My votes for MLS Awards, including MVP

I turned in my media vote for MLS awards this morning. Some of the choices were tough – and I’m lucky to have had a head start in considering all the awards.

I was on a small panel that voted weekly for MLSnet’s Awards Tracker, where myself and a few guys smarter than me gave fans a sneak-peak at who might be worth considering.

Of six awards, Most Valuable Player was the most difficult choice, not only because it is the most prominent and prestigious, but because it was so darn close.

In the end, I just cannot imagine New England being in the playoffs without their inspirational, indomitable central midfield force Shalrie Joseph. What more could the guy do? He leads by voice and by example. He’s a fierce competitor, a ball winner extraordinaire, a solid midfield distributor and the team’s leading scorer.

I still remember visiting the team’s pre-season camp and watching Joseph chew out the side for being sloppy in a passing drill. In pre-season! Holding midfielders will always have a hard time claiming MVP awards, as I’ve written before. Joseph deserves one this year, I believe.

Having said all that, it was oh-so-close. Landon Donovan, Guillermo Barros Schelotto and Fredy Montero were all right in the mix, with numbers that looked quite similar. In terms of overall influence, Donovan and Schelotto were slightly ahead.

Click forth for the entire list of all six awards up for contention:

MVP

1. Shalrie Joseph

2. Landon Donovan

3. Guillermo Barros Schelotto

4. Fredy Montero

5. Dwayne De Rosario

Newcomer of the Year

1. Fredy Montero

2. Donovan Ricketts

3. David Ferreira

4. Kasey Keller

5. Jhon Kennedy Hurtado

Brief explainer: I think Fredy Montero may not get the look he really deserves for league MVP. His numbers are remarkably similar to Donovan’s and Schelotto’s. Still, I don’t think he’s in the running at all. Just a feeling. On the other hand, he may well walk away with Newcomer.

Rookie of the Year

1. Omar Gonzalez

2. Steve Zakuani

3. Rodney Wallace

4. Kevin Alston

5. Darrius Barnes

Brief explainer: In my mind, this race became an easier call as it moved forward. Some of the other fellows experienced the usual rookie ups and downs. Gonzalez may have had a bad moment here or there, but he was remarkably steady from front to back.

Defender of the Year

1. Chad Marshall

2. Jay Heaps

3. Geoff Cameron

4. Omar Gonzalez

5. Jhon Kennedy Hurtado

Brief explainer: This got increasingly tough as the last few weeks went on due to Marshall’s knee injury. It was an easy call two months ago, as the Columbus Crew’s imposing center back was clearly the class of the league’s rear guard troops. His presence, passing, bravery and leadership were practically peerless. But in the end he played just 18 games due to national team duty and the late knee setback. Meanwhile, Heaps and Gonzalez just kept rolling along with their own strong seasons. (So, too, did Cameron, although he popped up increasingly in midfield roles for Houston.)

Coach of the Year

1. Sigi Schmid

2. Bruce Arena

3. Steve Nicol

Brief explainer: This was 1a in terms of being a tough call. Any would be deserving and would be difficult to argue against. I went with Schmid because the three expansion teams before Seattle had such a difficult time gaining traction in MLS. One, Toronto, is still looking for its first playoff match. Meanwhile, the Sounder made it this year from, arguably, the tougher conference.

Goalkeeper of the Year

1. Donovan Ricketts

2. Zach Thornton

3. Kasey Keller

Brief explainer: Thornton and Keller were solid goalkeepers throughout. Keller just had a little less to do, generally. And though Thornton pulled off some truly remarkable saves, he also had a couple of wobbly moments. Not many, but probably more than Ricketts or Keller.