Chicho Arango, Lionel Messi headline the Best of MLS in Week 9
23/04/2024 15:00
By Justin Ruderman and Favian Renkel
Welcome back to week nine of Justin and Favian's Weekly MLS Awards where SBI staff writers Justin Ruderman and Favian Renkel bring you a glimpse at the best of each week in MLS. Rivalries were renewed and the MLS MVP race is heating up.
Let's discuss!
Player of the Week
Justin Ruderman: Chicho Arango (RSL)
Lionel Messi's name recognition may grab all the headlines but it is Chicho Arango leading the MLS goalscoring charts through Matchday 10.
Both players produced a brace and assist on Saturday but Arango gets the nod for me because he didn't need a penalty to do it. He also played a big part in the creation of RSL's first goal with the second-assist through a give-and-go with Alex Katranis. Soon after, Arango capitalized on a poor Fire backpass for 20, quickly making it 3-0 with a header from a corner kick. As the game got stretched near the end, Chicho added his assist by feeding Diego Luna at the top of the box to get the youngster back on track with his first goal of the season.
With all due respect to Lionel Messi and Luis Suárez, Chicho Arango is leading the MLS MVP race. All three have racked up a league-leading ten goal contributions thus far in 2024 (Arango leads with 14 if we're counting secondary assists, which MLS officially does) but while the other two have been feeding off of each other, Arango has done it primarily on his own. That along with fitness will be his biggest advantage in the race for MVP or Golden Boot throughout the season. I'm eager to see if he can use it to keep pace with the Barcelona legends.
Favian Renkel: Lionel Messi (Inter Miami)
Honestly, I feel like this is a trend that will continue throughout the season. I think Justin and I need to alternate choosing the best player in MLS every week, or else this can get pretty boring. Maybe we should rename the section “Player of the Week outside of Lionel Messi.”
It’s truly unfortunate because so many MLS stars had great weeks as well. Denis Bouanga scored two goals, Luciano Acosta had a goal and an assist, and how can I forget the MVP-caliber season Chicho Arango is having.
Even with all the massive games everyone else had, Lionel Messi keeps defying the laws of aging. The 36-year-old had a phenomenal game and was inches away from scoring his first hat trick in Heron pink. Two goals and an assist are something we have to talk about, even if it's starting to become repetitive. Lionel Messi wins my SBI Player of the Week vote.
Out of the seven Teams of the Week Messi has been healthy for, the Argentine has been on five of them. Lionel is on pace to be the MLS MVP, and it's going to take a monster season by another MLS player to take away that trophy from the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner.
Young Player of the Week
JR: Gavin Beavers (RSL)
First MLS clean sheet = first YPOTY nomination.
Skimming the scoreboards this weekend, Real Salt Lake's clean sheet might seem straightforward in a dominant win over the Chicago Fire but Gavin Beavers had work to do all night. The 18-year-old ended up preventing 1.5 expected goals on the night including two notable early saves on Chris Mueller and a one-v-one stop against Hugo Cuypers in the second half to round out his five saves on the night.
Beavers is the latest in a long line of potential USMNT goalkeepers of the future and made a statement on Saturday opposite his main MLS competition among young USMNT keepers, Chris Brady. Of course, Beavers has a long way to go to be considered for the full national team with the first MLS clean sheet of his career but at just 18 years old, anything is possible.
FR: Tomas Aviles (Inter Miami)
At just 20 years old, Avilés has shown the experience of a veteran in the Inter Miami backline. With so many pieces constantly moving around in Tata Martino’s defense, Avilés has consistently been in the starting 11.
In the last match against Nashville SC, Avilés made a crucial play by blocking Sam Surridge from scoring an easy tap-in goal that could have completely changed the outcome of the match.
With Diego Gomez out for 4-6 weeks with a high ankle sprain, “Toto” needs to step up, command the backline, and become the prospect everyone is waiting to see flourish. The limelight now shifts to another young player stepping up to the plate.
Avilés’s performances are one of the main reasons why Inter Miami is able to be at the top of the table and are able to have many older players in the squad. Avilés provides the legs and the size to offset the characteristics of Jordi Alba and Lionel Messi in terms of stature.
Avilés is well on his way to becoming one of the best defenders MLS has to offer if the Argentine decides to stay in the league past Lionel Messi’s departure.
Goal of the Week
JR: Steven Moreira (Columbus Crew)
Not a single goalkeeper in the world is stopping this shot from Steven Moreira.
With his team in need of an equalizer late against Portland, Aidan Morris noticed Moreira with space in the center of the park about 30 yards from goal and set him up. The 29-year-old center-back took a first touch forward, setting himself for a 25-yard thunderbolt into the upper 90 to rescue a point for the Crew.
Truly, descriptions don't do this goal justice. Moreira couldn't have placed his shot any further in the top corner. The intention was clear. The placement was simply perfect. The pace was unstoppable. I could watch this goal on repeat for hours.
FR: Prince Owusu (Toronto FC)
This is the first time this season that a goal has stopped me in my tracks and made me say out loud, “How did he do that?” Prince Owusu has been on a tear since he got the opportunity to start. With Lorenzo Insigne absent, Jon Herdman and the fans in Toronto wondered where the goals would come from. Then came Owusu, who now has four goals in 270 minutes of play. Signed as a free agent last year, Toronto FC may have found a gem in Owusu.
