Parkhurst repeats as Fair Play Award winner

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. - New England Revolution central defender and Cranston, R.I., native Michael Parkhurst was voted the winner of the 2008 Major League Soccer Fair Play Award, the League announced on Tuesday. The Fair Play award was determined by equal voting from the media, MLS players and MLS coaches and general managers.

Parkhurst's teammates were also honored as the Revolution earned the MLS Team Fair Play Award, recognizing the Major League Soccer club with the fewest disciplinary points during the 2008 regular season.

Parkhurst, 24, who also won the award in 2007, was one of three finalists with Juan Pablo Angel (New York Red Bulls) and Chris Rolfe (Chicago Fire).

"It's an honor to be voted the winner of the Fair Play Award again," Parkhurst said. "I try to play with as much respect for the game as I can, and it's humbling to have that kind of effort recognized by people around the league."

Parkhurst recorded just nine fouls in 28 games of MLS regular-season action this year, bringing his four-year career total to 32 fouls committed in 115 career games. He has also gone caution-less in MLS action since July 22, 2006 - a span of 71 games played.

A three-time MLS All-Star and 2007 MLS Best XI selection, he was also the 2005 Gatorade Rookie of the Year and the 2006 U.S. Soccer Foundation Humanitarian of the Year. Parkhurst is the league's third two-time winner of the Fair Play Award.

The Revolution claimed the Team Fair Play award for accumulating the fewest disciplinary points - 300 - during the 2008 season. Disciplinary points are assigned as follows: one point for each caution point received by a player, 10 points for each red card, 0.50 points for each foul committed, and a reduction of 15 points for every clean game in which a team does not receive either a yellow or red card nor has a player sanctioned by the MLS Disciplinary Committee. New England finished the season with the fewest cautions (44) and the most clean games (7) among the league's 14 teams.

Parkhurst and the Revolution will play Game Two of its Eastern Conference Semifinal Series against the Chicago Fire on Thursday, Nov. 6, in Bridgeview, Ill. ESPN2's national coverage begins at 8:30 p.m. ET, with kickoff slated for 8:50 p.m. The WEEI Radio Network will also carry the game on the radio. The teams played to a 0-0 draw in Game One last Thursday. The series is a two-game, aggregate-goals series with the winner advancing to the Eastern Conference Championship next week.