Quakes Hand Out Season Awards

The San Jose Earthquakes announced today the recipients of the 2008 team awards. Midfielder Darren Huckerby, a midseason addition to the team, earned the team’s Most Valuable Player honor and also the Budweiser Golden Boot award, given to the player with the most goals scored. Jason Hernandez was named the Earthquakes Defensive player of the year and veteran goalkeeper Joe Cannon was named the team’s U.S. Soccer Foundation Humanitarian of the Year.

Huckerby joined the Earthquakes July 14 when the team acquired his rights from Toronto FC. The former Norwich City star immediately made an impact on the field scoring in his first two home matches. He has scored six goals and notched four assists in 13 games with the Quakes making him the team leader in goals scored. He also scored game-winning goals against the Kansas City Wizards on Aug. 30 and D.C. United on Sept. 6. After an outstanding performance in September he was named Major League Soccer Player of the Month, scoring three goals and notching one assist in the month. In Huckerby’s first eight matches with the team, the Quakes posted a 4-0-4 record, part of the Quakes league-high nine-game unbeaten streak. Huckerby wins the Budweiser Golden Boot award after scoring six goals one more than Ryan Johnson.

Hernandez had a breakout year in 2008. He started and played in a career high 28 games and earned his first career assist this year against FC Dallas on Oct. 2. He used his pace and strong tackling to help shut down the league’s top forwards, as San Jose posted eight shutouts this year. Playing as both a center back and right back, Hernandez played a key role in keeping the Quakes defense among the best in the league all year long. The Quakes have allowed only 38 goals this season, placing them fourth in the league in goals allowed.

Cannon, a 10-year veteran in MLS, earned his second U.S. Soccer Foundation Humanitarian of the Year award by working just as hard off the field as he did on the field. Cannon participated in multiple community events and became one of the team’s top ambassadors to the Bay Area community. Among his many contributions, he spent time visiting the Morgan Center in Los Altos to work with autistic children, even working with Soccer Silicon Valley to bring a group of the children to an Earthquakes game in 2008. He is also on the advisory board of the Soccer Silicon Valley Community Fund. On the field, Cannon is the only player on the Earthquakes to play every minute of every game. He is currently the league leader in saves with 122, and has posted eight shutouts on the season