It’s the midway point of the Major League Soccer. We’ve already given out grades for all 28 teams so now it’s time to delve into the favorites — at this point of the season — for the prestigious post-season awards. 

 

For each award — MVP, Newcomer, Young Player, Goalkeeper, Defender, Comeback, Coach — we’ll give you the winner at this point and the also ran. 

 

MLS MVP: Djordje Mihailovic, CF Montreal

 

The Mihailovic MVP hype train has been stuck at the station for more than a month with the midfielder sidelined due to injury, one that forced him to withdraw from a well-earned call-up to the US Men’s National Team in late May. 

 

The 23-year-old is an expert playmaker, but became a more dangerous scoring threat this season. Mihailovic has seven goals in 14 matches. That includes 14 of his 22 shots on frame. He’s gotten himself into better scoring positions and has dramatically increased his shooting percentage from 6.8 in 2021 to a career-best 31.8 percent, while passing at a 83.4% accuracy. 

 

Also considered: Sebastian Driussi, Austin FC

 

To be fair, there’s probably a handful of other elite players who should and will be in the running — it’s a race this year that appears more wide-open than ever. But we gave the nod to the Argentine from Austin FC. He’s tied for second in the league with 11 goals, all inside the 18-yard box, while adding five assists for a Los Verde side that is among the best in the Western Conference. 

 

Newcomer of the Year: Taxi Fountas, DC United 

 

The Greek international, who was signed as a Designated Player out of SK Rapid Wien, has been a rare bright spot in what has been a dismal season for D.C. United. The 26-year-old forward has 10 goals in 12 appearances, which includes a hat trick in a wild 5-3 win over Orlando City SC on the Fourth of July, and added three assists. 

 

Also considered: Leo Campana, Inter Miami CF 

 

Campana’s emergence for the Herons has forced Gonzalo Higuain, the legendary, but aging, former Juventus star to the bench. The 21-year-old Ecuadorian, signed on loan from Wolverhampton Wanderers in the English Premier League, has a team-high eight goals (all non PKs) in 19 appearances, and added a pair of assists

 

Young Player of the Year: Jesus Ferreira, FC Dallas 

 

The 21-year-old is in the midst of a breakout season after taking over as FC Dallas’ No. 9 following Ricardo Pepi’s big-money move to the Bundesliga. Ferreira, who has also broken into Gregg Berhalter’s USMNT squad, has a career-high 11 goals — none from the penalty spot — to go along with four assists. His shooting percentage (24.4) is also a career-high. 

 

Also considered: Talles Magno, NYCFC

 

Perhaps it’s being more comfortable in a league that was foreign a year ago when he made the move from Brazilian side Vasco da Gama, but the 20-year-old Brazilian has been nothing short of brilliant for the defending MLS Cup champions in his sophomore season. Now a regular starter, Magno has leveled up in 2022 with five goals and eight assists — good for fourth in MLS — while his pass percentage is 82 percent. 

 

Goalkeeper of the Year: Dayne St. Clair, Minnesota United 

 

St. Clair is enjoying a career year for Minnesota United, wrestling the starting spot from Tyler Miller and putting himself into strong consideration to be on the Canadian plane to the World Cup in Qatar in November. The 25-year-old has three clean sheets in a career-high 18 starts, a 74.4 save percentage and is one of only five goalkeepers in MLS with at least 60 saves (67) on the season. Oh, and he just added his first career assist in a 3-1 win at Vancouver. 

 

Also considered: Sean Johnson, NYCFC 

 

Johnson is the opposite of St. Clair, that longtime established starter who is finally getting recognition as one of the top goalkeepers in MLS. The 33-year-old, who was heroic in NYCFC’s push for the club’s first-ever MLS Cup last year, leads the league with nine clean sheets. Like St. Clair, Johnson has also pushed himself into consideration for the USMNT World Cup roster. 

 

Defender of the Year: Alex Callens, NYCFC

 

The Peruvian international has also leveled up this season, his sixth with NYCFC. The 30-year-old left-footed center back anchors an NYCFC defense that, until a recent stretch, has been among the best in the league. Callens completes 89.3% of his passes for a team that likes to play out of the back and has a career-high three goals as well, playing every minute of the season. He’s also fourth in the league with 1,130 passes attempted and first with 747 passes in his own half. 

 

Also considered: Jack Elliott, Philadelphia Union 

 

The Union are far and away the stingiest defense in the league, conceding 13 goals in 20 matches, and Elliott at center back, is a big reason why. The 26-year-old has played all but nine minutes of the 19 matches he’s started this year, his sixth in Philadelphia and has 23 interceptions 

 

Comeback Player of the Year: Aaron Long, New York Red Bulls 

 

After missing nearly all of the 2021 season with a ruptured Achilles, Long has regained his form and is again one of the top center backs in the league and back on Berhalter’sdepth chart ahead of the World Cup. The 2018 MLS Defender of the Year has tied a career-high with three goals through 17 matches, earned a spot for the MLS All-Star Game and anchors a defense that has conceded 21 goals for the Eastern Conference leaders. 

 

Also considered: Jordan Morris, Seattle Sounders 

 

Morris also missed almost the entire 2021 season after suffering a torn ACL while on loan with Swansea City. He returned to help the Sounders do what no other MLS team has done, win this iteration of the Concacaf Champions League. The 27-year-old winger has five goals and three assists in a little more than 1,160 minutes played this season. Per Second Spectrum, Morris leads MLS in xGper 90 minutes (among regular starters).

 

Coach of the Year: Pat Noonan, FC Cincinnati 

 

FC Cincinnati were the Wooden Spoon winners for three years running as MLS’ last-place squad, but that’s changed under new leadership. Noonan has arrived from the Philadelphia Union, where he was an assistant under Jim Curtin, and has helped lead a resurgence in Ohio. FC Cincinnati are above the playoff line after 20 matches with 27 points and are unbeaten in their last six. 

 

Also considered: Pablo Mastroeni, Real Salt Lake 

 

Mastroeni shed the interim tag he had a year ago when he took over for Freddy Juarez and led a late-season playoff surge. Under Mastroeni’s watch, RSL are one of the big success stories of the 2022 season to date, tied for third in the Western Conference, one of just two teams (Philadelphia is the other) undefeated at home. And that’s after losing one of their most influential attacking players (Albert Rusnak) to Seattle while captain Damir Kreilachhas been limited to 298 minutes this season due to injury.