ST – Fanendo Adi – FC Cincinnati (MLS)
The star man leading the line for the Portland Timbers in their MLS Cup success was Fanendo Adi. The striker scored 18 times in 39 games in 2015, along with adding four assists as the Timbers took home the title.
The Nigerian-born forward started his career in Slovakia with Trenčin, where he and his team won the Slovak First League, gaining promotion to the Super Liga. However, he then played for Metalurh Donetsk in 2011, before a loan spell at Dynamo Kyiv and a permanent spell at Tavriya Simferopol before he returned to Trenčin.
After spending the 2012-13 season in Slovakia, Adi moved to Denmark, signing for FC Copenhagen. However, he only spent a single campaign in the country, before making the move Stateside.
In May 2014, Adi moved to the Timbers on loan, before signing permanently for the club just six weeks later, and his MLS career began. He scored 9 in 24 in his first season, before becoming a huge force in front of goal during the 2015 campaign, as Portland went on to win the MLS Cup.
He scored another 29 goals for the Timbers in the following two and a half years, before being traded to MLS-new boys FC Cincinnati in the summer of 2018. Adi continues to be a force in the MLS, and he will be aiming to help the newest MLS team into the playoffs in their inaugural season.