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There aren't many players in MLS more versatile than Geoff Cameron, and this year, there were no defenders who were better.
When Houston's defense reached a critical moment of transition, Dynamo head coach Dom Kinnear turned to Cameron to help anchor the back-line early in the season and all Cameron did was respond with dominant form few could have expected from the 2008 Rookie of the Year candidate. Cameron's combination of size, speed, tenacity and skill made him a terror for opposing offenses to deal with and helped the Dynamo get off to an 8-2-3 start with seven shutouts in the first half of the season.
There were other candidates for the honor, such as Columbus' Chad Marshall, Chicago's Wilman Conde and Seattle's Jhon Kennedy Hurtado, but neither Marshall or Conde played 20 games this year because of injuries, and Hurtado had the benefit of playing alongside veteran Tyrone Marshall, who will garner his share of defender of the year votes as well.
It is true that Cameron saw time in midfield for the Dynamo, but he still managed to play 22 of his 29 matches in central defense and only made the move to midfield after the Dynamo acquired Ryan Cochrane. Cameron may not see much playing time as a defender come the playoffs, but that doesn't take away from his body of work as a defender in 2009, which we think was the best in the league.