Chivas USA announces 2011 team awards

Chivas USA announced the winners of the team’s 2011 awards prior to their final home game on Saturday, October 22, at The Home Depot Center. Five different members of the team were honored for their excellence and achievement both on and off the pitch. Later, the award winners spoke briefly about their honors.

Five different Goats were honored in the following categories:

• The Chivas USA 2011 Golden Boot Award – Nick LaBrocca
• The Chivas USA 2011 Most Valuable Player of the Year – Dan Kennedy
• The Chivas USA 2011 Defender of the Year – Heath Pearce
• The Chivas USA 2011 Humanitarian of the Year – Michael Lahoud
• The Chivas USA 2011 Spirit of Chivas USA – Alejandro Moreno

The 2011 Golden Boot Award went to midfielder Nick LaBrocca for his 8 goals and 6 assists in 34 total matches. LaBrocca narrowly beat out teammate Justin Braun, who was one assist behind on the season.

It was a season of highs for the New Jersey native who scored the 10,000^th goal in MLS history and was named to his first MLS All Star game. LaBrocca was also the only Goat to start every match and tallied 3058 minutes on the season.

“It’s definitely an honor,” LaBrocca said. “It’s not one I thought that I would ever win, but it’s definitely exciting. Unfortunately it didn’t really add up to much on the season, but at the end of the day I try to find the positives and it’s pretty exciting.”

Asked about his expectations for the next season, the new Golden Boot winner said, “We’re definitely going to keep building. That’s our goal going into this off-season, and that’s been our goal from the beginning of last year. We’re building. There have definitely been improvements, and we’re going to make the most out of this period.”

Chivas USA presented its 2011 Most Valuable Player Award to goalkeeper Dan Kennedy for “consistency and excellent play.”

Kennedy played 2880 minutes over 32 matches on the season, racking up 100 saves and 9 clean sheets. The Yorba Linda native was also nominated for the 2011 MLS Comeback Player of the Year Award after seeing limited action in 2010 and missing the entire 2009 season after a knee injury.

Speaking about the award, Kennedy said, “It’s a great honor. I was not expecting it at all, and through the course of the season I guess I focused most on what the team was doing and our results. Looking back on the season that I had, I was happy with it, but by no means content with the end results. Because as nice as it is to be recognized individually, the accomplishments you earn as a team are much greater. I’m honored to be the team MVP because it took a lot for me to get to this point, but there’s still a lot of work to be done.”

Kennedy is optimistic about the team’s outlook for the 2012 season. “We were very close up until the last four games,” he pointed out.

“We were in the playoff hunt, and we let ourselves down a bit at the end. Hopefully we gained a lot of experience. The big picture is that no team in this league is great because of one season. It takes time. I think now we’re on that road to building something, and hopefully we’re all on board. I’m excited for what the future holds.”

The 2011 Defender of the Year Award went to Modesto native Heath Pearce for his “extraordinary record of consistency” which included 2581 minutes of play over 30 matches on the season.

Pearce started in 26 consecutive games and played over 2300 minutes before a hamstring injury set him off the pitch for several games. He was also named to the 2011 MLS All Star team, his second selection, and was called up to the U.S. Men’s National Team for some international friendly matches.

As with the other award winners, Pearce was grateful of the recognition but disappointed in the team’s final standings. “It’s obviously an honor,” he acknowledged. “It’s disappointing the way that we finished the season, and I think that’s where everybody’s focus is now, kind of reflecting on a season of what could have been. But it’s always an honor to get an award from your team.”

Pearce also recognized the efforts of his fellow defenders on the year. “You obviously can’t do that without the rest of your guys in the back,” he said. “We’ve actually played with a number of different guys there this year, so to be able to get that personally, it’s an honor."

"If I had the choice I would have given it to Ante Jazic. He’s been a strong link for us this whole year, and he and I played well together. A lot of guys in the back have done their job, not just him. Obviously as a team we didn’t do well enough, but it’s always an honor to be given an award by the team.”

Chivas USA 2011 Humanitarian of the Year recipient Michael Lahoud was honored for “his untiring support and effort” to help the people in his native Sierra Leone.

He has worked with non-profit organization Schools for Salone to help with the rebuilding of schools in the African country. He won the 2010 MLS Humanitarian of the Year Award for his work with The Wall Memorias Project promoting HIV prevention and has been nominated again this year.

Lahoud, who attended Wake Forrest, was grateful for the award, but pointed out that it is not the reason he is involved in these projects. “It was a great surprise,” he said, “but I don’t look at it as an award that I aspire to. It’s always good to get some type of recognition for doing any work you do, but my focus is always to continue tokeep working, whether it’s on the soccer field or off it, giving my time. I definitely feel grateful to get it, but it’s not the end all.

