Houston Dynamo FC announced their 2021 season club award winners today with forward Fafa Picault earning three honors in his first season with the team.
Picault was named the Most Valuable Player, won the Golden Boot as the team’s top scorer and was voted by his teammates as the Player’s Player of the Year. The American-born winger finished his first season with the Dynamo with a career-high 11 goals and tied his highest mark with five assists.
Picault led the Dynamo to a victory in the Texas Derby against FC Dallas on Sept. 18 by tallying an assist and scoring the second goal of the game. With the victory Houston was able to claim El Capitan for the first time since 2017. The New York native is also the seventh player in team history to score 10 or more goals in a single season and the first to reach that mark since Mauro Manotas in 2019.
Defender Teenage Hadebe was named the Defender of the Year and Newcomer of the Year. Hadebe joined the Dynamo on a full transfer from Yeni Malatyaspor in Turkey's Süper Lig on June 28 and helped the team keep a clean sheet in his debut, a 0-0 draw with the Vancouver Whitecaps on July 20. The 26-year-old led the team in clearances (73) and recoveries (97) until he suffered an injury in Houston’s 2-1 victory over Seattle Sounders FC on Oct. 16. The centerback finished with the third-highest mark in recoveries and with the fifth-most interceptions in 2021 with 31.
Forward Griffin Dorsey earned Young Player of the Year honors, given annually to the top player in the squad age 23 or younger. The 22-year-old finished with 20 consecutive appearances for the Dynamo after joining the team on trial in May and ended the year with two goals and three assists. Dorsey earned MLSSoccer.com Team of the Week Honors after he tallied an assist and scored a goal in Houston’s 3-2 victory over FC Dallas on Sept. 18.
Defender Tim Parker earned the Ironman of the Year award after playing every minute of the 2021 regular season. The 28-year-old started in all 34 games for the Dynamo this season and he was one of two field players to reach that mark in MLS this year. Parker is also the first player to start and play every minute of the regular season for the Dynamo since 2014 when Giles Barnes reached that mark. Parker is the fourth player in club history to reach the mark with the Dynamo.
2021 Houston Dynamo FC Award Winners
Most Valuable Player:
Fafa Picault
Player’s Player of the Year:
Fafa Picault
Golden Boot:
Fafa Picault
Defender of the Year:
Teenage Hadebe
Newcomer of the Year:
Teenage Hadebe
Young Player of the Year:
Griffin Dorsey
Ironman of the Year:
Tim Parker
