Philadelphia Union forward Conor Casey was named one of three finalists for the 2013 MLS Comeback Player of the Year, Major League Soccer announced today. The winners for each award will be revealed in the coming weeks.
In his first year with the Union, Casey scored 10 goals and added five assists in 31 appearances during the 2013 MLS Regular Season, helping lead the club to its most victories (12) in franchise history. Before joining Philadelphia, Casey suffered a season-ending torn Achilles in 2011 as a member of the Colorado Rapids and scored two goals the following year. The winner of Comeback Player of the Year is scheduled to be announced by MLS Dec. 2. Other finalists in the category include Kevin Alston (New England Revolution) and Lamar Neagle (Seattle Sounders FC)
The finalists, listed in alphabetical order below for each award, 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 2013
This season’s most outstanding individual plays will be honored on Thursday, Dec. 5 when the AT&T Goal of the Year and the Save of the Year are announced. Voting for the Goal and Save of the Year is conducted on the League’s official web site MLSsoccer.com.
The awards announcements conclude on Thursday, Dec. 5 with the unveiling of the 2013 Volkswagen MLS Most Valuable Player.
2013 Major League Soccer Awards Finalists
(Listed in alphabetical order by last name within each award category)
AT&T Rookie of the Year Finalists
Deshorn Brown (Colorado Rapids)
Dillon Powers (Colorado Rapids)
DeAndre Yedlin (Seattle Sounders FC)
Xbox Individual Fair Play Finalists*
Jalil Anibaba (Chicago Fire)
Nat Borchers (Real Salt Lake)
Darlington Nagbe (Portland Timbers)
*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*
Houston Dynamo
LA Galaxy
Vancouver Whitecaps FC
*Selected by MLS based on objective criteria such as fewest fouls committed, cards received, and on subjective evaluation of sportsmanlike behavior.
Defender of the Year Finalists
Matt Besler (Sporting Kansas City)
Jose Goncalves (New England Revolution)
Omar Gonzalez (LA Galaxy)
MLS WORKS Humanitarian of the Year Finalists
Jeb Brovsky (Montreal Impact)
Dwayne De Rosario (D.C. United)
Matt Reis (New England Revolution)
Referee of the Year Finalists
Ismail Elfath
Hilario Grajeda
Baldomero Toledo
Assistant Referee of the Year Finalists
Frank Anderson
Bill Dittmar
Kermit Quisenberry
Coach of the Year Finalists
Jason Kreis (Real Salt Lake)
Mike Petke (New York Red Bulls)
Caleb Porter (Portland Timbers)
Comeback Player of the Year Finalists
Kevin Alston (New England Revolution)
Conor Casey (Philadelphia Union)
Lamar Neagle (Seattle Sounders FC)
Allstate Goalkeeper of the Year Finalists
Jimmy Nielsen (Sporting Kansas City)
Donovan Ricketts (Portland Timbers)
Nick Rimando (Real Salt Lake)
Newcomer of the Year Finalists
Jose Goncalves (New England Revolution)
Nigel Reo-Coker (Vancouver Whitecaps FC)
Diego Valeri (Portland Timbers)
Volkswagen Most Valuable Player Finalists
Marco DiVaio (Montreal Impact)
Robbie Keane (LA Galaxy)
Mike Magee (Chicago Fire)
Awards Announcements Schedule:
Schedule subject to change
November 25: AT&T Rookie of the Year, Xbox Fair Play Individual & Team of the Year
November 26: 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 and Comeback Player of the Year
December 3: 2013 MLS Best XI
December 4: Allstate Goalkeeper of the Year and Newcomer of the Year
December 5: AT&T Goal of the Year, MLS Save of the Year and Volkswagen MLS MVP