The 2023 United States soccer championship ended with a victory for the Columbus Crew, who defeated Los Angeles FC 2-1. Cincinnati’s captain was the protagonist of an extraordinary season: let’s relive it.
Who is Cincinnati’s MVP Luciano Acosta?
Cincinnati’s twenty-nine-year-old offensive midfielder Luciano Acosta was named Most Valuable Player.The best player of MLS 2023 became the MVP. Acosta won the award by a landslide, receiving more than 60% of the votes collected among the coaching staff, players and journalists in the North American league. Behind him was LAFC’s French forward Denis Bouanga, who arrived from Saint Etienne and received 14.97% of the vote in his first season in the United States, scoring 38 goals in 48 games.
The third step of the podium is Atlanta United FC’s attacking midfielder Thiago Almada, who was elected with 6.46% of the votes. destined to participate in a major European championshipperhaps already in the January transfer session.
Luciano Acosta, 2023 MLS MVP
“I am proud of my team,” Acosta said in his statement. Video by Cincinnati media team and was filmed immediately after winning the award: “Maybe we deserved more this year, but we still had a great season. Acosta jokingly added: “The only problem is that I don’t want to go and train: after all, I’m the best player in the tournament!”
Born in Buenos Aires on May 31, 1994, Acosta made his first senior appearance in the Argentine championship when he was 20 years old. In the Boca Juniors jersey. He earned 25 coins and two goals in two seasons with Xeneizes; interspersed with loans to Estudiantes and DC United, the Americans who bought it outright in 2017.
Acosta had three great seasons, always making over 30 appearances and establishing himself as one of the most talented midfielders in MLS. But then in 2019 he moved to Atlas in Mexico to try a new challenge. After two positive years in Guadalajara, he returned to the United States. had great seasonsThe latter finished with 17 goals and 14 assists as Cincinnati conquered the Supporters Shield, the prize for the team with the most points in the regular season, for the first time in its history.
Acosta became the sixth player in league history to score at least 10 goals and 10 assists in three or more seasons. ninth South American player to win the award best player and fifth Argentinian. Before that, four other Albiceleste had won the prestigious award, including the Portland Timbers’ Diego Valeri in 2015 and the Columbus Crew’s Guillermo Barros Schelotto in 2008.
The boy who grew up in the Palermo barrio has scored goals since his arrival in the Major League Scored 58 goals and 78 assistsThe best player ever in the North American league in terms of offensive production. His 43 regular season assists from 2021 to date are second only to Seattle Sounders FC midfielder Nicolás Lodeiro’s eighty assists.
Donovan Award and American citizenship
Landon Donovan Award (legendary Forward of the Stars and Stripes national team in the early 2000s) predicts this for best player each team nominates a maximum of two players about to be nominated for an award. The voting, as explained at the beginning, is divided equally into three parts. In MLS, contracted players, sports personnel (coaches, managers and general managers) and select media members who cover league voting.
In addition to being the best player in the US championship, Acosta also made headlines for requesting US citizenship in 2023, whose procedures are currently ongoing. Probability of an event United States passport recognition this will allow the Cincinnati midfielder to represent the North American men’s national team at the next World Cup; This is an increasingly important possibility considering he is still 29 years old and the United States is in dire need of a player like him.
When asked how much football influenced his decision to obtain US citizenship, Acosta said in an interview with ESPN that football was the deciding factor because he frequently watches the US national team and He has a dream of being a part of the team.
