Philadelphia Union homegrown defender Mark McKenzie won the player vote but finished second overall for the 2020 Defender of the Year Award, behind Nashville SC's Walker Zimmermann the league announced Wednesday morning.
The 21-year-old garnered 20.75% of the votes from his peers after aiding the Union to the seventh best defense in MLS history with just a .87 goals against average. McKenzie appeared in 22 matches in 2020 for the Supporters' Shield winning Union, scoring two goals and adding three assists while regularly marking the opposition's top scorer.
The 2020 Defender of the Year award was voted on by MLS club technical staff, media, and current MLS players. Below is a breakdown of the voting results:
| Player | Player Vote % | Club Vote % | Media Vote % | Final Vote % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Walker Zimmerman (NSH) | 16.82% | 34.23% | 34.04% | 28.37% |
| Mark McKenzie (PHI) | 20.75% | 27.03% | 21.35% | 23.04% |
| Jonathan Mensah (CLB) | 16.67% | 14.41% | 17.12% | 16.07% |
| Anton Tinnerhold (NYC) | 5.50% | 5.41% | 12.68% | 7.86% |
| Chris Mavinga (TOR) | 3.77% | 6.31% | 1.90% | 3.99% |
| Richie Laryea (TOR) | 6.45% | 1.80% | 1.90% | 3.03% |
