Player of the Month

FC Cincinnati midfielder Luciano Acosta named June Player of the Month

FC Cincinnati midfielder Luciano Acosta has added an individual accolade to his standout 2022 season, garnering MLS Player of the Month honors for June.

Acosta becomes the first FC Cincinnati player to win the monthly award. It's the second such honor of his career, with the first coming in September 2018 when he played for D.C. United.

The Argentine tied for the league lead in goal contributions for the month, scoring one goal and dishing out three assists in just 137 minutes. One of those assists was of the game-winning variety, when he came off the bench to provide the helper on teammate Brandon Vazquez's deciding goal against Orlando City SC on June 24.

Acosta added one goal and two assists in Cincinnati's wild 4-4 draw against NYCFC on June 29, making him the only player in MLS to record three helpers for the month.

The accolade continues a stellar individual campaign for Acosta, who has been a catalyst behind Cincinnati's much-improved fortunes under first-year head coach Pat Noonan, which has seen the club already set their record for points in a season (25) and wins in a season (7).

The 28-year-old is now up to six goals and 10 assists in 18 MLS appearances this season (16 starts), with his 16 goal contributions leading the league through Week 18. He's also second in key passes (48).

MLS Player of the Month is voted upon by a panel of select national media members in a process conducted by MLS Communications.