Omar Gonzalez was named Rookie of the Year today. (Getty Images)

Another season award came down today, this time it is the league’s Rookie of the Year. For the second straight year a LA Galaxy defender has won it as the honor went to Omar Gonzalez today.

Gonzalez helped a defense go from one of the worst in league history to one of the better ones this season. Last year the Galaxy gave up 62-goals while this year thanks to Gonzalez that total was cut in half to 31 goals.

Gonzalez beat out DC’s Chris Pontius and Toronto keeper Stefan Frei for the honor.

While I had New England’s Darrius Barnes as my ROY choice, Gonzalez did gain my second place vote. For me it came down to the fact that Barnes played every minute of every game for the Revs and for the fact that it wasn’t just Gonzalez that helped turn the Galaxy defense around in 2009, a lot of that credit can go to keeper Donovan Ricketts I think.

Still Gonzalez definitely earned this award as he did enjoy a stellar season with the Galaxy. I can only hope the duo of him and last year’s ROY winner Sean Franklin is one we will see in this league for years to come, because it is certainly a good one to watch.

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.

Darrius Barnes is currently leading the way for the rookies. (Getty Images)

Its finally Friday, though I will admit this week has flown by for me due to it being a four-day work week and things being fairly steady on both the regular job front and this place. I had planned to do more than what had been posted today but I blame the weird rainy weather here in Dallas for me not getting around to some of it. Rainy days seem to do that to me.

Anyways I wanted to get back into some award talk for the first part of tonight’s post. Tonight I wanted to kick up my Rookie of the Year discussion and give you a sense of where I rate the current crop of rookies, which by the way have been nothing short of great this season. I know not every single rookie drafted has played this year but there are at least 10 or possibly 12 good rookies from this year’s draft. That usually doesn’t happen very often.

This is my current rankings on the rookies, whether or not this stays the same when I vote in a couple weeks for this award remains to be seen.

1. Darrius Barnes (New England): Yes a third round pick has a great shot right now at Rookie of the Year. Not like last year because the draft class was so weak but because he has truly shown to be the steal of the draft. Barnes has played in every minute of every game this season for the Revs and has truly become a guy that I think will be defending in this league for years to come.

2. Omar Gonzalez (LA Galaxy): A lot of people have him as the top rookie right now and I am starting to actually buy into his hype after last weeks’ game against LA. He’ll probably snatch up more votes than Barnes because of his pick number and because of where he plays but that should be the reasons why you vote for this kid. He’s good…and I mean damn good. That Sean Franklin and Gonzalez duo in the back for LA is going to be a tough one to get by for years to come.

3. Stefan Frei (Toronto FC): I nearly had him over Gonzalez but for some reason Gonzalez just came out slightly ahead of this kid. I think if TFC gets into the playoffs you will see this guy get plenty of first place votes for this award. If they fail to reach it he may not even get any third place votes.

4. Steve Zakuani (Seattle Sounders FC): Zakuani lived up to the top pick hype this year I believe unlike last year’s top pick (Chance Myers). He’s gonna need a monster last couple of weeks to the season to catch up to the guys ahead of him but he’ll surely get his share of votes for this.

5. Chris Pontius/Rodney Wallace (DC United): These two really split votes for me. One day I see Wallace as the better rookie then the next it is Pontius. Both have proven to be very valuable picks but as things get worse for DC here late in the year the less votes these two will see.

Others in consideration: Kevin Alston (New England), Sam Cronin (Toronto FC), Michael Lahoud (Chivas USA), Matt Besler (KC), and George John (Dallas).

Steve Zakuani makes a strong case for ROY. (Getty Images)

Last night in the links and thoughts we discussed the MVP race that is heating up, tonight we shall take a look into an even tougher Rookie of the Year race. We all know how deep this year’s rookie class is and right now we could make a serious case for about five or six guys. This time last year we were all digging real deep to even come up with candidates. Thankfully that is not the case right now.

Right now I won’t put out my 1-whatever order as there are still plenty of games to be played. Feel free to leave who you think is the top rookie below.

