MLS
MLS announces 2023 Year-End Award Categories & Nominees
MLS has announced all the available awards for the end of season celebrations, as well as the nominated players.
Major League Soccer has announced the awards for the Year-End awards for the 2023 season, as well as all nominated players, managers and referees.
The governing body of soccer in America have also made public that voting will begin on October 10 and finish on October 23, which is two days after Decision Day (end of MLS regular season).
How does voting work for MLS Year-End awards?
As put by MLS, “the winner in each category will be determined following a vote by journalists, club technical staffs, and MLS players, with each group accounting for 33.3% of the total vote. Club technical staffs and players may not vote for their own team’s nominees.”
As well as this, it has been announced that fans will have the opportunity to have their say on the top moments of the 2023 season with both the AT&T 5G Goal of the Year and MLS Save of the Year awards.
What are the award categories for the 2023 Year-End MLS awards?
The categories that have been announced are as follows:
MLS 2023 Year-End awards:
- Landon Donovan MLS Most Valuable Player
- Sigi Schmid MLS Coach of the Year
- MLS Best XI presented by Continental Tire
- Allstate MLS Goalkeeper of the Year
- MLS Defender of the Year
- MLS Comeback Player of the Year
- MLS Newcomer of the Year
- MLS Young Player of the Year
- Audi Goals Drive Progress Impact Award presented by MLS WORKS
- MLS Referee of the Year
- MLS Assistant Referee of the Year
Which players have been nominated for the 2023 Year-End MLS awards?
Landon Donovan MLS MVP
Nominees:
- Acosta, Luciano (CIN)
- Almada, Thiago (ATL)
- Artur (HOU)
- Benteke, Christian (DC)
- Blake, Andre (PHI)
- Bouanga, Dénis (LAFC)
- Bürki, Roman (STL)
- Busquets, Sergio (MIA)
- Carranza, Julián (PHI)
- Choinière, Mathieu (MTL)
- Espinoza, Cristian (SJ)
- Ferreira, Jesús (DAL)
- Frei, Stefan (SEA)
- Gauld, Ryan (VAN)
- Giakoumakis, Giorgos (ATL)
- Gil, Carles (NE)
- Hernández, Cucho (CLB)
- Herrera, Héctor (HOU)
- Messi, Lionel (MIA)
- Morris, Jordan (SEA)
- Mukhtar, Hany (NSH)
- Parks, Keaton (NYC)
- Puig, Riqui (LA)
- Pulido, Alan (SKC)
- Reynoso, Emanuel (MIN)
- Rodríguez, Santiago (NYC)
- Sirois, Jonathan (MTL)
- Swiderski, Karol (CLT)
- Thommy, Erik (SKC)
- Torres, Facundo (ORL)
Allstate MLS Goalkeeper of the Year
Nominees:
- Barraza, Luis (NYC)
- Blake, Andre (PHI)
- Bond, Jonathan (LA)
- Bürki, Roman (STL)
- Callender, Drake (MIA)
- Celentano, Roman (CIN)
- Clark, Steve (HOU)
- Coronel, Carlos (RBNY)
- Daniel (SJ)
- Frei, Stefan (SEA)
- Gallese, Pedro (ORL)
- Guzan, Brad (ATL)
- Johnson, Sean (TOR)
- Kahlina, Kristijan (CLT)
- MacMath, Zac (RSL)
- McCarthy, John (LAFC)
- Melia, Tim (SKC)
- Paes, Maarten (DAL)
- Schulte, Patrick (CLB)
- Sirois, Jonathan (MTL)
- St. Clair, Dayne (MIN)
- Takaoka, Yohei (VAN)
- Willis, Joe (NSH)
MLS Defender of the Year
Nominees:
- Alba, Jordi (MIA)
- Blackmon, Tristan (VAN)
- Boxall, Michael (MIN)
- Bravo, Claudio (POR)
- Carlos, Antônio (ORL)
- Corbo, Gabriele (MTL)
