Much has been written about Tim Melia and Ike Opara in 2017. The Sporting KC duo enjoyed career seasons anchoring the best backline in Major League Soccer and while neither were selected to the MLS All-Star team, both were key contributors to Sporting KC's third Open Cup title in six seasons and both were named finalists for MLS Year End Awards at their respective positions. The writers at Goal.com believe both deserve to win those awards.
This week, Goal.com announced that Ike Opara and Tim Melia are their picks for 2017 MLS Defender of the Year and Goalkeeper of the Year, respectively. Major League Soccer will announce its Defender of the Year winner at 12 p.m. CT on Thursday, November 9 and its Goalkeeper of the Year winner at 12 p.m. CT on Thursday, November 16.
