For the second year in a row, Clint Dempsey was named US Soccer's best and brightest after leading the Americans to the Hexagonal and sealing a career-altering move to Tottenham Hotspur of the English Premier League.
After leading Jurgen Klinsmann's squad with six goals during 2012, including five in CONCACAF's World Cup qualifying semifinal round, Dempsey was named the 2012 Make Athlete of the Year, the highest honor awarded to soccer players in the United States, on Monday.
It's the third time Dempsey's won the award (2007, 2011, 2012), and he joins an exclusive club as just the second back-to-back winner in the history of the honor. Landon Donovan is the other, and also holds the record as a four-winner (2003, 2004, 2009, 2010). Kasey Keller (1997, 1999, 2005) and Dempsey are tied for second with three apiece.
Two blocks of votes decided the winner, with fan votes on U.S. Soccer's Facebook page counting for 50 percent and the other half coming from the media and US Soccer representatives, among them national team coaches and members of the board of directors.
Rubio Rubin was also named the Young Male Athlete of the Year after the midfielder scored eight goals for the U-17 men's national team. Lists of previous winners is below.
MALE ATHLETE OF THE YEAR
1984: Rick Davis
1985: Perry Van der Beck
1986: Paul Caligiuri
1987: Brent Goulet
1988: Peter Vermes
1989: Mike Windischmann
1990: Tab Ramos
1991: Hugo Perez
1992: Marcelo Balboa
1993: Thomas Dooley
1994: Marcelo Balboa
1995: Alexi Lalas
1996: Eric Wynalda
1997: Kasey Keller
1998: Cobi Jones
1999: Kasey Keller
2000: Chris Armas
2001: Earnie Stewart
2002: Brad Friedel
2003: Landon Donovan
2004: Landon Donovan
2005: Kasey Keller
2006: Oguchi Onyewu
2007: Clint Dempsey
2008: Tim Howard
2009: Landon Donovan
2010: Landon Donovan
2011: Clint Dempsey
2012: Clint Dempsey
YOUNG MALE ATHLETE OF THE YEAR
1998: Josh Wolff
1999: Ben Olsen
2000: Landon Donovan
2001: DaMarcus Beasley
2002: Bobby Convey
2003: Freddy Adu
2004: Eddie Johnson
2005: Benny Feilhaber
2006: Jozy Altidore
2007: Michael Bradley
2008: Sacha Kljestan
2009: Luis Gil
2010: Gale Agbossoumonde
2011: Brek Shea
2012: Rubio Rubin