- Elliott, Jack (PHI)
- Escobar, Franco (HOU)
- Franklin, Kobe (TOR)
- Glad, Justen (RSL)
- Glesnes, Jakob (PHI)
- Gómez Andrade, Yeimar (SEA)
- Gray, Tayvon (NYC)
- Jansson, Robin (ORL)
- Jones, DeJuan (NE)
- Lennon, Brooks (ATL)
- Malanda, Adilson (CLT)
- Martins, Thiago (NYC)
- Maxsø, Andreas (COL)
- Mensah, Jonathan (SJ)
- Miazga, Matt (CIN)
- Miller, Kamal (MIA)
- Moore, Shaq (NSH)
- Moreira, Steven (CLB)
- Mosquera, Yerson (CIN)
- Ndenbe, Logan (SKC)
- Nouhou (SEA)
- Palacios, Diego (LAFC)
- Parker, Tim (STL)
- Reyes, Andrés (RBNY)
- Robinson, Miles (ATL)
- Rodrigues (SJ)
- Romney, Dave (NE)
- Rosero, Dany (SKC)
- Sviatchenko, Erik (HOU)
- Tafari, Nkosi (DAL)
- Tapias, Micky (MIN)
- Veselinović, Ranko (VAN)
- Waterman, Joel (MTL)
- Williams, Derrick (DC)
- Zimmerman, Walker (NSH)
- Zuparic, Dario (POR)
MLS Newcomer of the Year
MLS define newcomer as “a player who had previous professional experience and made his MLS debut in 2023″.
Nominees:
- Agyemang, Patrick (CLT)
- Bakrar, Mounsef (NYC)
- Bassi, Amine (HOU)
- Bogusz, Mateusz (LAFC)
- Boyd, Tyler (LA)
- Busquets, Sergio (MIA)
- Calegari, Lucas (LA)
- Coello, Alonso (TOR)
- Daniel (SJ)
- Eneli, Emeka (RSL)
- Evander (POR)
- Giakoumakis, Giorgos (ATL)
- Illenic, Mitja (NYC)
- Kamungo, Bernard (DAL)
- Klich, Mateusz (DC)
- Löwen, Eduard (STL)
- Messi, Lionel (MIA)
- Mosquera, Yerson (CIN)
- Privett, Andrew (CLT)
- Radoja, Nemanja (SKC)
- Rosero, Dany (SKC)
- Santos, Rafael (ORL)
- Surridge, Sam (NSH)
- Sviatchenko, Erik (HOU)
- Takaoka, Yohei (VAN)
- Thórhallsson, Dagur Dan (ORL)
- Vera, Brayan (RSL)
MLS Young Player of the Year
The criteria for this award, according to MLS, is “the best young player in MLS during the 2023 regular season. For this award, any “young player” in MLS who is age 22 or younger during the calendar year is eligible for the award. For 2023, any player born on or after Jan. 1, 2001, is eligible. Any player born on or before Dec. 31, 2000, is ineligible”.
Nominees:
- Almada, Thiago (ATL)
- Atencio, Josh (SEA)
- Bajraktarevic, Esmir (NE)
- Bogusz, Mateusz (LAFC)
- Brady, Chris (CHI)
- Buck, Noel (NE)
- Cowell, Cade (SJ)
- Cremaschi, Benjamin (MIA)
- Davis, Jake (SKC)
- Farías, Facundo (MIA)
- Franklin, Kobe (TOR)
- Gómez, Andrés (RSL)
- Haak, Justin (NYC)
- Harriel, Nathan (PHI)
- Jackson, Aziel (STL)
- Jasson, Andres (NYC)
- Kerr, Deandre (TOR)
- Ku-DiPietro, Ted (DC)
- Luna, Diego (RSL)
- Malanda, Adilson (CLT)
- McGlynn, Jack (PHI)
- McGuire, Duncan (ORL)
- Morris, Aidan (CLB)
- Mosquera, Juan (POR
- Mosquera, Yerson (CIN)
- Neal, Jalen (LA)
- Quiñónes, Nelson (HOU)
- Schulte, Patrick (CLB)
- Sirois, Jonathan (MTL)
- Tolkin, John (RBNY)
- Tsakiris, Niko (SJ)
- Vargas, Obed (SEA)
- Velasco, Alan (DAL)
- Vilsaint, Jules-Anthony (MTL)
- Vite, Pedro (VAN)
Wiley, Caleb (ATL)
Wolff, Owen (ATX)
Yapi, Darren (COL)
MLS Comeback Player of the Year
MLS says that this award “honours an MLS player who has overcome a severe injury and/or adversity and, as a result, missed a significant portion of the 2022 season – then shown improved performance to achieve success during the 2023 regular season”.
