VANCOUVER, BC – We saw this one coming.
Major League Soccer announced today that Vancouver Whitecaps FC captain Pedro Morales is one of three finalists for the 2014 MLS Newcomer of the Year award.
After joining Whitecaps FC on a free transfer from La Liga side Málaga CF, Morales made an immediate impact in MLS – recording a goal and an assist in a memorable 25-minute debut.
From there, he never looked back. The Chilean playmaker led Whitecaps FC with 10 goals and 12 assists, becoming the first ‘Caps player to hit double digits in both categories in a single MLS season. His combined 22 goals and assists were the most among first-year players in MLS. The next closest player had 13.
The Designated Player quickly established himself as one of the most dangerous attacking midfielders in MLS and played a massive part in leading Whitecaps FC to the MLS Cup Playoffs.
Case in point: Vancouver’s record when Morales recorded a goal or assist was 10W-1L-4D. It’s no surprise, therefore, that he was the fans' overwhelming choice for the 2014 Whitecaps FC BMO Player of the Year. He also was also a finalist for the 2014 Latino Del Ano.
In addition to Morales, LA Galaxy midfielder Stefan Ishizaki and New England Revolution midfielder Jermaine Jones were also named finalists for the 2014 MLS Newcomer of the Year award, which is handed out to a player who has professional experience in another league and had an outstanding first season in MLS.
The finalists for each award, listed in alphabetical order below, earned the most votes in polling of three voting groups:
· Current MLS players
· MLS Clubs (Coaches, Technical Directors, Chief Business Officers and PR/Community Relations)
· Media members who covered MLS regularly in 2014
The winner of the 2014 MLS Newcomer of the Year will be revealed on December 3.
2014 Major League Soccer Awards Finalists
(Listed in alphabetical order by last name within each award category)
Volkswagen Most Valuable Player Finalists
Robbie Keane (LA Galaxy)
Obafemi Martins (Seattle Sounders FC)
Lee Nguyen (New England Revolution)
AT&T Rookie of the Year Finalists
Tesho Akindele (FC Dallas)
Steven Birnbaum (D.C. United)
Harrison Shipp (Chicago Fire)
Defender of the Year Finalists
Bobby Boswell (D.C. United)
Omar Gonzalez (LA Galaxy)
Chad Marshall (Seattle Sounders FC)
Coach of the Year Finalists
Gregg Berhalter (Columbus Crew SC)
Ben Olsen (D.C. United)
Sigi Schmid (Seattle Sounders FC)
Comeback Player of the Year Finalists
Charlie Davies (New England Revolution)
Stefan Frei (Seattle Sounders FC)
Rodney Wallace (Portland Timbers)
Allstate Goalkeeper of the Year Finalists
Steve Clark (Columbus Crew SC)
Bill Hamid (D.C. United)
Nick Rimando (Real Salt Lake)
Newcomer of the Year Finalists
Stefan Ishizaki (LA Galaxy)
Jermaine Jones (New England Revolution)
Pedro Morales (Vancouver Whitecaps FC)
MLS WORKS Humanitarian of the Year Finalists
Diego Chara (Portland Timbers)
AJ DeLaGarza (LA Galaxy)
Zach Loyd (FC Dallas)
Xbox Individual Fair Play Finalists
Darlington Nagbe (Portland Timbers)
Michael Parkhurst (Columbus Crew SC)
Harrison Shipp (Chicago Fire)
Selected by MLS based on objective criteria such as fouls committed, cards received, games & minutes played, as well as subjective evaluation of sportsmanlike behavior.
Xbox Team Fair Play Finalists
LA Galaxy
Philadelphia Union
Real Salt Lake
Selected by MLS based on objective criteria such as fewest fouls committed, cards received, and on subjective evaluation of sportsmanlike behavior.
Referee of the Year Finalists
Mark Geiger
Jair Marrufo
Alan Kelly
Assistant Referee of the Year Finalists
Peter Manikowski
Paul Scott
Adam Wienckowski
Awards Announcements Schedule:
Schedule subject to change
November 24: AT&T Rookie of the Year, Xbox Fair Play Individual and Team of the Year
November 25: MLS Defender of the Year, MLS WORKS Humanitarian of the Year, and Referee/Assistant Referee of the Year
December 2: MLS Coach of the Year, Comeback Player of the Year and MLS Best XI
December 3: Allstate Goalkeeper of the Year, Newcomer of the Year and Volkswagen MLS MVP
December 4: AT&T Goal of the Year, MLS Save of the Year
Participate in the best sporting experience in Vancouver! 2015 Whitecaps FC Season Tickets are on sale now. In addition to Season Tickets, Whitecaps FC offer a flexible range of ticket products, including Half-Season Packs, 5-Packs, Student Half-Season Tickets, and a Youth Soccer Half-Season Ticket. For more information on 2015 Season Tickets, visit whitecapsfc.com/tickets.
