Pulisic beaten to US Soccer Male Player of the Year as EPL star takes award

Antonee Robinson has been named the 2024 US Soccer Male Player of the Year, becoming the first defender to win the accolade in nearly two decades.

The 27-year-old, who is enjoying an excellent season for Premier League club Fulham, was today announced as the award winner by former USMNT goalkeeper Tom Howard.

Winning Male Player of the Year “feels unreal”

“I think 2024 for you, both for club and country, has been incredibly impressive,” Howard told Robinson, who won his 50th USMNT cap in November. “I know you’ve had some good seasons before that, but this is the year where I feel like people are starting to use your name and ‘world-class left-back’ in the same sentence.”

“It’s an honor,” Robinson said of the award. “Representing my country in general is an honor, it’s not something I do for any individual accolades.

“It’s always putting the team first, doing everything I can to make sure I’m trying my best for the boys and trying to represent the country well. So, to be rewarded like that for that, it feels, I can’t really describe it, it feels unreal.”

Robinson is the first defender to win US Soccer Male Player of the Year since Oguchi Onyewu in 2006.

Robinson an assist ace for Fulham in 2024

The left-back is one of just three defenders who registered 10 assists in Europe’s five major leagues in 2024, alongside Bayer Leverkusen’s Álex Grimaldo and Girona’s Miguel Gutiérrez.

This season, Robinson has supplied seven assists in 19 appearances for Fulham, all in the Premier League. In the English top flight, only Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah (13) and Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka (10) have set up more goals than the UK-born American in 2024/25.

Who else was nominated for Male Player of the Year?

From a list of nominees that also included Folarin Balogun, Ricardo Pepi, Christian Pulisic and Tim Ream, Robinson accrued 55% of the votes for the Male Player of the Year award. The prize is chosen by both the public and representatives of US Soccer.

Get your game on! Whether you’re into NFL touchdowns, NBA buzzer-beaters, world-class soccer goals, or MLB home runs, our app has it all.

Dive into live coverage, expert insights, breaking news, exclusive videos, and more – plus, stay updated on the latest in current affairs and entertainment. Download now for all-access coverage, right at your fingertips – anytime, anywhere.