Vancouver Whitecaps star Tristan Blackmon named MLS defender of the year

The Canadian Press

· Posted: Oct 29, 2025 12:44 PM EDT | Last Updated: October 29

Vancouver Whitecaps defender Tristan Blackmon has been named Major League Soccer's defender of the year.

The 29-year-old American centre backmost started successful 23 of his 25 regular-season appearances, scoring doubly and contributing an assistance earlier suffering a genu wounded successful mid-September. 

He had a team-leading 36 clearances arsenic the 'Caps gave up a league-low 38 goals crossed the regular season, and finished 2nd successful the Western Conference with an 18-7-9 record.

Blackmon besides helped Vancouver get to the CONCACAF Champions League last and triumph a 4th consecutive Canadian Championship title. 

He was one of four Vancouver players named to the MLS all-star squad and was called up to play for the United States in the September planetary window. 

The breakout run comes successful Blackmon's eighth MLS season, and his 4th with Vancouver.

The Las Vegas autochthonal is the archetypal Whitecaps subordinate to beryllium named MLS defender of the year, and the club’s archetypal to triumph an idiosyncratic league grant since 2014, erstwhile Pedro Morales was named newcomer of the year.

He received 22.1 per cent of the votes for the award, beating retired Philadelphia Union defenders Jakob Glesnes and Kai Wagner.

Blackmon did not play successful Vancouver’s archetypal playoff game, a 3-0 triumph implicit FC Dallas successful Game 1 of their best-of-three first-round bid Saturday, but has returned to afloat grooming with his teammates.

The star defender could beryllium disposable Saturday when the 'Caps sojourn Dallas for Game 2. 

If necessary, Game 3 would beryllium backmost astatine B.C. Place connected Nov. 7.