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This award is given by the readers of Sounder at Heart to best defensive player in 2017. We consider anyone whose primary role is to keep the ball out of their own net a defensive player. Nominations were limited to any player that had at least 20 all competitions starts.
Previous winners of the Sounder at Heart Defensive Player of the Year award are, in order, Jhon Kennedy Hurtado, Osvaldo Alonso (‘10, ‘11, ‘12, ‘16), Leo Gonzalez, Chad Marshall, Stefan Frei. Marshall, Frei and Alonso are nominated in 2016 as well.
The nominees, in alphabetical order, are every player whose key responsibility is keeping the ball out of Seattle’s net who played more than half the all competitions games with the First Team;
Poll
Who was the 2017 SaH Defensive Player of the Year?
This poll is closed
-
1%
Nouhou
(9 votes) -
0%
Osvaldo Alonso
(6 votes) -
36%
Stefan Frei
(285 votes) -
1%
Joevin Jones
(10 votes) -
7%
Kelvin Leerdam
(58 votes) -
31%
Chad Marshall
(250 votes) -
7%
Cristian Roldan
(59 votes) -
11%
Gustav Svensson
(92 votes) -
2%
Roman Torres
(18 votes)
Nouhou: The left back started 16 times and entered play 10 other times. Every start was at left back.
Osvaldo Alonso: Seattle’s longest serving defensive midfielder, Alonso started 24 matches with 3 sub appearances.
Stefan Frei: A 2017 All Star Frei started 37 of the 41 possible First Team matches.
Joevin Jones: Most noted for his many assists in the first half of the season and a transition to left mid as time went on Jones started 22 times at left back in 2017.
Kelvin Leerdam: A midseason addition, Leerdam finally ended the heavy rotation at right back.He started 19 times and appeared once more. He qualifies for our poll because we chose to round up.
Chad Marshall: Dad started 33 of his 34 appearances. The three-time MLS Defensive Player of the Year showed little signs of age slowing him down.
Cristian Roldan: Seattle’s iron man started 39 of 41 possible matches, only resting during the Open Cup. Three or four of his starts were in the attacking midfield, depending on how you define some of his central midfield role when Sounders started three central midfielders. He played right back, defensive mid, and as the box-to-box midfielder as well.
Gustav Svensson: A TAM level player who doesn’t need TAM Svensson came over without a defined role. He ended the year with 2 starts at right back, 13 starts at centerback and 18 starts as a defensive midfielder. Gus also subbed on 4 times.
Roman Torres: Panama’s hero started 25 times for the Sounders with 2 sub appearances.