SAN JOSE, Calif. – The San Jose Earthquakes announced their 2014 club award winners today, including forward Chris Wondolowski for Team Most Valuable Player, goalkeeper Jon Busch for Defensive MVP and midfielder SheaSalinas for Humanitarian of the Year. The awards were voted on by players, coaches and media.
Wondolowski leads the Earthquakes with 14 goals and four assists in 25 games, and became the third player in MLS history to score at least 10 goals in five consecutive seasons. His prolific scoring earned him a spot on the United States’ FIFA World Cup roster in Brazil, where he made two appearances off the bench. Since returning from national team duty in July, Wondolowski has been one of the hottest players in MLS, tallying nine goals and four assists in 16 games. He has a goal or an assist in 10 of those 16 games. He enters the final week of the MLS regular season ninth in the league in goals scored.
Busch has enjoyed one of finest goalkeeping campaigns in club history. With one game remaining in 2014, Busch leads the league with 135 saves and is fifth in saves percentage among goalkeepers with at least 10 starts at 72 percent. He topped his career-high in saves in a single season (132) with 135 through 33 games. The 14-year MLS veteran is poised to top the club record of 137 saves in a season, which was set by Joe Cannon in 2000. Busch’s 135 saves so far are the most in a season since Nick Rimando’s 146 in 2007. Starting all 33 games this season, Busch boasts six shutouts.
Salinas earned his third Earthquakes Humanitarian of the Year award. He participated in 15 community appearances in 2014. Those visits included a meet-and-greet at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital in Palo Alto, a Story Time read-along at King Library in Downtown San Jose and a free soccer clinic for 200 kids at San Jose’s Watson Field. Salinas also appeared in a Get Earthquakes Fit video to promote a healthy, active lifestyle for Bay Area youth.
