Get on your bike! Real Salt Lake forward Rubio Rubin has won the 2021 AT&T Goal of the Year award for his eye-popping overhead kick against the San Jose Earthquakes on May 7, Major League Soccer announced Tuesday.
Rubin’s strike came in the 43rd minute of the contest at Rio Tinto Stadium, as he took a controlling touch with his chest, then launched a right-footed bicycle kick that left San Jose goalkeeper JT Marcinkowski with no chance.
The 25-year-old former US men’s national team forward, during his first MLS season, had 8g/5a across 34 games (25 starts). Those performances helped RSL return to the Audi MLS Cup Playoffs.
This is the second time an RSL player has won AT&T MLS Goal of the Year after midfielder Will Johnson claimed the award in 2008 for a strike vs. FC Dallas.
The 2021 AT&T MLS Goal of the Year was determined by fan votes on MLSsoccer.com and has been awarded since the league’s inaugural 1996 season.
MLS Goal of the Year winners:
- 2021: Rubio Rubin – Real Salt Lake | 5/7/21 vs. San Jose Earthquakes, 43rd minute
- 2020: Darlington Nagbe – Columbus Crew SC | 8/20/20 vs. Chicago Fire FC, 81st minute
- 2019: Josef Martínez – Atlanta United | 9/18/19 vs. FC Cincinnati, 65th minute
- 2018: Zlatan Ibrahimović – LA Galaxy | 3/31/18 vs. Los Angeles Football Club, 77th minute
- 2017: Héctor Villalba – Atlanta United | 7/21/17 vs. Orlando City SC, 86th minute
- 2016: Shkëlzen Gashi – Colorado Rapids | 9/24/16 vs. Vancouver Whitecaps FC, 75th minute
- 2015: Krisztián Németh – Sporting Kansas City | 10/4/15 vs. Portland Timbers, 83rd minute
- 2014: Obafemi Martins – Seattle Sounders FC | 5/23/14 vs. San Jose Earthquakes, 8th minute
- 2013: Camilo Sanvezzo – Vancouver Whitecaps FC | 10/6/13 vs. Portland Timbers, 78th minute
- 2012: Patrick Ianni – Seattle Sounders FC | 6/20/12 vs. Sporting Kansas City, 15th minute
- 2011: Darlington Nagbe – Portland Timbers | 7/2/11 vs. Sporting Kansas City, 45th minute
- 2010: Marco Pappa – Chicago Fire | 4/10/10 vs. San Jose Earthquakes, 52nd minute
- 2009: Landon Donovan – LA Galaxy | 8/8/09 vs. New England Revolution, 21st minute
- 2008: Will Johnson – Real Salt Lake | 10/18/08 vs. FC Dallas, 54th minute
- 2007: Cuauhtémoc Blanco – Chicago Fire | 8/18/07 vs. Real Salt Lake, 43rd minute
- 2006: Brian Ching – Houston Dynamo | 9/30/06 v D.C. United, 86th minute
- 2005: Dwayne De Rosario – San Jose Earthquakes | 10/15/05 vs. LA Galaxy, 45th minute
- 2004: Dwayne De Rosario – San Jose Earthquakes | 8/7/04 vs. D.C. United, 82nd minute
- 2003: Damani Ralph – Chicago Fire | 8/13/03 vs. Columbus Crew SC, 90th minute
- 2002: Carlos Ruiz – LA Galaxy | 7/27/02 vs. Columbus Crew SC, 75th minute
- 2001: Clint Mathis – MetroStars | 4/28/01 vs. Dallas Burn, 60th minute
- 2000: Marcelo Balboa – Colorado Rapids | 4/22/00 vs. Columbus Crew SC, 55th minute
- 1999: Marco Etcheverry – D.C. United | 5/22/99 vs. Miami Fusion, 90th minute
- 1998: Brian McBride – Columbus Crew | 7/9/98 vs. Chicago Fire, 68th minute
- 1997: Marco Etcheverry – D.C. United | 8/27/97 vs. New England Revolution, 39th minute
- 1996: Eric Wynalda – San Jose Clash | 4/6/96 vs. D.C. United, 88th minute
