This past week, we asked the Orlando City SC Twittersphere to select their Orlando City SC Player of the Year, Young Player of the Year and Newcomer of the Year for 2020 as part of our annual Orlando City UK end-of-season awards.
A public vote designed to recognise the standout Orlando City SC players in a stellar 2020 MLS campaign, we can now proudly reveal the winners as voted by you!
We had 449 individual votes cast across our three awards categories on Twitter. We want to say thanks to each and every one of you for getting involved.
So without any further ado, here are your Orlando City UK 2020 end-of-season award winners!
2020 Orlando City UK Player of the Year
2018 winner: Yoshimar Yotún
2019 winner: Nani
With 40% of the vote, Pedro Gallese is the winner of Orlando City UK’s ‘Player of the Year’ honour, narrowly beating off competition from soon-to-be capped USMNT star Chris Mueller with 36% of the vote.
Big things were expected of the Peruvian international number one when he signed in January 2020. The man they affectionately nickname “El Pulpo” (The Octopus) didn’t disappoint either!
Despite only keeping four clean sheets in 24 overall appearances (regular season, post-season, #MLSisBack Tournament), Gallese was a real game-changer in net throughout the course of the year.
Named “El Pulpo” for a reason, Pedro Gallese flexed his tentacles on numerous occasions to keep Oscar Pareja‘s Orlando City SC in so many games.
Ultimately, without Pedro Gallese‘s catalogue of trademark stops, we wouldn’t have had the platform to achieve half the results we did.
Pedro Gallese‘s best save of 2020 simply has to be his incredible eighth minute save against Atlanta United’s Brooks Lennon with the game tied 0-0 in a landmark 1-3 win for Orlando City SC at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
Many congratulations on being our 2020 Orlando City UK Player of the Year, Pedro Gallese!
He’s actually the second Peruvian winner of this award following international compatriot Yoshimar Yotún in 2018.
Skip to 0:17 (Credit: Atlanta United FC)
#OrlandoCityUK 2️⃣0️⃣2️⃣0️⃣ end-of-season awards 🏆
Who is YOUR @OrlandoCitySC Player of the Year for 2020? 🤔
🇵🇪 Pedro Gallese
🇺🇸 Chris Mueller
🇵🇹 Nani
🇺🇾 Mauricio PereyraVoting closes Friday Dec. 4 (5PM UK / 12PM US) 📕: https://t.co/Uho1Rc3Ohe#OCTwitter #OrlandoCity #MLSUK
— Orlando City UK (@Orlando_CityUK) December 1, 2020
2020 Orlando City UK Young Player of the Year
2018 winner: Chris Mueller
2019 winner: Benji Michel
Was there any doubt?
Your Orlando City UK ‘Young Player of the Year’ for 2020 is rookie Daryl Dike with a huge 65% of the vote.
One of Orlando City SC‘s most incredible stories this year was the tale of Dike, a 20-year-old with raw ability, standing at 6 ft 1 in and weighing a mighty 220 lbs.
Built like an NFL player and noticeably larger than all soccer players his age, Dike grasped his first competitive season as a professional with both hands.
A native of Edmond, Oklahoma, Daryl Dike was unlucky not to win the 2020 MLS Young Player of the Year Award, handed to Los Angeles FC’s outstanding Diego Rossi.
Nevertheless, his 2020 contributions recently earned him a spot in Gregg Berhalter’s USMNT squad.
This week, Dike was named alongside City team-mates Chris Mueller and Andrés Perea in a 22-man Stars and Stripes squad that will face El Salvador on December 9.
Scoring eight goals and registering four assists in his debut MLS season, his first goal came back in August in Orlando City SC‘s first ever visit to Inter Miami.
On the night, the experienced Leandro González Pírez had his hands full with powerful rookie Daryl Dike scoring and causing mischief all evening.
In the 18th minute, Dike unleashed a fearsome drive at Luis Robles, seeing that shot parried away before using brute force to swat aside Andrés Reyes and Ben Sweat to see a deflected, second strike tie the game 1-1.
Many congratulations on being our 2020 Orlando City UK Young Player of the Year, Daryl Dike!
Skip to 1:23 (Credit: Major League Soccer)
#OrlandoCityUK 2️⃣0️⃣2️⃣0️⃣ end-of-season awards 🏆
Who is YOUR @OrlandoCitySC Young Player of the Year for 2020? 🤔
🇺🇸 Daryl Dike
🇺🇸 Benji Michel
🇵🇹 João Moutinho
🇨🇴 Andrés PereaVoting closes Dec. 4 (5PM UK / 12PM US) 📕: https://t.co/Uho1Rc3Ohe#OCTwitter #OrlandoCity #MLSUK
— Orlando City UK (@Orlando_CityUK) December 1, 2020
2020 Orlando City UK Newcomer of the Year
2018 winner: Chris Mueller
2019 winner: Nani
Not simply your Orlando City UK ‘Player of the Year’ for 2020, Pedro Gallese is also your Orlando City UK ‘Newcomer of the Year’ too.
With 56% of the vote compared to second-placed Daryl Dike with 22%, what else can we say about “El Pulpo” that hasn’t already been said?
How about taking another look at one of his other standout saves from 2020?
In that unforgettable 1-1 (6-5 A.E.T.) 2020 MLS Cup Playoffs Round One victory over New York City FC, before the penalty shootout drama, and Gallese’s farcical red card, The Octopus kept us in the game.
Who could forget this remarkable double save to deny Valentín Castellanos not once but twice in first-half regulation?
Many congratulations on being our 2020 Orlando City UK Newcomer of the Year, Pedro Gallese!
How good was this double save? 😮
🐙 @pedrogallese 🐙 pic.twitter.com/2D0lltpsji
— Orlando City UK (@Orlando_CityUK) November 25, 2020
#OrlandoCityUK 2️⃣0️⃣2️⃣0️⃣ end-of-season awards 🏆
Who is YOUR @OrlandoCitySC Newcomer of the Year for 2020? 🤔
🇧🇷 Antônio Carlos
🇺🇸 Daryl Dike
🇵🇪 Pedro Gallese
🇧🇷 Júnior UrsoVoting closes December 4 (5PM UK / 12PM US) 📕: https://t.co/Uho1Rc3Ohe#OCTwitter #OrlandoCity #MLSUK
— Orlando City UK (@Orlando_CityUK) December 1, 2020