LOS ANGELES - Galaxy forward Landon Donovan made history again when he was chosen as the only four-time winner of the Honda Player of the Year Award which for the last 17 years has honored the best player on the U.S. National Team, as chosen by the American sports media.
Only 25, Donovan's unprecedented feat in the history of the award follows several other unmatched records. In 2002 he became the youngest Honda Player of the Year Award winner and his wins in the following two years, 2003 and 2004, made him the only player to receive this recognition three times. This year, 203 journalists across the nation again selected him as the recipient of the most prestigious honor an American soccer player can receive.
Donovan received a total of 413 points followed by runners-up Tim Howard with 122 points and Carlos Bocanegra with 105 points. A player received three points for each first-place vote, two points for each second-place vote, and one point for each third-place vote. In order to be eligible for the Honda Player of the Year Award, a player must play in a minimum of three (3) games for the U.S. National Team during the calendar year.
Donovan was presented the key to a new Honda Ridgeline truck during the annual Honda Player of the Year Award luncheon, which was held at The Biltmore Hotel in Los Angeles. Additionally, American Honda Motor Co., Inc. donated $5,000 dollars to the City of Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks on Donovan's behalf.
So far this year Donovan, who leads the Galaxy with seven goals and nine assists in 21 games for the club, leads the National Team with nine goals scored, including a hat-trick against Ecuador and four goals during the CONCACAF Gold Cup this summer. His penalty kick against Mexico to win the U.S.'s fourth Gold Cup title was his 34th career goal, tying him with Eric Wynalda as the top scorer in the U.S. National Team history. Donovan has 96 caps and is the all-time assist leader for the United States with 27. This year he broke Cobi Jones' long-standing record for points in a year, collecting 22 points (nine goals and four assists) to break Jones' former record of 21 points set in 2000.
Created by Fútbol de Primera and sponsored by American Honda Motor Co., Inc., the Honda Player of the Year Award has honored 12 different players in its 17 year history: Landon Donovan (2007, 2004, 2003 and 2002), Clint Dempsey (2006), Kasey Keller (2005, 1999), Earnie Stewart (2001), Claudio Reyna (2000), Cobi Jones (1998), Eddie Pope (1997), Eric Wynalda (1996, 1992), Alexi Lalas (1995), Marcelo Balboa (1994), Thomas Dooley (1993) and Hugo Perez (1991). In 2000, Eric Wynalda was named the Honda Player of the Decade.
