MLS MVP - Who deserves the award?

Making the case for five different players to win MVP

Lionel Messi and Rigui Puig catch up after the game between LA Galaxy and Inter Miami
Lionel Messi and Rigui Puig catch up after the game between LA Galaxy and Inter Miami | Shaun Clark/GettyImages
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2) Luciano Acosta – FC Cincinnati

Now we’ll move onto last years winner, and Messi’s fellow Argentine Luciano Acosta, the attacking midfielder for the club from South Ohio. With 14 goals and a further 17 assists, whilst also having 26 big chances created, Acosta was statistically the best playmaker in the league, and helped his side to a strong 3rd place finish in the Eastern Conference. He’s shown a great deal of consistency for the Orange and Blue’s, as this was his 3rd season of putting up double figure numbers in goals and assists.

He also played every single game, and started all but three of them, which in my opinion makes his case very strong to win the award again. At 30-years-old, the Buenos Aires-born midfieler is still yet to be capped by La Albiceleste, and has lived his in the USA since 2016 whilst also holding a U.S. green card (which qualifies him as a domestic player for MLS squad purposes), could we see his fellow Argentine Mauricio Pochettino call him up to the USMNT?