MLS Major League Soccer

Major League Soccer Announces 2012 Coach of the Year and Comeback Player of the Year

Published on November 27, 2012 under Major League Soccer (MLS) News Release


NEW YORK (November 27, 2012) - Major League Soccer today announced the 2012 Coach of the Year and the Comeback Player of the Year awards.

2012 Coach of the Year: Frank Yallop - San Jose Earthquakes

This season Yallop led the San Jose Earthquakes to its second Supporters' Shield in club history, a drastic turnaround from the club's 14th place finish in 2011. Yallop and the Earthquakes fell just two points shy of the MLS single-season points record, set by LA Galaxy in 1998 (68 points).

With 114 regular season wins, Yallop is tied for fourth overall in MLS history with current Houston Dynamo coach Dominic Kinnear. As a coach, Yallop has made five trips to the MLS Cup Playoffs and claimed two MLS Cup titles (2001, 2003) during his ten year career.

The award was voted on by media, MLS players and MLS club management based on regular season performance. The other two finalists were D.C United's Ben Olsen and Sporting Kansas City's Peter Vermes. Below is a breakdown of the voting for the top five candidates:

Coach (Club) % of Club Votes % of Media Votes % of Player Votes Weighted Total

Frank Yallop (SJ) 74.14 63.83 58.06 196.03

Peter Vermes (SKC) 10.34 10.61 6.45 27.4

Ben Olsen (DC) 3.45 6.06 16.13 25.64

Frank Klopas (CHI) 6.90 4.55 3.23 14.68

Sigi Schmid (SEA) 0 1.43 4.30 5.73

2012 Comeback Player of the Year: Eddie Johnson - Seattle Sounders FC

After struggling to find consistency for three years playing in Europe, Eddie Johnson returned to Major League Soccer to join Seattle Sounders FC ahead of the 2012 season. The move resurrected Johnson's career for both club and country.

Johnson regained his form this season, scoring 14 goals and recording three assists in 28 games played to help the Sounders FC reach the MLS Cup playoffs for the fourth consecutive year. In October, Johnson received his first United States national team call up since May 2010. He scored two decisive goals against Antigua and Barbuda, which propelled the U.S. into the hexagonal round of World Cup Qualifying.

This is Eddie Johnson's second Comeback Player of the Year award. He previously received the honor in 2007 when he scored 15 goals for the Kansas City Wizards after only scoring twice in the season prior.

The award was voted on by media, MLS players and MLS club management based on regular season performance. The other two finalists were D.C United midfielder Chris Pontius and San Jose Earthquakes forward Alan Gordon. Below is a breakdown of the voting for the top five candidates:

Player (Club) % of Club Votes % of Media Votes % of Player Votes Weighted Total

Eddie Johnson (SEA) 22.81 37.88 34.04 94.73

Chris Pontius (DC) 40.35 24.24 19.15 83.74

Alan Gordon (SJ) 10.53 13.64 9.57 33.74

David Ferreira (DAL) 5.26 9.09 6.38 20.73

Steve Zakuani (SEA) 3.51 6.06 7.45 17.02

MLS Coach of the Year Winners:

2012: Frank Yallop - San Jose Earthquakes

2011: Bruce Arena - LA Galaxy

2010: Schellas Hyndman - FC Dallas

2009: Bruce Arena - Los Angeles Galaxy

2008: Sigi Schmid - Columbus Crew

2007: Preki - Chivas USA

2006: Bob Bradley - Chivas USA

2005: Dominic Kinnear - San Jose Earthquakes

2004: Greg Andrulis - Columbus Crew

2003: Dave Sarachan - Chicago Fire

2002: Steve Nicol - New England Revolution

2001: Frank Yallop - San Jose Earthquakes

2000: Bob Gansler - Kansas City Wizards

1999: Sigi Schmid - Los Angeles Galaxy

1998: Bob Bradley - Chicago Fire

1997: Bruce Arena - D.C. United

1996: Thomas Rongen - Tampa Bay Mutiny

MLS Comeback Player of the Year Winners:

2012: Eddie Johnson - Seattle Sounders FC

2011: David Beckham - Los Angeles Galaxy

2010: Bobby Convey - San Jose Earthquakes

2009: Zach Thornton - Chivas USA

2008: Kenny Cooper - FC Dallas

2007: Eddie Johnson - Kansas City Wizards

2006: Richard Mulrooney - FC Dallas

2005: Chris Klein - Kansas City Wizards

2004: Brian Ching - San Jose Earthquakes

2003: Chris Armas - Chicago Fire

2002: Chris Klein - Kansas City Wizards

2001: Troy Dayak - San Jose Earthquakes

2000: Tony Meola - Kansas City Wizards

Check out the Major League Soccer Statistics

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



Major League Soccer Stories from November 27, 2012


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.


Sports Statistics from the Stats Crew
OurSports Central