Gyasi Zardes: The darkhorse Golden Boot candidate

There are many star names who are favorites to win the 2018 MLS Golden Boot. However, Gyasi Zardes might just be the darkhorse pick to win the award.

The race for the 2018 MLS Golden Boot award is set to be a heated one. Nemanja Nikolic, last year’s winner, seems certain to build on his promising debut campaign, Josef Martinez has kept scoring for fun in Atlanta, and, health permitting, will continue to add to his ever-growing tally, while there are the proven veterans like David Villa and Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who have been the top scorers of the elite European leagues in the past.

However, there’s one forward who some MLS fans have forgotten about in recent years who might just be ready to challenge for the league’s top scorer. That goalscorer is Gyasi Zardes, who is a serious dark horse candidate to win the Golden Boot.

The career of Zardes has been an interesting one. Coming up through the LA Galaxy youth academy, the player signed with the club on a homegrown contract in 2012. After an up-and-down rookie season that saw him acclimate to the professional game, Zardes really kicked his career into high gear. His sophomore year saw him lead the Galaxy attack, scoring 16 goals in 32 league games, and the end of the year culminated in team and personal glory, as Zardes scored in the MLS Cup final, helping LA to a 2-1 win over New England.

More from MLS Multiplex

It was at this time, that the California native began to make appearances with the United States Men’s National Team. He scored his first international goal in a friendly against Holland and became a consistent fixture of the national team setup. However, since then, Zardes has seen his career falter. Forced out of position at club level, he began to have a hard time finding the back of the net. He became a bit-part player for the Galaxy, constantly overshadowed by his more well-known teammates. At one point, Zardes found himself starting games at wingback. He desperately needed a move out of LA to try and revitalize his stagnating career.

In Columbus Crew, then, Zardes has seemingly found a new home. Over the offseason, star striker Ola Kamara demanded a move away from the Crew and Los Angeles were interested in his services. As the Crew would need a striker to replace him, and Zardes was not getting the time he wanted, the trade made perfect sense. Things looked promising in preseason. Zardes grabbed four goals in the team’s opening three contests. This form only continued into the regular season. He scored in the opening day victory away to Toronto, before grabbing a brace against the Montreal Impact, one of the goals coming in the 90th minute. He was unable to find the net against Philly and DC, but returned to the scoresheet by notching the opening goal against Vancouver.

A quick look at the upcoming schedule shows that Zardes should have plenty of chances to add to his goal tally. On Saturday, the Crew face the Chicago Fire, who have conceded eight goals in three games. After that is a game against a winless DC United side, before Columbus host the Revolution. New England has made a promising start to the year, but have lacked consistency defensively and could self-implode on any given day.

CARSON, CA – SEPTEMBER 2: Gyasi Zardes /

There is no doubt that Zardes benefits from a great supporting cast in Columbus as well. He has one of the greatest attacking midfielders in MLS history behind him in Federico Higuain, who is one of the few players in league history to both score and assist 50 goals. Zardes also has two elite wingers either side of him. Pedro Santos has shone since joining the league from Portuguese side Braga, while Panamanian Christian Martinez has proven his ability on the opposite side of the field. With a strong defense that can keep hold of a lead, Zardes should see plenty of opportunities to hit opponents on the counter-attack.

And he won’t have to worry much about international duty either, which is not true for some his Golden Boot competitors. Both Josef Martinez and Nemanja Nikolic have become starters for their national teams and will likely miss a handful of league games later in the season. Bigger names, like Carlos Vela, are set to feature in the World Cup, taking them away from their MLS team for months during the summer. Considering the current state of the United States national team, who are now focused on bringing in younger unproven players to feature in meaningless friendlies, Zardes won’t be called upon anytime soon. This will allow for rest and recuperation during the MLS season, which is needed considering the brutal travel schedule.

Next: Atlanta United: The black soccer culture no one knew existed

All things considered, do not be surprised to be Gyasi Zardes picking up the Golden Boot award at the end of the season.

Home/Columbus Crew