As the curtain closes on 2024, the United States Men’s National Team (USMNT) continues to make its mark on the global stage. In a year filled with ups and downs, including the disappointment of the Copa America, Fulham star Antonee Robinson claimed the prestigious 2024 U.S. Soccer Male Player of the Year award, surpassing AC Milan captain Christian Pulisic.
The voting of the awards is mainly decided by fan voting, which account for 50 percent of the results. The other 50 percent votes for U.S. Soccer Male Player of the Year are collected from National Team coaches, USMNT players who earned a cap in 2024, members of the U.S. Soccer Board of Directors, U.S. Soccer Athletes’ Council, professional league head coaches and sporting directors, select media members and former players and administrators.
With 55 percent of the weighted total, Antonee Robinson claimed the U.S. Soccer Male Player of the Year award in 2024, turning into the first defender to receive the award since Oguchi Onyewu in 2006. USMNT legend Tim Howard broke the news to Robinson during an interview, leaving the Fulham defender visibly stunned.
“It’s an incredible honor. Representing our country isn’t something you do for individual accolades. It’s always about putting the team first and trying to do my best for the boys and for the country, so to be rewarded for that is an amazing feeling,” Robinson said after getting the news.
The shortlist for the award included rising stars like Folarin Balogun, Ricardo Pepi, and veteran Tim Ream. However, the closest contender was Christian Pulisic, who enjoyed a stellar season with AC Milan but fell short of breaking the tie with Landon Donovan for the most Male Player of the Year titles (both have four).
The official U.S. Soccer website highlighted Robinson’s contributions in all 11 USMNT matches this year, including his game-winning assist against Jamaica in the Concacaf Nations League Quarterfinals. Additionally, his performances for Fulham were instrumental in earning him the club’s 2023-24 Player of the Year award.
Robinson’s club form has been equally impressive. Wearing the captain’s armband for Fulham, the left-back finished the 2024 with 10 assists across 37 matches—the most among Premier League defenders. This season, he already has seven assists in 19 games, placing him in the top three for assists, trailing only Mohamed Salah and Bukayo Saka.
This stellar form has drawn interest from Premier League giants Manchester United and Liverpool. However, Fulham manager Marco Silva remains confident in keeping Robinson at Craven Cottage.
Addressing the transfer rumors about Robinson and teammate Andreas Pereira, Silva ruled out a possible exit. “I don’t expect to lose players. That is the first thing. I don’t have any feedback from our board that this is something that can happen. Yesterday I had a meeting with our board and that type of situation is not even coming into the conversation,” the coach admitted.
