As a variety of high-level club leagues in the U.S. begin to glimpse the finish line to the 2015-16 season, they’re targeting trophies of their own. Whether those are individual or team-wide, the end-of-season awards haul is always the ultimate cherry on top.

And now that there’s one more, we’ve got our eye out as well.

The TopDrawerSoccer.com Player of the Year Award presented by IMG will award its first two winners this August. Taking into account the top performances from the very best amateur American players, the honor will be bestowed on one girl and one boy each who best exemplify the rising tide of American soccer. Through a panel of judges carefully curating these performances over the course of the year, we’ll make an informed decision about the best seasons from the best players.

As we continue with our look at players who could ultimately take home the title, today we narrow our gaze at a pair of national team stalwarts also making big waves at the club level.

D/M John Nelson, Internationals

Awards season isn’t typically all that kind to defenders. Look at any end-of-tournament awards list and you’re bound to find an attacking player who scored a goal in a crucial moment. Or perhaps even an attacking midfielder who pulled the strings. But in almost any scenario - whether we’re talking MLS MVP or FIFA Balon D’Or - you’re going to find the world’s best striker or attacking midfielder as the winner. Not necessarily the best player.

So it should go without saying that we’re not letting John Nelson slide this season. The talented left back emerged this season as a prime contributor for the U.S. U17 MNT, and his presence at the World Cup last October was an important part of his maturation. What’s more, he’s been huge for his Internationals U18 club side this season, notably making the TDS Development Academy Showcase U18 Best XI list back in December.

His versatility is a major reason why he’s become such a hot commodity so far. For Internationals, he’s also played some in the defensive midfield, where he’s displayed a more than capable understanding for how to guide the game from a more integrated role.

Nelson is sure to be more and more involved with the U20 MNT in the coming cycle, not only because of his skill level but also because the pool desperately needs capable left backs. Nelson is one of the most comfortable in that role in the system right now, and his outstanding 2015-16 season deserves heaps of praise. As an uncommitted player and the No. 3 overall recruit in the 2017 class, the only question now is whether he takes his talents to college or gets snapped up before then.

F Frankie Tagliaferri, PDA

It’s been a busy year for one of the most promising talents in the U.S. women’s pipeline. It’s no wonder Frankie Tagliaferri is already garnering praise as the next enormously talented national team prospect to filter out of the immense PDA system. She’s certainly earned it this season.

Tagliaferri bounded into the 2015-16 campaign on the back of a season that captured the attention of just about everyone involved in women’s youth soccer across the country. From her spot at forward, she was the primary attacking force for a PDA side that qualified for the ECNL National Finals in Richmond and then dropped Crossfire in penalties to win the whole thing.

That set the table for her immense season as a PDA U18 cornerstone. She also earned Gatorade’s New Jersey Player of the Year honor for scoring 28 goals with Colts Neck High School, including the match-winner in the 2015-16 state title game. But her most notable achievements have come in the national team, where she’s rapidly developed into one of the best-prospects-not-named-Pugh-or-Sanchez.

Tagliaferri’s youth legend hit top speed at the U17 CONCACAF Women’s World Cup qualifying in March when she scored an incredible four goals off the bench in an 8-1 win over Jamaica. She became just the fourth player in U.S. history to do that, and she did it all after coming on in the 70th minute. That underscored her natural goal-scoring ability, and if she ends up at the ECNL Playoffs with the PDA U18s later this month, they’ll be among the frontrunners to snag another title.

Perhaps it’s no surprise that Tagliaferri, the No. 7 player in the 2017 class, is committed to powerhouse and defending national champion Penn State. But she has more work to do on the club scene before she gets there.

Here’s a glimpse at a few more players making a case to be included on the shortlist as we arrow toward this summer’s ultimate vote.

Boys:
- Alexander Budnik, Sockers FC
- Jake Arteaga, LA Galaxy
- Lucas Del Rosario, CASL
- Logan Panchot, St. Louis Scott Gallagher

Girls:
- Kiara Pickett, Eagles (CA)
- Marley Canales, San Diego Surf
- Taylor Otto, CASL
- Tierna Davidson, De Anza Force

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