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MLS Minnesota United FC

Minnesota United Announces 2024 MLS Year-End Award Nominees

October 7, 2024 - Major League Soccer (MLS)
Minnesota United FC News Release


GOLDEN VALLEY, Minn. (Oct. 7, 2024) - Minnesota United, along with Major League Soccer, today announced its nominees for the 2024 MLS Year-End Awards, highlighting the accomplishments of the league's top players on and off the field. The awards also highlight the achievements of head coaches and referees during the 2024 MLS regular season.

Information on the 2024 MLS Year-End Awards nomination and voting process is available here.

The voting window for the annual postseason awards opened today at 11 a.m. CT and will conclude on Monday, Oct. 21, at 7 p.m. CT. Finalists for each award will be announced on Thursday, Oct. 24. Winners for the awards will be voted on by members of the media, club technical staff, and active MLS players, with each group accounting for 33.3% of the total vote. Club technical staff and players may not vote for their own team's nominees.

Minnesota United nominees include:

Robin Lod - MLS Comeback Player of the Year

Just 10 matches into the 2023 MLS regular season, Robin Lod found himself on the season-ending injury list after tearing the meniscus in his right knee. He was forced to use the remainder of the season to rehabilitate and regain strength with the aim of returning to the starting lineup in 2024 and resuming his role as one of the club's most important players.

When he made his way back to the pitch for the 2024 campaign, Robin marked his long-awaited return with 10 goal contributions (three goals, seven assists) in just eight games from February 24 to April 27, breaking the club's all-time MLS goal-scoring record in the process. Lod recently became the all-time leader for most regular-season goal contributions in MNUFC's MLS history, with 57 (28 goals and 29 assists), but the accolades didn't stop there. Most recently, he recorded his 15th assist of the season on September 28 against the Colorado Rapids, tying former MNUFC forward Darwin Quintero's single-season assist record set in 2018. Robin also tied Emanuel Reynoso in the club's single-season goal contribution rankings with 21 (six goals, 15 assists) after assisting forward Kelvin Yeboah on September 28, and he's still got one regular-season match left to play. He has rewritten the record books in nearly every attacking metric this season, proving that no injury was ever going to stand in the way of this Loons legend.

A veteran and leader on and off the field, Robin's hard work was noticed and recognized by MLS All-Star and Columbus Crew head coach Wilfried Nancy in July, when he earned his first MLS All-Star selection. Robin played the final 20 minutes of the first half against the LIGA MX All-Stars, adding his signature composure and quality passing range to the midfield. To say that it's been a career year for Minnesota's number 17 feels like an understatement.

Dayne St. Clair - MLS Goalkeeper of the Year

Dayne St. Clair has been a key figure for Minnesota's defense, starting in goal in 25 MLS regular-season matches since the start of the season. He has recorded a 1.20 goals against average record with only 30 goals allowed through 2,250 minutes played. In the final third of the season, Dayne has helped the Loons record four consecutive clean sheets for the first time in MLS club history, and a shutout streak of 405 minutes that is current since September 18, 2024. In the final two road games of the season, Dayne recorded his 25th and 26th shutouts of his MLS career, which is twice as many as the next closest MNUFC goalkeeper (Tyler Miller -12).

Kelvin Yeboah - MLS Newcomer of the Year

Kelvin Yeboah was announced as the club's newest Designated Player on July 27 and since then he's been a force on the field for the Loons. Kelvin has scored seven goals in eight appearances and 643 minutes. He scored five goals in four consecutive games for the club from September 14 to September 28, making him the first player in Minnesota United's MLS history to score in four consecutive league appearances. Yeboah's seven goals in six appearances equaled the second fastest to that mark in MLS history with only Adama Diomande in 2018 doing so faster in five games. He's earned two Team of the Matchday honors for Matchday 29 and 35.

Head Coach Eric Ramsay - Sigi Schmid MLS Coach of the Year

Head Coach Eric Ramsay joined the club in March as its second-ever head coach in its MLS history since 2017. The 33-year-old manager, who was raised in Wales, helped lead the Loons to a 2-0 win over LAFC in front of home fans in Saint Paul during his first match at Allianz Field. With a few games under his belt, Ramsay's squad went on a six-game unbeaten streak between April and May, continuing MNUFC's best start in club MLS history.

Throughout the season, the new manager creatively constructed lineups that utilized players to play in multiple positions, finding success on the wing and midfield for players such as Robin Lod and Joseph Rosales, along with providing playing opportunities for young players, such as Loïc Mesanvi - an MNUFC2 player that earned a first-team contract after successful regular-season and Leagues Cup appearances.

Ramsay's Loons then made a late surge towards the final stretch of the regular season, including a period where the squad won six games in seven match weeks, helping spur the team towards playoffs qualification. Notably, through the Vancouver Whitecaps FC game on October 5, Ramsay's squad has scored the most goals in a single-season in the club's MLS history (54) with one regular-season game remaining in 2024.

Additional categories for the 2024 MLS Year-End Awards include:

Landon Donovan MLS Most Valuable Player

MLS Best XI presented by Continental Tire

MLS Defender of the Year

MLS Young Player of the Year

Audi Goals Drive Progress Impact Award

MLS Referee of the Year

MLS Assistant Referee of the Year

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