Marshall named MLS Defender of the Year

For the second straight season, the Columbus Crew's Chad Marshall was selected as the league's best defender. Marshall was named as the MLS 2009 Defender of the Year Thursday, joining Carlos Bocanegra and Robin Fraser as the award's only two-time winners.

2009 has been a tremendous success for Marshall, named in July as an All-Star, and earning five caps with the U.S. National Team during the 2009 Gold Cup. However, due to injuries and the national team call-ups, Marshall was limited to just 18 games in MLS, missing the last six games of the regular season with a knee injury. When he was on the pitch he was a vital cog in a Columbus defense that conceded just 31 goals on the year, instrumental in the club's second consecutive Supporters' Shield.

In other awards announced today, Alex Prus was named the 2009 Referee of the Year, and Greg Barkey the 2009 Assistant Referee of the Year.

What do you think of Marshall winning again? Did he deserve it in spite of playing less than two-thirds of the season?

Share your thoughts below.