Making a Case for Each Union Player up for an End of Season Award
On Wednesday, November 11th, Major League Soccer announced the finalists for the 2020 year-end awards which honor the league’s top performers during the MLS regular season.
Philadelphia Union goalkeeper Andre Blake is a finalist for the 2020 Landon Donovan MLS MVP Award along with Seattle Sounders FC midfielder Nicolás Lodeiro and forward Jordan Morris, Toronto FC midfielder Alejandro Pozuelo and Los Angeles Football Club forward Diego Rossi.
Blake was the man in net for the league’s top defense and only allowed 18 goals in the regular season for 0.88 goals allowed average and a 77.8 save percentage. Those marks were both league bests for goalkeepers with 20 or more appearances this season. Blake also had nine shutouts throughout the 2020 season including the MLS is Back Tournament in Orlando.
Blake is also a finalist for the Allstate MLS Goalkeeper of the Year along with Columbus Crew SC goalkeeper Eloy Room, and New England Revolution goalkeeper Matt Turner. The stats speak for themself for Blake and he consistently demonstrated why he is certainly the best goalie in all of MLS with his jaw-dropping saves throughout the year. The Jamaican international showcased his skills and talent by keeping the U in many games this season and proving to be a big reason for the team’s overall success.
Blake recently had surgery to repair a hand fracture but he will be back for the first round of the playoffs.
This season marks the inaugural honor of the AT&T MLS Young Player of the Year award which will recognize the top player in the league 22-years-old or younger.
Union 20-year-old Homegrown midfielder Brenden Aaronson is one of the finalists for the award in addition to Orlando City SC forward Daryl Dike, and 22-year-old Rossi.
A product of the Union Academy, Aaronson was among the top 10 in MLS with seven assists on the season to go along with four goals scored. Aaronson truly showcased and proved why he should win this award based on the success that he had all season long. His playmaking ability and skill to offer an attacking option put Philadelphia in many great positions and the chance to win the MLS is Back Tournament. His through ball assist to Sergio Santos in Orlando was a thing of beauty and the play that truly sparked interest from top European clubs.
That recognition allowed the Union to complete a record-breaking transfer deal with FC Red Bull Salzburg and send the Medford, New Jersey native to a UEFA Champions League squad. The transfer fee is reportedly worth $6 million, plus up to $3 million in performance bonuses. To go back to the MLS is Back Tournament, Aaronson recorded three assists in the team’s six matches and showed why he was a top American prospect.
The Sigi Schmid MLS Coach of the Year finalists include Philadelphia Union’s Jim Curtin, Orlando City SC’s Óscar Pareja, and Toronto FC’s Greg Vanney.
Curtin led the Union to the top spot in MLS and home-field advantage throughout the Audi 2020 MLS Cup Playoffs. He also delivered the club’s first piece of silverware by claiming this year’s Supporters Shield following their phenomenal regular season as the Boys in Blue went 14-4-5 and notched 47 points while going 9-0-0 at Subaru Park.
Curtin showcased that he was one of the best coaches in the league this season by leading his team to arguably their best regular season in club history. The fact that Curtin was able to lead this team to a 14 win season following their first-ever playoff victory last year speaks volumes to the culture that the players have bought into and the progress that they have made. Philly has jumped leaps and bounds in comparison to just a few years ago, and manager Curtin should receive tons of credit for uniting his players both young and old.
As for Defender of the Year, Philadelphia Union 21-year-old Homegrown Mark McKenzie, Nashville SC defender Walker Zimmerman, and Columbus Crew SC defender Jonathan Mensah are finalists for the honor.
McKenzie showed why he is worthy of the award all throughout this unique season with his dominating performances game in and game out. It all started in the MLS is Back Tournament when the Delaware native asserted his presence as he was breaking up opponents’ attacks and thwarting out any offensive opportunities.
The AT&T MLS Goal of the Year and MLS Save of the Year presented by Allstate will be decided by online voting at MLSsoccer.com or the free MLS app from November 12th to the 18th.
Union fans should be on the lookout for Jakob Glesnes’ world-class 40-yard free-kick golazo that he scored against LAFC all the way back in March.
This Philadelphia Union team certainly rose to the occasion this season and the main players that stood out were rewarded for their efforts by being named finalists for certain year-end awards. All of the players listed above made a great case to win their respective awards and it would be a cherry on top to see their hard work pay off with individual achievement in an impressive year.
Just remember, “Good things happen in Philadelphia.”
Featured Image: Wes Shepherd/Philadelphia Sports Nation
Discover more from Philadelphia Sports Nation
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
