The best male and female soccer players representing the United States in 2024 received nominations for U.S. Soccer's End of Year Awards.
As the year comes to a close, U.S. Soccer is handing out its annual Male Player of the Year and Female Player of the Year awards, along with Young Male Player of the Year and Young Female Player of the Year to recognize the top talent on both the U.S. men's national team and the U.S. women's national team.
The USMNT won the 2023–24 Concacaf Nations League and secured its spot in the semifinals of the 2024–25 Concacaf Nations League with two victories over Jamaica under new coach, Mauricio Pochettino. The USWNT, meanwhile, enjoyed an extraordinary summer under Emma Hayes and won its first Olympic gold medal since 2012.
The winners of U.S. Soccer's End of Year Awards will be determined by fans, national team players, coaches, media and other constituents. In 2023, Christian Pulisic took home the Male Player of the Year award while Naomi Girma won the Female Player of the Year award.
Check out the full list of players U.S. Soccer recognized this year for their standout performances.
2024 U.S. Soccer Male Player of the Year Nominees
- Folarin Balogun
- Ricardo Pepi
- Christian Pulisic
- Tim Ream
- Antonee Robinson
Pulisic is the favorite to win Male Player of the Year. The USMNT captain became the fastest player in USMNT history to reach 50 goal contributions and already has the fifth-most goals in USMNT history. The 26-year-old has already won the award a staggering four times.
Ricardo Pepi and Folarin Balogun each scored goals when it mattered most for the Stars and Stripes; Balogun scored two of the USMNT's three goals at Copa América 2024 and Pepi found the back of the net twice against Jamaica in the Concacaf Nations League quarterfinals.
Tim Ream and Antonee Robinson led the USMNT's backline. Both players logged heavy minutes for the Stars and Stripes in 2024 and bring consistency and leadership to the USMNT's defense.
2024 U.S. Soccer Female Player of the Year Nominees
- Naomi Girma
- Alyssa Naeher
- Trinity Rodman
- Sophia Smith
- Mallory Swanson
Girma played every minute of the Paris Olympic Games and helped Alyssa Naeher keep four clean sheets at the tournament. Naeher also became the first player in women's soccer to keep a clean sheet in a World Cup and Olympic final.
The three members of "Triple Espresso" all scored goals in the knockout stages at the Paris Olympic Games. Trinity Rodman sent the USWNT to the semifinals with an extra time winner against Japan and Sophia Smith then scored her own extra time winner against Germany to send the Stars and Stripes to the gold medal match. No goal was more important, though, than Mallory Swanson's winner against Brazil to secure a finish atop the podium.
2024 Young Male Player of the Year Nominees
- Mathis Albert
- Gianluca Busio
- Tanner Tessmann
- Niko Tsakiris
- David Vazquez
Tanner Tessmann is the favorite to win 2024 Young Male Player of the Year after captaining the Stars and Stripes at the Paris Olympic Games. The midfielder has also featured in all four of the USMNT's games under Pochettino.
2024 Young Female Player of the Year Nominees
- Trinity Armstrong
- Jordyn Bugg
- Kennedy Fuller
- Claire Hutton
- Ally Sentnor
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Christian Pulisic, Sophia Smith Headline 2024 U.S. Soccer Player of the Year Nominees.
