Leo Fernandes named NASL Young Player of the Year

On loan midfielder Leo Fernandes has been named NASL Young Player of the Year. Fernandes, who was loaned to the New York Cosmos back in January, enjoyed an incredibly successful season scoring eight goals and tallying three assists. Fernandes and the Cosmos will now play for the Soccer Bowl this weekend against the Ottawa Fury.

Fernandes featured often for the Philadelphia Union in late 2013 and early 2014. However his playing time diminished after a bad run of form and the eventual departure of John Hackworth. The signing and emergence of Cristian Maidana and Vincent Nogueira further complicated matters making any chance of playing with the first team highly unlikely.

It is currently unknown what the Union plan to do with Fernandes once his loan expires. Seeing as he has obviously improved, he could re-join the team and give some added competition in the midfield, or he could be sold back to the Cosmos (or the highest bidder) which will free up cap space for new acquisitions. It appears that Fernandes has played himself, and the Union into a situation that could be mutually beneficial for all involved.