No, all of SB Nation does not get official votes in MLS post-season award voting (although Steve Davis, Denzel Enslinger and Dave Clark do), but that hasn’t stopped nine of us from saying who we think should win.
SB Nation Editors Make Their Picks For MLS Post-Season Awards
SB Nation editors like Landon Donovan for MVP, Omar Gonzalez for Defender of the Year, Nick Rimando for Goalkeeper of the Year, but there’s still some time for movement.
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As you might imagine, there was little agreement. Five different players received first-place votes and seven different players got top 3 votes for MVP; five different players received first-place votes and nine players appeared on ballots for Comeback Player of the Year; Jamison Olave and Omar Gonzalez basically split the picks for Defensive Player of the Year, but seven different defenders received at least a point; and no player received more than seven of nine first-place votes in any of the six categories.
Our scoring method was pretty straight-forward. Each editor was allowed to cast first-, second- and third-place votes for each category. Each pick was then awarded three points for each first-place vote, two points for each second-place vote and one point for every third-place vote.
The graphic on the left shows our results, with only the top three voter-getters displayed. At the end of this, I’ve attached a full rundown of our voting.
The two most compelling races -- at least for my money -- are MVP and Defender, but for very different reasons.
In the MVP race, it appears to be pretty wide open. While Landon Donovan and Fredy Montero are currently leading, David Ferreira appears on six separate ballots (the same number as Montero). If FC Dallas continues their winning ways, it's not hard to see Ferreira claiming more than the one first-place vote he is currently getting. At the same time, Donovan seems to be getting a boost from the Galaxy's current standing atop the Supporters' Shield race. If RSL catches the Galaxy, that would provide an opening. Montero, meanwhile, has started to fade -- at least statistically. He'll likely need to start producing again if he's to make a late push. Amazingly, there are no RSL players even appearing on ballots, while Sebastian Le Toux -- of nonplayoff contending Philadelphia -- is currently in fourth place with six points.
The race for Defender of the Year is far less open, but no less decided. Gonzalez has the first-place vote lead at 5-4 over Olave and both appear on eight ballots. This, too, could be heavily impacted by the SS race. Chad Marshall is the only other player receiving significant support, but like Columbus, it appears unlikely that he'll make a late push.
Comeback Player of the Year is the only other one that is particularly tight, which may be a product of editors using different criteria to make their picks. Le Toux, for instance, is the top pick on five ballots, but does not receive a single vote otherwise. Bobby Convey, on the other hand, only received one first-place vote but appears on seven ballots. Obviously, some editors are crediting Le Toux more for his breakout, than his comeback, as this is only his second year in the league and his first as a starter. Convey fits the more traditional interpretation of Comeback Player, as he was a nearly forgotten player up until this season. Kevin Hartman, who also received some support for Goalkeeper of the Year, is somewhere in the middle. He was essentially let go by his team last year, started this year on the bench and then helped lead Dallas' resurgence. No award had more names appear on the ballot than this one (nine).
The only landslide in our balloting was in Newcomer of the Year. It's hard not to pick Alvaro Saborio and his 10 goals and four assists. The Costa Rican has been an absolute revelation and may have earned himself DP money.
The other races are essentially between two men. Andy Najar is currently leading Danny Mwanga for Rookie of the Year, but with seven of nine first-place votes it's hard to see what could change to alter that. Likewise, Nick Rimando's lead over Hartman for Goalkeeper of the Year may seem a little smaller than it actually is since the RSL keeper leads 7-2 in first-place votes. Coach of the Year balloting is only slightly closer with RSL's Jason Kreis leading Dallas' Schellas Hyndman 6-3; the major exception here being that if FCD can take the SS, it would be nearly impossible to deny Hyndman.
As for my picks, I followed the company line pretty closely.
I had Montero atop my MVP list mainly because I’ve seen how important he has been to the Sounders this season. Of his 10 goals and nine assists, seven have been game-winners (four goals, three assists). Three more of his goals have either tied the game or given the Sounders the lead and just one goal has come in a losing effort. He’s also stepped up his fitness which has shown in his willingness to defend and he’s even become more of a leader.
The biggest place I differed from my brethren was in Defender of the Year. I chose Olave, which wasn't so odd, but I also had Dallas' George John as my second-place pick and Seattle defensive midfielder Osvaldo Alonso as my No. 3. In John's case, I used a metric that measures a players +/- on shots taken and allowed while they're on the field. Of players with significant minutes, John's differential is the best among defenders. In Alonso's case, I just felt he needed some attention for the shutdown work he's been doing in the midfield lately. It's pretty easy to overlook these kinds of players for post-season awards and just thought he needed some love. I was really impressed with Omar Gonzalez the first couple times I saw him, but he's been much less impressive as the season has worn on.
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