ORLANDO, Fla. (Aug. 10, 2020)
- On Monday, Major League Soccer announced the nominations for its MLS is Back Tournament Awards, seeing seven Lions nominated across multiple categories.
Orlando City captain Nani has been nominated for both Player of the Tournament presented by adidas and Best XI presented by BODYARMOR. The Portuguese international leads the Lions in goal contributions at MLS is Back, having his hand in seven of Orlando City’s 11 finishes throughout the competition.
Goalkeeper Pedro Gallese and defender João Moutinho have also garnered two nominations apiece for the MLS is Back Tournament Awards. With 16 stops and a save percentage of .762% through the Lions’ six matches, Gallese has been nominated for the Golden Glove presented by Allstate along with Best XI. Moutinho has earned a nomination for Young Player of the Tournament presented by AT&T, part of a Lions backline that has yet to allow more than one goal in a single match throughout the entire tournament.
Joining Nani, Gallese and Moutinho with a Best XI nomination are defenders Antonio Carlos and Ruan, midfielder Mauricio Pereyra, and forward Chris Mueller.
Fans can vote online at MLSsoccer.com or at the league’s social channels. The fan vote will account for 25%, with the media voting on the other 75%. The full list of nominations can be found below.
Awards Finalists
Player of the Tournament presented by adidas
Andre Blake (PHI), Sebastián Blanco (POR),
Nani (ORL)
, Diego Rossi (LAFC)
Young Player of the Tournament presented by AT&T
For this award, “young player” is defined as a player age 22 or younger. Any player who will be 23 or older at any point during the 2020 calendar year is ineligible (i.e. player must be born on or after January 1, 1998).
Brenden Aaronson (PHI), Ayo Akinola (TOR),
João Moutinho (ORL)
, Diego Rossi (LAFC)
Golden Glove presented by Allstate
Andre Blake (PHI),
Pedro Gallese (ORL)
, Thomas Hasal (VAN), Matt Turner (NE)
Best XI presented by BODYARMOR
Goalkeepers: Andre Blake (PHI),
Pedro Gallese (ORL)
, Thomas Hasal (VAN), Matt Turner (NE)
Defenders: Michael Boxall (MIN), Brandon Bye (NE),
Antonio Carlos (ORL)
, Raymon Gaddis (PHI), Chase Gasper (MIN), Andrew Gutman (CIN), Aaron Herrera (RSL), Mark McKenzie (PHI), Jonathan Mensah (CLB),
João Moutinho (ORL)
, Larrys Mabiala (POR),
Ruan (ORL)
Midfielders: Brenden Aaronson (PHI), Osvaldo Alonso (MIN), Eduard Atuesta (LAFC), Sebastián Blanco (POR), Diego Chara (POR), Magnus Eriksson (SJ), Cristian Espinoza (SJ), Ethan Finlay (MIN), Ján Greguš (MIN), José Martínez (PHI), Jesus Medina (NYC), Jamiro Monteiro (PHI), Maxi Moralez (NYC), Darlington Nagbe (CLB),
Mauricio Pereyra (ORL)
, Alejandro Pozuelo (TOR), Victor Wanyama (MTL), Lucas Zelarayan (CLB)
Forwards: Ayo Akinola (TOR), Jeremy Ebobisse (POR), Jordan Morris (SEA),
Chris Mueller (ORL), Nani (ORL)
, Alan Pulido (SKC), Diego Rossi (LAFC), Sergio Santos (PHI), Chris Wondolowski (SJ), Bradley Wright-Phillips (LAFC), Gyasi Zardes (CLB)
