Welcome back to week three 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.
Lionel Messi was out injured, Emil Forsberg netted his first MLS goal from the spot, and the Philadelphia Union saw their game against the Seattle Sounders abandoned due to rain. Let’s dive in!
Player of the Week
Justin Ruderman: Giorgos Giakoumakis
Another easy choice this week. In scoring a perfect hat-trick in under 20 minutes during Atlanta United’s demolition of the New England Revolution, Giakoumakis is immediately tied for the early season Golden Boot.
Often you’ll hear people say that a striker “just needs a goal” to get going. On Saturday, Giakoumakis brought that cliché to life. Thiago Almada scored the Five Stripes’ initial penalty of the day in first-half stoppage time but when Atlanta was awarded a second penalty ten minutes into the second half, Giakoumakis stepped up. Two-and-a-half games into the season he hadn’t scored and wanted to resolve the issue sooner rather than later. He quickly did, showing that he truly only needed one to get going, tacking on a second with his head followed by another stunning strike with his weak foot. Perfect hat trick completed; Golden Boot race on.
Favian Renkel: Riqui Puig
I’m going to go with someone a little off the beaten path who is already in MVP contention. Riqui Puig had another solid outing and even added his second goal of the 2024 season. Being featured in the MLS Team of the Matchweek this week validates this choice. Puig led his LA Galaxy side to come back from a 0-2 deficit in Nashville, no easy task after flying 2,004 miles. He is one successful penalty away from putting the Galaxy at the top of the Western Conference and in Golden Boot contention. Look out for Riqui’s name to keep popping up in these as the Spaniard is set to have a phenomenal season with all the new weapons around him.
Young Player of the Week
JR: Jacen Russell-Rowe
The 2022 MLS Next Pro MVP started Saturday’s match on the bench in Columbus but finished as the key figure in their late-stage triumph. Entering the match in the 59th minute, it took Jacen Russell-Rowe less than ten minutes to find the scoresheet with a scorcher from the top of the box. The 21-year-old attacker received the ball to his feet in the attacking half of the center circle, drove twenty yards forward without adequate pressure applied from Chicago, and unleashed the game’s opening goal.
Chicago pegged the Crew back just four minutes later, but Russell-Rowe wasn’t finished either. Ten minutes into the allotted twelve of stoppage time, the young Canadian got in behind the Fire back line on the left flank. Picking out a pinpoint cross to Diego Rossi at the top of the six-yard box, the Uruguayan had his shot saved from close range only for Mohamed Farsi to tap in the rebound for a winner at the back post. Rossi will be officially credited with the assist, but it was Russell-Rowe who created the winning goal after scoring the opener. In the absence of Aleksandru Matan, 21-year-old Jacen Russell-Rowe has made his case for a starting spot in the defending champions’ lineup.
FR: Thiago Almada
This pick is almost too easy. He is hands down the best young player in the league and could easily be regarded as the best player overall. Almada will likely garner the largest outgoing transfer fee ever paid for any MLS player, but for now, he’s my choice for young player of the week. Atlanta United had a phenomenal week, largely due to the efforts of Giakoumakis and Almada. Almada even opened his scoring account this week with a calm and collected finish from the spot.
If Atlanta United continues this incredible hot streak, they could easily become a powerhouse in the Eastern Conference before Almada eventually gets sold. All I have to say is MLS needs to enjoy Almada while they can because this Argentina National Team regular is poised to have a big Copa America and could even represent Argentina in the Olympics.
Goal of the Week
JR: Lorenzo Insigne
Yes, again. After receiving my nomination for Goal of the Week last week, Toronto’s Italian superstar has done it again, this time even better.
Scoring another winner in a 1-0 TFC victory, Lorenzo Insigne was given too much space as he cut in from the left onto his right boot. Charlotte’s Scott Arfield didn’t adequately close the gap and was immediately punished for his mistake as the former Napoli man set fire to a rocket that kissed the underside of the crossbar as it flew into the upper 90 past Kristijan Kahlina.
In celebration, Insigne sprinted towards the Toronto bench before leaping into the arms of new head coach John Herdman. The man who Bob Bradley notoriously couldn’t get to buy into the TFC project last season looks reborn under Herdman. As a result, the Canadians haven’t conceded yet in their three matches this season, picking up 7 points in the process with Insigne scoring both goals on the year. This was the player I predicted to win MVP last season, not whatever we got. Should he continue this pace, he’ll be a genuine candidate in 2024 and a Best XI lock. More importantly, TFC has the potential to turn from bottom dwellers to contenders with continued buy-in from their Italian superstars.
