SANDY, Utah – (Thursday, October 17, 2019) – The 2019 finalists for Most Valuable Player, Defender of the Year, Goalkeeper of the Year, Rookie of the Year and Coach of the Year have been announced by the National Women's Soccer League.
Voting is now open and will continue for owners, general managers, coaches, players, media and fans until Tuesday, October 22, with the winners being announced in the days leading up to the NWSL Championship game on Sunday, October 27.
Utah Royals FC DF Becky Sauerbrunn has been nominated for the NWSL Player of the year alongside Lauren Barnes (Reign FC), Abby Erceg (North Carolina Courage), Jaelene Hinkle (North Carolina Courage) and Casey Short (Chicago Red Stars).
The list of finalists for each category were decided after a preliminary round of voting by owners, general managers, coaches, players and members of the media.
The final round of voting will determine the individual award winners and Best XI.
Voting Breakdown:
Preliminary Round: Owners/GMs/Coaches (25%), Media (25%) and Players (50%)
Final Round: Fans (20%), Owners/GMs/Coaches (20%), Media (20%) and Players (40%)
In her second season with Utah Royals FC, Sauerbrunn made 14 appearances, contributing to six clean sheets and helping the team achieve the second-fewest goals allowed with 25, just two behind the 2019 Shield winners North Carolina Courage. Additionally, Sauerbrunn recorded the highest passing accuracy in the league, completing 87.6 percent of the passes she attempted.
Sauerbrunn previously won the award in three-consecutive seasons, beginning with in the league’s inaugural year in 2013, and running until 2015. The Royals FC captain was previously nominated for the title in 2016, 2017 and 2018. She was also recognized as the Defender of the Year Sauerbrunn and has been honored on the NWSL Best XI the past six seasons and is the only player to do so in the history of the league.
