PORTLAND, Ore. – Portland Timbers midfielder/forward Darlington Nagbe’s goal against Real Salt Lake on March 31 is one of four finalists, as voted by fans, for the 2012 MLS AT&T Goal of the Year. Nagbe, the 2011 MLS Goal of the Year winner, is aiming for his second consecutive Goal of the Year honor.
Voting for the 2012 MLS AT&T Goal of the Year runs through Tuesday at 11:59 p.m. (Pacific). Fans can vote online or via text by texting “G4” to 22442. The top vote-getter among the four finalists will be named the winner on Thursday, Nov. 29.
READ: Nagbe won MLS Goal of the Year in 2011
After multiple rounds of voting, fans have narrowed the field of 64 candidates for the 2012 Goal of the Year down to the four finalists. The other finalists are Seattle Sounders FC defender Patrick Ianni (June 20 vs. Sporting Kansas City) and forward Fredy Montero (May 2 vs. LA Galaxy) and New England Revolution midfielder Lee Nguyen (May 12 vs. Vancouver Whitecaps FC).
Nagbe’s goal – his second of the game – came in the 65th minute against Real Salt Lake at JELD-WEN Field. He was on the receiving end of a bouncing pass at the top left corner of the penalty area. Off the bounce, Nagbe took a touch off his right knee and – without the ball touching the ground – hit a perfectly-placed, looping shot with this right foot beyond the reach of goalkeeper Nick Rimando and inside the top far corner of the goal.
That goal capped Nagbe’s first career two-goal performance and was voted the MLS Goal of the Week for Week 4.
Nagbe, who finished his second MLS season in 2012, won the 2011 MLS Goal of the Year with his juggle and volley into the top corner of the goal against Sporting Kansas City on July 2, 2011; it was his first professional goal. He became just the second rookie in MLS history to win the honor.
Click here for additional information on the 2012 MLS AT&T Goal of the Year.
Which goals stood above the rest in 2012? Vote now for your favorites!
There aren't many sweeter moments in soccer than a well-hit golazo!
Just like last year, the AT&T Goal of the Year competition will be decided from a field of 64 goals. After three rounds of voting lasting nearly a month, the field has been whittled down to four finalists, whose names you can find below. The top vote-getter in the final round will be the AT&T Goal of the Year winner!
In addition to online voting, you can also vote for your favorite goals in the final round via text message. To do so, text the keyword 'GOTY' to 22442. You will receive a text message with a URL to the group video and the directions to text your vote (e.g., G1, G2, G3, G4).
Click here for the full tournament details and schedule.
- Please vote for only one goal.
- Voting for the final round open until 11:59 pm PT, Tuesday, November 27.
- The 2012 AT&T Goal of the Year winner will be announced on Thursday, November 29.
<script type="text/javascript" charset="utf-8" src="http://static.polldaddy.com/p/6715256.js"></script><noscript><a href="http://polldaddy.com/poll/6715256/">AT&T Goal of the Year - Final Round</a></noscript> |
<h2>
WATCH: Final Group</h2><object classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" height="248" id="cfe51d7oi" name="cfe51d7on" width="440"><param name="movie" value="http://p.mlssoccer.com/SAu5a/video/1261304/league_2012-11-21-160204.640hq.mp4"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"><embed allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" height="248" id="cfe51d7ei" name="cfe51d7en" src="http://p.mlssoccer.com/SAu5a/video/1261304/league_2012-11-21-160204.640hq.mp4" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="440"></object> |
