SB Nation MLS postseason awards schedule

Spending an early first-round pick on a defender usually isn’t the most popular move, but it paid off handsomely for the Chicago Fire when they selected Louisville’s Austin Berry with the No. 9 pick of the 2012 MLS SuperDraft.

His season started out slowly, as he didn’t even appear in the Fire’s six matches. But once he broke into the starting lineup on May 5, he never relinquished it, starting more games (28) than any other rookie. He also managed to play every minute of every game he started, something else no rookie could claim.