NYCFC Stars Nominated for 2022 MLS End of Year Awards

September 29, 2022 – Major League Soccer (MLS) – New York City FC News Release

Nine New York City Football Club players, along with Interim Head Coach Nick Cushing, have been shortlisted in the 2022 MLS End of Year Awards.

Defender Alex Callens and forward Santiago Rodríguez have been selected in two categories, while Sean Johnson, Tayvon Gray, Thiago Martins, Gabriel Pereira, Talles Magno, Keaton Parks, and Anton Tinnerholm have also been recognized for their efforts.

Callens, who Cushing recently described as ‘the best defender in MLS’ following his starring roles in the Campeones Cup and Hudson River Derby victories, was nominated alongside Rodríguez for the Landon Donovan MLS MVP, as well as the Defender of the Year.

Rodríguez earned a selection for the Young Player of the Year ballot, having played 30 MLS games in 2022, including a ‘masterclass’ performance with a goal and assist against Red Bulls.

Captain Sean Johnson, who jointly leads the league for clean sheets with 14, made the Allstate Goalkeeper of the Year shortlist, while Bronx-born Tayvon Gray also lines up alongside Callens for Defender of the Year.

Pre-season recruits Thiago Martins and Gabriel Pereira have seen their debut season contributions noted with inclusions in the Newcomer of the Year – Martins boasting an impressive passing accuracy of 89.6% and Pereira standing second in the Club’s scoring charts with seven.

Talles Magno, who has recorded the second-highest MLS minutes for City this season behind Johnson, joins Rodríguez in the contenders for the Young Player of the Year prize.

Having both made welcome returns to action from injury in recent weeks, Keaton Parks and Anton Tinnerholm have been recognized with Comeback Player of the Year nominations, and Cushing, who guided City to their second piece of silverware with the Campeones Cup, is in the running for the Sigi Schmid MLS Coach of the Year.

MLS Year-End Awards will be determined through voting from three groups:

Current MLS players

MLS coaches, technical directors/general managers

Select media members representing local and national outlets who consistently covered the 2022 MLS regular season

Additionally, fans will have the opportunity to weigh in on the top plays of the season with both the AT&T Goal of the Year and MLS Save of the Year presented by Allstate by casting their votes on MLSsoccer.com.

The Club would like to congratulate all players and staff on their nominations and wish them good luck.

Don’t miss your chance…