Sometimes, the most unexpected of goals will come from the most unexpected of players. The Seattle Sounders' Patrick Ianni claimed the 2012 AT&T Goal of the Year, as decided by a fan vote, for his stunning volley in Seattle's 1-1 draw with Sporting Kansas City on June 20 – his only goal in 2012 and just the fourth in his seven-year MLS career.
Just as it looked like Mauro Rosales' free kick would sail behind the Sounders attackers, Ianni backtracked just enough to acrobatically volley into the far corner, giving 2012 Goalkeeper of the Year Jimmy Nielsen no chance.
Ianni beat out competition from fellow Sounder Fredy Montero, New England's Lee Nguyen and Portland's Darlington Nagbe in the final round to emerge victorious from a field of 64 candidates from all 19 teams.
The Sounders defender joins a distinguished list of winners, including the likes of Marco Etcheverry, Landon Donovan, Dwayne De Rosario and Cuauhtémoc Blanco, all of whom have claimed the award during their time in MLS.
You can check out the final four candidates here, and click here to go to the 2012 AT&T Goal of the Year homepage, where you can see all 64 goals.
