Jimmy Conrad and Chris Klein Earn MLS Honors
October 25, 2005 - Major League Soccer (MLS)
Sporting Kansas City News Release
KANSAS CITY, MO (Tuesday, October 25, 2005) - Kansas City Wizards teammates Jimmy Conrad and Chris Klein were named today as the MLS Defender of the Year and MLS Comeback Player of the Year, respectively by Major League Soccer. It marks the first MLS Defender of the Year honor for Conrad, while Klein earns the Comeback Player of the Year award for the second time in his career.
"On behalf of everyone in the Wizards organization, I congratulate Jimmy Conrad and Chris Klein on their respective Major League Soccer Awards," said Wizards General Manager Curt Johnson. "Both are blessed with enormous ability and talent and have maximized that by outworking everyone else."
Conrad, 28, earns his first MLS Defender of the Year award a year after being one of the three finalists for the award for the second consecutive year. The six-year veteran capped off a strong individual year that saw him selected to start his first MLS All-Star game, start for the MLS Select team that faced Real Madrid in the Trofeo Bernabeu, and break through on the U.S. Men's National team - earning his first cap during the Gold Cup and marshalling the U.S. backline in his first World Cup qualifier against Guatemala in September. Only four teams conceding fewer goals than the Wizards (44) during the 2005 MLS season.
"Jimmy has been in the running for this award last year as well as this year and it underscores his hard work and quality of work," said Head Coach Bob Gansler. "I am really happy for him. This has catapulted him into the National Team picture, which is well deserved. I trust he will continue to build on this and enjoy the award."
Kansas City Wizards midfielder Chris Klein has the unique distinction of claiming his second MLS Comeback Player of the Year award. In August of 2004, Klein suffered an ACL tear in his left knee that cut short his season, including the Wizards U.S. Open Cup Championship and run to the 2004 MLS Cup Final. The second torn ACL of his career, Klein spent the off-season rehabbing and regaining the strength that made him a threat both with the Wizards and U.S. National Team in 2004 before the injury. He returned in 2005 to co-captain the Wizards, registering career-highs in starts (31) and assists (9) and tying his career-best in goals with seven. Klein also won the Comeback Player of the Year following the 2002 season when he returned from an ACL tear in his right knee.
"Some people think the Comeback Award is not something you want to win twice, but it's okay to win it twice because it means you have gone someplace a couple of times," added Gansler on Klein's honor. "If you hadn't won it a second time, it would mean you haven't come back. Chris, like Jimmy, is a super conscientious professional. For him to come back from the second ACL injury with the quality performance like this year is phenomenal. He is willing to put in the time and the effort and I'm glad he gets rewarded."
The two individual awards come just one week after the Wizards claimed the Kraft Global Team Fair Play award for accumulating the fewest disciplinary points during the 2005 campaign (327.5 points, using a formula for fouls committed, cautions and ejections). Kansas City committed a League-low 389 fouls and were issued just 41 cautions, also the fewest in MLS. This marks the third time in franchise history that Kansas City has earned the Team Fair Play Award (1998 and 2002).
Kansas City has one more finalist for a MLS year-end award as forward Scott Sealy is up for the Gatorade Rookie of the Year. Sealy, the 11th overall pick in the 2005 MLS SuperDraft, led all rookies in scoring with 9 goals this season. He also added two assists while appearing in 28 matches for the Wizards, including 20 starts. The Wake Forest product split time this season with the Wizards and with the Trinidad & Tobago National Team. The Gatorade Rookie of the Year award will be announced on Tuesday, November 1st.
Major League Soccer Stories from October 25, 2005
- 10 Goals Remain in Hunt for Sierra Mist Goal of the Year - MLS
- Jimmy Conrad and Chris Klein Earn MLS Honors - Sporting Kansas City
- Kamler wins 2005 MLS U.S. Soccer Foundation Humanitarian of the Year award - Real Salt Lake
- MLS Announces Winners of Four Year-End Awards - MLS
- United hosts successful Awards Reception - D.C. United
- Rapids game notes - Colorado Rapids
- FC Dallas selects Michael Hitchcock to become General Manager of Charter MLS Club - FC Dallas
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