Dwayne De Rosario. Photo by Francis Chung.

D.C. United attacking midfielder Dwayne De Rosario, who scored 16 goals and assisted on 12 others in 33 games this season, was announced as the winner of Major League Soccer’s most valuable player award this morning.

De Rosario beat out Houston Dynamo midfielder Brad Davis and FC Dallas midfielder Brek Shea in each segment of the voting to claim the honor. (MLS’ top individual award is awarded via a slightly convoluted process which involves weighted votes from players, member club representatives and reporters; De Rosario carried each portion of the vote.) It’s certainly a testament to De Rosario’s flexibility — the Canadian international was traded twice this season before landing in D.C. and carving out a niche for himself as the club’s top offensive force. De Rosario also won the Golden Boot as the league’s top goal scorer in 2011.

“For me, this is the most meaningful individual honor of my career,” De Rosario said in a statement.

De Rosario is the third United player to be named league MVP in the last six years, joining Christian Gomez (2006) and Luciano Emilio (2007), and earning him plaudits from Mayor Vince Gray. The club is currently working to restructure his contract to keep him in Black and Red; we’re sure that, with the award and his overall performance, he’ll be in for a hefty raise.