SBN Soccer MLS Awards: Our Writers Weigh In

The 2011 season in Major League Soccer saw a big influx of new talent. Between the 82 new players this season - 11 were Designated Players - meaning to beat out one of the big money makers would be tough.

In any award race consistent is king. Rodgers battled with injuries in the middle of the summer before making a big come back late in the season to help push the Red Bulls into the playoffs. Hassli scored quality goals here and there while picking up an early reputation of getting as many red cards as he did goals.

The word valuable is an adjective whose third definition; of considerable use, service, or importance, is applicable when placed between the words most and player in sports awards. Every season in American sports, journalists and fans bicker endlessly not only about who should win the coveted MVP award, but what are the actual criteria for the award.

Fortunately the SBN Soccer hive mind is smarter than that.

Gonzalez has the size in addition to the skill to be an elite American defender, and while there’s no such thing as a sure thing, he seems destined to move to a good situation in Europe in the next few years and blossom internationally. A great deal has been made of his U.S. Men’s National Team snubs since Jurgen Klinsmann has taken over as the coach, and it seems like Gonzalez has earned consideration in the recent friendlies. Still, if he is not called up in the next year, it may provide additional motivation for Gonzalez to go to Europe and prove himself on a bigger stage. There are only a handful of players in MLS who are tailored for a move to one of the top leagues in Europe, and Gonzalez must be considered among those players. Enjoy watching him in MLS while you can, because he is unlikely to spend his entire career in the league.

Picking a goalkeeper of the year is fraught with uncertainty, as any of a number of subjective criteria can be considered in making one’s choice. Some No. 1’s command the penalty area with animated gestures and fierce lectures to their teammates following defensive miscues, while others stand quiet between the posts making only the necessary moves to keep the ball from going into the back of the net.

A quick glance at the table shows that this year’s voting did not break down into a two-horse race. Instead, a total of six goalkeepers finished with double-digit scores, with any one of that sextet arguably deserving of the award. Both Keller and Rimando had exceptional seasons within the framework of MLS, but also in outside competitions during the 2011 calendar.

Just seven games into the season, the Sounders had lost four of their top offensive players, were 2-2-3 and their season seemed to be slipping away. Despite having as much financial resources as any team in the league, coach Sigi Schmid’s hands were basically tied. The reality was, he was going to have to figure out how to salvage the season with the talent that was already at his disposal.

That’s exactly what Schmid managed to do. Six months later, Schmid had led the Sounders to 63 points, finishing off the season on a 16-5-6 run. He did that all while navigating a schedule that included a league-high 12 non-MLS matches.