For the second year running, MFUSA has been nominated for US Soccer's "Best of 2010" alongside some heavy hitters in the soccer blogging game.


A hearty thank you goes out to everyone that nominated us.  If you feel inclined to vote for MFUSA, you can do so here.  I've also linked to the voting page in the bar at the top of this site.

Friend of MFUSA The 24th Minute has been nominated for the best Canadian sports blog; after Duane's kind promotion of this site's candidacy for US Soccer's Best Blog of '09, it only seems right that I ask you (American, Canadian, or otherwise) to go vote for his site.


Far be it for me to suggest you vote for a site unworthy of it though, so be assured that The 24th Minute is, in fact, the best Canadian sports blog out there. Sure, I only visit the footy ones, but I'm confident in my assessment.


Although Some Canadian Guys is pretty damn good, too. Crap, this is tougher than I thought.


So, go vote for Duane, or Some Canadian Guys. You can't go wrong.


Damnit. I just remembered Ben Knight's Onward Soccer.

Match Fit USA, along with a "Who's Who" of American soccer blogs, has been nominated for USSoccer.com's Best Blog of 2009. Thank you to all the nominated the site; we haven't even hit our one year anniversary yet, and I'm completely humbled by the support.


I'm also humbled, and rightly so, by the company; from the in-depth USMNT analysis of The Shin Guardian, to the all-around excellence of Pitch Invasion (my favorite blog), as well as the journalistic chops of sites like Soccer By Ives, Soccer Insider and No Short Corners (not to mention the great team-centric work of Hillcrest Road), the list is formidable.


I have no real delusions of winning, but I implore you to vote for whomever you think is the best blog out there. You really can't go wrong, but if you do choose to vote for MFUSA, I thank you in advance.

The voting page is here.

Chad Marshall has won his second consecutive MLS Defender of the Year award, holding off fellow finalists Seattle's Jhon Kennedy Hurtado and Houston's Geoff Cameron.

Marshall was a steady force in the Crew's back line, and despite missing time with the USMNT team, helped Columbus win their second consecutive Supporters Shield.

Marshall was MFUSA's pick among the finalist, though I will note that I fully expect Geoff Cameron to win this award, perhaps multiple times, in the future.

The MLS press release announcing Marshall's win, as well as the Referee and Assistant Referees of the Year (jokes encouraged):

Columbus Crew’s Chad Marshall Wins Visa® Defender of the Year;
Alex Prus named adidas Referee of the Year; Greg Barkey honored as adidas Assistant Referee of the Year

NEW YORK (Thursday, Nov 5, 2009) – Major League Soccer announced today that Columbus Crew defender Chad Marshall was voted the Visa® Defender of the Year for the second consecutive season, and referees Alex Prus and Greg Barkey were voted as the adidas Referee of the Year and adidas Assistant Referee of the Year.

Marshall, the 2008 Defender of the Year and 2009 MLS All-Star, anchored a Columbus defense that allowed only 31 goals during the regular season – a record low for the Crew. Marshall played in and started 18 games during the regular season; he missed four games while serving National Team duty with the U.S. and another six games with a knee sprain at the end of the season.

Marshall’s leadership helped the Crew capture their second straight Supporters’ Shield trophy, awarded to the team that finishes with the best regular season record (13-7-10, 49 points). The Crew’s defense allowed the third fewest goals (31) behind the Houston Dynamo (29) and Seattle Sounders FC (29).

Marshall won MLS Player of the Month honors for August after leading the Crew to a 4-1-0 record during the month, which included four shutouts. The 6-foot, 4-inch, 190-pound defender proved again that he’s not only an imposing force on defense, but also poses a scoring threat whenever he gets forward. Marshall finished third on the team with four goals scored, including game-winning goals versus New York (June 27), Colorado (Aug. 1) and FC Dallas (Aug. 15).

Now in his sixth MLS season, the 25-year-old Riverside, Calif., native was the second overall pick in the 2004 MLS SuperDraft by the Columbus Crew. Marshall joins Carlos Bocanegra and Robin Fraser as the only two-time Defender of the Year award winners. Marshall led the voting ahead of Seattle Sounders FC defender Jhon Kennedy Hurtado and Houston Dynamo defender Geoff Cameron, the other finalists for the award.

Prus receives the adidas Referee of the Year award for the first time in his career. A veteran center referee of MLS games, Prus has worked 169 games in 13 seasons. Prus first served as an assistant referee in MLS in 1997. He has worked five Men’s Division I NCAA Final Four soccer tournaments and was the head referee for MLS Cup 2007 in Washington, D.C.

