HERRIMAN, Utah (Tuesday, November 24, 2020) – Real Monarchs SLCannounced its annual team award winners for 2020 as voted on by the Monarchs players. Midfielder Sam Brown was selected as the club’s Most Valuable Player and defender James Moberg was voted Defensive Player of the Year for the team.
Midfielder Sam Brown: Real Monarchs Most Valuable Player
Brown led the Monarchs with 14 starts and 1,213 minutes played throughout the 2020 season. The 24-year-old led the midfield with a passing accuracy of 84.3 percent from 502 passes, good for second most on the year. Brown opened his Monarchs goal-scoring account with a headed goal in a 4-1 win over Colorado Springs at Zions Bank Stadium on September 9. Brown also recorded an assist in a 1-1 draw at Colorado Springs later in the season. Defensively, the second-year Monarch had 18 interceptions, tied for most on the team and finished second in tackles won with 15.
Defender James Moberg: Real Monarchs Defensive Player of the Year
Moberg led the Monarchs defensively with 8 blocks and 18 interceptions, including 32 clearances and a team-high 63 percent success rate in aerial duels. The 26-year-old started in all 13 of his appearances for the Monarchs in 2020 and in turn played the second-most minutes throughout the season with 1,170. Moberg led the team with 607 total passes and finished the year with an 82.7 percent pass accuracy. In addition, Moberg recorded the game-winning assist (his 6th all-time) in the 3rd minute of added time to take a 2-1 lead over Switchbacks FC and helped secure the club’s first win of the 2020 campaign on August 1.
All-Time Real Monarchs SLC Season-Ending Award Recipients
Real Monarchs Most Valuable Player: Sam Brown (2020), Douglas Martínez (2019), Justin Portillo (2018), Nick Besler (2017)
Real Monarchs Defensive Player of the Year: James Moberg (2020), Kalen Ryden (2019), Kalen Ryden (2018), Connor Sparrow (2017)
Real Monarchs Golden Boot: Kyle Coffee (2020), Douglas Martínez (2019), Chandler Hoffman (2018), Chandler Hoffman (2017)
