D.C. United second-year player Bobby Boswell was named Major League Soccer defender of the year, the league announced Tuesday.
“They’re great, but it’s just more a of team thing,” said Boswell, an undrafted rookie last season who at 23 is the second youngest player to ever win the award. He also earned a similar honor last week from D.C. United. “It’s a tribute to my fellow defenders, my goalies and the guys in front of me that make my job so much easier. I just organize and make sure that they’re in the right place. We have some guys that are always in the right place, and that makes is so much easier for me.”
United’s second defensive award in a week — Troy Perkins was named MLS goalkeeper of the year — comes in fitting fashion, as United earned its first shutout victory since July with last weekend’s 1-0 triumph over New York. D.C.’s 38 goals against during the regular season were the best in MLS.
“The system we play is pretty risky, pretty attacking so the role of the defenders is very important,” said United coach Peter Nowak. “If you look at the 12 teams in this league, I think he deserves to be the defender of the year. Having a pretty good game against Chelsea and Real Madrid, this is a pretty good case. You cannot argue with it.”
