The first of Major League Soccer’s end of season awards is in, with Chivas USA’s Brad Guzan winning Goalkeeper of the Year, Michael Parkhurst of the New England Revolution taking home the MLS Fair Play award, and the Columbus Crew earning the MLS Team Fair Play award. The awards were voted on by members of the media and MLS players, coaches and general managers.
Guzan, a third-year veteran at just 23, led his club to first place in the Western Conference (15-7-8) with a league record 13 shutouts, 14 wins and a goals against average of 0.93 (he finished second in each of the latter two categories). The Chivas USA keeper’s shutout tally ranks second all-time behind Tony Meola’s 16 shutouts in 2000. Guzan became the 10th different goalkeeper to win the award, finishing ahead of Houston’s Pat Onstad and New England’s Matt Reis.
New England’s Parkhurst was the obvious choice for Fair Play. The central defender committed just five fouls all season (he played 25 games) and never received a single yellow or red card. These are some remarkable stats for a guy who’s generally considered one of the best defenders in the league. Columbus, meanwhile, claimed its Fair Play prize for the fewest disciplinary points accumulated over the course of the season.