Carli Lloyd, Chicharito claim CONCACAF Player of the Year honors

Mexico’s Javier “Chicharito” Hernandez and American Carli Lloyd were named Friday as 2015 Players of the Year by the Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF). Voting was equally weighted among each member association’s national team captains as well as fans and a media panel. The result was a pair of first-time winners.

Striker Hernandez has starred for Bayer Leverkusen in the German Bundesliga and UEFA Champions League and he scored in a 3-2 victory over the United States that earned Mexico a berth in the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup.

Midfielder Lloyd led the United States to last year’s Women’s World Cup crown in Canada, collecting the Golden Ball award. She also won FIFA Women’s World Player of the Year and 2015 US Soccer Female Player of the Year after a season that saw her lead the Americans with 18 goals.

Costa Rica’s Bryan Ruiz of Portugal’s Sporting Lisbon and Mexico’s Andres Guardado from Dutch side PSV Eindhoven were second and third in men’s voting while American Alex Morgan was the women’s runner-up with Costa Rican Shirley Cruz third.

Americans swept CONCACAF Goalkeeper of the Year honors as Everton’s Tim Howard set the men’s pace ahead of Panama’s Jaime Penedo and Mexico’s Guillermo Ochoa while Hope Solo led the women ahead of Costa Rica’s Dinnia Diaz and Mexico’s Cecilia Santiago.

Howard became the first three-time winner of any CONCACAF award.

Panama’s Hernan Dario Gomez and America’s Jill Ellis were named coaches of the year while Lloyd was credited with the goal of the year from the 16th minute of the US win over Japan in the Women’s World Cup final.

CONCACAF’s men’s best 11 included Americans Howard and Michael Bradley, Mexicans Hernandez, Hector Moreno, Miguel Layun, Andres Guardado and Jesus Corona, Costa Ricans Ruiz, Giancarlo Gonzalez and Joel Campbell and Panama’s Roman Torres.

CONCACAF’s women’s best 11 included Americans Solo, Lloyd, Morgan and Becky Sauerbrunn, Mexicans Kenti Robles and Veronica Perez and Costa Ricans Lixy Rodriguez, Diana Saenz, Shirley Cruz, Katherine Alvarado and Raquel Rodriguez.