ANGEL RECEIVES ESPY NOMINATION FOR BEST MLS PLAYER

New York Red Bull forward Juan Pablo Angel is among the six nominees for the 2008 ESPY Award for Best MLS Player, ESPN announced recently. Angel joins fellow nominees Luciano Emilio (D.C. United), Matt Reis (New England Revolution), David Beckham (Los Angeles Galaxy), Cuauhtemoc Blanco (Chicago Fire) and the 2007 award-winner, Landon Donovan (Los Angeles Galaxy) as finalists for the annual award.

The 16th Annual ESPY Awards will take place on Wednesday, July 16, at the new Nokia Theatre L.A. Live, where Justin Timberlake will serve as the show's host. ESPN will televise the awards show on Sunday, July 20, at 9 p.m. ET.

Fans can place their votes for Angel - as well as the nominees in all 37 award categories - at ESPYS.tv or on their mobile phones. Online voting continues through Saturday, July 12, at 11:59 p.m. ET.

In 2007, Angel burst upon the Major League Soccer scene after signing with the Red Bulls as a Designated Player on April 17, 2007 after a successful stint with Aston Villa of the English Premier League. In 24 matches the Colombian striker tallied 19 goals (good for second in MLS) and set new club records for goals in a season, multi-goal games (five), and goals in consecutive games (six from May 19-June 16). A two-time MLS Player of the Month (May and June) and two-time MLS Player of the Week (weeks seven and nine), Angel was a MLS Best XI selection, and was a finalist for MLS MVP and MLS Newcomer of the Year. The leading vote getter for the MLS All-Star Game, he was recognized as the match’s MVP after scoring the game-winning goal against Celtic FC in MLS’ 2-0 win.