US Soccer Male Athlete of 2014: Who Should Win?

Who should win the US Soccer Male Athlete of 2014?

2014 was certainly a memorable year for the state of United States Soccer. Landon Donovan was left off of the final USMNT squad for the 2014 FIFA World Cup by head coach Jurgen Klinsmann, and Donovan has since played what will be his last match while wearing his country’s colors. The US survived what was widely believed to be the Group of Death of the World Cup, they avenged previous disappointing losses to Ghana, and the Americans gave Belgium a real scare in the Round of 16. Klinsmann has continued to make headlines following the biggest party in all of world football via comments he has recently made about Major League Soccer.

Fun times.

With the end of the international calendar year in sight, US Soccer has chosen six nominees for the Male Athlete of the Year Award: Goalkeeper Tim Howard, midfielders Kyle Beckerman, Alejandro Bedoya, Fabian Johnson, Jermaine Jones and forward Clint Dempsey. Dempsey won the award for 2007, 2011 and 2012. Howard was named Male Athlete of the Year for 2008.

Two things immediately stick out about the candidates. Forward Jozy Altidore, who won US Soccer Male Athlete of the Year last year, isn’t listed. Altidore had a rough 2014, and he suffered a hamstring injury early into the World Cup. It is also no surprise that not a single pure defender emerged as a candidate. None deserve to be, and that says plenty about where US Soccer is in the fall of 2014.

2014 US Soccer Male Athlete of the Year: The pretenders

Bedoya is one of the more underrated players in the US midfield. One of his better performances while on national team duty occurred last week when Colombia defeated the US 2-1 in a friendly. That said, the gap that separates “underrated” from “Athlete of the Year” is far from narrow.

Johnson could be one of the most-vital players for US Soccer over the next four years. He had himself a good 2014 while with the US, notching a goal and an assist over 10 starts. At 26 years of age, Johnson is just now entering his footballing prime. His time to win this award hasn’t yet come, but don’t be shocked if he bags this honor between now and the fall of 2018.

There was a time when Jermaine Jones was more known for being a yellow card in-waiting while featuring for US Soccer than for the positive things that he contributed for his country. The veteran who joined MLS club New England Revolution after the World Cup hit the goal of the tournament for the US, a memorable strike that will relived in US Soccer highlight reel packages for years to come. He just misses being in the top-three of my voting card, but that does not at all undersell what he meant to the Klinsmann Army over the summer.

No disrespect meant to any of these guys, but none are worthy of winning this honor over the top candidates on the list.

2014 US Soccer Male Athlete of the Year: Top three

Beckerman continues to defy odds and not realize that he isn’t “supposed” to make such lists. While nobody will confuse the 32-year old Real Salt Lake midfielder for being the top athlete in the US squad, Beckerman was a true Most Valuable Player candidate for his country during the World Cup. One can only wonder what might have been had Klinsmann elected to start the holding midfielder for that elimination match-up versus Belgium. Hindsight is 20/20, of course, but the US unquestionably missed Beckerman’s presence and his abilities on that day.

Dempsey would win the award if this was a popularity contest. The face of US Soccer with Donovan getting set to ride off into the sunset, Dempsey notched three goals over nine starts for his country in 2014. His goal against Ghana occurred before many in the stadium had found their seats, a tally buried 29 seconds into that contest.

Dempsey is showcased in multiple national advertising campaigns. The US Soccer star who shined while with Fulham and Tottenham Hotspur now starts for MLS side Seattle Sounders, and he could help lead the Sounders to a first ever MLS Cup victory in club history. He is the best overall US Soccer player on the earth right now, and Dempsey winning the award, were that to occur, shouldn’t bother anybody.

I, however, am going with Howard.

The US is known for churning out top-notch goalkeeper after top-notch goalkeeper, and Howard could be the best of the bunch. He was downright heroic when facing a Belgium team that dominated the US for 90+ minutes, producing a World Cup record 16 saves and carrying the Americans into extra time.

That match made Howard a household name in a country that largely ignores soccer for the majority of even a World Cup year. He was interviewed during morning talk show segments and he appeared on multiple sports talk programs. There was a time over the summer when a soccer goalkeeper was the most-beloved athlete in America.

That is how special Howard was at the World Cup.

It is likely that Howard, who will be 39-years old in the summer of 2018, will never again appear for the US in a World Cup. He left us all with memories that will last for generations to come.

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