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The Andy Award, formerly known as the Convey Award, is given out yearly to the best rookie from that D.C. United season. After his remarkable performance during the 2010 season, the name of the award was changed due to Andy Najar putting himself into the pantheon of rookie performances and eclipsing Bobby Convey in both performance and closeness to our hearts. Past winners of this award include the aforementioned Andy Najar, Nick DeLeon, Chris Pontius, Perry Kitchen, and Ryan Cordeiro (?).
1. Collin Martin: The team's most recent Homegrown signing, Collin Martin was first sent to Richmond for one road trip before injuries required him to come back to the District for the rest of the season. A promising attacking midfielder who I hope can be similar to Graham Zusi, I expect him to be loaned back to the Richmond Kickers next year to help continue his development.
2. Michael Seaton: Another one of D.C. United's Homegrown signings, Seaton spent the majority of the season in Richmond, scoring five goals after starting slow. He is still raw, but his size, physicality, and speed were on display in Richmond this year, helping the team to the USL PRO regular season championship.
3. Taylor Kemp: Another player in limbo due to injuries (both his own and others), Kemp was drafted in the first round of the MLS SuperDraft. He was initially supposed to spend the season in Richmond, but injuries and trades on the backline brought him back to D.C. as well. The left sided player featured both as a left back and a left winger before plantar fasciitis took him out for the rest of the year.
4. Jared Jeffrey: As I mentioned in the comments of the Nelly Award, the Benny Awards Rules Committee has decided that since Jared Jeffrey has only ever played for the Mainz reserve team, he actually is eligible for the Andy Award and not for the Nelly. And just as it looks like Jeffrey will win the Richie Award, I think that he will run away with the Andy Award as well. Signed in the middle of the season off of waivers, Jeffrey has proved to be a physical box-to-box midfielder who can score on long-range shots. He is cheap, young, and talented and I hope that he will be a fixture on the team for the foreseeable future.