The Chicago Fire Soccer Club announced their annual team awards today naming midfielder Logan Pause the Fire’s Most Valuable Player and defender C.J. Brown Defender of the Year. The Fire, in conjunction with Section 8 Chicago, will honor the impressive career of Fire Original Brown and the team award winners at a Supporter's Party at The Pitch (2142 N. Clybourn Ave.) on Tuesday, Nov. 9 at 6:30 PM CT. With seven goals, 22-year-old midfielder Marco Pappa takes home the club’s Budweiser Golden Boot award. Dasan Robinson was selected as the Men in Red’s MLS W.O.R.K.S. Humanitarian of the Year award for his charitable contributions within the Chicagoland area.
Brown, who rounded out his career with a stout performance in the Fire’s 4-1 victory over Chivas USA last Saturday, was also named Fire Defender of the Year in 2006. The emblematic Fire back liner appeared in 26 matches, starting all of them, in the final season of his esteemed 13-year career with the Men in Red. Pappa’s seven goals marked a new career-high, winning the Guatemalan midfielder his first Budweiser Golden Boot Award. This is the first time that Pause and Robinson were named MVP and MLS W.O.R.K.S. Humanitarian of the Year, respectively.
MOST VALUABLE PLAYER: Logan Pause has been named the 2010 Chicago Fire’s Most Valuable Player, narrowly edging out fellow midfielder Patrick Nyarko for the award, which is voted on by local media and the Fire Technical Staff. The eight-year Fire veteran displayed his unwavering commitment to the club over the course of the 2010 MLS season. In 26 matches, the defensive midfielder showcased his ability to shut down the opponents offensive playmakers while distributing the ball effectively out of the midfield to help drive the Fire attack. Over the course of the season, Pause tallied one goal and three assists, however, his contributions to the team were more than what appeared on the stat sheet. The North Carolina product embodied the Fire tenets during his 2010 season – recognizing the Fire tradition while representing the club with honor and playing with passion.
DEFENDER OF THE YEAR: C.J. Brown was named Fire Defender of the Year for the second time during his unprecedented 13-year career with the Fire, edging Fire rookie goalkeeper Sean Johnson for the honor, which is voted on by local media and the Fire Technical Staff. The formidable center back helped the side to eight shutouts this season. In addition, Brown has started 290 of a possible 296 career appearances for the Men in Red, and has played 25,738 MLS regular season minutes during his impassioned run with the Fire. Brown is the longest consecutive tenured player with one MLS club.
BUDWEISER GOLDEN BOOT: Marco Pappa took home the club’s Budweiser Golden Boot award as the Fire’s top goal scorer. Pappa is the eighth different Fire player to be awarded the Golden Boot. The fleet Guatemalan led the team with seven goals in 25 matches. A creative offensive force with a booming left foot, Pappa tallied a number of his goals with long-range strikes. In addition to his career high goal output, the 22-year-old midfielder added a career high five assists while recently being named #6 on MLSSoccer.com’s 24 Players under 24-years-old.
MLS W.O.R.K.S/CHICAGO FIRE HUMANITARIAN OF THE YEAR: Fire defender Dasan Robinson was named the MLS W.O.R.K.S./Chicago Fire Humanitarian of the Year for his contributions off the pitch. Robinson is an active board member for Urban Initiatives, a health and education soccer program based in Chicago. By actively engaging participants in extracurricular activities at a young age, Urban Initiatives empowers youth to live a healthy lifestyle, value education, and enhance their personal and social development. For the past two years, Robinson has served as the spokesperson for the Chicago Fire’s School Supply Drive, which has collected over $2,500 worth of school supplies for Chicagoland students since the beginning of 2009. The Dayton, Ohio product shared the importance of good values with hundreds of fans at the Chicago Fire’s Faith Night following the Fire’s match against the LA Galaxy Sept. 4.
He is also active Athletes in Action, a global sports ministry organization that believes sports is a universal language with the powerful ability to shape a culture, heal a nation, break down political, racial and economic barriers and restore national pride. The five-year Fire veteran joined several teammates to lend a hand for the Earth Day Tree Planting at TOYOTA PARK, which created a continued awareness on the importance of maintaining a safe and clean environment. Robinson, in conjunction with the Chicago Fire Foundation, presented a check for $10,000 to the Boys and Girls Clubs of America, which will help serve over 13,000 Chicagoland children. The Chicago Fire defender has taken his time to be a leader for the area’s youth by attending back-to-school events and coaching youth soccer teams for the Chicago Kickers.