- Steve Zakuani (Seattle Sounders FC): The number one pick really hasn’t disappointed, except for that nasty miss in Houston. He’s produced well with three goals and four assists and has seen plenty of good minutes for Sigi Schmit this year. He’s also found a way to live up to the number one pick hype unlike last year’s number one (Chance Myers).

- Omar Gonzalez (LA Galaxy): Could LA make it back-to-back rookie of the years? Its possible since Gonzalez has seen action in every game this year for the Galaxy. Not many other rookies have seen the field as much as Gonzalez. After a little shaky start to the year I think we’ve seen this kid turn out to be one of the better defenders in the league, just like we expected him to be. Safe to say this kid could be in for a nice long career if he keeps this up.

- Sam Cronin (Toronto FC): One of TFC’s three first rounders has done very well so far this year. He’s seen plenty of time on the pitch and has produced rather well for a defensive midfielder. His chances at this award will go a long way if he helps lead Toronto into the playoffs for the first time in club history.

- Stefan Frei (Toronto FC): The only keeper on the bunch of rookies but he was rated the highest keeper for a reason. Toronto has had faith in him since day one and hasn’t really wavered from him even when the team has struggled. His four shutouts are a pretty good number as well for a rookie.

- Rodney Wallace (DC United): One of two DC players on this list. Wallace is a beast to deal with and lots of teams are dreading seeing this kid in the midfield for DC for years to come.

- Chris Pontius (DC United): I still remember draft day when DC picked him and United fans all booed heavily because of it. I think their mood changed quickly though when Pontius started producing goals early on. He’s cooled off a bit from his nice start but he still is enjoying a solid rookie campaign.

- Darrius Barnes (New England Revolution): The biggest steal of the draft still is Barnes who was taken in the third round. Steve Nicol found a gem as Barnes has played in every minute of every game this season.

Potential MLS Owner Putting Baseball Team Up For Sale

Link

The guy we hoped would bring a MLS club to New York City is having to sell his baseball team. Yup, Fred Wilpon is gonna have to sell the New York Mets due to his massive loss of money thanks to the Madoff scandal. Tough break because most believed he was the best guy to put MLS in NYC. Guess we will have to find another billionaire to do it.

Time Is Now For Fire

Link

Before the season the Chicago Fire were a favorite pick to win it all and then some based on their depth and talent. Now things don’t look so rosy with Brian McBride out and the recent transfer of All-Star defender Bakary Soumare. If the Fire don’t win this year the are going to be possibly losing a whole lot more in terms of talent. Cuauhtemoc Blanco, Brian McBride, Chris Rolfe, Gonzalo Segares and Marco Pappa all may leave the team in 2010 (contracts being up and what not).

So yeah the time is kind of now for the Fire. Can they do it though? We’ll see.

USL Sale Rocking The Boat

Link

I may go into this one a little more but it looks like the sale of the USL yesterday could really turn out ugly. A couple clubs could be leaving for good. Some folks think its the start of what could be MLS-2. Yeah, honestly we don’t know until more comes out of it but we could be looking at the end of a solid first…well second division.

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.

Stefan Frei has proven to be one of the better picks in the 2009 draft. (Getty Images)

We are nearly halfway through the 2009 campaign and it is a good time to review how the rookies are doing thus far. As stated before I think this year’s rookie class has been one of the better ones that we have seen in recent years. Plenty of rookies are getting a chance on the field and some are making very good impacts with their clubs.

For me right now the rookie of the year race is really starting to heat up. A few guys have really shown they are worthy of the honor already and continue to do so each week. While I won’t go into any particular order with this list I will say the few that are mentioned are definitely above and beyond the rest of the class here.

Steve Zakuani (Seattle Sounders FC): The number one pick continues to impress me. I knew a while back that this kid had some special talent and I believe we are seeing just that here this season. Currently he has two goals and three assists on the year. His number may not jump out to some but his skill on the field definitely do to me. Right now he has to be considered a front-runner for ROY honros. Good to see a number one pick live up to the expectations of the pick.

