Tag Archives: Landon Donovan

Lionel Messi Wins Major League Soccer’s MVP Award

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Lionel Messi is officially the man in Major League Soccer…

The 37-year-old Argentine professional footballer Inter Miami and the Argentina national team has been named winner of the Landon Donovan MVP Award for the 2024 MLS season.

Lionel Messi Messi beat out the Columbus Crew‘s Cucho Hernández, the Portland Timbers’ Evander, Christian Benteke from D.C. United and his Inter Miami teammate Luis Suárez.

Messi won thanks to his 20 goals and 16 appearances in just 19 matches.

He joins Carlos Vela in 2019 (LAFC, 34 goals, 15 assists) and Sebastian Giovinco in 2015 (Toronto FC, 22 goals, 16 assists) as the only players in league history with at least 20 goals and 15 assists in a single season.

The MVP award is determined by a poll that includes players, club technical staff and selected members of the media.

Messi received 38.43% of the votes averaged compared to second-place finisher Benteke (33.70%).

This was his first full season with the club, having joined in July 2023.

MLS commissioner Don Garber made the announcement on Friday alongside Inter Miami Academy students and Messi’s three sons in a video.

“Truly, it is an honor for me to receive this award from all of you,” Messi said to the Academy players. “It’s a source of pride to watch you all train. I’m very happy to be here every day. I’m very happy to be in this city, in this Club that is growing. It’s a pleasure to see you grow day by day. I invite you to keep fighting and striving for your dreams.”

Jesus Ferreira Becomes First U.S. Men’s National Team Player to Score Consecutive Hat Tricks in International Competition

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Jesus Ferreira has entered the soccer history books…

he 22-year-old Colombian soccer player and United States Men’s National Team star scored three first-half goals against Trinidad and Tobago to become the first U.S. men’s national team player to score consecutive hat tricks in international competition.

The six combined goals came in an 88-minute period at the Gold Cup, with the first three coming on Wednesday against St. Kitts and Nevis in St. Louis, as the U.S. cruised past Trinidad & Tobago 6-0 to win its group on goal difference after finishing level on points with Jamaica in Group A.

“I’m happy. I’m excited,” Ferreira said after the game. “Obviously, this is a team objective. I wouldn’t be able to score goals without my teammates putting me in situations where I can score goals.

“So, from the beginning, we knew that this game was going to be intense. We have to bring the intensity, we have to be the team that can set the tempo and I think we did that.”

Ferreira also became just the second player in USMNT history with three career hat tricks, joining the team’s joint all-time leading scorer Landon Donovan.

No other player, regardless of country, has multiple career Gold Cup hat tricks, according to ESPN Stats & Information research.

“When I see his movement and his confidence in the penalty box, you can tell that the game has slowed down for him,” U.S. interim coach B.J. Callaghan said. “All of the work that he’s doing, leading our line defensively, dropping down, helping buildup play, for me he’s having a really complete tournament.”

Ferreira gave the U.S. the lead in the 14th minute from a DeJuan Jones assist and doubled the lead in the 38th minute before a penalty in stoppage time completed the hat trick.

Cade Cowell, Gianluca Busio and Brandon Vazquez all scored second-half goals for the U.S. to finish off the 6-0 victory and the team will now await the results from Group D on Tuesday to see who it will play in the quarterfinals.

Giovanni Reyna Named U.S. Soccer’s Young Male Player of the Year

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Giovanni Reyna is the (young) man of the hour…

The 18-year-old half-Argentine American soccer player, a midfielder for Borussia Dortmund, has been voted U.S. Soccer‘s Young Male Player of the Year for 2020.

Giovanni Reyna 

Reyna burst onto the international scene with the German giants in 2020 and capped the year by making his first appearance for the United States in a 0-0 draw with Wales back in November.

The former NYCFC product received 79% of the vote and follows Sergino Dest, Alex Mendez, Josh Sargent and Christian Pulisic as the most recent winners of the award.

He also joins USMNT greats Landon Donovan (2000), Jozy Altidore (2006), and Michael Bradley (2007) on the list of honorees.

The award was first given out in 1998 when Josh Wolff took home the prize.

Reyna has made 39 appearances over all competitions in 2020, producing five goals and seven assists.

He has played in all 13 league games for Dortmund in the 2020-21 season, adding three goals and four assists. Reyna has also been a standout in the Champions League this campaign, appearing in all six matches thus far while starting in four.