NEW YORK – FutbolMLS.com’s signature tournament, Latino del Año, is back for its 2013 edition.
Houston Dynamo and Honduran star Oscar Boniek García was the last man standing in the 2012 tournament, and he will be competing against the league’s top Latino stars as fan voting kicks off for the fourth edition of the competition on Monday, Nov. 4.
The popular tournament-style format also returns with one modification in the final stage. The competition will feature a group stage, round of 16, quarterfinals and a final stage composed of the four finalists.
MLSsoccer.com and FutbolMLS.com editors selected 32 Latino players that made an impact throughout the 2013 MLS regular season, including winners of FutbolMLS.com’s weekly contest, Latino de la Jornada, and a draw was held to divide the players in eight groups of four players each.
The top two vote-getters in each group advance to the subsequent knockout rounds.
Created in 2010, Latino del Año is FutbolMLS.com's annual contest to select the best Latin American Player in MLS based on fan voting.
The contest is held at the end of each MLS regular season, consisting of three weeks of voting by fans who determine which players advance to each round until a winner is chosen.
In 2010, former Seattle Sounders Colombian striker Fredy Montero was crowned the winner. Former Sporting Kansas City Mexican forward Omar Bravo was the winner in 2011, while Boniek García won the 2012 contest.
Criteria
All MLS Players born in a Latin American country or those who were born in the United States but have hispanic heritage are eligible to participate.
2013 Latino del Año Schedule
October 28-31 – Latino del Año groups announced
November 4 – Online voting process opens for group stage
November 7 – Group stage winners announced & online voting opens for Round of 16
November 11 – Round of 16 winners announced & online voting opens for Quarterfinals
November 14 – Quaterfinal winners announced & online voting opens for the Final
Novermber 18 – 2013 Latino del Año winner announced.
