Selecting MLS awards, best XIs at the halfway point

As we hit the Gold Cup break at the halfway point of the MLS season, we give out the major awards and look at a couple best XIs.

MLS hit its midpoint a couple of weeks ago, but this is the Gold Cup break, and that, for all intents and purposes, is what really constitutes the middle of the season. That makes it a good time to take a general look at the league and where the top performers are.

So today, we look through the deserving recipients of every major award and eventually get to deciding on a couple best XIs. Let’s go:

MVP: David Villa (NYCFC)

The MVP, in every league, is given to a player who fits both of the descriptions of the award: the Most Valuable Player, as in the most important player even if it’s not for the best team, and the consensus “best player in the league” at the given time and during the given season. Understandably, it’s very subjective.

By this year’s midpoint, there are players who fit both categories, making it tough to judge. There’s Golden Boot leader Nemanja Nikolic, who has 16 goals (four more than the next best) for a top team, and any of David Accam, Bastian Schweinsteiger or Dax McCarty, Nikolic’s Chicago teammates whose importance to their team’s revival can’t be overstated. Toronto’s Victor Vazquez, with a league-leading 10 assists, is up there, as are players like Miguel Almiron, Jozy Altidore and, if you’re looking for a non-goal scorer, Ike Opare. Sebastian Giovinco’s spent time injured and has yet to rediscover his previous MVP form.

There are other contenders. It’s an open race.

David Villa of NYCFC, who have some have called the best player in MLS history, is as close to the best of both worlds as we’re going to get. His 12 goals are tied for second behind Nikolic, and he has six assists to go along with that, equalling the totals of Sacha Kljestan and Joevin Jones. NYC, who are one of the league’s top four teams, rely almost completely on his attacking gravity and ability to create and act as a fulcrum in the final third. He’s pretty valuable.

Honorable mentions: 1. Nemanja Nikolic 2. David Accam 3. Miguel Almiron 4. Dax McCarty 5. Victor Vazquez

Next: The best under-20 player on every MLS team

Defender of the Year: Ike Opara (Sporting KC)

This is the clear pick right now for DOTY, and while it’s definitely subject to change over the next few months given his recent serious head injury, Opara at least has the midseason trophy.

The leading defender on MLS’s best defense, Ike has been a revelation, finally going an extended period of time without injury and starring for a well-put-together side that went into the break top of the Western Conference. His skills defending in space are in a class of their own, his mobility and athleticism fitting perfectly alongside the more rigid Matt Besler. Opara’s spacial recognition allows him to defend well in any one-on-one situation, and his efficiency when going in for a tackle seems close to perfect, showing well his combination of tactical awareness, decision-making and athletic prowess. Scoring a bicycle kick doesn’t hurt either.

FC Dallas’s Matt Hedges, the second-best contender here, had an uncharacteristically mistake-prone last couple of games before the break, shown most obviously in Dallas’ 1-1 draw in Houston, when it was Hedges’s mistake that allowed the Dynamo to score their only goal of the match. His struggles only confirm Opara’s place at the top.

Honorable mentions: 1. Matt Hedges 2. Joevin Jones 3. Walker Zimmerman 4. Jelle Van Damme 5. Matt Besler

Goalkeeper of the Year: Tim Melia (Sporting KC)

Melia has played every minute in goal for a team that’s allowed 14 goals in 20 games, with a myriad of game-saving stops, penalty saves and a grand total of zero costly mistakes. In a year that has seen every other keeper in MLS have at least a few shockers, this is a remarkably easy selection.

I’m adding honorable mentions only as a courtesy.

Honorable mentions: 1. Jesse Gonzalez 2. Bill Hamid 3. Joe Bendik 4. Matt Lampson 5. Andre Blake

Rookie of the Year: Jack Elliott (Philadelphia Union)

I’ll just add MLSsoccer.com analyst Matt Doyle’s blurb from MLS’s recent roundtable:

"The Philadelphia Union have gone 6-4-3 and concede .92 goals per game when Jack Elliott starts. In their other five games this season, they’re 0-3-2 and concede 1.8 goals per game. Numbers don’t tell the whole story – they never do – but in this case they match up well with the eye test. Elliott has a chance to be one of the all-time SuperDraft steals."

The popular choice for this award is Julian Gressel, who’s carved out a role for himself with star-studded Atlanta. He’s been good, but not better than Elliott. Doyle, you’ve convinced me.

Honorable mentions: 1. Julian Gressel 2. Brooks Lennon 3. Ballou Tabla 4. Alex Crognale 5. Nick Lima

Coach of the Year: Veljko Paunovic (Chicago Fire)

As you’ve probably figured out, the Chicago Fire have been really, really good this season. It’s been a massive U-turn from their previous two campaigns, in both of which they finished last. Coach of the Year usually goes to the coach who turns his team around, and that’s what Paunovic has done.

