Winners
The Major League Soccer Defender of the Year Award is an annual award handed out to the top defender in Major League Soccer annually since the league's inception in 1996. [1] The award is decided based on votes from MLS players, MLS coaches and executives and media members. [2]
John Doyle won the inaugural award with the San Jose Clash for the 1996 MLS season.
| Nationality | Wins |
|---|---|
 United States | 24 |
 Belgium | 1 |
 Colombia | 1 |
 Czech Republic | 1 |
 Norway | 1 |
 Portugal | 1 |
Major League Soccer (MLS) is a men's professional soccer league sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation, which represents the sport's highest level in the United States. The league comprises 29 teams—26 in the United States and 3 in Canada—since the 2023 season. MLS is headquartered in Midtown Manhattan.
The Eastern Conference is one of Major League Soccer's two conferences, along with the Western Conference. As of 2023, the division of the Conferences broadly follows the path of the Mississippi river from the Great Lakes to the Gulf of Mexico, with clubs east of the River in the Eastern Conference.
Minnesota United FC is an American professional soccer club based in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul, metropolitan area. The club plays in the Western Conference of Major League Soccer. The club began play in 2017 as the league's 22nd club, and replaced the North American Soccer League (NASL) franchise of the same name.
Maxime Chanot is a professional footballer who plays as a defender for Major League Soccer club Los Angeles FC. Born in France to a Luxembourgish mother, he plays for the Luxembourg national team at international level.
Ikenna Martin "Ike" Opara is an American former professional soccer player who is currently an assistant coach for Sporting Kansas City II in MLS Next Pro.
Jalil Anibaba is an American former professional soccer player who last played in Major League Soccer for Columbus Crew. He is currently a club ambassador for Nashville SC.
Hany Abubakr Mukhtar is a German professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder for Nashville SC in Major League Soccer.
Walker Dwain Zimmerman is an American professional soccer player who plays as a center-back for Major League Soccer club Nashville SC and the United States national team.
Jimmy Gerardo Medranda Obando is a Colombian professional footballer who plays as a defender or midfielder.
Taylor Brennan Washington is an American professional soccer player who plays as a defender for Major League Soccer club Nashville SC.
José Manuel Aja Livchich is an Uruguayan professional footballer who plays for Independiente Santa Fe.
Abu Danladi is a Ghanaian footballer who plays as a forward for New Mexico United in the USL Championship.
Nashville Soccer Club is an American men’s professional soccer club based in Nashville, Tennessee. The team began play in Major League Soccer in 2020 as a continuation of the USL club of the same name and plays its home matches at Geodis Park. It is principally owned by John Ingram, owner of Ingram Industries, along with investors and partial owners the Turner family of Dollar General Stores.
Andrew David Gutman is an American professional soccer player who plays as a left-back for Major League Soccer club Chicago Fire.
The 2020 Major League Soccer season was the 25th season of Major League Soccer (MLS), the top professional soccer league in the United States and Canada. The regular season began on February 29, 2020, and was originally planned to end on October 4. The MLS Cup Playoffs were planned to begin later that month and would end with MLS Cup 2020 on November 7.
The 2020 Columbus Crew SC season was the club's twenty-fifth season of existence and their twenty-fifth consecutive season in Major League Soccer, the top flight of American soccer. Columbus were also set to compete in the U.S. Open Cup, before its cancelation due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The season covers the period from November 11, 2019 to the start of the 2021 Major League Soccer season.
Dylan Nealis is an American professional soccer player who plays as a right-back for Major League Soccer club New York Red Bulls.
The 2020 Nashville SC season was the club's first season as an organization and its first season as a member of Major League Soccer, after two seasons in the Eastern Conference of the USL Championship by a club of the same name.
The 2022 Major League Soccer season was the 27th season of Major League Soccer (MLS), the top professional soccer league in the United States and Canada. The league had 28 clubs following the addition of Charlotte FC as an expansion team.
The 2023 FC Cincinnati season was the club's fifth season in MLS, and the eighth season overall for the team including their first three years in the lower-division USL Championship. The club entered 2023 on a high note, having notched their first playoff appearance and first playoff win in 2022 after languishing at the bottom of the standings for their first three seasons in MLS. On September 30, FC Cincinnati clinched the Supporters' Shield, the award given to the team that finishes with the most points in the regular season.
