Leo Fernandes named NASL Young Player of the Year

The New York Cosmos season hasn't come to a close yet, but on Wednesday, a little bit of hardware started to trickle in. Leo Fernandes, who spent the season in New York on loan from the Philadelphia Union, was recognized as the North American Soccer League's Young Player of the Year.

Fernandes scored eight times for the Cosmos this season, tying him for the club lead with the retiring Raul. That total is even more impressive when you consider that Leo played primarily on the wing, where his first job was providing support for guys like Lucky Mkosana, Raul, Mads Stokkelien, and Gaston Cellerino. The goalscoring threat from the wing is something that the club has sorely lacked in the past, and was one of the key reasons that the Cosmos won the spring title, and will host the Soccer Bowl on Sunday.

Congratulations to Leo, who absolutely deserved to be recognized for his fantastic work this season.