Major League Soccer has revealed the year-end award nominees, and the MVP list is nothing short of impressive.
There were several players who probably deserved to be in the top three, such as Cucho Hernandez and possibly even Roman Burki, but there’s no denying that these three players listed have performed a level above the rest in the regular season.
While this could be applied to many teams around MLS, the likes of LAFC, Atlanta United and FC Cincinnati wouldn’t function anywhere near as good without their star players that were nominated…
Denis Bouanga started the 2023 campaign in goal-scoring form and ended it in the same fashion to wrap up the Golden Boot with 20 goals, which is roughly 37% of LAFC’s total goals across the entire season.
While other LAFC forwards’ play may have dropped a little this term, Bouanga went in the other direction, spearheading the 2022 MLS Cup champions to a third place finish in the Western Conference. Should the 28-year-old continue to find the back of the net in the playoffs, who’s to say the Black and Gold couldn’t go back-to-back?
Even though he’s only been in MLS for about roughly two years, it’s impressive that Atlanta United have been able to keep hold of their young Argentinian star for this long.
Almada led the league with 19 assists this season to go along with his 11 goals, and you could tell when he wasn’t on the field for the Five Stripes – there was simply no creativity on hand. As he’s shown the world what he can do in terms of not only playmaking but striking free kicks from distance, the sky is the limit for the 22-year-old.
Who else than Cincinnati’s unstoppable goal-getter?
Lucho Acosta has been the focal point for the Orange and Blue this season; when he plays good, Cincinnati typically went on to pick up three points. His 17 goals and 14 assists were second to none in terms of total goal involvements, and he should take home the award during MLS Cup playoffs as Cincinnati hope to lift their second trophy of the season under Pat Noonan.
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