Luis Suarez, Alan Pulido headline Best of MLS for Week 4

By Favian Renkel and Justin Ruderman

Welcome back to Justin and Favian’s Weekly MLS Awards where SBI staff writers Justin Ruderman and Favian Renkel bring you a glimpse at the best of Week Four in MLS.

This week featured chaos in several matches, a coaching debut, and the Windy City living up to its nickname. Let’s dive in!

Player of the Week

Justin Ruderman: Giorgos Giakoumakis

I challenge you to find a goal-contribution combination as impressive as what Giorgos Giakoumakis produced on Sunday in Atlanta. At the heart of each goal in the Five Stripes’ 2-0 win over Orlando, the Greek international began by playing a stunning outside-of-the-boot pass into space for Saba Lobzhanidze to run onto and open the scoring inside ten minutes. He created the opening goal early and finished the dagger late. Just over 70 minutes in, the 29-year-old had a hit from the top of the box, smashing the underside of the crossbar as he netted his Golden Boot-tying fourth goal of the early season.

We all expected Giakoumakis to be in that Golden Boot race (as he was last season) but his performance on Sunday was that of an MVP-caliber player. He only mustered two direct assists last season which is what limits one of the league’s top scorers to a poacher reputation. If Giakoumakis can add assists to his stat sheet this year, there’s no reason he can’t be an MVP candidate akin to Cucho Hernández. For now, he’s outshining Thiago Almada as Atlanta United’s best player at the beginning of this 2024 season.

Favian Renkel: Luis Suárez

I mean, there was a clear first choice this week, followed by three very close second options. On the day it was officially announced that Messi would not be playing in the international friendly, Luis Suárez won the official MLS Player of the Week for his performance with a Messi-less Miami. What we learned this week is that Suárez can be an MVP-caliber player even without the world’s best…

Source link : https://sbisoccer.com/2024/03/luis-suarez-alan-pulido-headline-best-of-mls-for-week-4

Author : Favian Renkel

Publish date : 2024-03-19 15:06:21

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