LA Galaxy

Zlatan Ibrahimovic nominated for three awards including MLS MVP as league announces Year-end award ballots

Zlatan Ibrahimovic has been nominated for three MLS End-of-the-Year Awards including the Landon Donovan MLS MVP honor, the league announced on Monday.


Ibrahimovic has been a revelation in his first season for the club and has earned a place on the shortlist for MVP, Newcomer of the Year, and Comeback Player of the Year. Fellow LA Galaxy players David Bingham and Sebastian Lletget earned Goalkeeper of the Year and Humanitarian of the Year nominations as well. 


Players, media and technical staff will vote for each category, with each group representing a third of the vote. Those same voters will also submit their votes for the annual Best XI, open to any player who appeared in a 2018 MLS regular season match.


Voting kicks off on October 15 and award finalists will be announced on October 31.


The complete list of nominees for each award can be found below:


2018 Landon Donovan MLS MVP nominees


Acosta, Luciano (DC)


Almiron, Miguel (ATL)


Bedoya, Alejandro (PHI)


Blanco, Sebastian (POR)


Bunbury, Teal (NE)


Chara, Diego (POR)


Davies, Alphonso (VAN)


Dockal, Borek (PHI)


Dwyer, Dom (ORL)


Elis, Alberth (HOU)


Giovinco, Sebastian (TOR)


Hedges, Matt (DAL)


Higuain, Federico (CLB)


Hoesen, Danny (SJ)


Ibarra, Miguel (MIN)


Ibrahimovic, Zlatan (LA)


Kaku (RBNY)


Kamara, Kei (VAN)


Lodeiro, Nicolás (SEA)


Manotas, Mauro (HOU)


Martinez, Josef (ATL)


Melia, Tim (SKC)


Moralez, Maxi (NYC)


Osorio, Jonathan (TOR)


Penilla, Cristian (NE)


Piatti, Ignacio (MTL)


Piette, Samuel (MTL)


Quintero, Darwin (MIN)


Roldan, Cristian (SEA)


Rooney, Wayne (DC)


Rossi, Diego (LAFC)


Rusnak, Albert (RSL)


Russell, Johnny (SKC)


Savarino, Jefferson (RSL)


Urruti, Maxi (DAL)


Vako (SJ)


Vela, Carlos (LAFC)


Villa, David (NYC)


Wright-Phillips, Bradley (RBNY)


Yotun, Yoshimar (ORL)


Zardes, Gyasi (CLB)


Defender of the Year nominees


Afful, Harrison (CLB)


Anibaba, Jalil (NE)


Beasley, DaMarcus (HOU)


Beitashour, Steven (LAFC)


Besler, Matt (SKC)


Birnbaum, Steven (DC)


Boxall, Michael (MIN)


Callens, Alexander (NYC)


Cannon, Reggie (DAL)


Fanni, Rod (MTL)


Farrell, Andrew (NE)


Glad, Justen (RSL)


Gonzalez Pirez, Leandro (ATL)


Hedges, Matt (DAL)


Kallman, Brent (MIN)


Kashia, Guram (SJ)


Lawrence, Kemar (RBNY)


Lima, Nick (SJ)


Long, Aaron (RBNY)


Lovitz, Daniel (MTL)


Mabiala, Larrys (POR)


Marshall, Chad (SEA)


Mavinga, Chris (TOR)


Mensah, Jonathan (CLB)


O'Neill, Shane (ORL)


Parkhurst, Michael (ATL)


Sutter, Scott (ORL)


Tinnerholm, Anton (NYC)


Trusty, Auston (PHI)


van der Wiel , Gregory (TOR)


Waston, Kendall (VAN)


Zimmerman, Walker (LAFC)


Zusi, Graham (SKC)


Allstate Goalkeeper of the Year


Attinella, Jeff (POR)


Bendik, Joe (ORL)


Bingham, David (LA)


Blake, Andre (PHI)


Bono, Alex (TOR)


Bush, Evan (MTL)


Frei, Stefan (SEA)


Gonzalez, Jesse (DAL)


Guzan, Brad (ATL)


Hamid, Bill (DC)


Johnson, Sean (NYC)


Marinovic, Stefan (VAN)


Melia, Tim (SKC)


Miller, Tyler (LAFC)


Rimando, Nick (RSL)


Robles, Luis (RBNY)


Shuttleworth, Bobby (MIN)


Steffen, Zack (CLB)


