Taty Castellanos has known for almost two weeks that he won 2021’s Golden Boot presented by Audi. But the New York City FC forward had to physically get the award, of course.
Step in a surprise occasion the 23-year-old Argentine won’t soon forget.
His mom, Marilu, was flown in and swung by the Etihad City Football Academy in Orangeburg, New York to give her son the trophy. As players and staff gathered around the locker room, they watched a congratulatory video and then Castellanos turned to accept the hardware.
Little did Castellanos know that his mom would emerge, brandishing the Golden Boot. Tears and joy followed suit, naturally.
Check it out below:
To win the Golden Boot, Castellanos notched 19 goals and eight assists through 32 games (all starts). He edged past D.C. United striker Ola Kamara on the assists tiebreaker, becoming NYCFC’s first such winner since they joined the league as an expansion club in 2015.
Castellanos, who scored six goals in four games to close out the regular season, will hope his sharpness continues Sunday when battling Atlanta United in an Eastern Conference Round One game during the Audi 2021 MLS Cup Playoffs (3 pm ET | ABC, ESPN Deportes).
NYCFC are the No. 4 seed, while Atlanta are the No. 5 seed. Whoever wins will advance to face the Supporters’ Shield-winning New England Revolution on Nov. 30 in an Eastern Conference Semifinal at Gillette Stadium.
