FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – The New England Revolution announced the recipients of the club’s Team Awards for the 2022 Major League Soccer season ahead of Saturday’s regular season home finale. Goalkeeper Djordje Petrović has been voted the Revolution Team MVP by fans and the club’s Players’ Player of the Year by his teammates. Andrew Farrell was voted the club’s Defender of the Year by members of the local media for a second consecutive season and a record fifth time in his 10-year Revolution career. Veteran goalkeeper Brad Knighton received his first Revolution Humanitarian of the Year Award for his contributions in the community.
The Revolution’s 2022 Team Award winners will be recognized before club’s home finale today, Oct. 1 vs. Atlanta United FC. The match kicks off at 1:30 p.m. ET on UniMas, TUDN, Twitter, 98.5 The Sports Hub HD2, and 1260 AM Nossa.
The first of the team’s award winners was revealed on Friday as 18-year-old Jack Panayotou, from Cambridge, Mass., was named the 2021-22 UnitedHealthcare Revolution Academy Player of the Year. The winner of the Revolution’s 2022 Golden Boot award – given annually to the club’s leading goal scorer during the regular season – will be solidified after the club’s MLS Decision Day match on Oct. 9 at Chicago Fire FC. Midfielder Carles Gil (7G, 13A) and forward Gustavo Bou (7G, 2A) are tied atop the team’s scoring list entering the final two matches, while Gil comfortably owns the assists tiebreaker.
Petrović, a candidate for 2022 MLS Newcomer of the Year and Allstate MLS Goalkeeper of the Year honors, earns his first Revolution Team MVP Award after joining the club from Serbian first-division side FK Čukarički in April 2022. The goalkeeper was also voted Players’ Player of the Year by his teammates. He is the fourth Revolution goalkeeper to earn Team MVP honors, joining Walter Zenga (1997), Matt Reis (2006 and 2011), and Matt Turner (2020). Petrović is also the third goalkeeper to be recognized by his teammates as the club’s Players’ Player of the Year award, joining Turner (2020) and Knighton (2016). The last newcomer to win Team MVP honors was Carles Gil in 2019.
Due to make his 20th MLS start on Saturday, the 22-year-old goalkeeper has quickly racked up seven shutouts with two games still to play. Petrović’s shot-stopping prowess has been elite as he owns a 75.76 save percentage, second best in MLS (min. 30 saves). He has recorded a club-record four penalty saves, the most in an MLS season since 2017. During the 2022 campaign, the Serbian international backstopped New England to four consecutive clean sheets and a 402-minute shutout streak, the second longest in club history and the third best in MLS this season. According to American Soccer Analysis’ advanced metrics, Petrović has recorded -10.66 goals prevented and +11.72 goals added this year, both of which would be the highest single-season totals in MLS since the statistics were first tracked in 2013. Those marks come despite Petrović playing more than 1,300 fewer minutes than this season’s second-place goalkeeper, Andre Blake.
Farrell was voted the Revolution Defender of the Year by local media for the fourth time in the last five seasons, and for a team-record fifth time overall in his 10-year MLS career (2015, 2018, 2019, 2021, and 2022). In 2022, Farrell has started 30 of the club’s 32 games in central defense and contributed to nine clean sheets, both tied for the most among Revolution defenders this year. On Saturday, he will become the first Revolution player to start 300 career regular season games. Earlier this season, Farrell became the Revolution’s all-competitions leader in appearances, starts, and minutes played. Among all MLS defenders in 2022, Farrell ranked second with 207 possessions won.
Knighton, in his club-record 12th season with New England, receives his first Revolution Humanitarian of the Year Award for his steadfast support of countless charitable initiatives, most evident this season in his work with Special Olympics Massachusetts and throughout Fight Childhood Cancer Month in September. Knighton showed his support for the Revolution Unified Team by coaching the athletes at their tryout clinic in April before returning to welcome them to the club on their signing day in August. Knighton will also be on the sidelines after Saturday’s Revolution match as the Revolution Unified Team from Special Olympics Massachusetts takes the pitch against Special Olympics Georgia at Gillette Stadium.
DJORDJE PETROVIĆ’S 2022 SEASON AT A GLANCE:
- Owns seven clean sheets in 19 MLS starts since joining the Revolution in April from Serbian topflight club FK Čukarički.
- Owns second best save percentage (75.76%) among all MLS goalkeepers with at least 30 saves.
- Recorded club-record four penalty saves in 2022, the most in MLS since Zack Steffen in 2017.
- Named to MLS Team of the Week on seven occasions, most recently for an eight-save performance at Houston Dynamo FC on Sept. 13.
- Tied Revolution record with four consecutive clean sheets from July 23 - Aug. 13 as part of a 402-minute shutout streak, the second longest in club history.
- Made MLS debut at Sporting Kansas City on June 12, becoming the fifth Revolution keeper to win his MLS debut.
ANDREW FARRELL’S 2022 SEASON AT A GLANCE:
- 10-year MLS veteran has started 30 games to date, tied for the most among Revolution defenders.
- Eclipsed 300 MLS regular season starts and games played in 2022, further solidifying his place as the Revolution’s all-time leader in appearances, starts, and minutes played.
- Ranks second among MLS defenders this season with 207 possessions won.
- Contributed to nine clean sheets across 30 starts to date this season, with two games to play.
BRAD KNIGHTON’S 2022 SEASON AT A GLANCE:
- Visited Mass General Hospital for Children to meet with childhood cancer patients this September, and again met with BCH families to watch the Revolution’s Sept. 17 match together in a suite at Gillette Stadium.
- Closed out 2022’s Kick Childhood Cancer month on Sept. 28 by attending Box Car Movie Night with Binkeez for Comfort.
- Attended Special Olympics Massachusetts Unified Soccer Clinic at Gillette Stadium on April 24 as well as the Revolution Unified Team’s signing day on August 2.
- Recorded 13 saves in four appearances this season, his 15th year in MLS and record 12th season with the Revolution.