Tarbell, Andrew (SJ)


Turner, Matt (NE)


Willis, Joe (HOU)


Newcomer of the Year nominees


Armenteros, Samuel (POR)


Auro Jr. (TOR)


Barco, Ezequiel (ATL)


Burke, Cory (PHI)


Caicedo, Luis (NE)


Colman, Josue (ORL)


Dockal, Bořek (PHI)


Eriksson, Magnus (SJ)


Gutiérrez, Felipe (SKC)


Ibrahimovic, Zlatan (LA)


Janson, Lucas (TOR)


Kaku (RBNY)


Kashia, Guram (SJ)


Katai, Aleksandar (CHI)


Kee-hee, Kim (SEA)


Kreilach, Damir (RSL)


Medina, Jesus (NYC)


Mosquera, Santiago (DAL)


Penilla, Cristian (NE)


Polo, Andy (POR)


Price, Jack (COL)


Quintero, Darwin (MIN)


Remedi, Eric (ATL)


Rooney, Wayne (DC)


Rossi, Diego (LAFC)


Ruidiaz, Raul (SEA)


Russell, Johnny (SKC)


Sagna, Bacary (MTL)


Silva, Alejandro (MTL)


Sosa, Eduardo (CLB)


Tajouri-Shradi, Ismael (NYC)


Valenzuela, Milton (CLB)


Vela, Carlos (LAFC)


Ziegler, Reto (DAL)


MLS WORKS Humanitarian of the Year nominees



Atuahene, Francis (DAL)


Beaulieu, Jason (MTL)


Beckerman, Kyle (RSL)


Bersano, Matt (SJ)


Birnbaum, Steven (DC)


Bradley, Michael (TOR)


Campbell, Jonathan (CHI)


Farrell, Andrew (NE)


Frei, Stefan (SEA)


Gaddis, Raymon (PHI)


Guzan, Brad (ATL)


Henry, Doneil (VAN)


Johnson, Sean (NYC)


Lampson, Matt (MIN)


Lletget, Sebastian (LA)


MacMath, Zac (COL)


Miller, Tyler (LAFC)


Robles, Luis (NY)


Rosell, Oriol (ORL)


Trapp, Wil (CLB)


Valentin, Zarek (POR)


Willis, Joe (HOU)


Zusi, Graham (SKC)


AT&T Rookie of the Year


Argudo, Luis (CLB)


Baird, Corey (RSL)


Blackmon, Tristan (LAFC)


Bwana, Handwalla (SEA)


Bye, Brandon (NE)


Krolicki, Ken (MTL)


Lindsey, Jaylin (SKC)


Marcinkowski, JT (SJ)


McKenzie, Mark (PHI)


Mines, Ben (RBNY)


Moutinho, Joao (LAFC)


Mueller, Chris (ORL)


Opoku, Edward (CLB)


Roldan, Alex (SEA)


White, Brian (RBNY)


Comeback Player of the Year nominees



Alonso, Osvaldo (SEA)


Cummings, Harold (SJ)


de Leeuw, Michael (CHI)


Gutierrez, Felipe (SKC)


Henry, Doneil (VAN)


Ibrahimovic, Zlatan (LA)


Levis, Brett (VAN)


Lima, Nick (SJ)


Matarrita, Ronald (NYC)


Mihailovic, Djordje (CHI)


Osorio, Jonathan (TOR)


Rubio, Diego (SKC)


Sauro, Gaston (CLB)


Stajduhar, Mason (ORL)


Zardes, Gyasi (CLB)


Coach of the Year nominees


Armas, Chris (RBNY)


Berhalter, Gregg (CLB)


Bradley, Bob (LAFC)


Cabrera, Wilmer (HOU)


Curtin, Jim (PHI)


Friedel, Brad (NE)


Garde, Remi (MTL)


Heath, Adrian (MIN)


Martino, Gerardo "Tata" (ATL)


Olsen, Ben (DC)


Pareja, Oscar (DAL)


Petke, Mike (RSL)


Savarese, Giovanni (POR)


Schmetzer, Brian (SEA)


Torrent, Dome (NYC)


Vanney, Greg (TOR)


Vermes, Peter (SKC)


Referee of the Year nominees


Kelly, Alan


Saghafi, Nima


Sibiga, Robert


Assistant Referee of the Year nominees


Fletcher, Joe


Morgante, CJ


Rockwell, Corey