Barkey has been honored with the adidas Assistant Referee of the Year award. Barkey was one of three assistant referees to represent the United States in the 2006 FIFA World Cup. In 14 seasons with Major League Soccer, Barkey has worked 201 regular season games and 28 playoff games.

The Visa Defender of the Year earned the most votes in polling of MLS players, general managers, coaches, and members of the media. The adidas Referee of the Year and adidas Assistant Referee of the Year were earned the most votes in polling of MLS players, general managers, coaches, referees and members of the media.

Major League Soccer announced today that Zach Thornton of Chivas USA has won the 2009 Goalkeeper of the Year Award. Thornton beat out Seattle's Kasey Keller and LA Galaxy's Donovan Ricketts.

Thornton's win, though by no means undeserved, comes as a bit of a shock; Keller was viewed by many as the favorite, having helped the expansion Sounders make the playoffs in their inaugural year.

MLS press release, which includes announcements for the individual and team Fair Play Awards:

Chivas USA’s Zach Thornton Wins MLS Goalkeeper of the Year;
New England Revolution’s Steve Ralston and the Chicago Fire
Honored with MLS Fair Play Awards

NEW YORK (Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2009) – Major League Soccer announced today that Chivas USA goalkeeper Zach Thornton was voted the 2009 Goalkeeper of the Year. New England Revolution midfielder Steve Ralston was named the winner of the individual MLS Fair Play award, and the Chicago Fire earned the MLS Team Fair Play award as the MLS club with the fewest disciplinary points during the 2009 regular season.

The Goalkeeper of the Year and the Individual Fair Play award winners earned the most votes in polling of MLS players, general managers, coaches, referees and members of the media.

Thornton, 36, had arguably his best season in his 13-year MLS career. He led Chivas USA to a 13-11-6 record and posted a career best 12 shutouts and 0.87 goals against average. His 12 shutouts were one shy of the club record and his goals against average ranks second all-time behind Pat Onstad’s 0.82 in 2007. Thornton led the League in goals against average, shutouts and ranked second in wins with 12.

Thornton took over the starting role for Preki’s club this season, after being acquired in 2008 and playing in eight regular season games last season. The 2009 season was his first full season as a starter since 2006, when he was a member of the Chicago Fire. He started 27 of the team’s 30 games during the regular season and led Chivas to the playoffs for the fourth consecutive season.

This marks the second Goalkeeper of the Year honor for Thornton. He joins Onstad and Joe Cannon as the only players to win the MLS Goalkeeper of the Year award twice. He received the honor in 1998, after being selected by the Chicago Fire in the expansion draft, Thornton led the first-year club to an MLS Cup championship. He finished the 1998 season with 16 wins and a 1.17 goals against average.

Thornton ranks second all-time in shutouts (70) and wins (125), behind only Kevin Hartman in both categories. He played collegiately at Loyola College in Maryland and was drafted by the MetroStars in the 7th round of the 1996 MLS Inaugural Player Draft. He played two seasons with the club as a reserve behind Tony Meola before spending the bulk of nine seasons with the Fire. In 2004 he spent six months on loan with Benfica in Portugal. Thornton played with the Colorado Rapids in 2007 and New York Red Bulls in 2008. During the 2008 season, he was traded to Chivas USA, where he played seven games before earning the starting role to begin the 2009 campaign.

Thornton led the voting ahead of Seattle Sounders FC goalkeeper Kasey Keller and Los Angeles Galaxy goalkeeper Donovan Ricketts, the other finalists named earlier this week.

Ralston is claiming his third MLS Fair Play Award. The 35 year-old, MLS Original and New England Revolution midfielder from St. Louis, Mo., becomes the first three-time recipient of the award. Michael Parkhurst, Ralston’s former Revolution teammate, won the award in 2007 and 2008.

Ralston started 17 games for the Revolution this year and recorded seven goals and seven assists. In 1,543 minutes of play, Ralston committed only four fouls and received two cautions. The all-time leader in games played (378) and assists (135) Ralston helped the Revolution to an 11-10-9 record and the club’s eighth consecutive playoff appearance. Before joining the Revolution, Ralston spent six seasons with the Tampa Bay Mutiny, earning the Rookie of the Year award in 1996.

The Chicago Fire claimed the Team Fair Play award for accumulating the fewest disciplinary points (259.5) of any team during the 2009 regular season. Disciplinary points are assigned as follow: 4 points for each caution received, 10 points for each red card, 0.50 points for each foul committed and a reduction of 15 points for each game that a team completes without receiving any cards or action from the MLS Disciplinary Committee.


