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Kansas City Wizards marking back Jimmy Conrad was named the 2005 MLS Defender of the Year on Tuesday. The seven-year veteran earned the honor for the first time, topping runners-up Danny Califf of the San Jose Earthquakes and Tyrone Marshall of the Los Angeles Galaxy.
Conrad had another solid year for the Wizards in 2005, making 25 appearances, all as a starter. He was a big part of a Kansas City defense that earned seven shutouts on the season, though the team's inability to win games in the second half of the season ultimately denied them a spot in the MLS Cup Playoffs.
A runner-up for Defender of the Year last season, Conrad was again impressive this season as he anchored the Kansas City back line. His strong play drew attention and praise from many around the league, and also from U.S. national team head coach Bruce Arena. Conrad has made seven appearances for the Red, White and Blue, most recently seeing action in World Cup qualifying on Sept. 7, when the U.S. claimed a draw on the road against Guatemala.
The 2005 MLS Defender of the Year award is the second honor that Conrad has snagged in just over one week's time. He was named the Wizards Humanitarian of the Year for the second consecutive time last week in recognition of his continuous involvement with multiple charitable organizations in the Kansas City area.
At 6-foot-2, 185 pounds, Conrad is an imposing figure on the field. Always strong on the tackle, his size and strength make him one of the most difficult defenders in MLS to get around. The California native also has good positioning sense and reads the game well, often plugging passing and shooting lanes to limit the opposition's offensive options.
Conrad, 28, is very strong in the air and is rarely beaten in an aerial battle. He also uses his heading ability as an offensive weapon, pushing forward for the Wizards on corner kicks and set pieces. He scored two goals this season on his forays forward, notching the game-winner against Chivas USA on June 25 at Arrowhead Stadium.
Conrad was a starter at the 2005 Sierra Mist MLS All-Star Game, going the full 90 minutes as the MLS All-Stars topped Fulham Football Club of the English Premier League by a 4-1 score at Crew Stadium in Columbus, Ohio.
The MLS Defender of the Year was determined by equal voting from the media (33.33 percent), MLS players (33.33 percent) and MLS coaches and general managers (33.33 percent). With each voting category representing one-third of the total votes, the formula used for determining the award winners involved assigning 33.33 total points to each category for a possible total of 99.99 points. Therefore if a player received 50 percent of the votes in any of the three voting categories, he would earn 16.67 points (half of 33.33) for that category.
Jonathan Nierman is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
