CARSON, Calif. -- All season long, the Los Angeles Galaxy's defense was under fire from opponents. And while the club's backline left plenty of room for improvement in 2009, there is a silver lining as Galaxy defender Sean Franklin was named Major League Soccer's Rookie of the Year on Thursday.
Franklin, who has spent the week with the United States national team, is the first Galaxy player to ever win the award.
"It has been a big week, a very exciting week for me and for my family," Franklin said. "I'm really excited where I'm at right now."
Franklin started 26 of the 27 games he played in and logged a total of 2,385 minutes. He had one assist, committed just 22 fouls and was cautioned three times. Despite the Galaxy's 62 goals surrendered, Franklin earned praise throughout the season for his standout performances.
Such praise helped him draw strength and push forward in his development, he said.
"From the beginning to the end of the year, I've gotten better and have grown in confidence mostly because of my teammates. They help me on the field ... and want the best for me and for the team. That's where my confidence comes from, other people letting me know that I am doing a good job and to just keep working hard," he said. "It's helped me out a lot. It's what got me through this year and helped me have a pretty good first year."
Entering an environment like the one that surrounds the Galaxy might be difficult but Franklin said he merely focused on his task and worked hard. Whether he was going against first-year or 10th-year players, Franklin said he never felt out of place or let his status affect him on the field.
"I just went out and just played every game hard, whether I was a rookie or not wasn't something that was on the back of my mind," he said. "As the year did go on I was getting more comfortable and used to playing."
The 23-year-old was the fourth overall selection by the Galaxy in the MLS SuperDraft in January. While he had talent to merit a top-5 pick, Franklin did not exactly find himself in a familiar spot once with the Galaxy.
A natural right back, Franklin was instead used in central defense from the first game he saw action, a 2-0 win against San Jose on April 3 at The Home Depot Center. Years had passed between his start in central defense for the Galaxy and the previous time he played the position.
"The last time I'd played center back was a little bit back in club, maybe at (the) U-15 (level). I've always been out on the wing as a right back, maybe every now and then I'd step in the center," Franklin said. "This was definitely a big step for me, playing in the center. But I'm getting used to it and not always making runs forward."
Franklin joined some elite company in winning Rookie of the Year. Previous winners include Maurice Edu (the 2007 winner), Jonathan Bornstein (2006), Michael Parkhurst (2005) and Clint Dempsey (2004) as well as Carlos Bocanegra (2002) and Ben Olsen (1998).
Should there be any extra pressure or added expectations because of the award, Franklin said he would try and meet them.
"Hopefully there is not pressure. There might be, there might not be but I'm just hoping that if there are I'll live up to them," he said. "It's an honor. I was actually this morning at lunch talking to Jonny Bornstein and Michael Parkhurst. It's just awesome to be named with other guys who have won Rookie of the Year."
Winning the award also helped the Galaxy salvage something from an otherwise undistinguished season.
"From the club's perspective, not the season that we wanted but on a personal level I'm happy how I performed this year and I'm looking forward to next season," Franklin said. "I think our team is going to do a whole lot better. It is a little bittersweet but I'm looking forward to what our team is going to do next season."
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