FR: Evander
I had the chance to sit down with Evander before the season and chat with him about what’s going to be different for him this season. Instantly, when talking about it, his demeanor changed; I knew right away that Evander was not happy with the Portland Timbers’ performance in 2023. He told me that he would do everything in his power to represent the number 10 with pride for the city of Portland and that he would try his best to win MVP. With the goal the Brazilian scored this week, he’s well on his way.
The goal looked almost identical to Lorenzo Insigne’s and was also from long range, securing all three points for the Portland Timbers in the dying minutes of the home of NYCFC. Evander’s performance earned him a spot on the Team of the Matchweek, and he deserves recognition for the beautiful goal he scored on a baseball field here as well.
Team of the Week
JR: CF Montréal
Laurent Courtois is reviving CF Montréal from the ashes of Wilfried Nancy. The fellow French manager worked under Nancy in Columbus last season after winning the MLS Next Pro championship with Crew 2 in 2022. Now, he’s looking to replicate the success Nancy had in Canada during the same year with a revamped squad and he’s off to a fantastic start.
Accruing 7 points in their opening three matches, Montréal sits joint-top of the early season Eastern Conference following their notable win over Inter Miami. Yes, Lionel Messi missed the match with Luis Suárez and Sergio Busquets coming off the bench, but the Herons were still at home with talent abound and lost the match.
For Courtois, this is the dream start, though likely not one he expected. I sure didn’t. But now I can’t wait to see what he and his team have in store for the rest of 2024.
FR: Atlanta United
Man oh man, did any team come onto the scene faster than Atlanta United this week? Atlanta United is always a great show, and the stadium, with its affordable food options, makes it a place to be. With approximately 68,000 fans cheering them on, Atlanta United delivered a 4-1 victory over the New England Revolution. Gonzalo Pineda needs to keep this Atlanta United side performing at this level every week until the summer transfer window to rack up as many points as possible before the inevitable sale of Almada, and even Giakoumakis might be gone the way he keeps scoring goals in droves. The Greek International scored three against the Revolution and made it look easy and casual, needing only 20 minutes to put three in the back of the net. Atlanta United will be a force to be reckoned with in this stacked Eastern Conference.
Don’t be surprised to see them at the top of the Eastern Conference by the time the All-Star break comes around.
Best Thing We Saw This Week
JR: Saturday’s stoppage-time surprises
Lorenzo Insigne and Evander will rightly steal the headlines for their game-winning golazo’s but the Brazilian was part of another, equally impressive group this weekend. On Saturday, Evander scored one of the four result-changing goals during stoppage time across MLS. It was complete chaos.
The Brazilian kicked it off in the early window followed by Mohamed Farsi beating Chicago 2-1 in the 100th minute by tapping in Diego Rossi’s saved shot attempt at the back post. Nearly simultaneously in Orlando, the Lions were downed by 2023 League’s Cup breakout star Bongokuhle “Bongi” Hlongwane in the 96th minute on a clinical counterattack through the center of the park. Last but not least, St. Louis City SC’s Celio Pompeu finished off a cutback cross from Tomas Totland by smashing his shot into the ground and over Brad Stuver in the 93rd minute to rescue a point in Austin.
For me, this is what makes MLS so entertaining and unique to every other league in the world. Any team can beat any other on any given day and you never know what you may see in the process. This week we were treated to a clover of stoppage-time surprises. What have you got for us next week, MLS?
FR: Atlanta United had the third-largest crowd in the world on Saturday (67,727) behind only Manchester United (73,601) and Bayern Munich (75,000)
Atlanta United is known for having big crowds. As I said earlier, you can’t beat a good show, a great experience, and cheap stadium eats. Arthur Blank has truly set the standard when it comes to making a football stadium enjoyable for soccer fans. Atlanta will keep drawing these types of crowds for many years to come. And did I forget to mention that this number wasn’t to see Messi play? It was to see his international teammate Almada score a goal to open up his account for 2024. MLS has to make Atlanta United the blueprint for new clubs coming into the league, as they are competing with crowds that are very similar to the big clubs in Europe.
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