HARRISON, N.J. (November 8, 2019) – The New York Red Bulls announced today the 2019 Team Awards. Danny Royer takes home the Team MVP Award, presented by Alcatel, while Cristian Casseres Jr. was named Defensive Player of the Year. Captain Luis Robles was named Humanitarian of the Year, and Amro Tarek was named the Red Bulls’ Newcomer of the Year.
Royer, 30, had his most productive season in New York in his fourth year. Royer led the team with 11 goals and tied for the team-high with eight assists. The Austrian winger recorded his third-straight season of at least 10 goals and moved into sixth all-time in Red Bulls scoring history with career 35 goals in MLS play. Across all competitions, Royer tallied 14 goals and nine assists in 30 starts and 36 games played in 2019.
Following some early season production, Casseres Jr. became a mainstay in the Red Bulls Starting XI during the second half of the year. The 19-year-old Venezuelan midfielder recorded 183 duels won, 174 recoveries, and 31 interceptions on the defensive end, and was on the field for six of New York’s nine clean sheets in MLS play. He also contributed three goals and four assists in 22 starts and 26 total MLS regular-season appearances.
Casseres Jr. also featured for Venezuela’s Under-20 and U-23 squads during the 2019 season, starting all nine matches in the U-20 South American Championship and starting in the U-23 friendly against Brazil.
Tarek, 27, was acquired from Orlando City SC via trade in December of 2018. The center back made 20 appearances, including 19 starts, in his first season with the Red Bulls. New York was 10-6-4 in MLS with Tarek in the lineup. The Egyptian was on the field for five of New York’s nine shutouts as well. Tarek scored the first goal in the 3-2 win over the LA Galaxy in May and added an assist in a 2-2 draw with Vancouver, a new MLS career-best for points in a season.
Robles, a finalist for MLS Humanitarian of the Year, continued to expand on his humanitarian efforts in 2019. In addition to monthly hospital visits and personal donations, Robles also connected with several families of children with serious illnesses, hosting them at Red Bulls Training Facility and Red Bulls matches. Robles gave the children a chance to see a day in the life of a professional athlete, but also took it upon himself to experience a day in their life, visiting their hospitals and seeing their treatment and care routines. Additional awareness was raised through a video series about the program.
Robles also walked in the Laureus Sport for Good fashion show, joining a host of other star athletes at a benefit Gala and fashion show, with all proceeds going directly to support The Laureus Foundations work to provide children from all backgrounds access to high-quality sports programs.