Nominees:
- Arias, Santiago (CIN)
- Guzan, Brad (ATL)
- Hines-Ike, Brendan (DC)
- Jansson, Robin (ORL)
- Kreilach, Damir (RSL)
- Mora, Felipe (POR)
- Nilsson, Joakim (STL)
- Osorio, Jonathan (TOR)
- Parks, Keaton (NYC)
- Paulo, João (SEA)
- Pulido, Alan (SKC)
- Reyes, Andrés (RBNY)
- Robinson, Miles (ATL)
- Smith, Brad (HOU)
- Westwood, Ashley (CLT)
- Wood, Bobby (NE)
Audi Goals Drive Progress Impact Award
“This award recognises an MLS player who demonstrates excellence in driving progress in their communities. Their dedication to charitable efforts and social impact work creates sustainable communities, fosters equity inclusions, and enriches the lives of those in need across the U.S. and Canada”, says MLS.
Nominees:
- Arriola, Paul (DAL)
- Bedoya, Alejandro (PHI)
- Beitashour, Steven (COL)
- Bernardeschi, Federico (TOR)
- Chol, Machop (ATL)
- Clark, Steve (HOU)
- Durkin, Chris (DC)
- Farrell, Andrew (NE)
- Frei, Stefan (SEA)
- Kann, Alec (CIN)
- MacMath, Zac (RSL)
- Marcinkowski, JT (SJ)
- Marks, George (CLT)
- Martins, Felipe (ORL)
- Nagbe, Darlington (CLB)
- Neal, Jalen (LA)
- Omsberg, Wyatt (CHI)
- Parks, Keaton (NYC)
- Piette, Samuel (MTL)
- Sánchez, Ilie (LAFC)
- Stuver, Brad (ATX)
- Teibert, Russell (TOR)
- Ulloa, Victor (MIA)
- Washington, Taylor (NSH)
- Williamson, Eryk (POR)
- Yaro, Josh (STL)
- Zusi, Graham (SKC)
Sigi Schmid MLS Coach of the Year
Nominees:
- Carnell, Bradley (STL)
- Cherundolo, Steve (LAFC)
- Curtin, Jim (PHI)
- Cushing, Nick (NYC)
- Estévez, Nico (DAL)
- Gonzalez, Luchi (SJ)
- Heath, Adrian (MIN)
- Lattanzio, Christian (CLT)
- Lesesne, Troy (RBNY)
- Losada, Hernán (MTL)
- Martino, Gerardo (MIA)
- Mastroeni, Pablo (RSL)
- Nancy, Wilfried (CLB)
- Noonan, Pat (CIN)
- Olsen, Ben (HOU)
- Pareja, Oscar (ORL)
- Pineda, Gonzalo (ATL)
- Rooney, Wayne (DC)
- Sartini, Vanni (VAN)
- Schmetzer, Brian (SEA)
- Smith, Gary (NSH)
- Vanney, Greg (LA)
- Vermes, Peter (SKC)
MLS Referee of the Year
Nominees:
- Freemon, Jon
- Rivas, Victor
- Unkel, Ted
MLS Assistant Referee of the Year
Nominees:
- Barwegen, Micheal
- Blanchard, Cam
- McKay, Ian