Ronald Matarrita has been named NYCFC’s Defensive Player of 2016.
The Costa Rican full-back earned the award following an outstanding debut season in MLS.
Known for his exhaustive coverage of the left side of the field, Ronald has proved to be an excellent acquisition, showing himself equally adept at stopping opposition attacks and launching his own from deep.
His overlapping runs, link-up play and pinpoint crosses were crucial in helping NYCFC to a league-high tally of 62 goals and his sureness in the tackle and tactical intelligence also made a decisive contribution to our first run to the MLS Playoffs.
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Matarrita joined NYCFC in January from Alajuelense and took his NYCFC bow on March 6 against Chicago Fire.
He hasn’t looked back since, going on to make 25 Regular Season appearances, scoring his first MLS goal against Seattle Sounders on June 25.
The 22-year old provided five assists over the course of the 2016 season.
A regular for his country, Matarrita scored his second goal for Costa Rica in their last match against Trinidad & Tobago on Friday as “La Sele” kicked off their Hexagonal campaign with a 2-0 win.
Costa Rica are next in action against USA tonight at the Estadio Nacional de Costa Rica in San Jose.
Everyone at New York City FC would like to congratulate Ronald on a fantastic season and for this deserved award.
David Villa was named Offensive Player of the Year for 2016 on Monday and we’ll be announcing our overall MVP for 2016 here on NYCFC.com on Wednesday.
