NEW YORK – The fans have spoken, and Sporting KC's Omar Bravo is the 2011 FutbolMLS.com Latino del Año.
The Mexican striker has claimed the crown after defeating FC Dallas’ Honduran midfielder Marvin Chavez by capturing 79.09% of the total votes in the final round of FutbolMLS.com’s second annual Latino del Año contest. Chavez captured 20.91 percent of the votes.
During the five weeks of the contest, the Sinaloa native got through each of the stages thanks to the big support from the fans, and while he was not dominant at all stages, ultimately Bravo defeated his rivals.
In the Group Stage, Bravo faced off opponents such as Alvaro Saborio (Real Salt Lake), Sebastian Grazzini (Chicago Fire) and Juan Pablo Angel (Chivas USA), and managed to win with 42.15 percent of the total votes.
For the Round of 16, Bravo was the fans' favorite, reflected by his capturing an overwhelming 78.74 percent of the ballots to beat out countryman Rafael Marquez (New York Red Bulls), who captured only 21.26 percent.
In the Quarterfinals, Bravo had a tight contest against another fan favorite, Chicago Fire’s Guatemalan midfielder Marco Pappa, but the Mexican managed to advance to the next round with 55.21 percent of the total votes versus 44.79 percent gotten by the Chapin.
Equally difficult was the contest in the semifinals, where Bravo took on Chilean defender Sebastian Miranda (Columbus Crew), a tough opponent he was able to defeat by earning 54.55 percent of the votes versus the 45.45 percent gained by the Crew defender.
In his first season in MLS, Bravo landed in Kansas City with high expectations due to his Designated Player status. An injury affected his on-field activity during the first part of the season, but the Mexican striker was able to recover, made an impact in his comeback, and became SKC’s captain. He created a good partnership with teammates Kei Kamara and Teal Bunbury and helped Sporting KC to reach a playoff spot as leaders of the Eastern Conference.
Omar Bravo has played 27 games in 2011, 26 of them as a starter, scoring 9 goals and two assists.
Congratulations, Omar!
