flashy play and sometimes questionable diving. Still there was little doubt for the majority of the season that Montero wasn’t going to be the Newcomer of the Year.

As for Thornton, last week he won the Goalkeeper of the Year and now is the Comeback Player of the Year. Thornton was considered a lost cause last year when he came to Chivas from New York to fill in for the departed Brad Guzan. Most expected he wouldn’t be back for 2009 because of his weight issues but Thornton got himself into top shape and his play this season spoke for itself. He led Chivas USA to a 13-11-6 record and posted a career best 12 shutouts and 0.87 goals against average.

I’ll have to admit some awards were tougher to vote on than others but I tried to span the entire season’s body of work as much as I could for these awards. The way you vote for these awards is to give your first, second and third place votes for each. Now I will leave out the lesser awards like best PR from a club and best ref of the year. The rest I will list below.

Robert Warzycha was the best coach fo the year for me. (Getty Images)

Coach of the Year:

1. Robert Warzycha (Columbus): Some will definitely disagree with me on this one and I will be honest I really went back and forth on this award but at the end of the day I had to give it up to a guy that kept things just the way they were and got this club to a second straight Supporter’s Shield trophy. Consistency is key in this league and its even more amazing to see it happen after a coaching change.

2. Sigi Schmid (Seattle): I think anytime you take an expansion team to the playoffs you deserve some big time credit for it.

3. Bruce Arena (LA): I kind of have a feeling he will end up with this award but he didn’t get my top vote but not because he didn’t deserve it. The job he did in LA was definitely one of his best. I am just waiting to see if it turns into a MLS Cup before I call it his best work.

Defender of the Year:

1. Geoff Cameron (Houston): One of the easier award for me to vote on. Cameron was consistent and easily the best defender of the year in my eyes.

2. Chad Marshall (Columbus): Had he stayed healthy through the entire season he would have won back-to-back votes from me for this. It was close but his injuries hurt him I thought for this award.

3. Jhon Kennedy Hurtado (Seattle): The biggest X-factor on that Seattle defense is Hurtado. The guy is that good folks.

Goalkeeper of the Year:

1. Zach Thornton (Chivas USA): His stats are huge and so was his season.

2. Kasey Keller (Seattle): Keller was a very close two for me in this award. Just amazing that he is still on such good form for his age.

3. Donovan Ricketts (LA): Best pickup by the Galaxy in probably the last two years.

Rookie of the Year:

1. Darrius Barnes (New England): There is something to be said for a rookie picked in the third round to play every minute of every game in his first year. That’s consistency folks and Barnes proved he will be a big time player for years to come in this league.

2. Omar Gonzalez (LA): I expect him to actually win this award and for good reasons too. I did feel at times early on he was a little overrated but the combination of him and last year’s ROY Sean Franklin will be a good one to watch for the next couple of seasons.

3. Stefan Frei (Toronto): I think injuries got in the way of him sneaking up the board late in the year but this kid definitely had a great rookie campaign for the Reds.

Comeback Player of the Year:

1. Zach Thornton (Chivas USA): This one was tough for me between Thornton and Olsen. I just could get by the fact that Thornton had been so bad for a few years and then lost weight over the winter last year and came back stronger and better than ever.

2. Ben Olsen (DC United): Again it was tough for me on this one since Olsen finally had a pretty full season with DC for a change. But something in me just didn’t give it to him.

3. Ty Harden (Colorado): Amazing to believe that when you leave the game for a year for personal reasons that you can come back and still play well with a new team. Harden proved that.

Newcomer of the Year:

1. Fredy Montero (Seattle): Very little doubt who was the best newcomer this season.

2. David Ferreira (Dallas): I didn’t care for this pickup earlier in the year but once he finally got a hold of things with Dallas in the middle of the summer things really turned around for him and for Dallas.

3. Kasey Keller (Seattle): Hard not to list him here, he would have been number two for me had Ferreira not made a late charge with Dallas.

