Who is the real MVP: Ranking the top five candidates to win the MLS Landon Donovan Award in 2024

The new MLS season is only six weeks old but already a handful of the league’s stars have begun making their case to be named the 2024 Most Valuable Player.

With last year’s Supporters’ Shield winners FC Cincinnati still unbeaten and top of the Eastern Conference, their star playmaker and the reigning regular-season MVP Luciano Acosta will figure highly once again in the running for the league’s most prestigious individual prize.

But Lionel Messi, the pre-season favourite for the award, has struggled with injury so far this term, while Inter Miami’s latest superstar signing has stepped up in his absence.

Here are the five current frontrunners in the race to be named the MLS MVP in 2024.

Luis Suarez – Inter Miami

After beginning his Inter Miami career with two goalless performances, questions were raised over whether the club co-owned by David Beckham had made a mistake in signing the 37-year-old Uruguayan.

But even though his problematic knees require regular painkilling injections and he often ambles around the pitch carrying a visible limp, Suarez has wound back the clock with a string of vintage displays in recent weeks.

The former Liverpool and Barcelona star is up to five goals and three assists in seven MLS appearances – two of which were as a substitute, as manager Tata Martino has rested the veteran goal-scorer to preserve his fragile fitness.

With Inter chasing glory in MLS and the CONCACAF Champions Cup, Suarez’s goals will be just as important as Messi’s magic.

Cristian Arango – Real Salt Lake

Given their current lack of a top-class centre-forward – at least until Olivier Giroud’s expected summer arrival – Arango’s form this season has only made LAFC’s decision to sell him to Mexican side Pachuca for $6 million 18 months ago seem all the more perplexing.

He has been outstanding for Real Salt Lake so far this season, netting five goals and providing one assist.

His best performance to date for the Utah club – with whom he signed mid-way through the 2023 campaign – came on March 31, when he plundered a hat-trick in a 3-1 victory over St. Louis FC, vaulting his name into MVP discussions.

Lewis Morgan – New York Red Bulls

The former Celtic forward is another recent hat-trick hero. Morgan scored his treble in matchweek five as the New York Red Bulls thrashed a Messi-less Miami 4-0.

Another goal in a 1-1 draw with Orlando City has taken his tally for the season to six, making him the frontrunner for the Golden Boot.

Back in 2022, he scored 18 goals in 37 games for the club after signing from Inter Miami, but his second campaign in the Big Apple was restricted to just six appearances due to a hip injury that required surgery. It will be a relief to Red Bulls fans to see Morgan back and playing better than ever.

Giorgos Giakoumakis – Atlanta United

Greek striker Giakoumakis joined Atlanta United from Celtic last June and his record of 17 goals from 29 MLS appearances in what remained of the season earned him the Best Newcomer award for 2023.

And this season, the 29-year-old has picked right up where he left off. A hat-trick in last month’s 4-1 victory over the New England Revolution earned him the Player of the Week award for matchday four.

He has since followed up that performance with two goals and an assist in his two subsequent outings – MVP and Golden Boot form.

Luciano Acosta – FC Cincinnati

Last year’s MVP is already compiling a compelling case to retain the award in 2024. There might be another diminutive playmaker dominating the headlines in MLS these days, but Acosta remains high up on a very short list of the league’s best players.

And with his calmly-taken match-winner against New York City FC two weeks ago, the 29-year-old entered an exclusive club of MLS greats to have scored 60 goals and provided 80 assists in the league.

Acosta – who played for DC United between 2016 and 2019 before returning to the US with Cincinnati two years ago – became just the seventh player in MLS history to reach that milestone, adding his name to a pantheon that includes the likes of Landon Donovan, Javi Moreno and Cobi Jones.

“I think Lucho is rightfully in that group of the best who’ve ever played in our league,” Cincinnati coach Pat Noonen said. “Hopefully, we can continue seeing that production as we move forward together.”

With two goals and two assists already in the Orange and Blue’s unbeaten start to the season, Cincinnati and their No.10 look certain to again be in the hunt for end-of-season accolades.

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