2023 MLS Awards

Happy Holidays!

2023 was one heck of a year for the MLS and American Soccer.

Let’s unwrap with some awards…

MLS Player of the Year

 👑 Winner - Denis Bouanga (Honorable Mention - Lucho Acosta)

MLS Golden Boot winner Denis Bouanga takes home our MLS Player of the Year. Bouanga finished the MLS season with 25 goals and 6 assists. Bouanga had 38 goals in all competitions in 2023, tying Carlos Vela’s record for most goals in all competitions by an MLS player.

Bouanga doesn’t just score tap-ins either. He’s shown his ability to score from distance, inside the box, from free kicks, and the penalty spot. Bouanga ranks in the 99th percentile for goals, shots, and touches in the attacking penalty box per 90 minutes. A true attacking specimen.

USMNT Player of the Year

 👑 Winner - Anotonee Robinson (Honorable Mention - Yunus Musah)

We’ve got a surprise pick. The Fulham left-back wasn’t even included on the list of nominees but we don’t care. The finalists are Christian Pulisic, Yunus Musah, Ricardo Pepi, Matt Turner, and Folarin Balogun with the winner being announced in January. How was Flo included but not Jedi Robinson??

We don’t know, but Robinson was one of the USMNT’s most consistent players all year. He had two goals, one assist, and won two Man of the Match awards in 2023, helping the US oust CONCACAF rivals Mexico and Canada to win the Nations League. At 26, he’s got the left-back spot locked down for years to come and is only getting better.

Goal of the Year

 👑 Winner - Thiago Almada’s insane 35-yard free kick!

Move of the Year

👑 Winner - Messi

Yeah… who else? Messi’s move to Miami is not only the biggest move in MLS history it’s one of the biggest moves in the history of the sport. We can’t understate how much of an impact this will have on the league and the game in our country.

Since Messi arrived in Miami…

• MLS Teams sponsorship revenue rose by 15% to a record $587M

• Inter Miami generated a club record $120M in 2023, more than double the $50M from 2022

• Inter Miami has gained over 15M Instagram followers and is now the 4th most followed US Sports franchise

• More than 110,000 fans signed up for Apple TV’s MLS Pass on the day the Messi deal was announced and another 65,000 on the day of his first game

• Messi’s jersey became the most-sold jersey in the history of MLSStore dot com within three days of the launch

And it’s just the beginning of his MLS career. 2024 will be even better.

Team of the Year

👑 Winner - FC Cincinnati (Honorable Mention - Columbus Crew)

Sorry Crew fans, we’re going to give this one to FC Cincinnati, although you both deserve it. But let’s take a step back and look at what FCC has done.

Just two years after winning their second straight Wooden Spoon Award for the worst record in the league, Cincinnati has become one of the league’s best. In 2023 they brought home their first trophy as an MLS club with the Supporters Shield, awarded to the club with the best regular season record.

The club also brought home a lot of individual hardware:

• MLS MVP - Lucho Acosta

• MLS Defender of the Year - Matt Miazga

• MLS Coach of the Year - Pat Noonan

• MLS Executive of the Year - GM Chris Albright

The incredible year ended short in the playoffs but this team isn’t going anywhere in 2024. Expectations are they’ll be among the league’s best again.

Coach of the Year

👑 Winner - Wilfried Nancy

Wilfried Nancy became the first African-American coach to win the MLS Cup in his first year managing the Crew. If you watched the MLS playoffs you saw how dominant their style of play was. Unlike most coaches in the MLS, Nancy invites pressure to create overloads. His players are technical and confident enough to play out of the back. A style of play typically takes time to master, but the Crew were able to in just one offseason.

In 2022 without Nancy, the Crew finished 8th, with 46 points and a 5-goal differential.

Here’s what Nancy was able to do in Year One.

In 2023 with Nancy, the Crew finished 3rd in the Eastern Conference with 57 points and a 21-goal differential. The Crew led the MLS in goals scored with 67 by playing possession-based attack-minded soccer.

Nancy is driving a ton of interest from clubs around the world. But we hope he will remain here in the MLS with the Crew.

More Shoutouts

Biggest Surprise - St. Louis SC

Arguably the best expansion team ever. St. Louis City was picked to finish at the bottom of the Western Conference by almost every “expert” but became the first expansion franchise to finish at the top of their conference in their first year. Big things are ahead for this squad.

Biggest Disappointment - LA Galaxy

An abysmal season that seemed it was over once Chicharito tore his ACL. The league’s former royalty have been passed by their cross-town rivals and if it weren’t for Riqui Puig there might be no hope.

Biggest Meltdown - Sergino Dest

It was one of the most embarrassing tantrums you’ll ever see on a soccer field. It was childish, unacceptable, and selfish. USMNT’s year ended with a chaotic note and a suspension looms for the talented right-back.

Best Meme

If I had a dollar every time Apple TV was mentioned…

On to 2024… See you next week ✌️