For one last time in 2024, the MVP Power Rankings are back. That’s right, it’s an even more subjective rankings column than the regular Power Rankings. A place where voters not only get to arbitrarily define “power,” but “most valuable” too.
Each month of the season, we’ve been checking in with MLS talent, staff, writers and editors to get their thoughts on the 2024 Landon Donovan MLS MVP race so far.
Thirteen (13) ballots were cast for this one. A first-place vote received 10 points, a second-place vote received five points, a third-place vote received three points, a fourth-place vote received two points and a fifth-place vote received one point. Nine players received at least one vote.
Sergio Busquets - Inter Miami CF (1 point)
Matt Doyle did this. Ask him.
Riqui Puig - LA Galaxy (3 points)
One last time this year. Lighters in the air for the Riqui Puig 2024 FBref chart.
Defense is for nerds forever and ever, amen.
Anyway, yes, it’s still weird that FBref lets us compare him to central midfielders and it does look a lot different when you compare him to other attacking midfielders like you should. But still, that’s a great chart, man.
And it’s worth pointing out Puig is leading the league in “Goals Added,” American Soccer Analysis’ all-encompassing player value metric. Only three players in their database (back to 2013) have ever generated a higher G+ total in a season: Carlos Vela, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Robbie Keane. Riqui rules.
Chicho Arango - Real Salt Lake (3 points)
Arango has scored just once since July 3. He still has 17 goals and 12 assists on the season. Imagine what could have been if suspensions and injuries hadn’t derailed his season. We were talking "Carlos Vela in 2019" numbers at one point. Oh well. Real Salt Lake really, really needs him to get back in form ASAP if they’re going to make a run in the Audi MLS Cup Playoffs.
Luis Suárez - Inter Miami CF (15 points)
He’s not going to win MVP, but Newcomer of the Year is a distinct possibility. Suárez has 18 goals and seven assists this year across 1,830 minutes. Only Christian Benteke has more non-penalty goals this year. Suárez’s first year in MLS has seen him contribute directly to a goal 1.23 times every 90 minutes.
Acosta isn’t going to repeat as MVP, but it’s not for lack of production. Acosta enters Decision Day with 14 goals and 19 assists. His 33 goal contributions are tied with Evander for the most in the league. He’s done the heavy lifting this year for a Cincy side that’s dealt with injuries at center back and issues at striker. There’s a strong argument that he’s been even better this year than last.
Competition is a little stiffer this season, though, and Cincy are sitting third in the Eastern Conference while fading down the stretch. Acosta didn’t have the narrative behind him this year. Don’t get it twisted: He’s one of the best to ever do it in MLS.
Evander's had a special second season in Portland. He’s picked up 33 goal contributions, tied for first in the league, and become a bonafide star for the Timbers. In fact, he’s in the middle of wrapping up the most productive regular season in Timbers history. He’s already surpassed Diego Valeri’s MVP-winning 2017. Valeri scored 21 times and delivered 11 assists to earn 32 goal contributions that year.
The biggest roadblock for Evander’s MVP campaign though has been, well, the Timbers. His success, along with Felipe Mora and Jonathan Rodríguez’s excellent output, hasn’t translated to results for Portland. They’re stuck at ninth in the West heading into Decision Day.
If you’re going to make the “Most Valuable” means “most valuable” argument, then you could easily push for Benteke to get this award.
Benteke is your probable Golden Boot presented by Audi winner with 23 goals on the season heading into Decision Day. The next closest D.C. United player, Gabriel Pirani, has six goals this year. No one else on D.C. has more than three. He’s carried his team on his back in a way no one else has been asked to this year.
D.C. are on the verge of making the playoffs almost exclusively because of Benteke. It’s not an overstatement to say they would have been Wooden Spoon contenders without him.
Anyway, just for fun, here’s the MLS leaderboard for aerial duels won this season:
He’s second in this voting pool. But, c’mon, let’s be real. We know where this award is going when all is said and done.
Still, the discussion around whether Messi should win this award or not is about as interesting as typically grating end of year award discussions get. He’s clearly the best player in the league, he’s tied for first in goal contributions if you take out penalties and secondary assists, and his team is about to set an MLS points record. That’s typically a formula for a runaway MVP win. I mean, good lord, Messi's averaging 1.73 direct goal contributions per 90. That’s unheard-of stuff.
But… and it’s a big but… he’s only made 15 starts this year. If he plays a full 90 on Saturday, he’ll just barely eclipse the mark needed to have played over half of Inter Miami’s minutes this year. He’s made starts in 10 of Miami’s 21 wins this year. Can you really give a “Most Valuable Player” award to someone who missed so much time and started in less than half of his team’s wins?
Well… they’re probably gonna. But there’s a reason he’s in second here.
Cucho’s 32 goal contributions are second-most in the league this year and his 1.23 direct goal contributions per 90 trail only Messi. But it’s not just the goal contributions that have put him on top of our final rankings. It’s his all-around play for a team that made the Concacaf Champions Cup Final, won Leagues Cup and has still found a way to enter Decision Day on 63 points.
Cucho does it all for what many consider the best team in the league. They wouldn’t be on this historic run without him. He has the numbers and the narrative with him and, in most years, would be a shoo-in for this award. Instead, he’ll most likely finish second. He’ll always have the MVP Power Rankings, though.
