LA Galaxy forward Zlatan Ibrahimovic was nominated as a finalist for three MLS end of the year awards, and is the only player up for more than two awards. Finalists were decided through voting from current MLS players, MLS clubs’ technical staff, as well as select media.
Landon Donovan MLS Most Valuable Player
This award is relatively self-explanatory: it is given to the league’s most valuable player throughout the 2018 MLS regular season. Other finalists in this category include Miguel Almirón (Atlanta United), Josef Martinez (Atlanta United), Wayne Rooney (D.C. United), and Carlos Vela (LAFC). Ibrahimovic has made his case to earn this award, with 22 goals in 27 appearances this season, but he is also the only player on the list on a team not in the playoffs. The favorite in this category is Atlanta United’s Josef Martinez, who won the Golden Boot trophy for most goals during the regular season, as well as becoming the all-time single season goal scoring leader in MLS.
Newcomer of the Year
The Newcomer of the Year award is given to the player who made a splash in their MLS debut in 2018, but had had experience in another professional league. The other finalists in this category are Wayne Rooney (D.C. United) and Carlos Vela (LAFC). Rooney could definitely give Ibrahimovic a run for his money in this category, as his arrival in July helped shift the story of United’s season and push them into the playoffs. However, it is difficult to deny the impact Ibrahimovic made on the Galaxy this season: his first MLS match against LAFC was a stunner and he scored one third of the Galaxy’s goals this season.
Comeback Player of the Year
This award is given to a player who “has overcome injuries and/or adversity in order to achieve success during the 2018 regular season.” The other finalists in this category are Osvaldo Alonso (Seattle Sounders FC) and Gyasi Zardes (Columbus Crew). All three players had struggled with injuries over the past year, but have come up big for their clubs in the 2018 regular season. For reasons listed above, Ibrahimovic made a big impact on his club, despite the matches he did not play due to concerns over playing on an artificial playing surface to protect his knee.