Andre Shinyashiki had the last laugh.
Snubbed for the NCAA’s Hermann Trophy last season despite scoring the most goals (28) in an NCAA season in more than 20 years, Andre didn’t pout. He just graduated from the University of Denver and took his talents across town to Major League Soccer’s Colorado Rapids, where he went out and won the 2019 MLS Rookie of the Year Award.
His DU Coach, Jamie Franks, was chosen to inform Andre of his achievement by phone yesterday:
"I'm telling you you're not just a finalist buddy, you won it."
"What do you mean?
Shoutout to @DU_MSoccer head coach Jamie Franks for helping us break the news to @AShinyashiki9!#Rapids96 | #Elevate pic.twitter.com/9AHX4AuXgJ
— Colorado Rapids (@ColoradoRapids) October 15, 2019
“It’s such an honor,” said Shinyashiki said in a Rapids’ press release. “Going against guys that are such high quality, like [fellow finalists] Hassani [Dotson] and [Brenden] Aaronson, and for me to win the award, not necessarily over them but together, is good because those guys are very quality players and to come out on top and win is amazing and a dream come true.”
“We couldn’t be more proud of Andre’s achievement,” said Pádraig Smith, Colorado Rapids Executive VP & General Manager. “It’s a testament not just to his natural talent, but also to his strong work ethic and mentality. He was a key figure in our club’s turnaround this year and we’re excited to see him build on this year’s performances and become a key contributor for us in 2020 and beyond.”
Shinyashiki, a native of Sao Paulo, Brazil, started 18 games as a rookie for Colorado , and scored seven goals, with more than half of them dramatic either game-winners or game-equalizers, to win the award by a sizable margin.