Atlanta United’s Leandro Gonzalez Pirez finished fourth in the voting for MLS Defender of the Year.

Sporting KC's Ike Opara was named the winner on Thursday.

Gonzalez Pirez, a native of Argentina, started 32 games and scored one goal with three assists. He finished with 66 tackles and a tackle success rate of 83.5 percent. He led the league in interceptions (98).

He was part of a group that posted 13 shutouts this season.

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Martin Luther King Jr. Day and Juneteenth, among others, will no longer be considered fee-free days at U.S. National Parks. While the MLK National Historic Park in Atlanta doesn't charge admission, the new schedule will affect such metro Atlanta sites as Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park. (Miguel Martinez/AJC)

Credit: Miguel Martinez-Jimenez

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Fans celebrate in the stands after Cape Verde defeated Eswatini in a World Cup qualifying soccer match at Estádio Nacional in Praia, Cape Verde, Monday, Oct. 13, 2025, to clinch their qualification for the 2026 World Cup. (Cristiano Barbosa/AP)

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