Pasion Naranja!

As the USL season draws to a close, there are hopeful comments in the air that the Islanders could repeat this year with some player honors for 2009. Last year, the Islanders were honored to have Cristian Arrieta named Defender of the Year, Jonny Steele named Most Valuable Player, and Bill Gaudette as Goalkeeper of the Year.

Regardless of whether or not the USL recognizes the passion and achievements of our players this year – the Islanders fans have much to appreciate. Because of this, we have decided to begin a yearly tradition: the PasionNaranja Fan Awards.

The awards will consist of personalized certificates to be handed to the players during the USL-1 playoffs – as both recognition of achievements throughout the season for our club and also the appreciation of the team’s fans. The winners will be entirely chosen by fans via voting in our polls.

You can find the polls below. The polls will be open for one week, and the winners declared next Wednesday (September 30th). After this, we will make sure to order the certificates and hand them to the players.

The categories for 2009 are:

-Most Valuable Player (MVP)

Criteria:  The all-around player. Player who contributed the most to the success of the team.

Players eligible in this category: Every player on the team is eligible.

-Offensive Player of the Year

Criteria: Player whose offensive play was showcased best during this regular season.

Players eligible in this category: Forwards and Offensive Midfielders.

-Defensive Player of the Year

Criteria: Player whose defensive play was showcased best during this regular season.

Players eligible in this category: Back-line players and Defensive Midfielders

-Rookie of the Year

Criteria: The new player who contributed the most to the success of the team this season.

Players eligible in this category: Players who are new to the Islanders this season and who have not played any considerable amount of time with the team in previous seasons.

-Most Improved Player

Criteria: The returning Islanders player whose performance has improved the most from last season to the current one.

Players eligible in this category: Any player who was with the team last season and played a considerable amount of time.

Special category: Franchise Player

The Franchise Player is the member of the team that adds the most to the team in and out of the field and who does so in a consistent and reliable manner. This player might not be the one to impress the most with his on the ball skills, but his professionalism, passion, and dedication make him an invaluable asset to the organization. This special category will be decided by print and online sports journalists and media commentators.

Players eligible in this category: Every player on the team is eligible.

*Thanks to Julio Ortega for helping out with the criteria and drafting.

*Also, thanks to Eduardo Cantore from Islandersfc.net – he used to present players with ‘man of the match’ awards after games and that served as an inspiration.

This entry was posted on Monday, September 21st, 2009 at 9:13 pm and is filed under Brief updates. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.