Opinion: 2022 MLS Awards Winners
Image Credit: Tareq Ismail
By: Anthony Tazbaz
With the conclusion of the 2022 Major League Soccer regular season coming to an end last Sunday, it is time to assess the potential winner of the 2022 MLS Regular Season Awards. All players, coaches, and officials nominated for the 2022 MLS Awards successfully passed a voting process in which current MLS players, MLS club technical staffs (i.e., coaches and technical directors/General Managers), and a group of selected media members. With various MLS Awards up for grabs, I will assess each performance-related award’s finalists and give my two cents on who should become victor.
Landon Donovan Most Valuable Player (MVP)
Finalists:
Cristian Arango (Forward, Los Angeles FC): 34GP, 16G, 5A
Andre Blake (Goalkeeper, Philadelphia Union): 34GP, 19W, 5L, 10D
Sebastián Driussi (Forward, Austin FC): 34GP, 22G, 7A
Javier “Chicharito” Hernandez (Forward, LA Galaxy): 32GP, 18G, 2A
Hany Mukhtar (Midfielder, Nashville SC): 33GP, 23G, 11A
Winner: Hany Mukhtar. In all fairness, one can make an argument for every candidate nominated to this shortlist. However, I nominate Hany Mukhtar as the 2022 Landon Donovan MVP because, not only did win the Golden Boot with his 23 goals, he single-handedly carried a decent Nashville team to fifth place in their first season playing in a strong Western Conference (50 points). If Nashville remained in the East, they would have likely finished in the top three with Philadelphia and Montréal. Unlike Mukhtar and Nashville, LAFC’s Arango and Philadelphia’s Blake fall out my preferred candidate for MVP because they were surrounded by a strong squad and solid coaching staff, respectively. Chicharito also falls out of my preferred candidate due to the fact that he performed less well than both Mukhtar and Driussi in terms of goals and assists (and not to mention being supported by MLS wonderkid and summer acquisition Riqui Puig during their late playoff push). Despite Mukhtar and Driussi having a near-identical goal tally, Mukhtar gets the edge with both assists and his stellar performances versus MLS heavyweights, including during Nashville’s matchups versus Driussi’s Austin F. C. Amongst these legendary performances occurred in September when Nashville dominated Austin and cruised to a 3-0 victory, with no other than Mukhtar scoring a brace and claiming man of the match. Although Mukhtar is my pick for the 2022 MVP, if Driussi stays in MLS next year, I will already have him as my top pick for MVP next year.
Allstate Goalkeeper of the Year
Andre Blake (Philadelphia Union): 34GP, 15CS, 100SV, 79.4SV%
Drake Callender (Inter Miami): 24GP, 4CS, 79SV, 68.1SV%
Djordje Petrovic (New England Revolution): 21GP, 7CS, 85Sv, 75.9SV%
Winner: 2022 Landon Donovan MVP candidate Andre Blake. This was an obvious pick for me. While Callender and Petrovic’s stellar consistency week-in week out rightly earn them both, the nod for Allstate Goalkeeper of the Year finalist candidates, Blake’s statistics and accolades alone are enough for me to select the Jamaican international as the league’s best goalkeeper in 2022. Selected first overall by the Union in the 2014 MLS Super Draft, Blake registered both a 2022 and career-best 79.4% save percentage, stopping 100 out of a total of 126 shots, consequently registering a (by far) league-best 0.76. With his 15 clean sheets, the Philadelphia shot stopper also put himself in second place for most clean sheets by a goalkeeper in a single season in MLS history—tying former Sporting Kansas City goalkeeper Jimmy Nielson’s record in 2013 and only one behind Kansas’s own Tony Meola’s 16 clean sheets recorded in 2000. Fun fact: both Meola’s and Nielson’s Kansas squads won the MLS Cup following their stellar regular season performances during those seasons.
