Robbie Keane or Lee Nguyen for MVP? Biggest surprise of the season? Rookie of the Year? We put these and other questions to a panel of ASN pundits. Read their take and then tell us what we got wrong.

BY Staff Posted

October 24, 2014

1:22 PM SHARE THIS STORY



BRIAN SCIARETTA

—Lee Nguyen—Steve Birnbaum—Oscar Pareja—Matt Hedges—Toronto FC’s failure—Wil Trapp

There were some really tough decisions, but I would begin with Lee Nguyen for MLS Most Valuable Player. Robbie Keane will likely win the award but Los Angeles is still a very good team without Keane. New England is not in the playoffs without Nguyen; with him, it is a contender for the Cup.

Steve Birnbaum may be a bit under the radar for Rookie of the Year but he has been a steady presence in D.C. United’s remarkable turnaround this year. Similarly, Oscar Pareja has done a fantastic job coaching a very young Dallas team in a competitive and talented Western Conference.

For me, Matt Hedges is the defender of the year. While unlikely to win the award, he has been a key part of a very good FC Dallas team. At just 24, he is one of the youngest captains in the league and has held the backline together.

Most people will consider the surprising turnaround of DC United to be the surprise of this season. That’s not a bad answer but I think this year will be remembered more for the surprise that was Toronto’s failure. It proved that money cannot buy MLS success and that a few top players can’t carry an otherwise mediocre team. Like any other league, a team needs depth.

Thierry Henry’s comments last week prove what everyone else has seen. Trapp was the best young player in the league this season.

Blake Thomsen

—Robbie Keane—Harry Shipp—Ben Olsen—A.J. DeLaGarza—Golden Boot for Bradley Wright-Phillips—Wil Trapp

With apologies to Obafemi Martins, Lee Nguyen, and Landon Donovan, Robbie Keane has been the best player in MLS this season. Nineteen goals and 14 assists don’t lie, and special props for carrying the Galaxy attack on his back in the first three months of the season, when he scored seven times in a stretch where Donovan struggled and Gyasi Zardes had yet to take off. Meanwhile, Harry Shipp is my ROY in a down year for rookies in MLS. His seven goals and six assists likely would have been far higher had Mike Magee been fully fit all season.

Along with making Ben Olsen the auto-pick for Coach of the Year, the D.C. turnaround really could have qualified for Surprise of the Year, too. But to avoid repetition, I’ll give that to Bradley Wright-Phillips, whose 25 (!) goals came out of nowhere.

Defender of the Year and Best Player Under 22 both go to exceptionally steady players on playoff teams. A.J. DeLaGarza has excelled at all four defensive positions for the league’s stingiest defense, while Wil Trapp has made the proverbial “leap” in 2014.

John Godfrey

—Robbie Keane—Bruce Arena—Michael Parkhurst—Don Garber Pouts in Public—Wil Trapp

As much as I would like to go along with ASN's informed readership and name Ngyuen as my MVP, this is Robbie Keane's year. His 2014 performance ranks with the best in league history—scoring, sharing, and serving as the undisputed leader on a squad full of big personalities. Love Nguyen's game and I am desperate to see him called up to the U.S. national team, but his 2014 campaign is a rung or two below Keane's.

Ben Olsen will win MLS Coach of the Year, but just to be a contrarian I will choose Bruce Arena. He produced the best offense in the league, the best defense, the best record (tied with Seattle as of today), and the best quotes . Also relevant: Arena always makes the most out of his supporting players—Robbie Rogers, Baggio Husidic, Alan Gordon, Dan Gargan, etc.

Apparently Michael Parkhurst has 89 interceptions this year—that's 33 more than Lem Barney had his entire career! Fantasy soccer stats—whatever. The Columbus captain has lifted the Crew into the playoffs for the first time since 2011, making the team a tough out along the way. The 2007 MLS Defender of the Year should make room on his mantle for a second trophy.

BROOKE TUNSTALL

—Lee Nguyen—Steve Birnbaum—Ben Olsen—A.J. DeLaGarza—Dom Dwyer—DeAndre Yedlin

Nguyen gets the over Obafemi Martins and Robbie Keane because he didn’t have as good or as experienced a supporting cast and carried the Revs till Jermaine Jones arrived. The Revs are a legit contender because of Nguyen. Harry Shipp and Tesho Akindele got off to faster starts but faded down the stretch while Steve Birnbaum has played every minute the past 20 games and helped United finish with the second-stingiest defense in the league.The stingiest defense in the league belongs to the Galaxy and their steadiest player has been DeLaGarza, who has filled in across the backline and led the unit when Omar Gonzalez was away with the national team (11 goals allowed in the 11 games Gonzalez missed with the U.S.) and he did all this while facing the terrible tragedy of a sick newborn who ultimately lost his battle. Last year D.C. won three games and was one of the worst teams in league history; this year they’re conference champs and they’ve completed this turnaround without superstars or many Best XI performances and Olsen is a large reason why as he’s built a team in his image. Only a handful of players have ever scored 20 goals in a season in MLS. That Dwyer, who entered his third season in MLS with just 2 goals and now has 22 this year—among the 10-best scoring seasons in league history—is something not even Sporting KC’s biggest backers saw coming. Since turning pro last year Yedlin has shown for both club and country the value of a coach willing to show faith in a young player and when you factor in his performance in Brazil and how well the Sounders have played, he’s has the best season of any player 22-and-under in MLS. OK, that's our take. Now we want to hear yours. The Comments section is open for business.