US Soccer has announced the five finalists for its 2017 US Soccer Player of the Year awards, including four players who could make an impact in this Saturday's MLS Cup Final (4 pm ET | ESPN, UniMas, TSN, TVAS). Here's who is in the running:
- F Jozy Altidore (Toronto FC)
- M Michael Bradley (Toronto FC)
- F Clint Dempsey (Seattle Sounders FC)
- F Jordan Morris (Seattle Sounders FC)
- M Christian Pulisic (Borussia Dortmund)
There's also some history at stake. Dempsey could become just the second player ever to win the award four times, matching Landon Donovan. At 19 years old, Pulisic could become the youngest player ever to win the award, bettering Donovan who won it for the first time in 2003 as a 21-year-old.
Additionally, US Soccer announced the six candidates for the Young Male Player of the Year award, an honor Pulisic secured last year.
- Tyler Adams (New York Red Bulls)
- Erik Palmer-Brown (Sporting Kansas City)
- Jonathan Gonzalez (CF Monterrey)
- Josh Sargent (Werder Bremen)
- Luca de la Torre (Fulham)
- Tim Weah (Paris St. Germain)
Votes will be collected from national team coaches and staff, national team players who earned a cap in 2017, members of the US Soccer Board of Directors, US Soccer’s Athlete Council, professional soccer league coaches, select college head coaches and select media members.
Voting closes at 11:59 pm ET on Tuesday, Dec. 12, with winners announced two days later live on ESPN.