Defender of the Year
Alex Callens (Centre-back, New York City FC): 27 GP, 12 CS, 17 INT, 57.6% Dual%, 61% hDR%
Jakob Glesnes (Centre-back, Philadelphia Union): 34 GP, 15 CS, 57 INT, 55% Duel%, 52.4 HDR%
Kai Wagner (Left-back, Philadelphia Union): 33 GP, 14 CS, 55 INT, 57.85 Duel%, 73.1% HDR%
Winner: Kai Wagner. Although voting for the Defender of the Year was the hardest so far, I need to show some love to the only fullback on the list—a position only recently receiving major recognition and credit (likely due to their increased attacking responsibilities). In all seriousness, however, the Union left-back demonstrated over the past few seasons that he is worthy of such an award after dominating the left flank matchday after matchday. The reason I chose Wagner over Union teammate Glesnes had to do with the fact that Andre Blake was ready to bail out the defence whenever needed. Also, Glesnes’s defensive statistics are not as significant as Wagner’s, particularly their header percentage (HDR%), in which Wagner wins by a mile with 73.1 versus his teammate’s 52.4%, and dual percentage (57.8% vs 55%). Although the Philadelphia left-back played six more games than NYCFC’s Alex Callens, Wagner’s statistics still remain superior, leading his New York counterpart in interceptions (55 vs 17), dual percentage (57.8% vs 57.6%), HDR% (73.1% vs 61%), and clean sheets (14 vs 12). Therefore, expect I expect Kai Wagner to become the third full-back to receive the Defender of the Year award, the first to receive the award since Jeff Agoos received the award in 2001. It is finally time for full backs to receive widespread recognition for their defensive work.
Newcomer of the Year (Player who made his MLS debut in 2022)
Thiago Almada (Midfielder, Atlanta United): 29 GP, 6 G, 12 A
Cucho Hernandez (Forward, Columbus Crew): 16 GP, 9 G, 3 A
Djordje Petrovic (Goalkeeper, New England Revolution): 21 GP, 7 CS, 85 SV, 75.9 SV%
Winner: Thiago Almada, simply due to the fact that he has played a full season. Petrovic’s impressive goalkeeping display indicates a potential candidate for next year’s Allstate Goalkeeper of the Year. Cucho Hernandez, on the other hand, has the potential to become both a Golden Boot winner and possibly a future MVP candidate. However, I believe the former is far more likely, especially if teammates such as Darlington Nagbe, Pedro Santos, Luis Diaz, Lucas Zelarayan, and even froward Derrick Etienne Jr. remain on the team and once again play integral roles for the Crew in the future. Thiago Almada’s performances, however, sent shockwaves across the league. His fancy footwork, his ability to dribble effectively while fighting off defences and be clinical with both feet are just several traits that make this player look world-class calibre on MLS pitches. His six goals and twelve assists at age 21 also put Argentine stars such as the one and only Lionel Messi on notice, who praised his pace, his IQ, and his ability to face off against any player. If Almada were to stay in MLS for years to come, expect his name to be at the centre of conversations regarding MVP.
Young Player of the Year (Players age 22 or under, born on or after January 1, 2000)
Thiago Almada (Midfielder, Atlanta United): 29 GP, 6 G, 12 A
Brenner (Forward, FC Cincinnati): 29 GP, 18 G, 6 A
Jesús Ferreira (Forward, FC Dallas): 33 GP, 18 G, 6 A
Winner: FC Dallas’s very own Jesús Ferreira. Although I picked Almada for Newcomer of the Year, Jesús Ferreira’s instrumental role in FC Dallas’s success cannot be emphasized enough. While Almada led a dysfunctional and mediocre Atlanta United team close to the Audi 2022 MLS Cup Playoffs, Ferreira not only led his team to the postseason, he also aided to their success in finishing third in a strong Western Conference. Similar to Nashville, if they were by any chance competing in the Eastern Conference, they would be a top-three club, despite not fielding any major star players. Although Ferreira possesses identical numbers vis-à-vis FC Cincinnati’s Brazilian star Brenner, the young Colombian American had a much larger impact on the club, having been involved in literally half of FC Dallas’ goals, whether it is scoring or providing the assist. Make no mistake; Brenner had a massive impact on Cincinnati’s impressive turnaround campaign and finally qualifying for their first-ever postseason. However, Ferreira has the ability to lead an average team full of young players and average players to sixth overall. One of America’s very own and coming from the MLS’s most prestigious academy, it is fitting that he wins the MLS Young Player of the Year award and potentially enters the conversation for MLS MVP in the future.
