Major League Soccer has announced its finalists for the League's 2006 year-end awards. Three members of the Chicago Fire have been named finalists, with Fire midfielder and captain Chris Armas among the three players up for the MLS Comeback Player of the Year (announcement on Oct. 24), Head Coach Dave Sarachan among the shortlist of candidates for the MLS Coach of the Year award (announcement on Oct. 31) and midfielder Justin Mapp one of three finalists for the Kraft Global Fair Play award, which MLS today awarded to Kansas City Wizards midfielder Chris Klein. In addition, the Fire has three of the 30 nominees for the 2006 Sierra Mist Goal of the Year award, with a pair of midfielder Thiago's spectacular efforts and one by forward and 2006 Fire/Budweiser Golden Boot winner Andy Herron up for contention.
Winners for each award will be announced in the coming weeks, beginning today with the MLS Goalkeeper of the Year and Kraft Global Fair Play. The Honda MLS Most Valuable Player will be announced on Thursday, Nov. 9 at Pizza Hut Park in Frisco, Texas, site of MLS Cup 2006, which is being played on Sunday, Nov. 12 (2:30 p.m. CT, ABC). The RadioShack Best XI will be announced at the MLS Awards Gala on Saturday, Nov. 11.
Armas could become the second multiple winner of the MLS Comeback Player of the Year award along with the afore mentioned Klein, as the Fire captain won the 2003 Comeback Player of the Year honor after returning from an untimely ACL tear in 2002. It was déjà vu for the 34-year-old midfielder, who suffered another torn ACL in the Fire's playoff run in 2005 that took him out of contention for a spot on the United States World Cup squad for the second time, but the gritty New York native would take just six months to return to the field for the "Men in Red," starting all 27 games he played in 2006 while registering a goal and five assists - the third most on the squad this season.
After leading his side to both a 2003 U.S. Open Cup crown and a 2003 MLS Cup appearance, Fire Head Coach Dave Sarachan was awarded the 2003 MLS Coach of the Year honor. This season Sarachan is on track to "Do the Double" once again, and with the 2006 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup already in the trophy case, the 52-year-old native of Rochester, NY has his Fire side motivated to play for a 2006 MLS Cup. Sarachan's success in 2006 has been his ability to delegate playing time throughout his entire squad, which helped the Fire endure 12 out of 13 games on the road before moving permanently into the club's new home of TOYOTA PARK and a 12-game, 37-day stretch in late summer that proved to be the squad's most successful run of the campaign, in which the "Men in Red" went 9-2-1.
Despite receiving the brunt of the opposition's aggression, the 22-year-old Mapp showed composure beyond his years once again in 2006, as the Brandon, MS native was fouled a team-high 53 times while committing only 16 of his own. A constant danger on the ball, the unselfish Mapp dished out eight assists helpers on the season, good for the second most on the squad, and added a pair of goals on the campaign. Although he logged a total of 1,866 minutes this season, Mapp never was cautioned or ejected once in his 26 games played, the youngest player in MLS history to appear in 100 games keeping his career caution total at just three in five years of play.
MLS has also announced that fans can now vote for their favorite player's goal for this year's Sierra Mist Goal of the Year award. There are three rounds of voting left, with the first concluding next Wednesday, Oct. 25. Brazilian maestro Thiago and his goals from Weeks 5 and 13 are on the list of 30, joined by the Costa Rican Herron's Week 15 strike, all three of which were Goal of the Week winners. Thiago's game-tying rip from nine yards out in the 64th minute at New England on Apr. 30 is up for consideration, as well as his 69th minute goal against New York on June 25, slipping a low shot inside Meola's near post to double the home side's lead at 2-0. Herron's game-winning bicycle kick goal in the 49th minute against Kansas City on July 4 not only brought the house down but helped the Fire win its third straight game.
The finalists for the season ending awards listed below earned the most votes in polling of MLS players, general managers, coaches, referees and members of the media. The U.S. Soccer Foundation Humanitarian of the Year will be determined by the U.S. Soccer Foundation, Major League Soccer and MLS club representatives and will announced on Tuesday, Oct 24. The Fire will honor the winners of its four season ending awards - the Fire/Honda MVP, Fire/Budweiser Golden Boot, Fire Defender of the Year and Fire/USSF Humanitarian of the Year - in a ceremony prior to Sunday's Eastern Conference Semifinal Series Game One against the New England Revolution at TOYOTA PARK (12:00 p.m. CT, ABC Sports).
2006 MLS Awards Finalists (* - Award Winner)
Panasonic Goalkeeper of the Year
* Troy Perkins - D.C. United
Joe Cannon - Colorado Rapids
Matt Reis - New England Revolution
Kraft Global Fair Play Award
* Chris Klein - Real Salt Lake
Justin Mapp - Chicago Fire
Steve Ralston - New England Revolution
Gatorade Rookie of the Year Finalists
Mehdi Ballouchy - Real Salt Lake
Jonathan Bornstein - Chivas USA
Sacha Kljestan - Chivas USA
MLS Comeback Player of the Year Finalists
Chris Armas - Chicago Fire
Alecko Eskandarian - D.C. United
Richard Mulrooney - FC Dallas
MLS Coach of the Year Finalists
Bob Bradley - Chivas USA
Peter Nowak - D.C. United
Dave Sarachan - Chicago Fire
MLS Defender of the Year Finalists
Bobby Boswell - D.C. United
Jose Burciaga Jr. - Kansas City Wizards
Jimmy Conrad - Kansas City Wizards
Honda MLS Most Valuable Player Finalists
Jeff Cunningham - Real Salt Lake
Dwayne De Rosario - Houston Dynamo
Christian Gomez - D.C. United
OSI Referee of the Year Finalists
Brian Hall
Michael Kennedy
Ricardo Salazar
Schedule of Awards Announcements:
Tuesday, October 24
MLS Defender of the Year
MLS Comeback Player of the Year
OSI Referee of the Year
U.S. Soccer Foundation Humanitarian of the Year
U.S. Soccer Foundation Team Humanitarian of the Year
Tuesday, October 31
Gatorade Rookie of the Year
MLS Coach of the Year
Monday, November 6
Announcement of MLS Team Executive Awards
Thursday, November 9
Honda MLS Most Valuable Player
Friday, November 10
Sierra Mist Goal of the Year
Saturday, November 11
RadioShack Best XI
