SAN JOSE, Calif. – San Jose Earthquakes forward Chris Wondolowski was named the Volkswagen MLS Most Valuable Player for the 2012 season today. He will accept the award at 1 p.m. PT at The Home Depot Center and will participate in a press conference following the event.
Wondolowski is the first player in club history to win league MVP honors. In 2010, he was a finalist along with LA Galaxy forward Edson Buddle and eventual MVP David Ferreira of FC Dallas. The only other players in club history to be named a finalist for the award were Jeff Agoos in 2003 and Dwayne De Rosario in 2005.
Wondolowski’s 27 goals this season tied the League's all-time single-season record and won him a second Budweiser Golden Boot award. The plethora of goals helped the predatory striker set an MLS mark for game-winning goals with 11. He also became the only player in MLS history to score the most regular season goals in three consecutive seasons. His dominance throughout the season earned him four MLS Player of the Month awards, a feat unrivaled through league history.
The Danville native led the Earthquakes to their second Supporters’ Shield in club history, just a year removed from finishing 14th overall in MLS.
Since entering MLS in 2005, Wondolowski has recorded a total of 68 league goals, 64 of which came after moving from Houston to San Jose in the middle of the 2009 season. He ranks 20th all-time in MLS goal scoring, two behind Cobi Jones.
The award was voted on by media, MLS players and MLS club management based on regular season performance. The other two finalists were Sporting Kansas City midfielder Graham Zusi and New York Red Bulls forward Thierry Henry. Below is a breakdown of the voting for the top four candidates:
<strong>Player (Club)</strong> |
<strong>% of Club Votes</strong> |
<strong>% of Media Votes</strong> |
<strong>% of Player Votes</strong> |
<strong>Weighted Total</strong> |
<strong>Chris Wondolowski (SJ)</strong> |
<strong>91.23</strong> |
<strong>96.97</strong> |
<strong>70.83</strong> |
<strong>259.03</strong> |
<p>Thierry Henry (NY)</p> |
<p>0</p> |
<p>3.03</p> |
<p>11.46</p> |
<p>14.49</p> |
<p>Graham Zusi (SKC)</p> |
<p>3.51</p> |
<p>0 </p> |
<p>3.13</p> |
6.64 |
<p>Brad Davis (HOU)</p> |
<p>3.51</p> |
<p>0</p> |
<p>0</p> |
3.51 |
ALL-TIME MLS MOST VALUABLE PLAYERS:
2012: Chris Wondolowski – San Jose Earthquakes
2011: Dwayne De Rosario – D.C. United
2010: David Ferreira – FC Dallas
2009: Landon Donovan – LA Galaxy
2008: Guillermo Barros Schelotto – Columbus Crew
2007: Luciano Emilio – D.C. United
2006: Christian Gómez – D.C. United
2005: Taylor Twellman – New England Revolution
2004: Amado Guevara – MetroStars
2003: Preki – Kansas City Wizards
2002: Carlos Ruiz – LA Galaxy
2001: Alex Pineda Chacón – Miami Fusion
2000: Tony Meola – Kansas City Wizards
1999: Jason Kreis – Dallas Burn
1998: Marco Etcheverry – D.C. United
1997: Preki – Kansas City Wizards
1996: Carlos Valderrama – Tampa Bay Mutiny
