Sporting KC's Jimmy Nielsen wins MLS Goalkeeper of the Year

KANSAS CITY, Kan. - The “White Puma” for Sporting Kansas City has received a huge honor.

Sporting KC goalkeeper Jimmy Nielsen on Wednesday was named MLS Goalkeeper of the Year. The 35-year-old Nielsen, who hails from Denmark, played every minute in goal for Sporting Kansas City this season. He set club records with 3,060 minutes played and 34 games started.

Nielsen led the MLS with 15 shutouts, second most in MLS history. His 0.79 goals against average broke Tony Meola’s club record set in 2000. His all-time 1.02 goals against average is the lowest in MLS history. Meola was also named Goalkeeper of the year in 2000 for the Wizards.

Nielsen received more than 70 percent of the media votes. He signed with Kansas City in February, 2010.

"I'm very proud and thankful to the players and coaches who voted for me but it all comes back to the great season that the whole team had. I'm just a little part of this," Nielsen said. "I think we did an incredible job as a team and like I said before: after the season you get awards when the team is doing well. I think it's well deserved that team is getting all this credit now."