CARSON, Calif. (Sunday, October 24, 2010) – The LA Galaxy announced their annual team awards after tonight’s regular season ending 2-1 win over FC Dallas at The Home Depot Center. Forward Edson Buddle, who finished the season with 17 goals the second most in MLS, won the club’s Budweiser Golden Boot as the team’s top goalscorer, while also being named the club’s Most Valuable Player and MLS W.O.R.K.S. Humanitarian of the Year. Omar Gonzalez, the 2009 MLS Rookie of the Year, was named the Galaxy’s Defender of the Year.
Buddle’s 17 goals were a career-high, making him the first player other than Landon Donovan or Carlos Ruiz to win the club’s Golden Boot since 2001. This is also the first time that Buddle has been named the Galaxy’s Most Valuable Player and Humanitarian of the Year. This is also the first time that Gonzalez has been named the club’s Defender of the Year.
A closer look at the Galaxy’s team award winners follows:
[inlinenode:30936]MOST VALUABLE PLAYER: Edson Buddle has been named the Galaxy’s Most Valuable Player, narrowly edging out Landon Donovan for the award, which is voted on by the local media. Now in his fourth season with the Galaxy, Buddle was one of the unquestioned stars in MLS this season, scoring a career-high 17 goals, which were the second most in MLS, one behind San Jose’s Chris Wondolowski. Buddle scored nine of the Galaxy’s first 10 goals this season and despite missing five games while with the U.S. National Team at the World Cup in South Africa, maintained his spot as the Galaxy’s top goalscorer all season long. The Galaxy lost just once this season when Buddle scored a goal and he moved into fourth place in club history with 42 goals in 87 games since joining the club in June 2007. Buddle added two assists for the Galaxy this season, meaning that he factored in 19 of the club’s 44 goals on the season. Additionally, Buddle joins Carlos Ruiz as the only two players in Galaxy history to record multiple seasons with 15 or more goals and became the seventh player in MLS history to score 90 or more goals in his MLS career.
[inlinenode:30950]DEFENDER OF THE YEAR: The reigning MLS Rookie of the Year, Omar Gonzalez was named the club’s Defender of the Year for the first time ever, edging out goalkeeper Donovan Ricketts for the award, which is voted on by the local media. Gonzalez appeared in and started 28 games for the club this season, the most for any outfield player on the club, playing the full 90 minutes in each of those games. The 22-year-old helped LA tie a team record with 12 clean sheets on the season and allow just 26 goals, which are the least in club history. The big center back was also active at the attacking end of the field, scoring twice with headers off corner kicks, one of which came in second half stoppage time at Chicago on September 4, earning LA a 1-1 draw, snapping a two-game losing streak.
[inlinenode:30951]BUDWEISER GOLDEN BOOT: In addition to winning the club’s MVP award, Edson Buddle also took home the club’s Budweiser Golden Boot award as the Galaxy’s top goalscorer. Buddle, who is the first player other than Landon Donovan or Carlos Ruiz to win the award since 2001, scored 17 goals in 25 games. Buddle started all 25 games in which he was available for Bruce Arena’s team, missing five games in May and June while with the U.S. National Team at the 2010 FIFA World Cup. He scored each of the Galaxy’s first seven goals on the season and recorded more than one goal in four of the club’s first six games. The Galaxy were 11-1-1 in the 13 games that Buddle scored in and he scored the game-winner in seven of those. His seven game-winning goals were the second most in MLS while his four multi-goal games were tied for the most in the league this season.
[inlinenode:30952]MLS W.O.R.K.S. HUMANITARIAN OF THE YEAR: Edson Buddle is the LA Galaxy’s 2010 MLS W.O.R.K.S. Humanitarian of the Year as a result of his active involvement with the team and Galaxy Foundation's community endeavors. Buddle served as the Galaxy’s ambassador for their Pepsi Refresh Project idea in order to help the club win a $50,000 grant. He was also as part of the Galaxy’s Read Across America celebration and focus on literacy. As a part of that, Buddle and teammate Todd Dunivant visited Eshelman Avenue Elementary School after training to read to the students and impart the importance of reading. Adding to his support of literacy, Buddle, Dunivant and Omar González joined the Galaxy Foundation at Stephen C. Foster Elementary School for their annual Reading Garden build with The Home Depot Center Charitable Foundation and The Home Depot on April 22 - Earth Day. As member of the Galaxy and the 2010 U.S. World Cup squad, Buddle, along with his teammates, supported the Global Campaign for Education - US (GCE-US) and 1Goal: Education for All initiative. Along with the coaching staff and players, Buddle has demonstrated outstanding involvement during the 2010 MLS season in all facets of the Galaxy’s outreach, grassroots, and soccer programs as well as the Galaxy Foundation’s charitable endeavors. In addition, to the above, Buddle has visited children in Los Angeles area hospitals and through team clinics, assisted in growing the sport of soccer by demonstrating not only skills, but also character and sportsmanship to thousands of kids in both the L.A. market and his home state of New York.
The following are the Galaxy’s past team award winners:
Most Valuable Player Defender of the Year Budweiser Golden Boot MLS W.O.R.K.S. Humanitarian of the Year
2010 Edson Buddle Omar Gonzalez Edson Buddle Edson Buddle
2009 Landon Donovan Donovan Ricketts Landon Donovan Todd Dunivant
2008 Landon Donovan Sean Franklin Landon Donovan Landon Donovan
2007 Chris Klein Ty Harden Landon Donovan Landon Donovan
2006 Landon Donovan Chris Albright Landon Donovan Cobi Jones
2005 Herculez Gomez Tyrone Marshall Landon Donovan Kevin Hartman
2004 Kevin Hartman Tyrone Marshall Carlos Ruiz Galaxy team
2003 Kevin Hartman Danny Califf Carlos Ruiz Cobi Jones
2002 Carlos Ruiz Alexi Lalas Carlos Ruiz Mauricio Cienfuegos
2001 Ezra Hendrickson Greg Vanney Cobi Jones Mauricio Cienfuegos
2000 Simon Elliott Danny Califf Cobi Jones Marvin Quijano
1999 Kevin Hartman Robin Fraser Cobi Jones —
1998 Cobi Jones Robin Fraser Cobi Jones —
1997 Mauricio Cienfuegos Robin Fraser Welton —
1996 Eduardo Hurtado Jorge Campos Eduardo Hurtado —
= Previously known as the Budweiser Scoring Champion 1996-2004.
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