Stefan Frei (Toronto FC): I think Frei has made a lot of clubs second guess themselves this year to why they didn’t pick him until Toronto did late in the first round. He’s already proven himself to be a quality starter in the league. Hell he’s even gotten Toronto’s old keeper out of a job because of his play. While he has let in a few more goals than other keepers out there a lot of that could be due to the defense that plays in front of him, though I think that could be changing soon.

Rodney Wallace (DC United): When DC selected Wallace at the draft I had a good feeling for them with that selection. Wallace has shown a lot of growth in his first season with the club and continues to be a headache for other clubs with his runs out of the back. Also his defending hasn’t been too shabby either.

Chris Pontius (DC United): A lot of United fans hated this pick back in January. And I mean a lot! Fast forward to today and United is in first place in the east and some of that is due to the play of Pontius who is third in scoring for DC. Just like fellow rookie Wallace, he has seen action in every game this season for DC. Not a lot of rookies can say that. I see nothing but good things for this kid’s MLS future.

Darrius Barnes (New England Revolution): One thing I am sure of is that Steve Nicol sure knows how to pick them. A late selection in the draft was Barnes but none more valuable to New England this season who have been through a lot of injuries in defense. Barnes has been one of the better defenders in the league this year and I think he could easily grow into one of the top defenders in the league in a couple years.

A few others to watch out for:

Omar Gonzalez (LA Galaxy): Has shown plenty of potential in the back for LA. Still gives up a few chances for other clubs but that may be partly due to the fact that he is surrounded by a fairly young defense with a couple older veterans.

Sam Cronin (Toronto FC): Nearly put him in the top group but he is just outside of it for me right now. He’s played a lot of minutes for this club already this year and I think his value will continue to show as the season moves forward.

Matt Besler (Kansas City Wizards): Another guy that has seen a lot of minutes this season for his club. Besler has shown some good promise for a young club.

Kevin Alston (New England Revolution): When healthy he is as good as though in the top group. He hit a bit of an injury bug like the rest of his club earlier this season but he has returned to help get New England out of their early funk. I do believe he is a name that you could see eventually move to Europe in a few years.

Michael Lahoud (Chivas USA): Here’s a guy that is starting to see a lot more minutes here as the season goes on. So far I think he’s shown a lot of good potential for Chivas. I think given time he will prove to be one of the better picks in this draft.

Sean Franklin takes home the ROY honors. (Getty Images)

Yup, LA Galaxy defender Sean Franklin has been named the 2008 MLS Rookie of the Year after beating out New England’s Kheli Dube and Houston’s Geoff Cameron. Franklin started 26 out of 27 games and recorded one assist.

Honestly, I know Franklin is a big talent for LA and will be a staple of that backline for a few more years but I really felt he didn’t deserve this award. Sure the first half of the year he was the clear front-runner for this award but after June he was clearly not.

I know he was the only quality player on the LA backline but he was a member of the LA backline that gave up 62 goals this year. Yes, 62. I know the rookie field was very slim this year in terms of who to give this award to but I just don’t agree giving an award to a defensive player (rookie or not) who’s club gave up a league-high in goals this year.

I felt Dube had a better year even though he was hurt a bit more. And I also think Cameron is going to be a very solid defender in his own right for Houston.

Anyways, congrats to Franklin, he becomes the first Galaxy player to win the award. He also joins a decent list of previous ROY winners, mostly defenders:

2007: Maurice Edu – Toronto FC
2006: Jonathan Bornstein – Chivas USA
2005: Michael Parkhurst – New England Revolution
2004: Clint Dempsey – New England Revolution
2003: Damani Ralph – Chicago Fire
2002: Kyle Martino – Columbus Crew
2001: Rodrigo Faria – MetroStars
2000: Carlos Bocanegra – Chicago Fire
1999: Jay Heaps – Miami Fusion
1998: Ben Olsen – D.C. United
1997: Mike Duhaney – Tampa Bay Mutiny
1996: Steve Ralston – 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

Voting will end in a couple weeks. I’m thinking the next poll will center around what the Philly expansion club will be called!

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.