Major League Soccer's 16th season is in the box and might have been the best ever, finishing with its Hollywood ending of David Beckham and LA Galaxy winning the MLS Cup final courtesy of Landon Donovan's goal.

A lot of the 2011 headlines focused out west, with two new teams added to the fold out in the Pacific Northwest. Portland and Vancouver continued to stoke the fires of the frenzy started by Seattle's introduction to the league back in 2009, further lifting the aura of the region's passion for the game. When two of the sides squared off, it signaled significant moments for the league. The packed crowds at JELD-WEN Field in Portland and Vancouver's recently opened BC Place created simply breathtaking atmospheres.

And while neither of the debutants could make the playoffs, there were plenty of fireworks elsewhere, as a new postseason system created a whirlwind of a playoff run, ending on Sunday in Los Angeles. Looking back at the whole year, here are some of our suggestions for this year's best, brightest, and not so great moments – feel free to disagree or make your own picks in the comments section below:

Goal of the year

How to choose one from the collection of truly stunning and spectacular strikes this season? Carlos Ruiz hit this bomb for Philadelphia before bolting town:

Out in Portland, rookie Darlington Nagbe's touch and skill on this volley would've been the clear winner every other year.

But then there was Vancouver's enigmatic striker Eric Hassli and his thumping volley past Kasey Keller. While there was a scant hint of luck to it – not to mention a poor defensive giveaway in the build up – the shot was a thing of beauty, and the equalizer against rivals Seattle.

You decide.

Worst miss

For all the quality finishes around the league this season, there were also some howlers. Few can surely top this one – Sporting KC's left back Seth Sinovic, with the goal gaping and defense flailing, somehow manages to lift a shot over an empty frame off a cross from Omar Bravo. Good thing his team went on to win this game against Houston 3-0, and this can always serve as a reminder to Sinovic as why he plays as a left back:

Save of the year

It's not always the goalkeepers making the best saves of the season. While Sporting KC's Jimmy Nielsen's double-save against Seattle was impressive, how about these two: Tim Ream's goal-line clearance against the Galaxy, and Real Salt Lake's Tony Beltran with this header off Seattle center back Jeff Parke's shot in the playoffs. Seattle came back to score twice in the second half, meaning Beltran's header provided the winning difference.

Or perhaps the goalkeeper's union would prefer one of their own.

Player of the year

It's not often the best player in the league gets shuffled around to three different teams in one season. Or that his team failed to qualify for the playoffs. But you can make a strong case for D.C. United's Dwayne De Rosario, whose majestic second half of the season in particular catapulted him to the top of the league's goal-scoring charts. In all, his 16 goals and 12 assists represented the highest offensive output of the season, and his hat trick on September 24 was one of the best performances of the year.

But there are many other worthwhile candidates: Brad Davis (Houston Dynamo), Brek Shea (FC Dallas) and David Beckham (LA Galaxy) each building a strong case. Perhaps no category in MLS has proved as divisive this offseason – tell us who we missed.

Rookie of the year

It was a pretty impressive group of first-year contributors this year, but it was Sporting KC's C.J. Sapong who stood out above other rookies like D.C. United's Perry Kitchen and Rich Balchan of the Columbus Crew. Sapong's six goals (including this one against Colorado in the playoffs) was a modest return, but he made 40 appearances across all competitions, and was able to lift more than his fair share, helping KC make its worst-to-first turnaround from the start of the season.

Worst hair

The short MLS career of Brek Shea has revealed some of the worst hairstyles the league has ever seen. The 21-year-old Shea ended the season with a hairstyle that resembled a Mohawk. Vaguely.

Is there a method to his madness?

"I just don't like normal haircuts," Shea said in an interview on ussoccer.com. "Since I was a kid I've always done stuff a little different. I'm not really sure why, but I just like to do whatever I'm feeling. There's not much thinking involved."

Quite.

Tweet of the year

The proliferation of social media, both from a club and player perspective, spiraled. Players from around the league joined Twitter in particular, giving fans an insight into the day-to-day life of MLS, and team PR one more thing to worry about. Our favourite is perhaps defender Jay DeMerit, whose tweets even gave us insights on his Halloween garments.

Biggest Meltdown

Back in September, David Beckham and Salt Lake head coach Jason Kreis cozied up to each other in a brief brouhaha.

But Rafa Marquez's inexplicable decision to chuck a ball at Landon Donovan after New York's 1-0 loss to LA Galaxy started a fracas that ended up with the Mexican international suspended for not just the second leg of the playoff matchup, but for two additional games as well. That didn't stop Red Bulls Hans Backe from telling reporters that Marquez would be back in New York next year. He's just yanking our chains, right?

Manager of the year

The number of factors any manager has to deal with in MLS – long travel, tight budgets, a salary cap – makes success elusive. One coach has done a job to best the others: Houston's Dominic Kinnear. A former U.S. international with two MLS Cups already under his belt, the 44-year-old has made the right moves (including switching Geoff Cameron back to the center of defense) down the stretch, but couldn't quite claim the top prize. Credit too should go to LA's Bruce Arena who did claim the big prize.

Best goal celebration

Charlie Davies brought his dancing shoes to MLS and D.C. United this year:

But how about this in the Northwest: Back in June, Seattle's Roger Levesque scored one of the easiest goals of his career when he stripped Red Bulls goalkeeper Greg Sutton of the ball and slotted it into an empty net. But the nature of the goal was quickly forgetten because of the celebration that came with it, as Levesque headed straight for the advertising screens, popped on it, and plunged over the side onto his back, a la a scuba diver. Quite cheeky.

Team of the year

In a cheeky 3-5-2 formation:

Jon Busch (San Jose Earthquakes); Omar Gonzalez (LA Galaxy), Carlos Valdes (Philadelphia Union), Nat Borchers (Real Salt Lake); David Beckham (Galaxy), Brek Shea (FC Dallas), Brad Davis (Houston Dynamo), Kyle Beckerman (Real Salt Lake), Dwayne De Rosario (D.C. United); Chris Wondolowski (Earthquakes), Thierry Henry (New York Red Bulls)

Subs: Kasey Keller (Seattle Sounders), Todd Dunivant (Galaxy), Chad Marshall (Columbus Crew), Osvaldo Alonso (Sounders), Landon Donovan (Galaxy), Mauro Rosales (Sounders), Fredy Montero (Sounders)

Those are just some of our suggestions. What are your suggestions for these categories or any others you may wish to add?

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