On the Pitch
On the Pitch
On the Pitch
Nominees Set for 2024 U.S. Soccer Extended National Team Player of the Year Awards
Voting for Eight ENT Player of the Year Awards and ADAPTandTHRIVE Disability Award Runs From December 17-31
CHICAGO (Dec. 17, 2024) — Continuing in its mission to celebrate soccer in all of its forms, U.S. Soccer has announced the nominees for its 2024 Extended National Teams Player of the Year awards, which recognize top performers across its ENT programming, as well as the ADAPTandTHRIVE Disability Award which acknowledges and celebrates individuals and organizations that have significantly contributed to promoting inclusivity and creating opportunities for all within the soccer community.
Voting begins on Tuesday, Dec. 17 at 10 a.m. CT and concludes on Tuesday, Dec. 31 at 11:59 p.m. CT. The winners will be announced in January 2025.
FEMALE BEACH SOCCER PLAYER OF THE YEAR
The finalists for Female Beach Soccer Player of the Year are forward Hannah Adler, midfielder Samantha Martinez and forward Kilee Quigley. Adler finished tied for second on the team with five goals, scoring in four consecutive matches to end the year. Martinez’s six goals in just three matches led all Beach WNT players and she claimed the Golden Boot at the 2024 El Salvador Beach Soccer Cup. Quigley led the team with nine overall goal contributions (three goals and six assists) in six matches.
MALE BEACH SOCCER PLAYER OF THE YEAR
The finalists for Male Beach Soccer Player of the Year are midfielder Tanner Akol, forward Alessandro Canale and defender Antonio Chavez. Akol had a breakout year for the Beach MNT, leading the team with eight goals in 12 matches. Canale’s three goals at February’s FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup in Dubai made him the USA’s all-time leading scorer in the tournament. Chavez appeared in all 12 Beach MNT matches and tied Akol for the team lead in goal contributions with four goals and four assists.
MALE FUTSAL PLAYER OF THE YEAR
The nominees for Male Futsal Player of the Year are goalkeeper Robert Damron, fixo Luciano Gonzalez and ala Nicholas Lopez.Damron appeared in three matches for the USA in 2024, Gonzalez tallied two goals and two assists in his four appearances, while Lopez registered two goals and one assist in his first year with the Futsal MNT.
Additionally a Female Futsal Player of the Year award will launch in 2025 when the U.S. Women’s Futsal National Team will play its first international matches.
FEMALE CP PLAYER OF THE YEAR
The Female Cerebral Palsy (CP) Player of the Year nominees are forward Jesslyn Kuhnel, midfielder Cassidy Leake and midfielder Kaia Spencer. Kuhnel started all five of her appearances and tallied four goals and one assist, including a brace in the IFCPF World Cup opener against the Republic of Ireland. Leake led the CP WNT in scoring with 14 goals and three assists in her seven appearances and captained the USA back to the IFCPF World Cup Final. Spencer, who at age 15 is the team’s youngest player, registered a team-leading 12 assists and finished second to only Leake with 11 goals in her seven appearances.
MALE CP PLAYER OF THE YEAR
The Male Cerebral Palsy (CP) Player of the Year nominees are forward Jacob Crumbley, midfielder Ben Lindau, and midfielder Wesley Pincince. Crumbley showed his versatility around the pitch, playing forward, goalkeeper, full back and central midfield, and was one of only three players to appear in all eight matches. Lindau appeared in seven of eight matches during the year, captaining the USA at the IFCPF World Cup where he tied Crumbley for the team lead with seven goal contributions. In his second full year with the CP MNT, Pincince led the team with 448 minutes played and was the only player to start all eight matches.
FEMALE DEAF PLAYER OF THE YEAR
The nominees for Female Deaf Player of the Year are defender Sydney Andrews, forward Sophie Post, and forward Emily Spreeman. Andrews finished 2024 as one of two players to play all 270 minutes of action and collected one assist. Post contributed three goals and one assist in her three appearances, cementing a starting role by year’s end. Meanwhile, Spreeman continued her dominance in attack, recording 11 goals and eight assists, including a record-setting six-goal performance in the 11-0 win against Australia on June 1.
MALE DEAF PLAYER OF THE YEAR
The nominees for Male Deaf Player of the Year are forward Chris Bourdon, defender Kevin Fitzpatrick and midfielder Raul Silva, all of whom were integral in the team claiming the bronze medal at the 2024 Deaf Pan American Games to qualify for the 2025 Deaflympics and 2026 DIFA World Deaf Football Championship. Bourdon played all 300 minutes at the Deaf Pan Am Games, providing two assists. Fitzpatrick started all three matches and led the back line to two shutouts, while Silva started all three matches.
POWER SOCCER PLAYER OF THE YEAR
The nominees for Power Soccer Player of the Year are Jordan Dickey, Lexi Heer, and Riley Johnson. A leader both on-and-off the court, Dickey combined with Heer to help RHI Sudden Impact earn a third-place finish at the 2024 National Tournament. Heer has continued to be a steady and reliable influence on-and-off the court who continues to show high potential for the Power National Team in the future. Johnson helped lead Minnesota Shockwave to a fourth-consecutive USPS Premier Cup Championship, winning the Golden Guard Award in the process. The trio of players attended all three Power Soccer National Team camps in 2024.
The nominees for the ADAPTandTHRIVE Disability Award are Margaret Domka (Disability Soccer Referee), Ashley Hammond (CP Soccer) and Jennifer Kelso (Special Olympics of North America). A former FIFA Referee, Domka has continued to make an outstanding impact on inclusive sports through her specialized work as a match official in Blind Soccer, the International Federation of Cerebral Palsy Football and the Special Olympics. As a co-founder of CP Soccer, Hammond has dedicated over a decade to tirelessly promoting and creating opportunities for players with disabilities, building a nationwide network of clubs and summer camps that welcome children from across the globe. Now in her 25th year working with Special Olympics, Kelso has led the organization’s efforts to implement and grow soccer programs on the state level and also developed and grown the Special Olympics and MLS Unified Exchange.
