San Diego FC’s Mikey Varas, Anders Dreyer finalists for major MLS awards

San Diego FC coach Mikey Varas and star Anders Dreyer have been named finalists for three of Major League Soccer’s largest postseason awards.

Varas has been named a finalist for the Sigi Schmid MLS Coach of the Year Award, the league announced on Thursday.

The United States Men’s National Team’s former interim head coach, Varas has led SDFC to a record-setting season. Saturday’s win over the Portland Timbers extended the franchise’s record for most wins (19) and points (63) for an expansion team in Major League Soccer history. The No. 1 seed in the Western Conference, SDFC will host Portland on Sunday in Game 1 of the best-of-three first round of the MLS Cup playoffs.

Varas is one of three finalists for the award, joining Philadelphia Union’s Bradley Carnell and the Vancouver Whitecaps’ Jesper Sørensen. Philadelphia has won the Supporters’ Shield, given annually to the MLS team with the best regular-season record.

Dreyer is a finalist for both the Landon Donovan Most Valuable Player Award and the MLS Newcomer of the Year Award.

The 27-year-old Dreyer joined SDFC in January as the second designated player in club history, joining Hirving “Chucky” Lozano. Dreyer scored the first goal in franchise history in a Feb. 23 win over the LA Galaxy in Carson, and has gone on to post one of the best performances in MLS. Dreyer has scored 19 goals and logged a MLS-best 19 assists, accounting for 59% of SDFC’s 64 total goals.

Dreyer was named the league’s player of the month in both June and August.

Dreyer’s competition for the MVP award will be stiff. Lionel Messi, the league’s goals leader with 29, is another MVP finalist, alongside Denis Bouanga of LAFC, Sam Surridge of Nashville SC and Evander of FC Cincinnati. South Korean sensation Son Heung-Min of LAFC and Philip Zinckernagel of the Chicago Fire are the other candidates for the newcomer award.

The end-of-season awards are voted on by MLS club technical staff, MLS first-team players and select media members. Winners will be announced in the weeks leading up to the Dec. 6 MLS Cup final.

Timbers win, turn attention to Sunday and SDFC

Portland beat Real Salt Lake 3-1 on Wednesday night, setting up their first-round matchup with SDFC.

Timbers defender Kamal Miller, who scored in Wednesday’s win, said “it’s important to celebrate” wins like Wednesday’s, but that the team is focused on what’s ahead.

“The group is happy, but we know what San Diego just did to us on our home turf.  So we can’t get too happy,” he said.

Miller said the team will review film “to see all the areas where we went wrong against San Diego and what we can do better.”

Portland was admittedly sloppy in last weekend’s 4-0, rain-slicked loss at Providence Park. Miller said the Timbers “can’t turn the ball over like that” if they expect to beat the West’s top seed.

SDFC is “efficient and lethal,” Miller said. “They play 11 guys attack and 11 guys defend. They’re a good team.”