Union's Le Toux wins MLS sportsmanship award

If it were up to Union midfielder Sebastien Le Toux, his 19-year-old partner in crime, forward Danny Mwanga would be the 2010 Major League Soccer Rookie of the Year.

But it isn't up to Le Toux. It's up to media members and the final decision-makers within MLS' front offices who today awarded D.C. United forward Andy Najar. Najar, 17, is the first American to win rookie of the year and just the first offensive player to do so since current U.S. national team midfielder Clint Dempsey (2004). Hailing from D.C. United's youth academy, Najar finished the year with five goals and an assist to best Mwanga (seven goals, four assists) and Red Bull New York defender Tim Ream for the award.

"I am very surprised and disappointed, I thought he was going to get it," said Le Toux, who won the league's individual Fair Play award, which goes to the player who exhibits the best sportsmanship and receives the least amount of yellow and red cards during the MLS regular season.

"I actually thought it was closer between him and Tim Ream, so Najar is a shock. But he knows it's not our decision, I already told him to keep his head up. For me, he was the rookie of the year."

As for his award, Le Toux, 26, originally thought to be in the running for the Nov. 19 MLS Most Valuable Player award, was humble in his acceptance. Le Toux has never collected a yellow or red card in MLS play and only had 10 fouls all season.

"I try to give a good example of how you should play the game," said Le Toux, who finished the year with 14 goals and 11 assists. "I try to conduct myself both off the field and off in a way that fans can respect and I think this award shows I am on the right track."

As for Mwanga, he kept to the same mantra he said weeks before the announcement.

"Right now, I think it would have been a great honor, the fact that I was a finalist was an honor in itself, but that doesn't really affect me as much," Mwanga said. "I am looking to get better, I know I have a lot to improve on and that's really my focus, on what I need to do to make my team better."

Los Angeles Galaxy's Donovan Ricketts won the Goalkeeper of the Year award.

For some consolation, prestigious soccer publication Soccer America gave Mwanga the nod in its annual awards released today. Goalkeeper of the Year was the one other MLS award announced yesterday which went to Los Angeles Galaxy netminder Donovan Ricketts.