Seattle Sounders: Obafemi Martins Wins Team MVP Award
By Paul Taylor
Obafemi Martins is Voted Seattle Sounders Team MVP for the Second Straight Year
The Seattle Sounders 2015 season was officially put to bed on Friday, with the announcement of this year’s club awards. The main honor went to Obafemi Martins, who was named team MVP for the second consecutive year.
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The forward now joins Osvaldo Alonso as the only players in franchise history to win the award more than once. Alonso was voted team MVP four consecutive seasons between 2010-13.
Martins finished the 2015 campaign with a team-leading 15 goals (as well as six assists), despite only playing in 21 games. In fact, you have to wonder how much better it could have been, if he hadn’t missed two months with a groin injury?
The 31-year old would have almost certainly beaten the single season mark of 17 goals, which he set just a year earlier. Regardless, he still ranked third in the league with 0.71 goals per game.
Further enhancing this efficiency, Martins finished with the best scoring percentage in MLS (35.7). As reported by soundersfc.com, he became the first player in league history to score 15 goals on fewer than 45 shots.
Perhaps the only negative against the Nigerian international, was his inability to reproduce his form in the playoffs, with no goals in three games. While there is no denying he was a marked man, it is up star players to raise their level for big occasions.
Of course, this doesn’t change Martins’ reputation as one of the most feared strikers in MLS. As long as he remains fit, he can be expected to once again cause havoc in opposing penalty areas next year.
Earlier in the week, Stefan Frei was named Sounders Defender of the Year, helping the team tie for the fewest goals conceded in the league. He also became just the eighth goalkeeper in MLS history to finish a season with 14 wins, 10 shutouts and 110 saves.