Crew hand out team awards at LC Pavilion
Columbus defender O'Rourke named '09 Most Valuable Player
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The winners were as follows: Crew Most Valuable Player, Danny O'Rourke; Defender of the Year, Chad Marshall; Budweiser Golden Boot, Guillermo Barros Schelotto; Glidden Man of the Year, Brian Carroll; Coaches Award, Eddie Gaven; Newcomer of the Year, Eric Brunner; Goal of the Year, Jason Garey; OhioHealth Comeback Player of the Year, Adam Moffat; MLS W.O.R.K.S./U.S. Soccer Foundation Humanitarian of the Year, Steven Lenhart; Crew Soccer Foundation Crew Chiefs Hardest Working Man of the Year, Gino Padula; Crew Fan's Choice (tie), Guillermo Barros Schelotto and Steven Lenhart; and Crew Fan of the Year, Rick Thomas. Below is a summary of each winner.
Danny O'Rourke - Crew Most Valuable Player
Versatility has been the buzzword for Danny O'Rourke in 2009 and its value to the cub is recognized in this prestigious award. Injuries, national team callups, suspensions and a congested schedule over the course of the season created situations where the Worthington Kilbourne graduate was asked to play at a variety of positions and he did so in his trademark gritty, hard-nosed style. His speed and toughness make him an asset wherever he is needed in the defensive third, where he started 13 games in central defense, four at outside back and 14 at defensive midfield in all competitions, and switched in the middle of games on other occasions.
Chad Marshall - Crew Defender of the Year
A big, athletic defender, Chad Marshall has consistently frustrated the efforts of the opposition's attack in 2009, thanks to his aerial dominance, well-timed tackles and overall presence. The reigning team and MLS Defender of the Year, Marshall also utilizes his size and leaping ability to get on the end of set pieces, giving the Crew another dangerous offensive weapon.
Guillermo Barros Schelotto - Crew Budweiser Golden Boot
The reigning MLS and MLS Cup MVP found the back of the net 12 times this season, to rank in the top three in the league for most of the season. Schelotto had three multi-goal games, three game-winning goals and was named MLS Player of the Month for June, as well as an MLS All-Star First 11 selection.
Brian Carroll - Glidden Man of the Year
The Glidden Man of the Year award is presented to the player who embodies an exceptional sense of leadership, civic pride, family values and community service. One of the top holding midfielders in Major League Soccer, Brian Carroll is a standout on and off the field. Now in his second season with the Crew and seventh MLS campaign overall, Carroll leads by example with intelligence, toughness, an incredible engine and a winning mentality. After suffering a severely separated shoulder earlier this season, he defied expectations by returning to the lineup after missing just two games. Off the field, he actively involves himself in the community, which he represents with dignity and class.
Eddie Gaven - Crew Coaches Award
Selected by the Crew coaching staff, the Coaches Award is presented to the player or players they considered to be the most coachable and to possess all of the characteristics of a true team player, including attitude and work ethic. Gaven is a steady and tireless presence on the wings, who led the team in minutes played and contributed important game-winning goals late in the season in both MLS and Champions League action. Now in his fourth season in Columbus, Gaven remains in the U.S. National Team picture, having earned his sixth career cap on Jan. 24 of this year vs. Sweden.
Eric Brunner - Newcomer of the Year
Eric Brunner is the Crew's 2009 Newcomer of the Year, but he is no stranger to the central Ohio Soccer scene. A native of Dublin and Ohio State University product, Brunner signed with his hometown club in March after spending the 2008 season with Miami FC of the United Soccer Leagues. Brunner assumed a more prominent role sooner than expected due to injuries and national team call-ups, and solidified a starting role in central defense for the Black & Gold in his impressive first MLS campaign.
Jason Garey - Goal of the Year
On July 18, Jason Garey finished a scintillating sequence of soccer in the 52nd minute of the Crew's 3-1 victory over Real Salt Lake. Garey began the play by sprinting up the field after collecting a pass and laying the ball back to Duncan Oughton at midfield. Oughton fed the ball down the right channel to Steven Lenhart, who was surrounded by three RSL players but put a one-touch heel pass square to Garey, who dribbled into the penalty box and slotted a left-footed shot past goalkeeper Nick Rimando.
