Parkhurst Wins Fair Play Award

Second Straight Fair Play Award for Revs' Defender

November 4, 2008

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – Revolution central defender and Cranston, R.I., native Michael Parkhurst won his second straight MLS Fair Play Award, the league announced Tuesday after a vote determined by the media and MLS players, coaches and general managers.

Parkhurst’s teammates were also honored as the Revolution earned the MLS Team Fair Play Award, recognizing the club with the fewest disciplinary points during the regular season.

The Revs' Michael Parkhurst won his second straight MLS Fair Player Award. (CHRIS ADUAMA/aduama.com)

Parkhurst, 24, who also won the award in 2007, beat out New York’s Juan Pablo Angel and Chicago’s Chris Rolfe for this year’s honor.

“It’s an honor to be voted the winner of the Fair Play Award again,” Parkhurst said. “I try to play with as much respect for the game as I can, and it’s humbling to have that kind of effort recognized by people around the league.”

Parkhurst recorded just nine fouls in 28 games of MLS regular-season action this year, bringing his four-year career total to 32 fouls committed in 115 career games. He has also gone caution-less in MLS action since July 22, 2006 – a span of 71 games played.

A three-time MLS All-Star and 2007 MLS Best XI selection, he was also the 2005 Gatorade Rookie of the Year and the 2006 U.S. Soccer Foundation Humanitarian of the Year. Parkhurst is the league’s third two-time winner of the Fair Play Award.

The Revolution claimed the Team Fair Play award for accumulating the fewest disciplinary points – 300 – during the 2008 season. Disciplinary points are assigned as follows: one point for each caution point received by a player, 10 points for each red card, 0.50 points for each foul committed, and a reduction of 15 points for every clean game in which a team does not receive either a yellow or red card nor has a player sanctioned by the MLS Disciplinary Committee. New England finished the season with the fewest cautions (44) and the most clean games (7) among the league’s 14 teams.

Parkhurst and the Revolution will play Game Two of its Eastern Conference Semifinal series against the Chicago Fire on Thursday.