MLS continues to slowly announce their end of season awards for players. Today they announced the winner of this year's Comeback Player of the Year award. Sporting KC's Tim Melia was given the award after "coming back" from basically being out of the game. Last year Melia had started the season with Chivas USA before being waived and becoming a league goalkeeper. Melia became a league goalkeeper and spent time with Kansas City during their goalkeeping issues in 2014. Signed to KC during the offseason, Melia started the season as KC's back up to Luis Marin. After Marin's issues adjusting to MLS Melia took over the starting job and played 23 of the final 26 games for Kansas City.
Melia beat out Diego Valeri and Will Trapp who were the other two finalists. Of the three, Melia finished third in the player vote with Trapp and Valeri tying for first. The media vote is where Melia ran away with things, getting over 30% of the vote there. In front office voting, Melia finished second behind Valeri in the top three.
Melia becomes the fourth KC player to win the award, and the fifth time KC has brought the award home. Tony Meola won the award in 2000, Chris Klein won it in both 2002 and 2005, while Eddie Johnson won it in 2007.
Trialists coming to town
Peter Vermes makes a habit of regularly bringing in trialists to look at. More often than not those players come in with no one knowing and leave the same way. Some times though the names of players get out, like this time where Guyanese player Daniel Wilson and Dominican player Julian Wade are apparently coming on a trial.
Both players currently play in Guyana, Wilson for Alpha United, a club that regularly has won the league championship in recent years and has participated in the CONCACAF Champions League. Wilson according to the article is the club's captain at only 22 and has already appeared 12 times for his country, scoring a goal in 2018 World Cup qualifying against St. Vincent and Grenadines.
Wade plays for Slingerz FC in Guyana, and has spent his entire career in the Caribbean. Before moving to Slingerz, the 25 year old played for Caledonia AIA in Trinidad. He has also appeared three times for Dominica, scoring twice in that time.
The article says that the pair were invited to an "invite only" three day trial November 21 through 23 at the suggestion of former Kansas City forward, and Guyana native, Alex Bunbury. Two of those three days are also the tryout dates for Sporting's USL side, the Swope Park Rangers. So while the pair may be getting a bit of a closer look, this feels more like the two will be trying out more so for the Rangers.
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