NEW YORK – When the Portland Timbers bowed out of the 2013 MLS Cup Playoffs, one of the lasting images was that of Timbers players shuffling off the Providence Park pitch, one crucial step shy of reaching their first-ever league title game.
Rodney Wallace, however, never even made it that far. The Timbers forward went down with a torn ACL in his right knee and a fractured tibia during the second leg of the Western Conference Championship that ultimately required surgery, ending his season in a flash and leaving him on the shelf for much of 2014.
But Wallace was rewarded for his resilience by Major League Soccer on Tuesday, earning the Comeback Player of the Year Award after he scored five goals in 17 appearances following his recovery this season. Wallace returned to the Timbers lineup in June, ultimately started the final seven games of the team’s playoff push and finished the season with five goals.
Wallace beat out New England Revolution forward Charlie Davies and Seattle Sounders goalkeeper Stefan Frei in the voting, conducted by MLS players, club leadership, and media members.
The 26-year-old Costa Rica native joined the Timbers via trade with D.C. United before Portland’s inaugural MLS season in 2011 and put up breakout numbers in 2013, finishing with seven goals and six assists. A speedy presence on the left wing, Wallace has been used on the backline and as a forward in head coach Caleb Porter’s system, and will likely be a key factor again in 2015, his seventh season in MLS.
MLS Comeback Player of the Year Winners:
2014: Rodney Wallace - Portland Timbers
2013: Kevin Alston – New England Revolution
2012: Eddie Johnson – Seattle Sounders FC
2011: David Beckham – Los Angeles Galaxy
2010: Bobby Convey – San Jose Earthquakes
2009: Zach Thornton – Chivas USA
2008: Kenny Cooper – FC Dallas
2007: Eddie Johnson – Kansas City Wizards
2006: Richard Mulrooney – FC Dallas
2005: Chris Klein – Kansas City Wizards
2004: Brian Ching – San Jose Earthquakes
2003: Chris Armas – Chicago Fire
2002: Chris Klein – Kansas City Wizards
2001: Troy Dayak – San Jose Earthquakes
2000: Tony Meola – Kansas City Wizards
