Toronto FC forward Sebastian Giovinco picked up yet another accolade on Wednesday evening as he was honored as the Best MLS Player at the 2016 ESPY Awards held in Los Angeles, California.
Giovinco was up against Kei Kamara, Laurent Ciman, and Luis Robles for the award, which was decided by an online fan vote.
The 29-year-old Italian posted one of the best statistical seasons in Major League Soccer history in 2015, racking up 22 goals and 16 assists while guiding TFC to the first playoff berth in club history. He currently has eight goals and seven assists through 17 games this season.
US national team forward Jordan Morris had a season to remember for Stanford in 2015, guiding the Cardinal to the College Cup and being named the best collegiate player in the nation, but the now-Sounders man was beaten out for the Best Male Collegiate Athlete ESPY award by sixth overall draft pick in the 2016 NBA Draft Buddy Hield.
Portugal winning UEFA Euro 2016 and Real Madrid winning the 2016 UEFA Champions League should make Cristiano Ronaldo a shoo-in for the Ballon d’Or, and that’ll pair nicely with his 2016 ESPY win for Best International Athlete; an award that Lionel Messi was shockingly not nominated for.
US national team forward Abby Wambach, who helped the US to the 2015 Women's World Cup title, was honored with the Icon Award along with other retiring legends Kobe Bryant and Peyton Manning. She gave a speech saying she takes pride both in her on the field accomplishments, and her off the field fight for equality.
