MIAMI, Fla. (October 23, 2019) —
New England Revolution midfielder Carles Gil is the winner of the MLS Newcomer Of The Year award, beating a number of other players who had strong performances. He is now the 13th recipient of the MLS Newcomer of the Year Award since its inception in 2007.
The distinction is open to players who have had professional experience in a different competition who move to an MLS team during one of the two transfer windows. The 26-year-old native of Valencia, Comunidad Valenciana, Spain is the first Revolution player to receive the honour.
Carles had an impressive first year in Foxborough. He was the captain of the team and featured in the starting eleven in all 34 matches, as well as New England’s playoff loss to Atlanta United FC last Saturday. Gil was voted the JetBlue Revolution Team MVP by fans, and named the Players’ Player of the Year by his teammates. The club’s primary supporters group, the Midnight Riders, named him Man of the Year, and he also capped off the season by claiming the Revs’ Golden Boot trophy with team-highs of 10 goals and 14 assists.
The newcomer of the year award is given annually to the best player who has previous professional experience in a foreign league in that season.
The Newcomer of the Year Award is selected through votes cast by members of the media, MLS players, and club technical staffs.
CARLES GIL’S 2019 SEASON HIGHLIGHTS:
- One of two Revolution players to start 34 games in a single season, playing all but eight minutes, and captained the side in 23 straight games to close the season.
- Voted the club’s JetBlue Revolution Team MVP by fans, Players’ Player of the Year by his teammates, and Midnight Riders’ Man of the Year by the club’s supporters.
- Earned the team’s Golden Boot trophy after becoming the second player in club history, and one of four in MLS this season, to reach double digits in goals (10) and assists (14).
- Ranked second in MLS and paced all MLS newcomers with 107 chances created, and finished fourth overall with 73 chances created from open play, according to Opta.
- Led all MLS players in possessions won in the final third (50) and successful passes ending in the final third (730), and ranked fourth league-wide with 2,662 touches.
New England signed Gil at the close of the European winter transfer window on January 30, 2019 for a then-club-record transfer fee from Deportivo de La Coruña of LaLiga Smartbank (2nd Division), and he was added to New England’s roster as a Designated Player. Prior to MLS, Gil had more than 180 appearances across his eight-year senior career, which included playing for Aston Villa in England, as well as Valencia CF and Elche CF in Spain.
Gil finished the season ranked among the league’s top playmakers, placing first among all newcomers – and tied for fourth overall – with 22 combined goals and primary assists. His 14 helpers ranked fifth in MLS and paced all newcomers, while his 12 primary assists were tied for second in the league. Those totals made Gil one of only four MLS players to reach double digits in goals and assists this season, and the second Revolution player to accomplish the feat along with Lee Nguyen (2017).
The midfielder was the motor for the Revolution attack throughout 2019, recording the fourth most touches in MLS (2,662) and notching 107 chances created according to Opta, second-most in the league and first among all newcomers by a margin of 24. In addition, he ranked fourth in MLS with 73 chances created from open play, and paced the league with 730 successful passes into the final third. Gil’s impact was also evident on the defensive side of the ball, where he won 50 possessions in the final third, 12 more than the next-closest player. His 239 possessions won overall also ranked first among MLS newcomers.
New York City FC’s Brazilian import Héber and another player from Spain, Toronto FC’s Alejandro Pozuelo, finished second and third, respectively. The final voting results:
| 2019 Newcomer of the Year | Player % | Club % | Media % | Final % |
| Carles Gil (NE) | 12.16% | 21.43% | 25.10% | 19.56% |
| Héber (NYC) | 8.78% | 15.31% | 28.57% | 17.55% |
| Alejandro Pozuelo (TOR) | 18.58% | 5.10% | 12.36% | 12.01% |
| Alexandru Mitriță (NYC) | 11.15% | 15.31% | 1.54% | 9.33% |
| Gustavo Bou (NE) | 6.76% | 9.18% | 4.63% | 6.86% |
| Cristian Pavón (LA) | 6.08% | 9.18% | 3.86% | 6.38% |
| Brian Fernández (POR) | 11.49% | 3.06% | 3.09% | 5.88% |
| Eddie Segura (LAFC) | 0.68% | 10.20% | 3.47% | 4.78% |
| Nani (ORL) | 5.07% | 2.04% | 2.32% | 3.14% |
Did You Know?
Carles Gil one of only four players coming from Europe to earn the distinction. Only one Revolution player previously placed as a finalist for the honour – Jermaine Jones in 2014.