But there’s so much more to it than that, in the case of the Serbian. He’s made so many important decisions this year that have made his team both fun to watch and successful trophy contenders. Let’s go through:

1. His team went through a final, massive overhaul in the offseason that skipped the entire rebuilding phase and made the Fire an immediate contender. McCarty arrived in a so-far one-sided trade with the Red Bulls to play defensive midfield, veteran No. 8 Juninho was signed and Nikolic was acquired to score the goals. Good, well-thought-out moves.

Then aging midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger came in on a big-money contract at the beginning of April, and Paunovic had to figure out how best to use the legendary passer given the already-solid makeup of his team. He took what could have even been a disadvantage for some coaches and turned his team into a possession-based passing juggernaut run by one of the best midfielders of the 21st century.

Chicago are now in the thick of the Supporters’ Shield race.

2. He’s gotten the best out of Accam, who has 10 goals and seven assists after too many years of underachieving on bad teams. It’s him, not Justin Meram, who deserves the title of second-best MLS winger.

3. He started Lampson in goal over struggling offseason addition Jorge Rodrigo Bava and has reaped the benefits of that. Not a massive decision, or one that’s received much publicity, but not necessarily a decision many other MLS managers would have made. Sitting a foreign acquisition for a better, cheaper, domestic product is oftentimes not a popular choice.

4. He moved Matt Polster to right-back from central midfield, a move that had been considered a failure by previous managers. Polster, a 24-year old American, proved to be a perfect in-house solution to a problem position that could have necessitated an outside transaction.

Chicago are only getting better. Winger Juan Quintero is a rumored acquisition, which would add another threatening element to a team with FOUR legit MVP contenders. Paunovic has done a phenomenal job.

Honorable mentions: 1. Patrick Viera 2. Oscar Pareja 3. Peter Vermes 4. Wilmer Cabrera 5. Greg Vanney

Newcomer of the Year: Nemanja Nikolic (Chicago Fire)

This is by far the most crowded award race. MLS teams have gotten so much better in the past couple of years at identifying outside talent, and implementation of Targeted Allocation Money along with DP slots has given them the opportunities to sign those players. It’s resulted in a Newcomer of the Year race that could a number of different ways.

Nikolic is the leading goalscorer right now and seems likely to run away with that race, so he’s my pick. But Miguel Almiron has been great for Atlanta, Vazquez has 10 assists, Schweinsteiger’s done a lot to put Chicago where there are, Romain Alessandrini is saving LA, and there are a lot more.

You could spend all day going through these. Josef Martinez could be right there with Nikolic if not for an injury. Yamil Asad has nine assists, more than Almiron. Christian Ramirez, Albert Rusnak, Romell Quioto, Alberth Elis, Alexander Ring, Illie Sanchez, Blerim Dzemaili and Hernan Grana also deserve their own bits of consideration, some more than others. Picking the honorable mentions was hard.

Honorable mentions: 1. Miguel Almiron 2. Victor Vazquez 3. Josef Martinez 4. Bastian Schweinsteiger 5. Romain Alessandrini

Best XI No. 1

My best XI is a 4-4-2, for realness and equal representation.

GK: Tim Melia

LB: Joevin Jones

CB: Ike Opara

CB: Matt Hedges

RB: Steven Beitashour

DM: Dax McCarty

CM: Bastian Schweinsteiger

LM: David Accam

RM: Romain Alessandrini

ST: David Villa

ST: Nemanja Nikolic

I chose Schweinsteiger over Vazquez and Kellyn Acosta because his impact on Chicago has been greater than that of the other two on their teams. McCarty’s work covering for Schweinsteiger slips him in over Ring and Illie.

Best XI No. 2

I tried to include as many deserving players as I could in this. That resulted in a 3-5-2 with three defenders, and just one a center-back. It’s essentially a 3-2-4.

GK: Jesse Gonzalez

D: Justin Morrow

D: Matt Besler

D: Graham Zusi

DM: Alexander Ring

CM: Kellyn Acosta

CAM: Diego Valeri

RW: Alberth Elis

LW: Justin Meram

ST: Josef Martinez

ST: Jozy Altidore

Almiron, Vazquez, Illie, Giovinco, Chris Wondolowski, Walker Zimmerman, Ignacio Piatti, Christian Ramirez and Fanendo Adi got snubbed.

Newcomer XI

I’m having fun with this, so one more best XI. There enough newcomers to make a really good all-star XI.

GK: Jorge Rodrigo Bava

LB: Greg Garza

CB: Jonathan Spector

RB: Hernan Grana

DM: Alexander Ring

CM: Bastian Schweinsteiger

CAM: Miguel Almiron

CAM: Victor Vazquez

ST: Josef Martinez

ST: Nemanja Nikolic

RW: Romain Alessandrini

This is a 3-4-3 with Josef on the wing, by the way.