And then there were two.
Voting for the AT&T Goal of the Year began with 64 nominees in the running for the prestigious honor. Over the last four weeks, a bracket-style field has been whittled to two finalists—both of which from a pair of 2015 newcomers who took Major League Soccer by storm.
Forward Krisztian Nemeth bagged 16 goals in his first season with Sporting Kansas City, but none were more remarkable than his rampant 50-yard run and precise finish in a 1-0 win over the Portland Timbers on Oct. 3. Fans can vote Nemeth’s strike for AT&T Goal of the Year through Wednesday at 11:55 p.m. CT.
Facing Nemeth in final matchup is Toronto FC’s Sebastian Gionvinco. The diminutive Italian took a page from Nemeth’s book on Oct. 14, dribbling past a handful of defenders before firing home from a tight angle.
The 2015 Goal of the Year winner will be announced on Thursday ahead of the 2015 MLS Cup. If Nemeth takes the prize, he would be the first Goal of the Year recipient Sporting Kansas City history.
Nemeth enjoyed successful campaigns for club and country in 2015. His 23 combined goals and assists in all competitions were the most by a Sporting Kansas City newcomer since 1996. He won MLS Player of the Month in May and also scored five goals in during Sporting KC’s run to the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup title.
Nemeth earned eight caps for Hungary this year and helped the Magyars qualify for Euro 2016, the nation's first berth in the European Championship since 1972. He scored twice against Greece on Oct. 11 and played both matches in Hungary's two-legged Euro 2016 playoff victory over Norway earlier this month.
