New York City FC are pleased to announce that the Club’s 2021 Defensive MVP award has been claimed by Alex Callens.
The 29-year-old first joined NYCFC in 2017 from Spanish side U.D. Numancia and has gone on to become a mainstay at the back for the Boys in Blue.
Callens took his game to new levels in 2021, and that form deservedly earned him a recall to his national team under Peru Head Coach Ricardo Gareca.
The defender was a member of Gareca’s squad for Copa America this summer and has also played a major role in helping his country push towards World Cup qualification.
At Club level, Callens formed a formidable partnership alongside Maxime Chanot and that saw the team concede just 36 goals in the Regular Season.
The pair followed that with a clean sheet in the Club’s opening playoff game against Atlanta United, a match in which Callens also stepped up in the final third to score the second goal of the game in a 2-0 win.
Callens would prove a consistent threat in attack for NYCFC and scored the decisive PK against New England Revolution in Foxborough.
Helping the team reach its first ever MLS Cup final, he produced a heroic defensive performance against Portland Timbers at Providence Park before once again stepping up to take the decisive penalty kick.
Callens showed tremendous composure in both instances and dispatched both efforts powerfully down the middle of the goal to help NYCFC win its first ever MLS Cup trophy.
Everyone at the Club would like to congratulate our very own Iron Man on another stellar season.
