Tristan Blackmon has been named the 2025 MLS Defender of the Year, following a stellar season with Vancouver Whitecaps FC.
Blackmon, who contributed 2g/1a in 25 league appearances, led a defense that allowed the second-fewest goals in MLS (38) and kept the joint-second-most clean sheets (13).
Those efforts helped Vancouver to their best season since joining MLS in 2011, setting club records for points (63), wins (18), goal differential (+28), and goals (66).
Additionally, Blackmon scored three goals in 11 games in cup competitions. The 29-year-old center back, who was named an MLS All-Star, was crucial in Vancouver's run to the 2025 Concacaf Champions Cup final and helped them secure a fourth straight Canadian Championship title.
Blackmon also earned his first USMNT call-up. He

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