SECAUCUS, NJ - Red Bull New York announced today the winners of their 2007 Regular Season Awards. There were seven awards (Honda MVP, Budweiser Golden Boot, Newcomer of the Year, Defender of the Year, Unsung Player of the Year, Young Player of the Year & Humanitarian of the Year) that were given out.
2007 Red Bulls Honda MVP, Budweiser Golden Boot, and Red Bulls Newcomer of the Year Award - Juan Pablo Angel
Juan Pablo Angel was the big winner this year for the Red Bulls in his first season in New York. Angel received the Honda Most Valuable Player Award, Budweiser Golden Boot, and Newcomer of the Year. Angel broke a team record for goals in a season this year netting 19. In addition to that, Angel had five assists, and shattered another team record by scoring five multi-goal games which tied for the league lead. Since joining the Red Bulls from Aston Villa of the Premiership, Angel was named MLS Player of the Week twice, in weeks 7 and 19 of MLS action. He was named MVP of the MLS All-Star Game with Celtic, and was named Player of the Month in May and June.
Angel finished one goal back of D.C.'s Luciano Emilio in the Budweiser Golden Boot standings, which is given to the player who scores the most goals in the regular season. In addition, Angel is a prime candidate to receive the MLS's Honda Most Valuable Player award which will be given at a later date.
2007 Red Bulls Defender of the Year Award - Jeff Parke
Jeff Parke was the recipient of the Red Bulls Defender of the Year award this season. Parke started 26 of 28 games that he played in this season, logging 2,246 minutes. Parke played in nine of the Red Bulls' 10 shutouts this season, and also featured in all 12 of the Red Bulls' regular season wins.
Parke, who played his college soccer at Drexel, has become a mainstay in the Red Bulls back line since being selected with the final pick of the 2004 MLS SuperDraft. He has started in at least 19 games in all four of his years with the Red Bulls and has played in at least 21 games per season since joining the club.
2007 Red Bulls Unsung Player of the Year Award - Jon Conway
Goalkeeper Jon Conway won the Red Bulls Unsung Player of the Year Award. Conway earned wins in six of his 12 starts this season and contributed a solid 1.10 goals against average this season, good for fourth in MLS. Conway made 57 saves, added four shutouts, and is the only Red Bulls goalkeeper to stop a penalty kick.
For Conway, this is his second award in as many seasons with the Red Bulls as he was last year's recipient of the Red Bulls Newcomer of the Year award. Conway's finish in the top five in goals against average is the second season in a row he finished there. Last year, Conway had the lowest goals against average in MLS with a 1.00 goals against average. In the last two seasons with the Red Bulls, Conway started 24 games, and has posted nine shutouts.
2007 Red Bulls Young Player of the Year Award - Jozy Altidore
The Red Bulls Young Player of the Year went to the team's youngest player, Jozy Altidore. The award is given to the top Red Bulls player under the age of 25. While playing both at midfield and forward, Altidore, 17, finished second on the Red Bulls in scoring with nine goals and four assists, while playing in 22 games.
Altidore made a big splash at this level last year as a rookie, adding three goals in just three starts as a rookie. He scored two goals in a 3-0 win over Toronto FC, and Altidore's two goals in a thrilling 5-4 win over the Los Angeles Galaxy were good enough for the MLS' Player of the Week honors. Altidore's importance to the Red Bulls this year was measured by the Red Bulls record of 5-1-1 when he scored this season. Altidore missed some action this year due to his commitment for the U.S. Under-20 National Team, which competed in the U-20 World Cup this season, finishing with a 2-1 loss to Austria in extra time of the quarterfinals.
2007 Red Bulls USSF Humanitarian of the Year - Seth Stammler
The winner of the USSF Humanitarian of the Year award was given to midfielder/defender Seth Stammler. Last November, Stammler embarked on a six-day service trip to Haiti, regarded as the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere with more than half of the population earning less than $1 a day. Along with two teammates and Grammy Award winning musician Wyclef Jean, Stammler visited a number of Wyclef's community service projects, including a food distribution, an after-school facility that runs athletic programs for children from the poorest parts of the country, a foster home for abandoned Haitian children, and a children's rehabilitation prison for juvenile gang members.
Inspired by the people and the children he met, Stammler decided to help even further by starting his own charitable foundation aimed to improve living conditions in Haiti. And, in July 2007, "Sporting Chance Foundation" officially launched. By teaming up with prominent athletes, communities and corporate partners around the world, Stammler's foundation - which has filed to become 501(c)(3) certified - will raise money to combat two of the biggest issues Haitians face today: lack of educational opportunities and access to clean, potable water. Sporting Chance will provide scholarships to children and will build community water wells which will provide clean, potable water to thousands of people each day. For more information on his foundation, visit www.sportingchancefoundation.org.