Comeback Player of the Year (players who overcame injury and/or adversity to achieve success during the 2022 season)
Jeremy Ebobisse (Forward, San Jose Earthquakes): 34 GP, 17 G, 3 A
Gonzalo Higuain (Forward, Inter Miami): 28 GP, 16 G, 3 A
Kai Kamara (Forward, CF Montréal): 32 GP, 9 G, 7 A
Winner: MLS’s ever-resilient Jeremy Ebobisse. Known for wearing a non-invasive device called a Q-collar, many might wonder what purpose this device serves and why he wears one altogether. Truth be told, he suffered a severe concussion towards the end of the 2020 season, arguably at the peak of his time playing for the Portland Timbers. And what does the device do? Well, it increases blood volume to reduce brain movement within the cranial area, which typically occurs due to recurring impacts to the head. The following season was incredibly difficult for the young French American, who had difficulty finding his old form, in which he was three goals shy from his career high in a shortened 2020 season due to Covid-19. This past year, Ebobisse’s 17-goal season allowed him to surpass that elusive career high in which he sought to break two years ago. Although Gonzalo Higuain overcame difficulty adapting to MLS, his impressive 2022 campaign is worthy to finish as a close second. Kei Kamara, an MLS legend, deserves all the praise he receives due to his impact off the field and his massive return as a crucial rotation player following a year in Finland and a last couple of seasons falling out of favour within several MLS clubs. His return to the league allowed him to surpass Jeff Cunningham for third-best MLS goal scorer all-time. If he stays for another season, which will likely be the case in Montréal, he could climb to second place, passing no other than MLS and American legend Landon Donovan. Although I would not be surprised if Higuain wins the award due to his major stature and him playing his final season, I truly believe that Jeremy Ebobisse’s resilience and coming back into a star player constitutes an inspirational story for athletes overcoming major injuries.
Sigi Schmid Coach of the Year
Steve Cherundolo (Los Angeles FC): 21 W, 9 L, 4 D
Jim Curtin (Philadelphia Union): 19 W, 5 L, 10 D
Wilfried Nancy (CF Montréal): 20 W, 9 L, 5 D
Winner: Montréal’s very own Wilfried Nancy, without a doubt. His first season as a head coach last year already defied experts’ expectations for the 2021 CF Montréal campaign, who finished two points out of a playoff spot on the last day (experts had them dead last). This year, he helped lead the club to new heights. Where to start? First, his tactics helped change the club’s identity—who historically were a sit-back-counter-attack team—to a possession-based club. In 2022, CF Montréal achieved a record number of wins (20) and points (65), respectively. While achieving such, he also led the club to a season-best 11 road wins and additionally setting up a new MLs record of seven consecutive wins away from home. Nancy deserves the award more than any other coach due to the fact that the bulk of this Montréal squad arrived at the earliest in 2021. Jim Curtin’s Philadelphia Union—a recipe for homegrown success—consists mainly of players who hoisted the 2020 MLS Supporters’ Shield. This can also be said regarding Steve Cherundolo’s LAFC, with many players on this year’s Supporters Shield-winning season having won the 2019 Supporters’ Shield. Cherundolo, who should still receive credit for steering the club to winning ways, successfully completed a first year as a professional head coach. However, a club with Carlos Vela, Bryan Rodriguez and half a season of Giorgio Chiellini and Gareth Bale should be a top performing club, regardless of the individual coaching the squad. Curtin, meanwhile, endorsed Nancy for being the worthy recipient. Ultimately, despite incredibly successful coaching seasons by both Cherundolo and Curtin, Montréal’s Nancy coaching led the league’s least valuable club to third overall—all while achieving a historic road record with a wage budget inferior to Lorenzo Insigne’s salary ($12m total).
It is important to note that Major League Soccer transformed from a domestic league catering to the American market and European players nearing retirement into a global market for European players and young South American talent—not to mention the league’s increasing development and popularity within American and Canadian Markets. Now, players can add winning such awards to their resume and better prepare themselves for the jump to the best leagues across the globe.
Update:
Jesús Ferreira wins MLS Young Player of the Year
Andre Blake wins Allstate MLS Goalkeeper of the Year
Jakob Glesnes wins MLS Defender of the Year
