MLS Season Awards: Chris Armas Coach of the Year Darkhorse and Others

OPINION – The 2024 MLS regular season is over. Voting is wrapping up for season awards. The Colorado Rapids had an amazing regular season complimented by a third place finish in Leagues Cup and a guaranteed home playoff game. What MLS season awards could we see the Rapids get some consideration for?

Before I go further on this thought experiment, I don’t think the Rapids will get any individual awards this year. These often turn into popularity contests. Narrative FC (to use Andrew Wiebe’s term) wins out. Colorado’s had a great season, but their form the last six games saw them drop in the table. That will be enough for lots of voters (media, players, executives) to dismiss them. There are teams and individuals in bigger markets with bigger accomplishments, expectations, and budgets. But it’s worth pointing out what was achieved this year.

I don’t care for the voting format for media. We’re only selecting a winner for each award rather than a top three. Thus the finalists will be the top three vote getters. The Rapids won’t get many first place votes for awards but surely some candidates would be in the top three, five, ten for voters. This will probably cause Colorado to be underrepresented.

Coach of the Year Darkhorse: Chris Armas

The turnaround from last year starts with head coach Chris Armas. This hire was widely disliked by the fanbase and questioned by national voices. Possibly the only people confident this would work were Armas and President Pádraig Smith.

Armas has brought the energy and revamped the culture. He got the entire roster to buy in and work together as a team. Gradually, he implemented a game model that made the Rapids one of the best attacking teams in the league by several metrics. On some level, these awards should be based on how you handle expectations. Because of Armas, the Rapids have exceeded everyone’s expectations.

The team falling off the last month probably lost Armas his votes. Wilfried Nancy will probably win it. If ranked voting was allowed with three to five candidates, Armas would certainly be a finalist.

Defender of the Year had he stayed: Moïse Bombito

Moïse Bombito was so good from March to August. So good he became a guaranteed starter for Canada at Copa America. He was sold to OGC Nice for a record fee for an MLS defender. Had Bombito remained with Colorado, they’re probably higher in the table.

As Matt Doyle wrote yesterday, Bombito’s recovery speed enhanced their game model. They’d probably have a few fewer goals conceded since Leagues Cup with him still on the team, breaking up counter attacks. Bombito was great in both boxes, pressing, in possession, and his energy. A full season starting with the Rapids and balling out, he’d be up there for Defender of the Year.

Steven Moreira from Columbus will probably win it.

Goalkeeper of the Year: Zack Steffen

Zack Steffen will not win Goalkeeper of the Year. He probably won’t get a first place vote. But as I wrote previously, Steffen has been huge this year. He might be the most underrated goalkeeper in MLS, given the USMNT noise and all the (oversimplified) discourse on his Post-Shot Expected Goals compared to his Goals Against. With Bombito gone, he is the most important piece of their defensive output. On top of that, he’s the starting point for their offense. This is a team that wants to play out of the back, especially at home.

This award has usually gone to an amazing shot stopper on one of the best defensive teams in the regular season. Expect Charlotte’s Kristijan Kahlina in a landslide.

Landon Donovan MLS MVP: Djordje Mihailović

Ankle sprain aside, Djordje Mihailović had the best attacking season in club history with 11 goals and 14 assists. He broke Diego Rubio’s 2022 record of 23 goal contributions. Had he not made the Olympic team, he probably ties or breaks Carlos Valderrama 2002 assist record of 16.

The now 25-year-old was a candidate for MVP in 2021 when he was the straw that stirred the drink for CF Montreal. Had he played a full 34 games, his stats would have him in the conversation, even with some considering him the best midfielder on the team but Cole Bassett the most important.

MLS is stacked now with top talent. Lionel Messi or Cucho Hernandez will win it.

MLS Best XI: Cole Bassett

Speaking of Cole Bassett, he has a shot at making the Best XI. He was one of the best box-to-box midfielders in the league. At one point, he led the league in ground covered. All while recording nine goals and seven assists.

People may forget he did this while moving to a deeper role in a double pivot. He was supposed to be next to Mihailović in a 4-2-3-1 but a third game injury to Connor Ronan put him alongside Oliver Larraz. He still contributed to pressing and kickstarted the offense. There is no player in MLS who contributed more in the final third while also being elite in the middle third.

The only way Bassett should omitted is if the voters pull an All-Star Game vote and have their midfield be all No. 10s.

Audi Goals Drive Progress Impact Award: Zack Steffen

For those confused, this is the renamed Humanitarian of the Year. Zack Steffen has partnered with the Boys & Girls Club of Metro Denver. Giving back to the community he lives in has always been a thing for Steffen. He put in the hours in his first year in Colorado. In the aftermath of George Floyd’s murder, he and former teammate Alex Crognale to create VOYCENOW Foundation, a nonprofit that unites athletes from across the world to use their platforms to advocate Equality for All.

I don’t have a good sense of who wins this. We don’t hear about this enough from league and club channels. There’s a lot of overlap between the organizations and areas the nominees work in. Making the game more accessible, children’s hospitals, Special Olympics, etc. That’s not to diminish the work being done. I just don’t know how one nominee differentiates themselves.

Does a star player on a good team get more votes? Does a player who’s been working on the same project in the same market get more credit? I have no idea. Either way, well done to Zack and the other nominees.

Photo Credit: Major League Soccer via Rachel Woolf, The Player’s Tribune.

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