MLS MVP:

1. Landon Donovan (LA): This one was tougher than ever but at the end of the day I just couldn’t get over Donovan’s worth to his club over the entire season. Not the final month or even the final game but the entire season. Take him away and LA is no better than Dallas or Kansas City in my mind.

2. Jeff Cunningham (Dallas): Had he helped get Dallas into the playoffs he would have won this award. I guess a Golden Boot award isn’t so bad either though.

3. Shalrie Joseph (New England): His team is in the playoffs and no doubt a lot of it had to do with him.

WVH Best XI

Keeper: Zach Thornton (Chivas)

Defense: Chad Marshall (Columbus), Geoff Cameron (Houston), Jhon Kennedy Hurtado (Seattle)

Midfield: Dwayne De Rosario (Toronto), Landon Donovan (LA), Shalrie Joseph (New England), Osvaldo Alonso (Seattle), and David Ferreira (Dallas)

Forwards: Fredy Montero (Seattle), Jeff Cunningham (Dallas)

Notes:

Voting structure was a 3-5-2. Oddly enough last year they had Columbus’ Guillermo Barros Schelotto as a midfielder but this year they listed him under the strikers. Had he been listed as a midfielder I would have easily voted him in as one of the best eleven on the year. Also, two months ago this would have easily been a debate between two Colorado teammates in Conor Casey and Omar Cummings. They were easily passed over by Cunningham in the end for me.

I also went back and forth on Ferreria in the midfield. At the end he scored a vote over guys like Stuart Holden and Brad Davis from Houston.

With a couple weeks left in the season the Newcomer of the Year award is starting to actually get a little tighter. For months it’s nearly been all Seattle Sounders leading the charge but now a couple other names are starting to emerge on the list and if some lead their clubs into the playoffs you can bet they will snatch up some of those votes from folks like myself.

Here is my top five for the Newcomer of the Year. Feel free to list yours below.

1. Fredy Montero (Seattle Sounders): The one getting all the press is still Montero though he finally has some true company for this award. The more he produces in the final weeks the better his chances are at this award.

2. David Ferreira (FC Dallas): To be honest I wasn’t a huge fan of this guy early on in the season but since Jeff Cunningham got hot so did he. Ferreira finally found his way in the league and now he is starting to look like the playmaker that Dallas was hoping he’d be. You have to believe that if Dallas somehow makes it into the playoffs Ferreira will be a big reason behind it. He does have a lot of ground to make up to win this award though.

3. Kasey Keller (Seattle Sounders): Keller’s stock continues to be in a holding pattern for this award. Not that its a bad thing and he has certainly done his part to get the Sounders where they are at right now.

4. Donovan Ricketts (LA Galaxy): LA returns to the playoffs for the first time in a couple years and believe it or not it has a lot to do with Ricketts. Now if he leads his club to a Supporter’s Shield title in the final weeks of the season you can bet he will move up these charts.

5. Osvaldo Alonso (Seattle Sounders): The last of the Sounders in my top five. He’s been a rock in the midfield for this club all year. Just a shame that no one signed this player before this season because he has potential to be a big time player in the league for years to come.

Others in consideration: Jhon Kennedy Hurtado (Seattle), Freddie Ljungberg (Seattle), Eduardo Lillingston (Chivas USA), Gregg Berhalter (LA Galaxy).

Fredy Montero. (Photo via Rick Morrison, www.digitaldadphotography.com)

Good evening folks. It’s been a rather slow day around the soccer world but there has been plenty of talk on one subject that has been pretty hot since late August, the possibility of a MLS-2. But more on that in a bit. And I have a link about SuperLiga below that is definitely worth a read.

I wanted to kickoff tonight’s thoughts/links with another look at the season awards. With a few weeks left in the 2009 season each award race is really hot right now. Tonight I want to look at the Newcomer of the Year award.

The newcomer award race pretty good this year, especially with one club the Seattle Sounders FC. That club has a chance to have three or four guys nominated for the award alone. Pretty crazy but that’s just how it worked with them this season.