Adam Moffat - Crew OhioHealth Comeback Player of the Year
Moffat who returned from season-ending knee surgery in 2008 and a nagging left hamstring strain early in 2009 campaign to once again become a gritty contributor for the Black & Gold. After winning a starting job out of preseason in 2008 and scoring two goals in seven games to start the season, Moffat missed the last 20 games of 2008 with a torn ACL in his left knee. He had previously missed two games with a sprained right knee. After battling through the hamstring injury that caused him to miss 10 games early this season, Moffat is once again fully fit and ready for the Crew's postseason run.
Steven Lenhart - MLS W.O.R.K.S. / U.S. Soccer Foundation Humanitarian of the Year
Steven Lenhart exemplifies the Crew's dedication to excellence both on and off the field, committing himself to community service. He supports ACIRFA Bikes for Africa, a non-profit organization that produces high-quality bikes for Zambians in need. He also actively volunteers to work with children through Easter Seals, Special Olympics and the Portage County Board of Mental Retardation. He is an enthusiastic participant in the Crew Soccer Foundation's GOALS for KIDS school assembly program, which focuses on using soccer as a vehicle to encourage positive life choices, and has volunteered on Habitat for Humanity and United Way projects.
Gino Padula - CSF Crew Chiefs Hardest Working Man of the Year
Veteran defender Gino Padula is in his second season with the Crew following previous successful stints in Argentina, Spain, England and France. A passionate presence at left back, Padula's tremendous work rate, along with his poise and composure on the ball and cultured left foot, have helped anchor the Crew's back line and added another dimension to its attack.
Guillermo Barros Schelotto and Steven Lenhart (tie) - Crew Fans' Choice
Once again his year, fans were given the opportunity to vote online at TheCrew.com for their favorite player and tell us what they think of him. In a tie, this year's Fans Choice Award winners were Guillermo Barros Schelotto and Steven Lenhart.
Wil Trapp - Crew Soccer Academy Under-16 Player of the Year
Gahanna native Wil Trapp led the Crew Soccer Academy 16s throughout a terrific 2009 season, as one of the dominant players in the country. A member of the U.S. Youth National Team player pool since the age of 14, he was recently called into the U18 National Team fall camp, and recognized as one of the top five recruits in the 2011 recruiting class. A 2009 Great Lakes Starting XI selection, Trapp is certain to play a critical role in the success of the Crew Soccer Academy teams over the next two seasons.
Matt Wiet - Crew Soccer Academy Under-18 Player of the Year
Worthington native Matt Wiet rose to national prominence over two outstanding seasons with the Crew Soccer Academy 18s. During his junior campaign, Matt led CSA to a third place finish in the inaugural U.S. Soccer Development Academy season at the Home Depot Center in Los Angeles. After a senior high school season at Worthington Kilbourne that culminated in Ohio Player of the Year and First Team All American awards, Wiet was called in to a U.S. Under-20 National Team camp and was named to the overall 2009 Development Academy Starting XI, a first for a Crew Soccer Academy player. He is now a freshman starter for perennial national collegiate power Indiana.
Rick Thomas - Jim Nelson Fan of the Year Award
Rick Thomas is a Crew season ticket holder from Toledo, who has been attending Crew games since the early days in Ohio Stadium. After a four-year period when he was out of state, he returned to Ohio in 2007, and reignited an interest in banner making. The creation of the Nordecke in 2008 inspired a host of new banners throughout the club's championship run and title defense in 2009. Thomas has invested innumerable hours and dollars from his own pocket to create his banners, which have made the Nordecke visually intimidating and has served as the backdrop for the Nordecke's rise as one of the best supporter's sections in the MLS and made Crew Stadium the toughest place for teams to play.
Founded by American sports pioneer Lamar Hunt, the Columbus Crew is Ohio's Major League Soccer club, anchoring a diverse sports and entertainment enterprise. One of the league's Charter Members, it is the reigning MLS Cup Champion and has also won the 2002 U.S. Open Cup championship and MLS Supporters' Shield titles in 2004 and 2008. It is currently in its 14th season overall and 11th season in first-of-its-kind Columbus Crew Stadium.
