As the 2021 MLS season draws closer, I thought it would be a good idea to make Major League Soccer award predictions with the intent of looking back on them at the season’s end, only to find that all of my theories were horribly wrong and I was foolish in thinking that MLS could be predicted. Anyways, without further ado, here is my “Way Too Early MLS Award Predictions”.
Landon Donovan MVP Award: Diego Rossi
Alright, let’s get the Hail Mary out of the way. I am well aware that the league is about to enter this 2021 season with Alejandro Pozuelo, Carlos Vela and Josef Martinez all going to clock in serious minutes and post impressive numbers, however Vela and Martinez are both somewhat of a question mark for me as both suffered serious injuries last year. Vela returned late in the season and looked good, but Rossi had his best MLS season in 2020, putting up 14 goals and 4 assists in just under 19 games. Pozuelo may have had better combined goals and assists, but too many of his goals came from the spot for my liking, and I doubt this can be replicated easily.
Golden Boot: Josef Martinez
I know I just called him a question mark, but would anyone be shocked if Martinez won the Golden Boot? Martinez is going to return to a drastically different Atlanta United, with the additions of attacking midfielder Marcelino Moreno, defensive midfielder Santiago Sosa, and ambitious head coach Gabriel Heinze, I suspect Martinez will put up the best goal scoring numbers, but Rossi’s combined goals and assists will keep him from being the 2021 MVP.
Assist Leader: Diego Valeri
I am a really big fan of this Portland Timbers team, and I think they deserve more hype going into the season. With Sebastian Blanco back from injury and Jeremy Ebobisse coming off his best season, the attacking options this team possesses may prove to be a serious threat this season, and the man pulling the strings of this attack will reap the rewards.
Comeback Player of the Year: Josef Martinez
If he does manage to win the Golden Boot after an ACL tear, then he has this award on lock. If his numbers are lacking, this could be up for grabs by the likes of Blanco and Carlo Vela who also had their seasons cut far too short.
Goalkeeper of the Year: Matt Turner
Pound for pound Turner is the best shot stopper in the league, his reflexes are second to none and he had multiple games last season where his heroics were the deciding factor in a match. In my mind, the only thing that could keep him from this award is a lack of minutes due to international duty this summer. Andre Blake has been outstanding, but Turner keeps getting better with each new season.
Newcomer of the Year: Alexandre Pato
I think Pato will post solid numbers this year, maybe better ones if he doesn’t have to compete with Daryl Dike for minutes who could very well be leaving for Europe any day now. A center forward who has Nani and Mueller to his sides won’t have to try too hard to score at least some goals. This award, however, is pretty much anyone’s guess as Austin’s Domínguez and Pochettino along with Cincinnati’s Brenner are also favorites.
Young Player of the Year: Brenner
Speaking of Brenner, the young striker is the third most expensive signing in league history, and almost seems too big to fail for Cincinnati who has greatly struggled with goal scoring. Granted, they’ve struggled with just about all aspects of the game, but Brenner truly seems like the guy to help fix Cincinnati’s attack.
Defender of the Year: Jonathan Mensah
Mensah was the defensive anchor of a MLS Cup winning squad. On top of that he played every minute for Columbus last year and finished third in the 2020 season’s Defender of the Year voting. Considering that Mark McKenzie is no longer in the league and Nashville’s backline, helmed by Walker Zimmerman, hasn’t really changed despite the attacking talent entering the league, this could be a statement year for Mensah.
Sigi Schmid Coach of the Year: Caleb Porter
Just about everyone expects big things from the Crew this year, but it all starts with the head coach. Caleb Porter’s Columbus didn’t just win the MLS Cup last season, they dominated the match and made Seattle look second-rate. This is a feat I credit the coach with due to the fact that Columbus played that final without two of their key players, Nagbe and Santos.
Supporter’s Shield: Columbus Crew SC
It is not usually the case that the defending champions return for the next season with an improved roster, but Columbus has somehow managed to do just that. Signing the two best free agents in Molino and Wright-Phillips, as well as young Romanian prospect Alexandru Mățan, the Crew has seemingly endless resources. Winning the Supporter’s Shield requires a team to have depth, which is no problem for the Crew as they have the deepest and most talented roster in the league. You could quite literally make an XI of Columbus substitutions/reserves that would be capable of competing with numerous other clubs in the league.
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MLS Cup: New England Revolution
Even though Columbus is predicted to do very well next season, the Revolution showed that they are a force to be reckoned with last season during the MLS Cup playoffs. For starters, they have Bruce Arena, a man who seemingly knows how to win the Cup, on top of that they have a roster who can compete with the best of them. Quality players like Carles Gil, Gustavo Bou, and the aforementioned Turner are all guys you want in a tournament setting.