Who’s on the watch list for this award? Below are the few that I think are gonna get consideration from me and other voters. And sadly most of my list below do revolve around Sounders players.

Fredy Montero (Seattle) – Pretty easy to say he may end up with this award based on his play. He’s one of the top goal scorers on the league and since the start of the season he has shown flashes of brilliance.

Osvaldo Alonso (Seattle) – Probably Montero’s biggest competition in this award is this former USL-1 star. Alonso is a beast in the midfield and has quickly become one of the best defensive midfielders in the league.

Freddie Ljungberg (Seattle) – No this has nothing to do with my biased towards Swedish players but Ljungberg has been a solid addition to the league and to Seattle since day one. When healthy he has proven to be one of the better DP signings in the league.

Kasey Keller (Seattle) – Weird to see this American keeper legend on this kind of list but it has been his first MLS season after all. No doubt he should have some consideration here because I really don’t see him winning the keeper of the year award (that should go elsewhere to Chivas’ Zach Thornton).

Jhon Kennedy Hurtado (Seattle) – The last of the Sounders for me on this list. He’s been one of the better defenders in the entire league this season.

Emmanuel Osei (New England) – Not a house hold name but believe me this guy has been a great addition to Steve Nicol’s side. As a defender his stats won’t amaze you but he’s been a rather solid rock in the defense for the Revs this season.

Eduardo Lillingston (Chivas USA) – His numbers aren’t bad (7 goals and 1 assist) but he doesn’t have the hype to get a lot of votes out west. Still he is worth a look for this award.

David Ferriera (Dallas) – It really took him a while to get use to the MLS style of play but honestly he hasn’t been a terrible signing after all for Schellas Hyndman and FC Dallas. Six goals and four assists this season really isn’t bad.

From the looks of things you gotta just pick a Sounder for this award because after that group the pickings are rather slim. And again, this award goes to non-rookies that are playing their first year in MLS.

Now for more fun talk. As mentioned there has been a lot of chatter today (and for the past month or so) about USL-1 owners forming their own league and possibly be known as MLS-2. Crazy talk I know, some call it a wet dream but others like me just call it crazy.

First of all even if there is a chance that the TOA (Team Owners Association) form their own league, which I still have a feeling won’t go down when it is all said and done, the chances of it being associated with MLS is very slim. Which means the chances for those wet dreams of promotion/relegation are very slim. Its a pipe dream really for those who hope for it.

Yes I do hear that the TOA is in talks with MLS.

MLS-2 is an option for this bunch but a very small one. Its just one of those things we just need to put to rest and move on from here.

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SUM Explains SuperLiga

Link

Very interesting interview by Boston Examiner reporter LE Eisenmenger about SUM’s marketing of the always interesting SuperLiga tournament. Its bold to say that they are trying their best to promote this tournament to the general fans out there. Okay, I know they are trying because I saw them try in Dallas a couple years ago. The thing about this tournament is the exposure for non-Spanish speaking fans in this country is weak. Believe me I’d watch these games on TV if I didn’t have to listen to it in Spanish.

This tournament has a chance to grow into something nice in the long run I do know that but it’s still a long way off from being anything that soccer fans here can really get excited over year-after-year.

For each award I’ll give a quick rundown of guys in the running for the award. Each list is in no real order at this time since it would be almost silly to rank each player (or coach) at this point with so much left to do this season.

Feel free as always to give your thoughts on the awards and who you think should be at the top of each list.

MVP

Players in the running:

• Guillermo Barros Schelotto (Columbus
• Landon Donovan (LA)
• Fredy Montero (Seattle)
• Brad Davis (Houston)
• Shalrie Joesph (New England)

This will be a very tight race if some parties stay hurt (GBS) or are gone for national team games (Donovan). I put Joesph on the list because I’ve always been a fan of how underrated he is in this league. Without him New England would be close to what Dallas and San Jose are right now in the standings. Montero gets on the list because of the excitement he has brought to Seattle this year, and his numbers are really good. Davis is another underrated guy that more people need to look at. Houston wouldn’t nearly be as well run in the midfield if it weren’t for him.

