Major League Soccer announced the finalists for the 2012 league awards on Thursday and there weren’t many major surprises.
Chris Wondolowski, Graham Zusi and Thierry Henry were selected as finalists for the MVP award, an honor Wondolowski is expected to run away with after tying the MLS record for goals in a season with 27.
Former Louisville teammates Austin Berry and Nick DeLeon, as well as Vancouver Whitecaps striker Darren Mattocks were chosen as finalists for MLS Rookie of the Year.
Here is the full list of finalists:
Rookie of the Year Finalists
Xbox Individual Fair Play Finalists*
Xbox Team Fair Play Finalists*
Defender of the Year Finalists
MLS W.O.R.K.S. Humanitarian of the Year Finalists
Referee of the Year Finalists
Assistant Referee of the Year Finalists
Coach of the Year Finalists
Comeback Player of the Year Finalists
Allstate Goalkeeper of the Year Finalists
Newcomer of the Year Finalists
Volkswagen Most Valuable Player Finalists
What do you think of these selections? Which were you most surprised by? What player do you think has the biggest gripe for being left out?
Share your thoughts below.
Thierry Henry as an MVP candidate is a goddamn joke.
Without a doubt the award I’m most proud of (for even having it) is the MLS W.O.R.K.S. Humanitarian of the Year Award. This is what makes us Americans – the fact that we go above and beyond the call of duty. Our players are examples to the rest of us, especially the young ones and even older dudes like me could use some inspiration now and then. Bone marrow donations, raising money for cancer research – MLS WORKS is awesome and our players’ community service work can’t be promoted enough.
The rest of the awards are cool, but this one really hits home for me.
Gotta give Newcomer to Gspurning or Bernardez. Higuain’s awesome, but he played less than half a season.
And look at what he did in that half a season …. by the way where’s Gruenebaum?
No Boniek? No Keane? Please.
Am I the only one to notice that all three of the MVP’s teams were eliminated from the playoff’s in the FIRST ROUND.
MVP — Wondolowski
Rookie — Berry
Newcomer — Higuain
Goalkeeper — Kennedy
Defender — Besler
Coach — Yallop
Humanitarian — Seitz
Comeback — E. Johnson
I bet Wondo is glad this doesn’t include post season play…
And Keane is cursing the same fact.
Love to see Wondo graduate from MLS to a more competitive league, but with his age…hes probably wishing all this was going on 10 years ago.
No Robbie Keane?!?!? WOW!!!!
Is there a “playoff MVP” award? he’d be right in that conversation.
Henry shouldn’t be on the MVP list. The much repeated statistic of his that he scored so few goals against playoff-bound teams is a key tangible fact. The intangible is that he is not a team player–instead he can be a black hole of energy and certainly isn’t the leader he should be.
I think Chivas should have a halftime promotion called “The Dan Kennedy Experience” in which they take some lucky fan, line him up behind the goal, and just freakin’ drill him with a paintball gun until the teams are back out on the pitch.
+ 1
+1 lol
Assistant Referee of the Year Finalists
Ian Anderson
Gregory Barkey
Corey Parker
I would love to know how this selection is made. Who votes for these guys? I didn’t even know they wrote down the AR’s names. Well, I’m selecting Anderson. Dude plays flute for the Tull for two decades and still has enough left in the tank to run a line in the MLS? That’s my kind of AR. So come on. Who’s with me??? Anderson! Anderson! Anderson!
Dude problem is the guy is ‘Thick as A Brick’ never lets players have their say even if there wearing the captains armband.
LOL i am with you, saw them back in the 80s.
i think seitz should get the award he is nominated for. the guy went through a bone marrow transplant that risked his career…
It’s a shame that these awards don’t include postseason, because then DeLeon and Olsen would definitely win over Berry and Yallop.
Also think Dom should be considered for coach of the year.
Wondo MVP
Kennedy GOTY
Yallop coach of the year
DeLeon rookie of the year
Yeah on kennedy, only because he saved them from getting raped worse than they already haved. What a BOSER club Chivas is.
Where the hell is Robbie Keane?
in NOT worthy land
He’s hanging out with the Dynamo?
LOLOLOL, naw seriously, i am a fan of his (just like i am a fan of donovan, arena, gonzalez, becks, and junihno). i am thinking since galaxy struggled the 1st half of the season would be why. he is tearing it up in the playoffs though, that’s when it really counts. i am sure he is in the running for playoff MVP. it really does not matter how wondo got all his goals, the fact that he was able to tie the record is impressive non the less. i know SJ is your main rival so LA fans prob dont’t agree but as a neutral i pick wondo.
I believe Wondo deserves the MVP, but I think Keane deserves to be in the conversation.
My thoughts exactly. Anyone care to do a goal count between Wondolowski and Keane, factoring in games played this season, and not counting PK’s? Oh, and remind me – which team is still playing?
“WonBlow” wasted all the chances in the second leg against L.A.
Yeah, because one game is all that matters for a season-long award. Great logic there, buddy.
Keane all around better player, he creates his won chances buddy.
*own
If I had time I’d review Wondo’s 2012 goals. I doubt more than 10-15% were PKs, but I’m confident roughly 50% were tap-ins. Keane just plays exponentially better soccer. Wondo is an opportunist of the highest caliber, whereas Keane was the playmaker for the Galaxy this year, scoring 16 goals and assisting on 10. The stats don’t really make the case, but watching him play does.
The Comeback Player of the Year finalists are all worthy and all interesting stories. That is really the most intriguing award for me, because it could easily be called a three-way tie.
I’d say Eddie Johnson he left a bigger impact on not only the league but the national team as well.
Yeah but this is an MLS award and has nothing to do with the national team
“he left a bigger impact on not only the league…” I know that , but considering he was close to retiring, and going to 14 goal season back home this is pretty good for both parties.
i don’t really recall Alan Gordon being anything special before any comeback… He should be in the “break out player of the year” category
EJ is the clear comeback player of the year.
whats the deal with the asterisks by the fair play awards?
You will have to check MLS website, it is a where it is.
I’d argue that Matt Hedges meant more to FC Dallas than any other player on the rookie list. He stepped in George John and then Ugo Ihemelu’s place seamlessly, and was rock solid on a team slammed with injuries. He’s getting punished because FCD didn’t make the playoffs, which is no fault of his.
1) De Leon
2) Pearce
3)?
4) Bernardez
5)?
6)?
7)?
8) Olson
9) Johnson (really all three are pretty equal)
10) Nielsen
11) Higuain
12) Wondo
3) Revs 6) Petrescu 7) Parker. Seriously, none of the refs were good to me.