Every honor and award is important.
Some, however, just might be more important than others.
Take, for instance, the Players’ Player Award given out by the Long Island Rough Riders.
As you can tell, it is a players’ choice award.
This year’s honoree was center midfielder Eoin Farrell, who helped the team capture the Metropolitan Division in USL League Two.
To be selected by your teammates for an award is a special honor.
That did not surprise assistant coach Harry Morris one iota.
“Eoin Farrell was our captain from the first session,” he said. “We recognized these attributes to be our captain, and we were looking for one. He was an experienced leader in the dressing room. He’s always been the one to know what was wrong to help solve them. He was one of those players could look up to.
“He played at a really high level in Ireland and had such a good season for Hofstra. He was someone who was just a proper captain. He would rally the guys, to make sure everyone’s doing okay. But he also set a standard. The standard for us was to win the league. Without Eoin, we wouldn’t have been able to have done it, and I feel like the players appreciate that.”
Farrell started 11 out of 12 regular season games, missing only one due to an injury.
He was primarily a central midfielder, but proved to be quite versatile, moving to right center back when the team had several injuries on defense.
“He was so consistent that he was kind of like a utility man, like a Swiss army knife, wherever we played it,” Morris said. “He’d be one of the top players. I really don’t think we’d have done what we did this season and got as far as without him. I think the players really recognize that he’s also a really good guy, too.”
Thanks to Morris, the Rough Riders finished atop the Metropolitan Division with a 9-1-2 mark, outscoring its foes, 31-10, before losing in the League Two playoffs, a 3-1 decision to Vermont Green FC in the opening round.
A native of Athy, Ireland, the 5-11, 180-lb. Morris was a member of his country’s Under-18 and U-19 national teams.
He will compete in his senior season at Hofstra University this fall. In 2023, he made eight starts, playing in 11 contests while registering one assist.
The Rough Riders will return to USL League Two action in May 2025.
Stay updated with the latest on the Rough Riders by visiting www.LIRoughRiders.com.