Rookie of the Year:

Player in the running:

• Chris Pontius (DC)
• Rodney Wallace (DC)
• Stefan Frei (Toronto)
• Steve Zakuani (Seattle)
• Darrius Barnes (New England)
• Omar Gonzalez (LA)

Pontius and Wallace make a tough one-two punch for this running for each other really. Both deserve a look. Frei is the only rookie keeper that starts and I’d imagine TFC wouldn’t be contending if it weren’t for him in goal. We know what Zakuani has done in Seattle, but playing may hurt him in the running here down the strech. Barnes was an amazing find late in the draft by Steve Nicol. Last and not least is Gonzalez who has really helped turn the LA defense into a very underrated bunch this season that isn’t letting in a lot of goals. He may very well be a darkhorse in this race.

Newcomer of the Year:

Players in the running:

• Fredy Montero (Seattle)
• Osvaldo Alonso (Seattle)
• Eduardo Lillingston (Chivas)
• Donovan Ricketts (LA)

In all honesty this award will have to go to a Sounder. Just make a pick really to which one. In the end it will between Montero and Alonso. Both have been just as important as the other for this club so far this season. My money would be on Montero though I know Alonso is the better pick here.

Coach of the Year

Coaches in the running:

• Preki (Chivas)
• Dominic Kinnear (Houston)
• Rob Warzycha (Columbus)
• Bruce Arena (LA)
• Sigi Schmid (Seattle)

A bunch of western coaches and one lone eastern coach (for now). I put Warzycha over the other eastern coaches for getting this club back at the top of the table here after the slow start. Plus he had to deal with a load of injuries to this club at the start of the season, he weathered the storm and is doing really well with this bunch right now.

Arena may end up with this award if LA reaches the playoffs this year with the circus that is going on in LA-land. As long as things stay semi-normal out there and the club continues to do well, I really can’t see anyone else winning this award but Bruce. A lot of games left though so we will see how he holds things together out there.

Goalkeeper of the Year

Players in the running:

• Zach Thornton (Chivas)
• Pat Onstad (Houston)
• Donovan Ricketts (LA)
• Kasey Keller (Seattle)

Some may get angry to not see a keeper from the eastern conference on the watchlist but right now not a single one has made a legitimate case like these four have. I know Thornton and Chivas have cooled off but there is no denying what they’ve done this season as a whole. Ricketts may be the single biggest reason to why LA is doing well this season and Keller and Onstad just have amazing stats right now. This one is still wide open though.

Defender of the Year

Players in the running:

• Wilman Conde (Chicago)
• Jhon Kennedy Hurtado (Seattle)
• Bobby Boswell (Houston)
• Geoff Cameron (Houston)

Boswell and Cameron may end up canceling each other out by the end of the year for this award. Hurtado is a beast that more people need to start talking about here. And Conde is what he is, some games he is just so amazing in the back for the Fire.

Huckerby was seen as one of the biggest reason to why the Quakes even made it close to the playoff picture in their first year back in the league. Huckerby joined the Earthquakes July 14 when the Quakes acquired his rights from Toronto FC. The former Norwich City star immediately made an impact on the field scoring six goals and with four assists in 14 games.

Coming over in the midseason he beat out two guys for the award that had a full half season on him. That just shows what kind of impact he made and how low on new talent the league really was this year.

Huckerby joins DC United’s Luciano Emilio on the Newcomer Award list.

Columbus Crew head coach Sigi Schmid also took home the award given to the league’s best coach. He beat out San Jose’s Frank Yallop and Houston’s Dominic Kinnear.

