Itās back. A somehow even more subjective rankings column than the regular Power Rankings. Not only do voters get to arbitrarily define āpower,ā but they get to do the same with āvaluable.ā
Each month we check in with MLS talent, staff, writers and editors to get their thoughts on the Landon Donovan MLS MVP race so far. Seven ballots were cast for this one while everyone was distracted with scrolling through Lionel Messi updates.
A first-place vote received 10 points, a second-place vote received five points, a third-place vote received three points, a fourth-place vote received two points and a fifth-place vote received one point. Messi received a vote too, but we decided to not count pre-emptive votes. Rules are rules.
- Cristian Espinoza - San Jose Earthquakes (4 points)
- Daniel Gazdag - Philadelphia Union (3 points)
- Brian White - Vancouver Whitecaps FC (1 point)
- Eduard Lƶwen - St. Louis CITY SC (1 point)
Espinoza has admittedly cooled off a bit after a hot start. He opened May with a brace against LAFC in a huge win for the Earthquakes but hasnāt scored since. The good news is he at least found time to add a couple of assists before the month closed. Heās still among the leagueās best in total goal contributions (13).
Meanwhile, it feels like Gazdag is just starting to pick up steam. Heās scored three times and delivered an assist over the last four games for Philly. Heās got a long way to go to match his 2022 output of 22 goals and 10 assists, but seven goals and eight assists halfway through the year is still remarkable production...[whispering now]...even if six of his seven goals have come through penalties.
Anyway, Lƶwen is back on the list for the second straight month after continuing to be a dominant force in the St. Louis midfield as they put together one of the best inaugural seasons in MLS history. Heās been excellent atā¦pretty much everything so far. Heās one of the leagueās best midfielders in several categories so far and is powering St. Louisā instant success.
Speaking of excellence, I voted for Brian White because I wanted to make sure yāall were paying attention to Brian White and because spoiler ahead\] [Hany Mukhtar is, again, incredible. White has six goals and an assist on the season, but leads the entire league in expected goals (xG). xG isnāt everything of course, but no starter in the league is routinely putting themselves in positions to score like White. I'm not saying that makes him a genuine MVP candidate. Iām just saying I influence the ballot box and I wanted to mention Brian White.
Heās doing that thing again. Very few players are better than ZelarayĆ”n when he gets hot and, well, in his last six games heās scored three times and dished out five assists. Heās got seven goals and seven assists on the season now.
But the question, as always, is whether or not ZelarayĆ”n can keep it up. Heās put up similar stretches before but they tend to come and go. This Crew team is getting better and better though, and it seems like things might be different this time (especially if that Cucho HernĆ”ndez partnership really takes off). Maybe.
Look, donāt be surprised if ZelarayĆ”nās not even on the list next month, just try to appreciate him while heās on a heater. Itās always special when he finds a groove.
Almada is still tied for the league lead in assists with eight. He sent home another free kick this month and scored a goal off a deflection. But, as someone that watches more Atlanta than most, I can say this: heās cooled off somewhat significantly over the last few games. To be fair, Atlanta as a whole have been far from their best, and heās asked to do a ton to make up for some of the midfieldās deficiencies. There have been some odd choices in possession lately though. And a few too many errant passes.
Almada will be fine. Progress isnāt linear and all that. The Five Stripes sure would like him to find his early-season form though. They kind of need him to at this point.
Acostaās numbers wonāt stand out in the crowd like some others on this list. However, he's the driving force behind the best start in league history (excluding the shootout era).
Brandon Vazquez has underperformed expectations. Brenner hasnāt been around. And last yearās three-headed monster has all but disappeared. Acosta is still producing though. In addition to three assists, heās the teamās leading scorer with seven goals on the season. All thatās good for Cincy in attack filters through him and heās done enough to get them on a path toward the Supportersā Shield.
Yeah, LAFC came up short in the Concacaf Champions League final. But thatās certainly not on Bouanga. He scored seven times in the competition. The next closest player was Austin FC arch-nemesis Miche-Naider Chery, who scored four times for Haitian side AC Violette.
Meanwhile, Bouanga has still found the time to score 10 times and deliver two assists in 11 MLS starts for LAFC. Heās an incredible talent. And at this point, it kind of feels like he might be the only one who can catchā¦
Heās back where he belongs.
Mukhtar stepped on the gas and floored it in May. Heās jumped all the way to the top of the league in total goal contributions (17) with a co-league-leading 10 goals and a second-best seven assists.
You can fully expect him to keep putting up numbers through June and then things will get interesting. He should have a new DP No. 9 to play off this summer. We still donāt know who that is, but if Nashville get the signing right, Mukhtarās numbers should, somehow, get even better.Ā
MLS has never had a back-to-back MVP winner. In fact, only one player, Preki, has won two. And he did it six years apart. Mukhtar is potentially in unprecedented territory here.