The 2021 Major League Soccer season began 209 days ago, and so much has changed since.
The New England Revolution lifted their first MLS silverware with a record-setting points haul to secure the Supporters' Shield. The Columbus Crew, last year's MLS Cup champions, soldiered through a title hangover for much of the campaign before being eliminated from postseason contention on Decision Day. Both Los Angeles clubs finished the year below the playoff line. Even FC Cincinnati rewrote the record books, becoming the first team in league history to finish dead last in three straight seasons.
Individually, this season was full of remarkable performers. From the dugout to the front line to between the posts, there were several players deserving of individual recognition, leading to considerable competition for each of this year's MLS awards.
So, before the league begins handing out its individual prizes, ESPN asked Jeff Carlisle, Alejandro Moreno, Kyle Bonagura, Dan Hajducky, Austin Lindberg and Danny Guerra to make their selections for those most deserving in every major category.
Jump to: MVP | Young Player of the Year | Coach of the Year | Newcomer of the Year | Defender of the Year | Goalkeeper of the Year
MVP
Hany Mukhtar, Nashville SC: At one point this season, New England's Carles Gil looked set to lap the field, and he did manage to finish with four goals and a league-best 18 assists. But an injury dampened his numbers, and while he still ended up involved in a little over a third of the Revs' goals, Mukhtar's contribution for Nashville was critical given the team's defend-first nature. His 16 goals and 12 assists meant he contributed to just over half of NSC's 55 goals, giving him the nod. -- Carlisle
Carles Gil, New England Revolution: This is a simple equation. Best player on the best team, plus a league-best 18 assists, equals the Most Valuable Player. Every meaningful New England attack seems to start with Gil's vision and creativity. -- Moreno
Carles Gil, New England Revolution: The most influential player on a Revolution team that set the MLS single-season points record, Gil led the league with 18 assists and 117 key passes. Those numbers were boosted from Gil having Adam Buksa (16 goals), Gustavo Bou (15 goals) and Tajon Buchanan (eight goals) as teammates, but Gil was the most consistent performer in the league all season. -- Bonagura
Carles Gil, New England Revolution: Gil was injured for the entirety of August and still finished 2021 with a league-leading 18 assists (tied for 10th in league history). He created 38 more chances than any other player while leading the league in percentage of duels won (64%, min. 2,000 touches). In 2019, Gil, the Newcomer of the Year, might have been MVP too, but Carlos Vela and Zlatan Ibrahimovic both notched 30-plus goals. Since then, no one has created more chances or tallied more key passes; if he's on the field, there's been arguably no one more effective since he came stateside. This is Gil's coronation. -- Hajducky
Hany Mukhtar, Nashville SC: Mukhtar's direct involvement in 28 goals is more than anyone else in MLS. He outperformed his expected goals and assists, suggesting that these figures may not be repeatable, but considering the relative disparity in supporting cast between Nashville and New England, such a performance is worthy of Landon Donovan's namesake trophy. -- Lindberg
Carles Gil, New England Revolution: Gil looks to be a sure bet. As the creative anchor of the league's best team, the New England Revolution aren't breaking records without him. The Spaniard is an elite passer and had eight assists on game-winning goals. The Revs were unbeaten (10-0-3) when he notched an assist. -- Guerra
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Young Player of the Year
Ricardo Pepi, FC Dallas: It's crazy to think Pepi wasn't even a consistent starter until mid-June, at which point he became the focal point of FCD's attack, delivering 13 goals and three assists. He's made a massive contribution for the U.S. men's national team as well, scoring three times in his first four appearances. The expectation is that Pepi will move to Europe this winter, so he may have played his last MLS game already at the age of 18. -- Carlisle
Ricardo Pepi, FC Dallas: I was torn. I really, really like Tajon Buchanan, but I am all in with the Pepi Mania and all aboard the Pepi Train! This game is about goals, and Pepi has proven to be consistently dangerous. Enjoy him while you can in MLS. -- Moreno
Ricardo Pepi, FC Dallas: This was without question the easiest award to hand out. The 18-year-old United States international scored 13 goals on a bad Dallas team, turning himself into one of the league's hottest young prospects in the process. -- Bonagura