The Black & Gold went 17-7-6 and shattered the club record for points in a season (57) this year. Columbus also set new club marks for wins and goals (50) in the post-shootout era (since 2000). According to the Crwe’s website, based on points earned in the standings per game played, the Crew’s 2008 regular season (1.90 ppg) ranks as the fifth most successful in MLS history after the 1998 Los Angeles Galaxy (2.13), 2001 Miami Fusion (2.04), 2005 San Jose Earthquakes (2.00) and 2001 Chicago Fire (1.96).

Schmid finally put together a real winner in Columbus that saw the Crew win the league’s Supporter’s Shield trophy, given to the best overall record in the regular season. It marks the second time that he has won the Coach of the Year award.

Previous coaching winners:

2007: Preki – Chivas USA
2006: Bob Bradley – Chivas USA
2005: Dominic Kinnear – San Jose Earthquakes
2004: Greg Andrulis – Columbus Crew
2003: Dave Sarachan – Chicago Fire
2002: Steve Nicol – New England Revolution
2001: Frank Yallop – San Jose Earthquakes
2000: Bob Gansler – Kansas City Wizards
1999: Sigi Schmid – Los Angeles Galaxy
1998: Bob Bradley – Chicago Fire
1997: Bruce Arena – D.C. United
1996: Thomas Rongen – Tampa Bay Mutiny

Goalkeeper (Nov. 4 announcement)
Jon Busch, Chicago Fire
Will Hesmer, Columbus Crew
Matt Reis, New England Revolution

Fair Play (Nov. 4)
Juan Pablo Angel, New York Red Bulls
Michael Parkhurst, New England Revolution
Chris Rolfe, Chicago Fire

Comeback (Nov. 22)
Jon Busch, Chicago Fire
Kenny Cooper, FC Dallas
Santino Quaranta, D.C. United

Defender (Nov. 6)
Jimmy Conrad, Kansas City Wizards
Chad Marshall, Columbus Crew
Bakary Soumare, Chicago Fire
(I actually voted for Gonzalo Segares, Chicago Fire)

Rookie (Nov. 13)
Geoff Cameron, Houston Dynamo
Kheli Dube, New England Revolution
Sean Franklin, Los Angeles Galaxy

Coach (Nov. 11)
Dominic Kinnear, Houston Dynamo
Sigi Schmid, Columbus Crew
Frank Yallop, San Jose Earthquakes

Most Valuable Player (Nov. 20)
Cuauhtémoc Blanco, Chicago Fire
Landon Donovan, Los Angeles Galaxy
Guillermo Barros Schelotto, Columbus Crew

Newcomer (Nov. 11)
Darren Huckerby, San Jose Earthquakes
Claudio Lopez, Kansas City Wizards
Andre Rocha, FC Dallas

A lot of end-of-season awards in Major League Soccer are just as tight as the playoff race. I’ve been tracking the Rookie of the Year and MVP races for some time now but I figured I would weigh in on all the awards for once since we are in the final few weeks of the season.

MLS MVP Award:

1. Guillermo Barros Schelotto, Columbus Crew: His club may be playing well without him but his numbers still make a serious case for MVP this season. He should be back soon, which can only mean his soccer IQ on the field will enhance the Crew even more here.
2. Landon Donovan, LA Galaxy: 19 goals in just 21 games. I think that may be all I need to say here. Earlier I thought his production wasn’t enough for the MVP this year but I am thinking otherwise now.
3. Shalrie Joseph, New England Revolution: He and his club may be stumbling but that should all work itself out once the Revs clinch a playoff spot.
4. Darren Huckerby, San Jose Earthquakes: If this were a half-season MVP I would probably have a tough time picking between Schelotto and Huckerby. Both have been stellar in the second half of the season. Huckerby has only been here for a half season, just think what he can do for a full year.
5. Juan Pablo Angel, New York Red Bulls: He’s forth in goals this season in the league but I don’t think that will be enough to get him this award this year.

Others in the discussion:

Javier Morales, RSL; Cuauhtemoc Blanco, Chicago; Kenny Cooper, FC Dallas; Jamie Moreno, DC United; and Sacha Kljestan, Chivas USA.

