With the regular season coming to a transition point into the postseason, the ballots for the 2026 MLS end-of-season awards have been mailed, filled out, and resubmitted. Some picks seem cut and dry. Others require some careful consideration. Still others require a panel of experts to convince each one of us that our pick was the right one.
We decided to bring together some of those voices in the FC Cincinnati press box who have the clout to sway nominations and selections.
Joining us on this week’s Jersey Swap are three of Cincinnati’s ballot stuffers—Laurel Pfahler from Queen City Press, Damon Gumbert from The Post Cincy, and Kenta Hagiwara from Area Sports Network. We discuss all of the main awards given to the best players in 2026, even if some of the selections seem pretty obvious.
0:14 – Intro
3:15 – Headlines going into the playoffs
10:01 – Comeback Player of the Year
13:08 – Landon Donovan MVP Award
18:01 – Young Player of the Year
22:33 – Newcomer of the Year
26:03 – Goalkeeper of the Year
32:00 – Defender of the Year
36:21 – Sigi Schmidt Coach of the Year
42:23 – Best XI Discussion
53:35 – In Closing
Tune in and trade threads with us! #MLS #FCCincinnati #soccer
Check out coverage on all our guest’s pages!
Laurel Pfahler – Queen City Press (Patreon), (YouTube)
Damon Gumbert – The Post Cincy
Kenta Hagiwara – Area Sports Network, The Asian Futbol Show
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