MLS Comeback Player of the Year: Honors an MLS player who has overcome injuries and/or adversity to achieve success during the 2022 regular season.
Jeremy Ebobisse joined the San Jose Earthquakes via trade from the Portland Timbers in August 2021. He scored one goal in four appearances for his new club during the month of August while playing in his preferred position of center forward.
Ebobisse then suffered a head injury during a collision in the opening minutes of the team’s match vs. Colorado on Sept. 4, knocking him out of the match and keeping him off the field for a month and a half. He returned in mid-October, but never fully settled back in, failing to score another goal the rest of the season.
The 25-year-old attacker returned with a vengeance in 2022. Ebobisse was the only forward in MLS to start all 34 matches, and one of just 13 players at any position, including goalkeeper, to do so. He wasn’t just active, he was also effective, scoring 17 goals to rank eighth in MLS. He was also just one of two players league-wide to score 10+ goals and maintain an 80% accurate pass percentage (CIN – Brenner).
It should also be noted that Ebobisse only took two penalty kicks all season, unlike many others near the top of the Golden Boot standings. Nashville’s Hany Mukhtar took seven, scoring six, Austin’s Sebastian Driussi scored all four of his attempts, Philadelphia’s Daniel Gazdag scored all seven of his attempts, and Chicharito scored three of six attempts.
Good luck to Jeremy Ebobisse as he competes with Miami’s Gonzalo Higuain and Montreal’s Kei Kamara for this prestigious honor!