Toronto FC will be interesting to watch once Insigne gets back in the fold, as they may have one of the best front trios in MLS if Owusu can keep up this form.
Team of the Week
JR: Real Salt Lake
You may be noticing a theme. Chicho Arango, Gavin Beavers, and the entire team earned their plaudits on Matchday 10.
The boys in claret and cobalt went into Soldier Field on Saturday and proved to everyone that their third-place position in the Western Conference is no fluke. By halftime, RSL was up 3-0 behind three goals from their two Colombians, adding a fourth in second-half stoppage-time to complete the demolition job.
Having already discussed the impact of Chicho Arango and Gavin Beavers, RSL deserved this nomination for their overall team performance. Nothing makes that more clear than their implementation of the classic "next man up" mentality as they were forced to started two fullbacks in central defense due to injuries.
From back to front, every RSL player performed on the night for a well-rounded team win despite less possession and fewer shots away from home. The Utahns are now unbeaten in five consecutive games as their impressive start to the season continues.
FR: Vancouver Whitecaps
This is Vanni Sartini's world, and we are all living in it. The Whitecaps went down to Seattle and took care of business in the oldest rivalry match in North American Pro Soccer with ease. A decisive 2-0 victory really proved to all of us around MLS that this team is one of the best in MLS this season and should be respected.
Sartini, at the beginning of the season, talked about how Vancouver has been the best team from Canada in the past 5 years, and it’s starting to look like every passing week that he was not wrong. Vancouver is definitely the best Canadian team this season, as Montreal is going to have to deal with both of their strikers being out due to injury for 8-12 weeks. Toronto has a higher ceiling, but are just constantly inconsistent due to their superstar Lorenzo Insigne constantly being injured. Vancouver will rightfully keep the crown this season as the best Canadian team in MLS, as they possess the best overall talent and generally stay healthy compared to their counterparts. It must be something in that Vancouver water.
Ryan Gauld and Brian White will start to get some accolades throughout the season as well, as they have been in tip-top form, but haven’t received the praise that other superstars are getting.
Brian White did something that put him in the Vancouver Whitecaps record books, he has officially matched Camilo Sanvezzo as Whitecaps FC's leading goalscorer across all competitions in the MLS era, with 43 goals.
Being the underdog is something that Vancouver is used to—hiding in the media shadow, they will just keep on getting results and causing havoc with their record-breaking crowds. If Vancouver can stay healthy and Sartini finds a way to not get suspended, they will be a force to be reckoned with this season, and it may get pretty repetitive to write about them, just like writing about Inter Miami and Lionel Messi winning their respective categories.
Best Thing We Saw This Week
JR: Rivalry Revolution
From a classic derby to one that started just last year, MLS rivalries are experiencing a revolution.
Starting in Kansas City, the developing Midwest derby between Sporting Kansas City and last season's expansion side St. Louis CITY SC continues to transform before our very eyes. It began with a bang in St. Louis last season when the MLS newcomers battered SKC 4-0 at CITYPARK. To make up for that embarrassment, SKC redeemed themselves by dominating CITY across two legs in the MLS Cup Playoffs despite entering as the #8 seed against #1 seeded St. Louis.
In year two, the drama is only ramping up. Having scored a combined 20 goals across 5 matches last season, on Saturday this derby increased their four-goal average with a six-goal back-and-forth thriller which couldn't be decided.
The development of new rivalries leading to entertaining derbies is crucial to the successful expansion of MLS, another area St. Louis has added to our league in their limited time. Equally important is maintaining the importance of the league's most historic derbies such as the Cali Clasico.
On Sunday evening in Los Angeles, that San Jose Earthquakes vs LA Galaxy rivalry was fully rejuvenated. San Jose is yet to win a Cali Clasico since the Fourth of July 2022 and Sunday seemed a chance for Galaxy to make a statement about their newly rebuilt squad with a dominating derby performance in front of their home fans. After half an hour, with a 3-0 lead, that's exactly what it looked like was going to happen.
San Jose had a different plan. Creating chaos through dangerous aerial crosses which Galaxy have struggled to defend all season, San Jose scored a couple of goals, drew a red card and penalty, and dragged themselves back into the game. Unfortunately it was not enough to earn a result for the 'Quakes but the chaotic nature of the performance created by the underdog is exactly what a derby necessitates. It's why fans find these games so entertaining and why maintaining their intensity is critical for the growing success of MLS.
FR: Austin FC's recent string of wins
Austin FC has been no stranger to scrutiny as they have underperformed in the eyes of several fans this last season. Signs in Q2 Stadium displaying “Wolff Out” suggest that Josh Wolff’s seat was getting hotter and hotter. Many predicted that Wolff would be the first head coach on his way out this MLS season, but it looks like that is not the case.
Since Sebastian Driussi has come back from injury, the Verde have won three out of the last four games. Their recent form has catapulted the green team from the Copa Tejas into the playoff hunt with 12 points on the season.
With Driussi on the team, the fans rocking Q2 Stadium, and Rigoni scoring game winners, this team is slated for a playoff position and could cause an upset in the playoffs as the Western Conference has many evenly talented teams. If Driussi is playing like an MLS MVP and he's getting help from Austin's other highest-paid players, there's no goal too big for the Verde.
Let’s see if Austin FC can keep up this run of form, as they may be the best team out of Texas this year.