What do you make of Thornton's win? Was it deserved over the two other finalists?

US Soccer is taking nominations for their "Best of 2009" series, so head on over and pick your favorite soccer bar, specialty store, fan photo, and blog. Far be it for me to tell you what to choose, but I might have a suggestions in at least one of those categories...

That old adage that just because everyone else is doing something doesn't mean you have to doesn't really apply to blogs; sometimes, it just makes sense to do what everyone else is doing.

The finalists for the MLS awards came out today, and while I didn't vote (really not sure why I didn't have a vote; I did vote for the All Stars) I do feel like make my choices known here at MFUSA. Feel free to jump in with your selections in the comments. I'm not picking for every award, just the biggies and ones I have an interest in.


Goalkeeper of the Year Finalists

Kasey Keller – Seattle Sounders FC

Donovan Ricketts – Los Angeles Galaxy

Zach Thornton – Chivas USA

MFUSA's choice: Kasey Keller

A tight race, with three very deserving candidates. Thornton was a brick wall for Chivas, and Donovan Ricketts made a massive difference for a Galaxy squad that was so poor defensively last year; but it was Keller, a calming, veteran presence at the back for the expansion Sounders, that set the tone for his squad all season. Despite stretches where goals were at a premium, the Sounders were still able to get the results they needed to make the playoffs, and I give a good portion of that credit to Keller.


Comeback Player of the Year Finalists

Brian McBride – Chicago Fire

Ben Olsen – D.C. United

Zach Thornton – Chivas USA

MFUSA's choice: Zach Thornton

Thornton may get beaten out in the Goalkeeper of the Year voting, but he seems the clear choice for Comeback Player of the Year. No one saw Thornton's season coming, and he ably stepped in for the departed Brad Guzan between the pipes for Chivas. Much of what Thornton does defies physics, which makes his candidacy in both the categories he's nominated in all the more amazing. Thornton is a no-brainer here.


Defender of the Year Finalists

Geoff Cameron – Houston Dynamo

Jhon Kennedy Hurtado – Seattle Sounders FC

Chad Marshall – Columbus Crew

MFUSA's choice: Chad Marshall

Marshall won this award last year, and there's no reason to believe he won't again this year; the other two candidates are certainly worthy, but neither is to Marshall's level. Cameron's versatility is a massive asset for the Dynamo, but it might actually hurt him for this award. Hurtado has been solid, but hasn't convinced me that he's MLS elite quite yet.


Rookie of the Year Finalists

Stefan Frei – Toronto FC

Omar Gonzalez – Los Angeles Galaxy

Chris Pontius – D.C. United

MFUSA's choice: Chris Pontius

Frei was very good for a rookie keeper. Gonzalez was steady for LA, but was prone to mistakes on occasion. Pontius wasn't far and away the rookie of the year, and there were other candidates around the league, but he was the best of this group. DC United looked like a more dangerous team when Pontius was on the field, and he rarely looked like a rookie.


Coach of the Year Finalists

Bruce Arena – Los Angeles Galaxy

Sigi Schmid – Seattle Sounders FC

Robert Warzycha – Columbus Crew

MFUSA's choice: Bruce Arena

We knew Columbus was good, and although it took them a little while to get on track, Warzycha still had a lot of talent to work with. Sigi did a wonderful job getting his expansion team to the playoffs, and that shouldn't be dismissed. But Arena's job seemed the most difficult to me, and he took a terrible team from 2008 and turned them into a conference winner. What he was able to do with LA's goals allowed alone is worthy of this award.


MLS Most Valuable Player Finalists

Jeff Cunningham – FC Dallas

Landon Donovan – Los Angeles Galaxy

Shalrie Joseph – New England Revolution

MFUSA's choice: Sharlie Joseph

I'm an old-fashioned guy; the MVP award for me is about who was the most important guy for his particular team rather than who was the best or highest-scoring player in the league. Donovan is the best player, Cunningham the highest-scoring; but Joseph was the most important, because the Revs would have been dead in the water without him. Versatile, relentless, and always good for his best effort, Joseph picked up slack all over the Revolution formation, created because they were so decimated by injuries at key spots this year. Joseph is the MVP because not only do I think the Revs wouldn't have made the playoffs without him, I'm not sure Steve Nichol would still be employed.


Alright, your turn: shoot holes in my choices and give me yours.