The MLS Comeback Player of the Year award is a bit nebulous in nature. While some players have come back from a devastating injury, others are merely rebounding from poor play. Eddie Johnson fell into the later category, which would seem to hurt his case, but voters apparently didn't mind and named him the 2012 winner.
Eddie Johnson wins 2012 MLS Comeback Player of the Year
Although it’s unclear what, exactly, Eddie Johnson came back from, the Sounders forward beats out Chris Pontius for the 2012 award.
Otto Greule Jr
Credentials for the specific award aside, Johnson did have a rather spectacular season after spending the previous three years floundering in Europe. After coming to the Seattle Sounders in a preseason trade, Johnson went on to score 15 goals in MLS play and set a career-high with 17 goals across all competitions.
That was enough to edge out D.C. United's Chris Pontius, who scored 12 goals after missing the end of 2011 with a broken leg. Johnson beat out Pontius in the media and player votes, but came in second among clubs.
Player (Club) | % of Club Votes | % of Media Votes | % of Player Votes | Weighted Total |
Eddie Johnson (SEA) | 22.81 | 37.88 | 34.04 | 94.73 |
Chris Pontius (DC) | 40.35 | 24.24 | 19.15 | 83.74 |
Alan Gordon (SJ) | 10.53 | 13.64 | 9.57 | 33.74 |
David Ferreira (DAL) | 5.26 | 9.09 | 6.38 | 20.73 |
Steve Zakuani (SEA) | 3.51 | 6.06 | 7.45 | 17.02 |
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