Major League Soccer on Tuesday announced the finalists for each of the 2017 year-end awards which honor the league’s top performers during the regular season.
A total of five finalists were unveiled in the race for the 2017 Landon Donovan MVP award with Golden Boot winner Nemanja Nikolic joining Atlanta newcomer Miguel Almiron, Portland's Diego Valeri and former MLS MVPs David Villa (NYCFC) and Sebastian Giovinco (Toronto FC).
Nikolic and Almiron also figure among the Newcomer of the Year finalists together with Atlanta United forward Josef Martínez (19 goals scored in 2017).
The finalists which follow below (in alphabetical order) earned the most votes in polling among three voting groups: current MLS players, MLS club technical staffs (coaches, technical directors/GMs) and a select group of media members.
2017 Major League Soccer Awards Finalists
Landon Donovan MLS Most Valuable Player Finalists (Winner announced: Dec. 4)
- Miguel Almirón (Atlanta United)
- Sebastian Giovinco (Toronto FC)
- Nemanja Nikolić (Chicago Fire)
- Diego Valeri (Portland Timbers)
- David Villa (New York City FC)
Defender of the Year Finalists (Winner announced: Nov. 9)
- Justin Morrow (Toronto FC)
- Ike Opara (Sporting Kansas City)
- Kendall Waston (Vancouver Whitecaps FC)
Allstate Goalkeeper of the Year Finalists (Winner announced: Nov. 16)
- Andre Blake (Philadelphia Union)
- Stefan Frei (Seattle Sounders FC)
- Tim Melia (Sporting Kansas City)
Newcomer of the Year Finalists (Winner announced: Nov. 20)
- Miguel Almirón (Atlanta United)
- Josef Martínez (Atlanta United)
- Nemanja Nikolić (Chicago Fire)
For this award, “newcomer” is defined as a player with previous professional experience who made his MLS debut in 2017
AT&T Rookie of the Year Finalists (Winner announced: Nov. 8)
- Abu Danladi (Minnesota United FC)
- Jack Elliott (Philadelphia Union)
- Julian Gressel (Atlanta United)
For this award, “rookie” is defined as a player without previous professional experience who made his MLS debut in 2017
Coach of the Year Finalists (Winner announced: Nov. 27)
- Gerardo "Tata" Martino (Atlanta United)
- Veljko Paunović (Chicago Fire)
- Greg Vanney (Toronto FC)
Comeback Player of the Year Finalists (Winner announced: Nov. 15)
- Clint Dempsey (Seattle Sounders FC)
- Federico Higuaín (Columbus Crew SC)
- Erick Torres (Houston Dynamo)
Honors an MLS player who has overcome injuries and/or adversity in order to achieve success during the 2017 regular season
MLS WORKS Humanitarian of the Year, presented by AdvoCare (Winner announced: Nov. 2)
- Ryan Hollingshead (FC Dallas)
- Matt Lampson (Chicago Fire)
- Luis Robles (New York Red Bulls)
MLS Fair Play Finalists – Individual (Winner announced: Nov. 7)
- DaMarcus Beasley (Houston Dynamo)
- Jahmir Hyka (San Jose Earthquakes)
- Dave Romney (LA Galaxy)
Selected by MLS based on objective criteria such as fouls committed, cards received, games and minutes played, as well as subjective evaluation of sportsmanlike behavior.
MLS Fair Play Finalists - Team (Winner announced: Nov. 7)
- Chicago Fire
- Seattle Sounders FC
- Toronto FC
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 (Winner announced: Nov. 7)
- Allen Chapman
- Ismail Elfath
- Mark Geiger
Assistant Referee of the Year Finalists (Winner announced: Nov. 7)
- Jeremy Hanson
- Corey Parker
- Adam Wienckowski
