Clint Dempsey is one of 10 players up for the CONCACAF Male Player of the Year after the Sounders FC forward enjoyed another standout year for club and country in 2015.
CONCACAF unveiled the short list of nominees for a series of year-end honors and opened fan and media voting for the third installment of the annual awards. No male American player has ever won the federation’s top individual award, though Dempsey finished third in 2013.
Fans can log on and vote for the awards here.
Dempsey led the USMNT with nine goals in 10 appearances last year, and led all scorers during the CONCACAF Gold Cup last summer with seven goals. He also scored 10 goals and added 10 assists for the Sounders during the regular season, and added three more goals in three postseason games.
Toronto FC midfielder Michael Bradley is the only other USMNT representative up for the Player of the Year, joining a field that also includes Mexico’s Andres Guardado and Javier “Chicharito” Hernandez and Canada’s Cyle Larin, among others.
Mexican forward Oribe Peralta – who will suit up for Club America when the Mexican giants play the Sounders in the quarterfinals of the Scotiabank CONCACAF Champions League on Feb. 23 and March 2 - is also up the award.
Bradley, Dempsey, and Larin up for 2015 CONCACAF Player of the Year. Vote here: https://t.co/09D4onCturhttps://t.co/ELalbgppqf
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) January 12, 2016Three USMNT players are up for the Goalkeeper of the Year – Bill Hamid, Brad Guzan and two-time winner Tim Howard – while USWNT star and recent FIFA Women's World Player of the Year Carli Lloyd leads the pack for the Female Player of the Year. Seattle Reign and USWNT stars Megan Rapinoe and Hope Solo are also up for the award.
USMNT head coach Jurgen Klinsmann is among the nominees for Coach of the Year, along with New York Red Bulls boss Jesse Marsch and Caleb Porter, who led the Portland Timbers to the MLS Cup in December.
Dempsey is also among the nominees at forward for the region’s Best XI team, while Sounders defender Román Torres is also up a Best XI selection for his time with the Panamanian national team. Torres and Los Canaleros finished third in the Gold Cup after narrowly losing to eventual champion Mexico in the semifinals.