The final award of the year, the 2011 Spirit of Chivas USA Award, was presented to forward Alejandro Moreno for his “tireless work ethic, commitment to team values and leadership.”

Moreno played in 24 games, scoring 5 goals on 30 shots on goal in his 2016 total minutes. He has also been called up to the Venezuelan National Team, “La Vinotinto,” three times this year.

“It’s an honor for me, said Moreno of the award. “It’s meaningful and I think it recognizes the work that I put in every day. I’m very proud to be a part of this organization and of what we’re building, and hopefully it will show in the results next year. We’re preparing for that."

"It’s going to take a lot of work and all our commitment and a lot of sacrifice, and I think it’s kind of what this award stands for. Hopefully we can get that across the board, and the results will show what the team is all about in the upcoming season.”

The disappointment of 2011 and the hopes for the 2012 season were clearly on the minds of all the award winners.

Defender of the Year Heath Pearce summed up the team’s feelings: “We saw a lot of bright spots this year, we just weren’t consistent enough. I think with some additions and some more competition in the team that we’ll be a tough team to beat.”

AWARDS RECAP:

The Chivas USA 2011 Golden Boot Award – Nick LaBrocca - Chivas USA’s Golden Boot of 2011 recipient is New Jersey native midfielder Nick LaBrocca. Nick scored a total of 8 goals and 6 assists in 34 total matches with 3,058 minutes on the season, narrowly outdueling by one assist, teammate Justin Braun for the award who tallied 8 goals and 5 assists. LaBrocca tied the number of helpers he had in the 2010 season, however this 2011 has indeed been a career season for Nick. Earlier in the campaign he scored MLS’s 10,000th goal in the history of the league, was named to his first MLS All Star game and was the only Goat to start every match this season.

The Chivas USA 2011 Most Valuable Player of the Year – Dan Kennedy - Chivas USA Goalkeeper and Yorba Linda native Dan Kennedy is this year’s recipient of the team’s Most Valuable Player Award. For his consistency and excellent play Kennedy’s final stats this season put him in the Top 5 keepers of MLS. Kennedy racked up a total of 2880 minutes in 32 matches, including 9 shutouts and 100 saves. In addition Danny is also nominated for MLS Comeback Player of the Year Award for 2011, after seeing limited amount of action last season and missing the entire season of 2009 due to a knee injury.

The Chivas USA 2011 Defender of the Year – Heath Pearce - Chivas USA defender and Modesto, California native Heath Pearce is 2011’s Defender of the Year Award recipient. For an extraordinary record of consistency which has in addition earned Pearce a couple of call ups to the USMNT for international friendly matches and additionally, was named to his second MLS All Star team earlier this season. Heath had started in 26 consecutive matches and accumulated more than 2,300 consecutive minutes until he was forced to abandon the pitch due to a hamstring injury. His numbers at the end of the season are 30 total games played with a total of 2581 minutes with ten shots on goal.

The Chivas USA 2011 Humanitarian of the Year – Michael Lahoud - For his untiring support and effort to help his native Sierra Leone through the non-profit organization ‘Schools for Salome’ in the rebuilding of schools in Africa, Wake Forrest Alum Michael Lahoud is this year’s Humanitarian of the Year recipient. For this same effort Michael is also nominated in MLS’s Humanitarian of the Year Award. His stats for 2011 were 23 matches with a total of 1341 minutes, a scored goal and 12 shots on goal.

The Chivas USA 2011 Spirit of Chivas USA – Alejandro Moreno - This season’s Spirit of Chivas USA Award recipient is Venezuelan native Alejandro Moreno. Alejandro is the epitome of what Chivas USA strives to be in all that it does. His tireless work ethic, commitment to team values and leadership are reminders that Chivas USA is first and foremost a team and family. In addition Moreno has had three call ups so far this year for La Vinotinto, in which Venezuela has played at one of its highest levels in recent history. His final MLS season stats for 2011 are: 24 games with 5 goals, 2,016 total minutes and 30 shots on goal.

About Chivas USA - Founded in 2004, Los Angeles-based Club Deportivo Chivas USA has achieved remarkable success in six full seasons in Major League Soccer. From 2006-2009, the Mexican-owned club qualified for the MLS Cup Playoffs in four consecutive seasons, to the delight of its passionate supporters. In addition, Chivas USA’s innovative grassroots programs demonstrate its deep commitment to the Southern California community, while the club’s youth teams and Soccer Academies offer unprecedented opportunities to the region’s best young talent. For more information on Chivas USA, please call 1-877-CHIVAS-1 or visit cdchivasusa.com.