Current U.S. national team members Landon Donovan and Chris Albright, and former U.S. national team member Cobi Jones swept the season awards handed out by the Los Angeles Galaxy on Saturday night at The Home Depot Center prior to kickoff of their match against FC Dallas.
Donovan was voted team MVP despite missing more than a month of the season when he was with the national team for this summer's World Cup. Despite his prolonged absence, Donovan led the Galaxy in goals and assists, an accomplishment which also garnered the forward the Budweiser Golden Boot as well.
In Saturday's season finale, Donovan scored two goals to give him 12 for the season, and added an assist, his seventh on the campaign. This is the second year in a row that Donovan has won the Golden Boot for the Galaxy, in his second year with the club.
Fellow '06 World Cup participant Albright was named the Galaxy's defender of the year for the 2006 season. This year's honor, in addition to his inclusion on the U.S. World Cup squad, marks a pinnacle in Albright's career, considering he started his professional life as a forward.
Albright played in 23 games, almost all at right back as part of a Galaxy defense that allowed 37 goals in 32 games and recorded nine shutouts on the season. Albright also scored two goals and added five assists on the season.
Jones rounded out the season awards, named the winner of the U.S. Soccer Foundation Humanitarian of the Year award. Jones, a veteran of three World Cups with the USA, has been an active participant in several of the Galaxy's charitable foundations, as well as other charities not directly associated with the Los Angeles club.
Jones serves as the face of the current campaign for Little Feet, Big Goals -- an organization dedicated to collecting soccer balls for disadvantaged children around the world. Currently, Little Feet, Big Goals is collecting soccer balls for the children of Iraq that will be distributed by the U.S. soldiers stationed in the region.
In addition, Jones visited children in L.A. area hospitals and through clinics assisted in growing the sport of soccer by demonstrating not only skills, but also character and sportsmanship to thousands of kids.
Greg Daurio is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