Newcomer of the Year:

1. Darren Huckerby, San Jose Earthquakes: No doubt that Huckerby will win this one. In nine games with the Quakes, he has scored six goals. Not to shabby.
2. Andre Rocha, FC Dallas: A bit of a homer pick for me but I’ve loved Rocha’s play on the field this season. At times it’s been tough to watch but most of the time he has been a solid addition to the Hoop’s midfield.
3. Rohan Ricketts, Toronto FC: There has to be a bright spot in a dark season for the Reds, that bright spot is Ricketts.
4. Jorge Rojas, New York Red Bulls: Let’s face it, since the addition of Rojas the Red Bulls have looked like a whole new club. He’s a big reason for that.
5. Emmanuel Ekpo, Columbus Crew: This Olympian has given Sigi Schmid a nice addition on the wings.

Others in the discussion:

Jamison Olave, RSL; Louis Crayton, DC United; and Francisco Lima, San Jose Earthquakes.

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Rookie of the Year:

1. Kheli Dube, New England Revolution: Some think that Dube isn’t the front-runner anymore, I think otherwise. Then again, this year’s award may be anyone’s guess at this point.
2. Andy Iro, Columbus Crew: I still like Iro could sneek in and win this award. But will the voters feel the same way?
3. Geoff Cameron, Houston Dynamo: Expect to see more of him in the final weeks of the season.
4. Justin Braun, Chivas USA: He’ll get more minutes as well which could really help him out in this award race.
5. Sean Franklin, LA Galaxy: Some have him as the front-runner but I think he played himself out of that a while back. Could he sneak up again though is the question?

Others in the discussion:

Roger Espinoza, KC Wizards; Stephen King, Chicago Fire; and Steven Lenhart, Columbus Crew.

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Goalkeeper of the Year:

1. Jon Busch, Chicago Fire: Best stats in the league, to his credit though his defense in front of him is pretty darn good too.
2. Joe Cannon, San Jose Earthquakes: Cannon is a very close second right now for me in this race. Should the Quakes get in the playoffs he will earn a bunch of votes for this in the process. And rightfully so.
3. William Hesmer, Columbus Crew: Hey his club is still top dog in the league, and he is a reason for it.
4. Matt Reis, New England Revolution: I still think Reis is one of the best keepers in the league. From time to time he isn’t able to show it because of faulty defense.
5. Pat Onstad, Houston Dynamo: Onstad is in that same category as Reis. Solid every year.

Others in the discussion:

None, really outside of Busch and Cannon there isn’t much of a race going on here.

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Defender of the Year:

1. Gonzalo Segaras, Chicago Fire: There’s little doubt in my mind he will win this award this season.
2. Michael Parkhurst, New England Revolution: We know what Parkhurst can, but can he work his way to the top of this list?
3. Wilham Conde, Chicago Fire: People love Segares and hate Conde at the same time. Its a shame too because Conde is a beast.
4. Chad Marshall, Columbus Crew: Speaking of a beast, Marshall is one of those guys that probably is due for a National team call-up.
5. Bobby Boswell, Houston Dynamo: Think DC is wishing they hadn’t traded Boswell before the season?

Others in the discussion:

Jimmy Conrad, KC Wizards; Bakary Soumare, Chicago Fire; Jamison Olave, RSL; and Wade Barrett, Houston Dynamo.

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Coach of the Year:

1. Sigi Schmid, Columbus Crew: Once the Crew wrap up the Supporter’s Shield so does Sigi wrapping this award up. Or has he already done so? Maybe.
2. Preki, Chivas USA: His club may have had a rough year but you cannot deny how well Preki has handled it all this year.
3. Frank Yallop, San Jose Earthquakes: Can Yallop get his club to be the first expansion club to reach the playoffs since Chicago did so back in 1998?
4. Dominic Kinnear, Houston Dynamo: Two MLS Cups and possibly one more on the way? Simply remarkable if you ask me.
5. Steve Nicol, New England Revolution: Nicol has navigated his club through a heavy schedule.