What does an MLS MVP look like? Is he a dominant goal scorer? Is he someone who sets up his players to succeed? Or is he both? Or neither and is instead a net minder skilled in the art of shot blocking?
This year’s MVP race can be a tight one if you think all of the categories above apply or a runaway if you put an emphasis on either of them. Last year’s MVP, Robbie Keane, was only third in the league in goal scoring and didn’t crack the top 5 in assists. However, he is from the Republic of Ireland, so is that a pre-requisite? Perhaps not since he is the only Irish man to win the award, sorry Kevin Doyle and Sean St. Ledger of the Colorado Rapids, perhaps next year.
The last four MVP’s have been forwards, FC Dallas’ David Ferrera was the last MVP to not be listed as a Forward. Ten of the 19 winners have been forwards, eight have been midfielders and one goalkeeper. There has only been one player to win the award twice, Kansas City’s Preki, which means tough luck for Keane, Mike Magee, and Chris Wondolowski, the only active players to have won an MVP.
In looking at what the 2015 MLS MVP looks like I asked fellow Last Word On Sports writers, Ty Bailey, John Bava III, Laura McFayden and Arslan Siddiqui for their thoughts on a few of the candidates.
Sebastian Giovinco, Toronto FC
Giovinco has been a human highlight reel in his first season in Major League Soccer after joining the league from Juventus, with goals like last week and this one earlier in the season, it’s hard to follow MLS and not know the impact he’s had. He has completely changed the competitive level of Toronto FC, a team that seems solidly in place to make the MLS Playoffs for the first time since joining the league in 2007. He is first in the league in assists (15) and second in the league in goals scored (20) while playing in 29 of the team’s 30 games so far. Arslan Siddiqui covers Toronto FC for Last Word On Sports and thinks Giovinco is hands down the best player in MLS this season, “I’ve had the privilege of covering TFC for the last season and watching a mercurial talent like Giovinco play every week. I have never watched a player who has jaw dropping ability every time he touches the ball, other than a certain Argentinian in Barcelona. That’s what Giovinco does.”
Giovinco has four more games to get Toronto into the playoffs and solidify his MVP campaign. Three of the four games at home against Philadelphia, New York Red Bulls and Columbus before finishing the season on the road in Montreal.
Kei Kamara, Columbus Crew
The former and now current Columbus Crew member has had a magnificent first full season back with the team that originally drafted him in 2006. Kamara seems capable of scoring a brace on any given night, and his league high 22 goals are a testament to that, along with his ability to do this often. Kamara could be benefitting from the system run by Crew head coach Gregg Berhalter, however, the fact that the most consistent, and perhaps scariest, scoring threat in the league plays in Columbus goes to show the dominance of Kamara. John Bava III believes that Kamara is the sole reason the team is currently near the top of the Eastern Conference standings, “Last season, Columbus Crew SC was missing a true target man up top in head coach Gregg Berhalter’s 4-2-3-1 formation. Kei Kamara has filled that void and then some in 2015…It’s hard to imagine this club being anywhere near Supporters’ Shield contention without his presence”
Kamara has played in 30 of his team’s 31 games and has three games left to solidify his MVP campaign as he plays the three teams who are battling for the top spot in the East with Columbus. Road games at New York Red Bulls and Toronto FC, before closing out the season at home against D.C. United. Kamara has a chance to break the MLS scoring record if he can get six goals in the final three games.
Benny Feilhaber, Sporting Kansas City
Fresh off a U.S. Open Cup championship this week, Feilhaber has been the dark horse this season in the MVP race. Currently second in the league in assists (14) and has ten goals to go along and has had runs of dominance while leading Sporting Kansas City (SKC) to points. In a seven game stretch, beginning on April 25th, where the team didn’t lose a game, Feilhaber scored five goals and had two assists. When he plays well, SKC wins, Laura McFayden would agree, “Benny Feilhaber been the key to Sporting Kansas City’s attack all season…Not only does he bring creativity and power to the attack, Feilhaber’s been able to drop back into a defensive role and shut down opposition when needed without skipping a beat or making an error. Sporting KC weren’t expected to dominate their first season back in the Western Conference, but they’ve done much better than expected and it’s all due to Benny Feilhaber.” With assists like this and goals like this one, it is easy to see why he’s such an important piece of SKC’s 2015 success.
Feilhaber has played in 29 of the team’s 30 games this season, and with four games left to solidify his MVP candidacy, he will need to conjure up that MVP form as SKC plays on the road in Portland and San Jose before closing out the season at home against Colorado and LA Galaxy. He has already broken the SKC single season assists record, now on to trying to provide Kansas City with their first league MVP since Preki in 2003.
Josh Saunders, NYCFC
I know, I know, a goalkeeper? Tony Meola is the only goalkeeper to ever win MLS MVP, so it’s not unfathomable to see a keeper at least in contention for the league MVP award. However, when presenting the idea to my fellow writers about an MVP caliber goalkeeper, and a bit of begging, Tyler Bailey obliged with a case for expansion team NYCFC’s keeper, Josh Saunders, “Keepers aren’t ever real candidates for an MVP award…Right now, Josh Saunders is playing behind perhaps the most inconsistent defense in Major League Soccer and leads the league in saves. He is also perhaps the sole reason that NYCFC are still in the playoff hunt. His game hasn’t always been spotless this season, but he has easily been the most clutch goalkeeper in MLS”
Saunders may not be the ideal MVP candidate, but with saves like this and his 113 saves, which currently leads the league, put him on pace to have 124 for the season which would put him 5 saves shy of what Tony Meola had when he won the MVP in 2000. He has three games left with his next two on the road at D.C. United and Orlando City before wrapping up the season at home against the New England Revolution. One thing should be clear though, a shutdown goalkeeper MUST get his team into the playoffs for any chance at MVP mention, NYCFC currently sit five points out of a playoff spot.
One thing is for certain, an MLS MVP can be a leading goal scorer, a leader in assists, they can even do both as well as be a shot blocker, but they must get their team into the playoffs in order to be considered at all.
