Page 73 - Soccer360 Issue 104

MLS STARS OF
2023
MARCO D’ONOFRIO PICKS OUT FIVE PLAYERS WHO MADE A REAL IMPACT IN MLS THROUGHOUT THE 2023 CAMPAIGN.
LUCIANO ACOSTA - FC CINCINNATI
FC Cincinnati finished the 2023 regular season with just five losses and Lucho Acosta was
a big reason why. He finished the campaign tied with the second most goals in the league with 17 and had an impressive 14 assists to go along with them.
THIAGO ALMADA - ATLANTA UNITED
The 22-year-old Argentine led all of MLS with 19 assists, taking a real step forward in his second year in the league. Atlanta had one of the best starts of the season but may not have ended up even making the play-offs had it
not been for Almada. He is the type of player who makes everyone else around him better as well.
DENIS BOUANGA - LOS ANGELES FC
The French striker was the 2023 MLS Golden Boot winner, ending the campaign with 20 goals scored in 31 games. He is one of the most intimidating players for any defender in the league to try and stop and is capable of scoring in a plethora of different ways.
LIONEL MESSI - INTER MIAMI
The biggest star of world football came to MLS in a stunning deal this past summer, and made an impact befitting of his status. The now eight-time Ballon D’Or winner brought about a transformation of lowly Inter Miami’s results by scoring a plethora of goals in
his first few appearances before sustaining an injury, and there will be so much more
to come from the Argentine in his first full season in the North American top-flight.
HANY MUKHTAR - NASHVILLE SC
It remains to be seen where Nashville SC would be without the German midfielder pulling the strings. Mukhtar has been a
sensation for Nashville since his arrival in 2020.
He finished the 2023 campaign with 15 goals
and 11 assists and was easily one of the best
players in MLS all year long.
Hany Mukhtar for Nashville SC
risk, high-reward system that if executed effectively, is lethal.
“We want to be, as much as possible, in the opponent’s half. We don’t want to pass square and backwards in our own half, we want to be direct and forward. We want to be as relentless and as aggressive as possible,” said Pfannenstiel. Management was asking a lot from their players, but they always seemed willing to buy in and the results proved it.
Despite all the victories though and the attractive style of soccer being played, St. Louis was still able to keep a low profile. That had much less to do with the club and more to do with the city it plays in. While St. Louis is a fantastic city, it is just the 24th biggest television market in the United States. National broadcasters and major television networks are simply not going to talk about St. Louis sports franchises nearly as much as teams in cities like New York or Los Angeles because it isn’t good for their ratings.
However, the biggest reason they have remained under the radar is because ultimately, they wanted to. Becoming the league’s best kept secret was an identity that worked well for the players and the
fans. They wanted opposing teams underestimating them and not recognising how difficult it would be to play against them.
“Usually expansion teams get kicked around the first year,” Pfannenstiel said. “But we are not a typical expansion team. We want to be in charge, teams should hate playing in St. Louis because we’re gonna be all over them.”
Unfortunately, the dream season ended early for St. Louis City as they were eliminated in the opening round of the MLS playoffs at the hands of Sporting Kansas City. Although it was a disappointing conclusion to the campaign,
optimism remains high in St. Louis as fans and players alike believe the best is
yet to come for the young franchise.
Denis Bouanga scored 20 goals this season - the most goals by any player
Denis Bouanga scored 20 goals this season - the most goals by any player
SOCCER360 71
Thiago Almada led MLS in assists in 2023, displaying his talent for the world to see.