Wanyama, 29, who joined Montreal Impact from English Premier League side (EPL) side Tottenham Hotspur in March, is among the nominees for the Newcomer of the Year Award and the MLS Works Humanitarian of the Year award.
Wanyama, who has played full minutes for Thierry Henry’s side in 20 back-to-back league matches will fight for the Newcomer of the Year award against 33 other players, including former Liverpool, Galatasaray and Atletico Madrid man Emiliano Insua who joined LA Galaxy from Stuttgart in January this year.
For the MLS Works Humanitarian of the Year award he faces 25 other nominees, including Atlanta United’s former Aston Villa and Middlesbrough goalkeeper Brad Guzan. This award is given to an MLS player who exemplifies both skills on the field and service within the community. Wanyama’s club has been vocal against incidents of police brutality and all racially motivated violence against black people. Montreal impact players and officials put on Black Lives Matter t-shirts before every match and in training.
Back home, through his Victor Wanyama Foundation, the Kenyan international has also been distributing foodstuff, masks, and sanitizers in informal settlements in Nairobi to help cushion the poor during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Through its website, MLS announced on October 28 that voting for 2020 End of Year Awards will run from October 29 through November 9. The finalists will be announced on November 11.
“The nominees for individual awards are submitted by the clubs. End of Year Awards will be determined through voting from three groups namely current MLS players, MLS clubs (coaches, technical directors/general Managers) and select media members representing local and national outlets who consistently covered the 2020 MLS regular season,” explained MLS.
Other categories are 2020 Landon Donovan MLS Most Valuable Player, newly-announced AT&T Young Player of the Year Award, Allstate Goalkeeper of the Year, Defender of the Year, Comeback Player of the Year and Sigi Schmid Coach of the Year.
Additionally, MLS says, it will recognise the top plays of the season with the AT&T MLS Goal of the Year and MLS Save of the Year presented by Allstate, with voting for both awards set to run from November 12-18 online.
Other players from Montreal Impact nominated for the awards are Honduran forward Romell Quioto (Landon Donovan MLS MVP), Englishman Luis Binks (Young Player of the Year and Defender of the Year) and Senegalese Clement Diop (Goalkeeper of the Year).
Wanyama’s coach Thierry Henry has been nominated for Coach of the Year award.
Montreal are ninth in the 14-team Eastern Conference with 23 points from 21 matches after losing 1-0 to Nashville on October 28.
How we stand in the East. ? pic.twitter.com/ej6O5gcC8f
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) October 29, 2020
The Montreal-based side is now in danger of missing out on the playoffs after losing two consecutive matches. They are fighting for the remaining two slots against Inter Miami, Chicago Fire and DC United (all on 21 points), Atlanta United (19) and Cincinnati (16) who occupy the last five positions.
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