Itās back. A somehow even more subjective rankings column than the regular Power Rankings. Not only do voters get to arbitrarily define āpower,ā but they get to do the same with āvaluable.ā
Each month we check in with MLS talent, staff, writers and editors to get their thoughts on the 2023 Landon Donovan MLS MVP race so far. Thirteen ballots were cast for this one while everyone tried to figure out which Inter Miami CF rumored signings are true.
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.
- DƩnis Bouanga - LAFC (9 points)
- Lucas ZelarayƔn - Columbus Crew (9 points)
- Roman Bürki - St. Louis CITY SC (5 points)
- Cristian Espinoza - San Jose Earthquakes (3 points)
- Giorgos Giakoumakis - Atlanta United (3 points)
- JesĆŗs Ferreira - FC Dallas (2 points)
- Andre Blake - Philadelphia Union (1 point)
Phew, thatās a lot of folks receiving a vote. Leave it to a bunch of MLS nerds to go to war over the ninth-best player in the league.
Anyway, weāve seen a few of these names on past MVP Power Rankings this year, so just a few quick notes. Bouanga has fallen off along with LAFC (probably related) and has just one goal since the CCL final. Heās still second in the Golden Boot presented by Audi race with 11 goals, but the numbers feel a little less impressive right now.
ZelarayĆ”n got done dirty here and I have no idea how the player with the leagueās third-most direct goal contributions (goals plus primary assists) ended up in the āalsoā category, but here we are. Some of yāall owe him an apology or at least penance by watching this goal 20 more times.
Bürki has been by far the best ākeeper in the league statistically and itās good to see him start getting his due. Per FBref, heās saved 6.7 goals more than average based on the post-shot xG heās faced. The next closest ākeeper, Austin FCās Brad Stuver, has saved 5.0. And then it drops off to Nashville SCās Joe Willis at 4.1. If those numbers mean nothing to you just trust me that heās been really, really good.
Double time now: Espinoza = good, but has dropped off just a tiny bit. Giakoumakis = good, but hasnāt been on the field enough. Ferreira = good but not quite MVP caliber so far. And Blake = good but not really close to Bürki statistically. Cool? Cool. Onto the top five.
Again, I have some beef with which Crew player received the most votes and why, but thereās no denying Cucho has been great this year. Not in the way we probably expected though.
Cucho only has five goals this year after putting up nine in virtually the same amount of minutes last season. However, heās found a surprising space as a chance-creator for the Crew, piling up 10 assists on the year. Or, maybe more accurately, a chance before the chance-creator.
Of Cuchoās 10 assists, six have been primary assists (passes leading directly to a goal). Four of those 10 have been secondary assists (passes leading directly to the pass leading directly to a goal). It seemed far more likely that heād be near the top of the Golden Boot race rather than tied for the league lead in assists, but here we are.
I mean, I donāt feel like I have to explain a ton here. Itās Carles Gil. Heās critical to everything the Revs do and the Revs are second in the league in points per game. Thatās usually a pretty good MVP case.
Gil has seven goals on the year but, shockingly, just three primary assists. That number gets way better when you include his six secondary assists, but itās still odd to see anyone but Gil leading the way in total assists on the season.
Almada is out Carles Gil-ing Carles Gil. Almada has a higher percentage of his teamās touches in the final third, one more goal and one more assist. Plus, it feels like he scores an AT&T 5G Goal of the Week contender every three weeks or so. Even more critically, heās played a larger role in creating direct chances for his teammates. Almadaās nine primary assists are the most in the league and six more than Gilās three. His 17 direct goal contributions are the second-most in the league and heās second in the league in expected assists.
Acosta doesnāt quite have the same chance-creation numbers as Almada and Gil, but he has the second-most touches in the final third in the league while playing on the team currently on a record-breaking points-per-game pace.
Thatās not to say heās missing end product this year or anything. Acostaās nine goals and four primary assists has him as the fourth-highest goal contributor in the league. Heās by far FC Cincinnatiās most critical player. Being by far the best player on by far the best team in the league is a great way to get a whole lot of MVP votes.
A near-unanimous choice. Again. You canāt be surprised.
Mukhtar has scored a league-leading 13 goals and has 21 goal contributions. He has more contributions to goals than six teams this year, including big-spending teams like the LA Galaxy, Toronto FC and Inter Miami. And heās one goal scored behind the Colorado Rapids.
Barring some kind of extreme setback, it's his award to win. Again. You canāt be surprised.