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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Lt. Gov. Burt Jones — pictured at an August rally in Peachtree City that also featured Vice President JD Vance — appears to have scored another legal victory over gubernatorial rival Attorney General Chris Carr in their battle over campaign finance issues. (Arvin Temkar/AJC 2025)

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