Clint Dempsey gets around a crowd of Italy defenders during the 2006 FIFA World Cup. © John Todd / isiphotos.com Photo Gallery

LOS ANGELES (October 3, 2006) - Clint Dempsey has been named the 2006 Futbol de Primera Player of the Year. Dempsey received a total of 237 points in voting by 207 sports journalists who participated in this year's balloting. The balloting for this player of the year award took place in June.

ussoccer.com's Athletes of the Year voting will begin in November and will be announced in December.

Kasey Keller finished second with a total of 184 points, and Brian McBride finished third with 127 points. A player received three points for each first-place vote, two points for each second-place vote, and one point for each third-place vote.

Dempsey scored four goals in nine games with the U.S. National Team in 2006, including one of the U.S. goals in the 2006 FIFA World Cup. He has 23 caps and six goals since his 2004 debut with the national team.

Created by Fútbol de Primera, the award has now honored 12 different players in its 16-year history: Clint Dempsey (2006), Kasey Keller (2005, 1999), Landon Donovan (2004, 2003 and 2002), Earnie Stewart (2001), Claudio Reyna (2000), Cobi Jones (1998), Eddie Pope (1997), Eric Wynalda (1996, 1992), Alexi Lalas (1995), Marcelo Balboa (1994), Thomas Dooley (1993) and Hugo Perez (1991). In 2000, Eric Wynalda was named the Player of the Decade.

Fútbol de Primera controls the exclusive radio rights for the 2002, 2006, 2010 and 2014 FIFA World Cups in the United States, as well as the 2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup and South America's Copa Libertadores. Fútbol de Primera's Daily Show and Sunday Show, on the air since 1989 and hosted by Emmy award-winning broadcaster Andres Cantor, is the longest-running, nationally-syndicated Spanish-language radio program in the country.