FC Cincinnati midfielder Luciano Acosta, fresh off signing a new contract extension, has been named MLS Player of the Matchday presented by Continental Tire for Matchday 34 of the 2023 MLS season.
The Argentine No. 10 provided a goal and an assist in Cincy’s 3-0 home victory over Charlotte FC – including a solo-run-and-finish from midfield that elicited comparisons to Inter Miami CF superstar Lionel Messi.
Acosta’s helper came on Aaron Boupendza’s one-time finish in a link-up between Designated Players. Beforehand, Álvaro Barreal’s picture-perfect free kick opened the scoring at TQL Stadium.
With his latest show-stopping performance, Acosta leads MLS in goal contributions with 27 (15g/12a), two shy of the single-season club record (29) he set last campaign. He is also the MLS Golden Boot presented by Audi leader, narrowly ahead of Nashville SC’s Hany Mukhtar (15g/10a) and Atlanta United’s Giorgos Giakoumakis (15g/3a) on the assists tiebreaker.
Acosta, who was named Player of the Matchday following Matchday 14, helped the Orange & Blue to their 13th home victory of the year (tied for the third-most single-season home wins in MLS history). He's won the award four times since the start of 2018, the fifth-most among active MLS players.
Cincy will look to continue their Supporters’ Shield pursuit when visiting Toronto FC for Matchday 35 on Saturday (7:30 pm ET | MLS Season Pass).
The MLS Player of the Matchday presented by Continental Tire is selected each matchday of the regular season through both media and fan voting in a process conducted by MLS Communications. A panel of journalists from the North American Soccer Reporters (NASR) comprises 75 percent of the vote, while a Twitter fan vote represents the remaining 25 percent of voting. NASR consists of members of print, television, radio, and online media.