Ricardo Pepi, FC Dallas: This might warrant rebranding as the "Shattered Mirror Award" because it's been a rough harbinger of late. Corey Baird (2018), Andre Shinyashiki (2019) and Diego Rossi (2020) all saw a massive drop in production after claiming this prize, but if anyone can break that curse, it's a certain dual-national from El Paso, Texas. Pepi turned in a 13-goal campaign, saved Gregg Berhalter's job and -- for the time being -- assuaged any panic over the USMNT's World Cup qualification effort. -- Hajducky
Ricardo Pepi, FC Dallas: Pepi finished 12th in the Golden Boot race, which is impressive enough in its own right. But then consider that no one ahead of him on that list is within five years of the 18-year-old, and his 2,097 minutes are in the bottom third of that group. -- Lindberg
Ricardo Pepi, FC Dallas: Despite several stellar seasons by MLS youngsters, it's hard to duplicate the splash Pepi made. The 18-year-old finished with the highest goals (13) among any player under age 22, and may be the future at the much-maligned striker position for the USMNT. All the best to him when he makes the expected move to Europe. -- Guerra
Coach of the Year
Robin Fraser, Colorado Rapids: There was no shortage of candidates. Bruce Arena set a points record with New England. Brian Schmetzer overcame any number of obstacles to lead Seattle to second place in the West. But Fraser gets the award here for leading unfancied Colorado to the top spot in the Western Conference, with one of the smallest player spends in the league. -- Carlisle
Bruce Arena, New England Revolution: Honorable mention shout-out to my former Chivas USA coach, Fraser, and the outstanding job he's done with the Colorado Rapids. However, when your team wins the Supporters' Shield while breaking the total points record, then there is no doubt that you should be the Coach of the Year. Breaking news: Arena knows how to win in MLS! -- Moreno
Robin Fraser, Colorado Rapids: There are two good options in Arena and Fraser, but Fraser gets the nod after leading the Rapids to the top seed in the West despite getting a total of 532 minutes from their lone Designated Player, Younes Namli. That's an impressive feat in MLS and a significant contrast to the Revolution, which got best-XI production from their three DPs. -- Bonagura
Bruce Arena, New England Revolution: When you set a record for most points in a season, the trophies have long been engraved. Arena also tied award-namesake Sigi Schmid for most regular season wins in league history (240) in late October. Since stepping down from the USMNT following the catastrophe that shall remain nameless, Arena has won 65% of regular season games at the helm of New England. This one should be his, which will pull him level with Bob Bradley for most in MLS history. -- Hajducky
Robin Fraser, Colorado Rapids: No team in MLS has a lower guaranteed salary than the Rapids, and yet here they are on top of the Western Conference. Colorado won five of its final seven matches after Fraser was appointed manager in 2019, having missed the playoffs in the previous two seasons, before finishing fifth in the conference in 2020 and on top this term. It's hard to argue anyone in MLS has done more with less in the past two years. -- Lindberg
Wilfried Nancy, CF Montreal: Nancy makes a case for this award despite no postseason play, having found himself unexpectedly thrust into the role when Thierry Henry departed before season's start. Montreal played half the campaign based in Florida because of COVID-19 travel restrictions, and were viewed to be among the worst in the East. But Nancy maximized Djordje Mihailovic's playmaking ability and had the team on the cusp on the postseason. Montreal can still book a CONCACAF Champions League spot if they beat Toronto FC in the Canadian Championship final this month. -- Guerra
Newcomer of the Year
Cristian Arango, LAFC: LAFC's failure to reach the postseason will overshadow any positives in 2021, but it wasn't the fault of Arango, who delivered a staggering 14 goals and two assists after arriving in midsummer from Colombian side Millonarios. If Vela decides to leave LAFC when his contract expires this offseason, the presence of Arango will at least leave the team's attack in good hands. -- Carlisle
Cristian Arango, LAFC: Arango got off the airplane scoring goals for LAFC. He joined the team literally midway through the season and scored 14 goals in 17 matches. His immediate and consistent impact kept LAFC in the playoff race and while they ultimately came up short, I have no doubt the outcome would have been different with Arango on the field the whole season. -- Moreno
Cristian Arango, LAFC: It was a disappointing season for LAFC, but Arango scored 14 goals in 17 appearances after arriving in August, ranking 11th in the league. Not bad for someone who wasn't even in the MLS for roughly the first four months of the season. -- Bonagura