Tag Archives: Giorgos Giakoumakis

Lionel Messi Among Finalists for MLS’ Newcomer of the Year Award

Posted on by
Reply

He may have only played in six MLS matches, but Lionel Messi has certainly made an impression.

The 36-year-old Argentine soccer star has been named one of the three finalists for Major League Soccer’s Newcomer of the Year award following his debut season with Inter Miami.

Lionel Messi Messi is nominated alongside Atlanta United striker Giorgos Giakoumakis and St. Louis City SC midfielder Eduard Löwen.

The World Cup winner had also been listed as one of 30 nominees for the league’s MVP award earlier this month as one of two players put forward by Miami during the club-nomination phase.

However, he didn’t make the cut for the top three shortlisted on Thursday, missing out to FC Cincinnati front-runner Luciano Acosta, Golden Boot winner Denis Bouanga of LAFC and Messi’s young Argentina teammate Thiago Almada of Atlanta.

Following his signing on a free transfer, Messi enjoyed a dream start to life in Miami. The seven-time Ballon d’Or winner scored 10 goals in seven games to lead the club to its first trophy with the lifting of the Leagues Cup. He also played in Miami’s U.S. Open Cup semifinal victory over Cincinnati.

However, Messi’s appearances in MLS league play were limited by a leg injury suffered while on duty with Argentina in September. He was able to play just 372 minutes in six appearances (four starts), scoring one goal and providing two assists as Miami missed out on a place in the MLS playoffs.

Fellow nominee Giakoumakis finished second in the Golden Boot race with 17 goals and three assists in his first MLS season, while former Germany youth international Löwen had six goals and 14 assists in 29 appearances.

While Messi had limited impact on the field in his first season in MLS play, his arrival in the United States caused a surge in ticket and merchandising sales.

Inter Miami managing owner Jorge Mas said earlier this month that “everything has changed” since Messi’s arrival at the club. In a post on Instagram earlier this week, Messi said he was “proud of everything the team accomplished this season.”

The awards are voted on by current MLS players and coaches, technical directors/general managers and select media members. Winners will be announced throughout the MLS playoffs.

Here’s the full list of nominees:

Landon Donovan MLS MVP
Luciano Acosta, FC Cincinnati
Thiago Almada, Atlanta United
Denis Bouanga, LAFC

Sigi Schmid MLS Coach of the Year
Bradley Carnell, St. Louis City SC
Wilfried Nancy, Columbus Crew
Pat Noonan, FC Cincinnati

MLS Newcomer of the Year
Giorgos Giakoumakis, Atlanta United
Eduard Löwen, St. Louis City SC
Lionel Messi, Inter Miami CF

MLS Young Player of the Year
Thiago Almada, Atlanta United
Duncan McGuire, Orlando City SC
Aidan Morris, Columbus Crew

MLS Goalkeeper of the Year
Roman Burki, St. Louis City SC
Roman Celentano, FC Cincinnati
Pedro Gallese, Orlando City SC

MLS Defender of the Year
Yeimar Gomez Andrade, Seattle Sounders FC
Matt Miazga, FC Cincinnati
Tim Parker, St. Louis City SC

MLS Comeback Player of the Year
Joao Paulo, Seattle Sounders FC
Alan Pulido, Sporting Kansas City
Miles Robinson, Atlanta United

Jesús Ferreira Named to 26-Man Roster for Major League Soccer’s 2023 MLS All-Star Game

Posted on by
Reply

Jesús Ferreira is readying for all-star action…

The 22-year-old Colombian soccer player and United States Men’s National Team star is among the headliners on the 26-man roster for the Major League Soccer 2023 All-Star Game to be played on July 19.

Jesús FerreiraHe joins Jordan Morris, Walker Zimmerman on the roster.

Midfielders Thiago Almada and Hany Mukhtar, forwards Giorgos Giakoumakis and Dénis Bouanga and emerging homegrown stars John Tolkin and Aidan Morris were also among the 26 players to make the cut, announced Tuesday.

The MLS All-Stars, managed by D.C. United coach Wayne Rooney, will take on Arsenal at D.C. United‘s home stadium, Audi Field.

It will mark the second appearance in an MLS All-Star game for Arsenal.

The roster was selected through a combination of fan, player, and media voting (12 players), designations by All-Star head coach Wayne Rooney of host club D.C. United (12 players), and a pair of selections by MLS commissioner Don Garber.

The commissioner’s picks for the 2023 MLS All-Star Game are Chicago Fire FC‘s Kei Kamara and CF Montréal‘s Mathieu Choinière.

One of the league’s most prolific scorers, Kamara sits one goal shy of second place in MLS history with 144 goals, trailing only Landon Donovan (145) and Chris Wondolowski (171).

A homegrown midfielder out of Québec, Choinière has recorded a career-best and team-high five goal contributions for CF Montréal this season and has been a key component of the club’s rebuilt attack in 2023.

Cincinnati, which leads the Supporters’ Shield standings with 43 points, garnered three rosters spots with midfielder Luciano Acosta and defenders Álvaro Barreal and Matt Miazga.

The 2023 MLS All-Star roster by position and selection mechanism:

GOALKEEPERS (3): Roman Bürki (St. Louis CITY SC / voted in), Tyler Miller (D.C. United / coach’s selection), Djordje Petrović (New England Revolution / coach’s selection)

DEFENDERS (7): Álvaro Barreal (FC Cincinnati / voted in), Jon Gallagher (Austin FC / voted in), Ryan Hollingshead (LAFC / coach’s selection), Matt Miazga (FC Cincinnati / voted in), Tim Parker (St. Louis City SC / coach’s selection), John Tolkin (New York Red Bulls / coach’s selection), Walker Zimmerman (Nashville SC / voted in)

MIDFIELDERS (9): Luciano Acosta (FC Cincinnati / voted in), Thiago Almada (Atlanta United / voted in), Mathieu Choinière (CF Montréal / commissioner’s selection), Héctor Herrera (Houston Dynamo FC / coach’s selection), José Martinez (Philadelphia Union / coach’s selection), Aidan Morris (Columbus Crew / voted in), Hany Mukhtar (Nashville SC / voted in), Riqui Puig (LA Galaxy / coach’s selection), Lucas Zelarayán (Columbus Crew / coach’s selection)

FORWARDS / WINGERS (7): Christian Benteke (D.C. United / coach’s selection), Dénis Bouanga (LAFC / voted in), Cristian Espinoza (San Jose Earthquakes / coach’s selection), Jesús Ferreira (FC Dallas / voted in), Giorgos Giakoumakis (Atlanta United / coach’s selection), Kei Kamara (Chicago Fire FC / commissioner’s selection), Jordan Morris (Seattle Sounders FC / voted in)