NEW YORK (September 20, 2022) – Major League Soccer today announced the 2022 Year-End Awards nomination and voting procedures for the 15 performance-based honours that will be awarded following the 2022 MLS regular season. As excitement builds down the final stretch of competition, the forthcoming celebration to recognize the league’s top contributors will be on the horizon.
Voting will be conducted online through a password-protected ballot. For each award, the votes from clubs, players, and media members will represent an equal share of 33.3 percent of the total vote. Each club vote includes one vote from the club’s head coach and one from either a Technical Director or General Manager. Clubs and players may not vote for their own team’s nominees. Votes cast for a club’s own nominees will not be counted.
Beginning Tuesday, Sept. 20, MLS clubs will have a seven-day nomination period to submit their top candidates to the MLS League Office for inclusion on the 2022 MLS Year-End Awards ballot. MLSsoccer.com will publish the official ballot on Wednesday, Sept. 28 before the 12-day voting period opens to media, club technical staffs, and MLS players from Sept. 30 at12 p.m. ET, through Oct. 10 at5 p.m. ET.
A listing of all 15 awards categories and respective nomination criteria can be found here.
MLS clubs may nominate up to two players for the following awards:
· Landon Donovan MLS Most Valuable Player
· MLS Defender of the Year
· MLS Comeback Player of the Year
· MLS Newcomer of the Year
· MLS Young Player of the Year
Additionally, clubs may nominate one candidate for the following awards:
· Allstate MLS Goalkeeper of the Year
· Sigi Schmid MLS Coach of the Year
· MLS WORKS Humanitarian of the Year
· AT&T MLS Goal of the Year
· MLS Save of the Year presented by Allstate
The MLS Golden Boot presented by Audi is awarded to the player with the most goals at the end of the regular season. With a close race for this statistically-determined honour, the announcement of the 2022 MLS Golden Boot presented by Audi will be made after the final whistle on MLS Decision Day 2022, Sunday, Oct. 9.
AT&T MLS Goal of the Year and MLS Save of the Year presented by Allstate will be administered by MLSsoccer.com via online voting open to fans from Oct. 12-14.
The MLS Best XI – a compilation of the 11 best players by position from the 2022 season – will be determined by write-in votes from clubs, players, and media members with all players who appeared in a match during the 2022 season eligible for a vote. Voters will be asked to select 11 players, including one goalkeeper, at least three defenders, at least three midfielders, and at least two forwards in a common soccer formation (4-3-3, 3-4-3, 4-4-2, etc.). Players will be ranked from most to least votes, then selected by position to the Best XI.
The Professional Referee Organization will facilitate a nomination process – which includes participation from both MLS match officials and PRO management – to determine which candidates make the ballot for MLS Referee and Assistant Referee of the Year awards.
Additional information regarding the 2022 MLS Year-End Awards nomination process and voting procedures can be found here.
2022 MLS YEAR-END AWARDS TIMELINE
Sept. 20-27 - 2 p.m. PT / 5 p.m. ET
Nomination window for clubs to submit MLS Year-End Awards candidates
Sept. 28 - 2 p.m. PT / 5 p.m. ET
Ballots published on MLSsoccer.com
Sept 30 - 9 a.m. PT / 12 p.m. ET
Voting opens to media, club technical staff, and MLS players
Oct. 10 - 2 p.m. PT / 5 p.m. ET
Voting closes
Oct. 9-Nov. 4 - TBC
2022 MLS Year-End Award winners announced
