Atlanta United duo sweeps fan-voted honors; Save of the Year revealed on FOXSports.com
NEW YORK
(Wednesday, November 15, 2017)
– Major League Soccer today announced Atlanta United’s Héctor Villalba as the AT&T Goal of the Year winner and Atlanta teammate Brad Guzan as the MLS Save of the Year winner. The MLS Save of the Year was unveiled on
FOXSports.com
.
Villalba’s right-footed game-winner on July 21 against Orlando City SC captured the top honors. The Argentine Designated Player dazzled in the first meeting between expansion Atlanta and regional rival Orlando as he took two quick touches off a throw-in and blasted a shot from 28 yards out inside the far-right post. That 86th-minute strike proved to be the lone tally of a 1-0 Atlanta victory that also served as the exclamation point to a season-high four-game winning streak.
WATCH GOAL HERE
The top-voted save of 2017 was Guzan’s incredible reaction stop against the New York Red Bulls’ Bradley Wright-Phillips. The 65th-minute save occurred when the host Red Bulls played a quick restart and generated a cross from the left side of the box. Wright-Phillips was in position for what appeared to be a high-percentage tap-in from five yards. Guzan spoiled BWP’s moment, diving to his left and parrying the ball enough so that it popped over the crossbar and hit the outside top netting en route to a clean sheet and 0-0 road draw.
WATCH SAVE HERE
The AT&T Goal of the Year and MLS Save of the Year were determined by fan votes on MLSsoccer.com. The Goal of the Year has been awarded since the league’s inaugural 1996 season and the Save of the Year was established starting in 2009.
All-time MLS Goal of the Year winners:
2017: Héctor Villalba –
Atlanta United | 7/21/17 vs. Orlando City SC, 86th minute
2016: Shkëlzen Gashi –
Colorado Rapids | 9/24/16 vs. Vancouver Whitecaps FC, 75th minute
2015: Krisztián Németh –
Sporting Kansas City | 10/4/15 vs. Portland Timbers, 83rd minute
2014: Obafemi Martins –
Seattle Sounders FC | 5/23/14 vs. San Jose Earthquakes, 8th minute
2013: Camilo Sanvezzo –
Vancouver Whitecaps FC | 10/6/13 vs. Portland Timbers, 78th minute
2012: Patrick Ianni –
Seattle Sounders FC | 6/20/12 vs. Sporting Kansas City, 15th minute
2011: Darlington Nagbe –
Portland Timbers | 7/2/11 vs. Sporting Kansas City, 45th minute
2010: Marco Pappa –
Chicago Fire | 4/10/10 vs. San Jose Earthquakes, 52nd minute
2009: Landon Donovan –
LA Galaxy | 8/8/09 vs. New England Revolution, 21st minute
2008: Will Johnson –
Real Salt Lake | 10/18/08 vs. FC Dallas, 54th minute
2007: Cuauhtémoc Blanco –
Chicago Fire | 8/18/07 vs. Real Salt Lake, 43rd minute
2006: Brian Ching –
Houston Dynamo | 9/30/06 v D.C. United, 86th minute
2005: Dwayne De Rosario –
San Jose Earthquakes | 10/15/05 vs. LA Galaxy, 45th minute
2004: Dwayne De Rosario –
San Jose Earthquakes | 8/7/04 vs. D.C. United, 82nd minute
2003: Damani Ralph –
Chicago Fire | 8/13/03 vs. Columbus Crew, 90th minute
2002: Carlos Ruiz –
LA Galaxy | 7/27/02 vs. Columbus Crew, 75th minute
2001: Clint Mathis –
MetroStars | 4/28/01 vs. Dallas Burn, 60th minute
2000: Marcelo Balboa –
Colorado Rapids | 4/22/00 vs. Columbus Crew, 55th minute
1999: Marco Etcheverry –
D.C. United | 5/22/99 vs. Miami Fusion, 90th minute
1998: Brian McBride –
Columbus Crew | 7/9/98 vs. Chicago Fire, 68th minute
1997: Marco Etcheverry –
D.C. United | 8/27/97 vs. New England Revolution, 39th minute
1996: Eric Wynalda –
San Jose Clash | 4/6/96 vs. D.C. United, 88th minute
All-time MLS Save of the Year winners:
2017: Brad Guzan –
Atlanta United | 10/15/17 vs. New York Red Bulls, 65th minute
2016: Joe Bendik –
Orlando City SC | 5/15/16 vs. Sporting Kansas City, 45th minute
2015: Adam Kwarasey –
Portland Timbers | 8/15/15 vs. Real Salt Lake, 31st minute
2014: Luis Robles –
New York Red Bulls | 9/20/14 vs. Seattle Sounders FC, 69th minute
2013: Nick Rimando –
Real Salt Lake | 8/3/13 vs. Colorado Rapids, 53rd minute
2012: Nick Rimando –
Real Salt Lake | 4/14/12 vs. Sporting Kansas City, 75th minute
2011: Kasey Keller –
Seattle Sounders FC | 10/15/11 vs. San Jose Earthquakes, 64th minute
2010: Kasey Keller –
Seattle Sounders FC | 4/17/10 vs. Kansas City Wizards, 90th+2 minute
2009: Pat Onstad –
Houston Dynamo | 4/19/09 vs. Colorado Rapids, 83rd minute
