The 2011 MLS individual award nominees have been announced. While Columbus is unfortunately absent from the list, here are the nominees, as well as our selections for the awards (in bolded text).
Rookie of the Year
Michael Farfan (Philadelphia Union)
Perry Kitchen (D.C. United)
C.J. Sapong (Sporting Kansas City)
--C.J. Sapong came on strong with a goal in his first two minutes as a professional, and has contributed as a legitimate scoring threat for Sporting Kansas City down the stretch. His timely additions to a dangerous Kansas City team will likely be rewarded with some individual hardware.
Defender of the Year
Nat Borchers (Real Salt Lake)
Omar Gonzalez (LA Galaxy)
Jamison Olave (Real Salt Lake)
--Omar Gonzalez was the foundations of the Los Angeles defense, which was head-and-shoulders above every other team's defense this year. It makes sense for the award to go to the best player on the best defense.
Coach of the Year
Bruce Arena (LA Galaxy)
Sigi Schmid (Seattle Sounders FC)
Peter Vermes (Sporting Kansas City)
--When Vermes took over a struggling Kansas City side after the firing of Curt Onalfo, no one anticipated such a successful turnaround so quickly. He found a way to get his team over the hump of a bad run early in the season and made Kansas City one of the best teams in the second half of the season, eventually becoming the top Eastern Conference team in the regular season.
Comeback Player of the Year
David Beckham (LA Galaxy)
Charlie Davies (D.C. United)
Dominic Oduro (Chicago Fire)
--When Oduro was traded to the Fire for similarly struggling Calen Carr, the career of the speedy Ghanaian seemed all but over. The change of scenery ignited Oduro, who finally found a finishing touch to go with his physical tools and ended the season with 12 goals for a suddenly resurgent-looking Chicago squad.
Goalkeeper of the Year
Kevin Hartman (FC Dallas)
Kasey Keller (Seattle Sounders FC)
Faryd Mondragon (Philadelphia Union)
--Faryd Mondragon was tasked with making a young team strong in defense and his calming veteran presence did exactly that, as he helped usher the Union further into their transition from a team filled with potential to a complete competitor. No other goalkeeper did more with less in front of him on the season.
Newcomer of the Year
Eric Hassli (Vancouver Whitecaps FC)
Luke Rodgers (New York Red Bulls)
Mauro Rosales (Seattle Sounders FC)
--Though the hot-blooded Europeans Rodgers and Hassli had their share of flashy highlights on the season (including Hassli's goal of the year, which may well be one of the best in MLS history), Mauro Rosales' production for Seattle was miles above all other MLS newcomers. Rosales could well have been in the MVP conversation, so he should take the top newcomer award in a walk.
Most Valuable Player
Brad Davis (Houston Dynamo)
Dwayne De Rosario (D.C. United)
Brek Shea (FC Dallas)
--Brad Davis was the catalyst of the offense of the defensively strong Houston Dynamo on an almost unprecedented level. Houston had the look of a rebuilding team at the start of the season, but Davis' magical left foot, complete with a league-leading 16 assists, carried the Dynamo to the Eastern Conference final. Unfortunately, he was injured in the game, so we'll all get a chance to see how much they'll miss him against the heavily-favored LA Galaxy in the MLS Cup final.
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