- Lionel Messi has been rejected by MLS after being left out of their Best XI
- Luciano Acosta, Denis Bouanga and Thiago Almada were big names
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Lionel Messi was the big omission from this season’s MLS Best XI, despite winning the Ballon d’Or and making an enormous impact since joining Inter Miami.
Messi scored 11 goals and provided five assists in 14 games for Inter Miami before their season ended after he missed the play-offs.
He also led them to glory in the Leagues Cup, but his form since arriving in Florida in July did not warrant a spot in the MLS Best XI for the season.
Determined by members of the media, MLS players and club staff: Players on the team represent seven clubs that all made the postseason.
There are also eight new squads in the squad, with four clubs having two selected players.
Lionel Messi was the big omission from this season’s MLS Best XI, as announced on Tuesday
Messi won the Ballon d’Or and has scored eleven goals in fourteen games for Inter Miami since July
Beating Messi into a spot in attack is LAFC’s Denis Bouanga. He claimed the MLS golden boot with 20 goals and seven assists in 31 appearances.
Bouanga is currently one short of teammate Carlos Vela’s record for goals in a calendar year with 37 goals in all competitions so far in 2023.
Atlanta United’s Giorgos Giakoumakis has also been selected up front. He won the Newcomer of the Year award this year thanks to 17 goals in 27 games.
Giakoumakis had the unenviable task of replacing Atlanta legend Josef Martinez when he joined from Celtic, but he has proven to be a clinical successor.
Columbus Crew’s Cucho joins the front in a 3-4-3 formation. He stood out in Ohio with 16 goals and 11 assists in his first full season.
Unsurprisingly, MVP Luciano Acosta leads the midfield.
The FC Cincinnati midfielder has had a hugely impressive season with 18 goals and 12 assists to his name, yet he was still able to steer his team to MLS Cup success.
Luciano Acosta (left) and Thiago Almada (right) were easy selections in the team’s midfield
Acosta received a whopping 60.37 percent of the votes, easily beating second-placed LAFC forward Denis Bouanga (14.97%) and Thiago Almada (6.46%).
Next to him is Atlanta United’s Thiago Almada, who won the MLS Young Player of the Year award.
He led the league and set a club record for assists in a single season with 19. He receives a lot of transfer interest from European clubs.
They are joined in midfield by Houston Dynamo’s Hector Herrera and Nashville’s Hany Mukhtar.
MLS Defender of the Year Matt Miazga is the focal point of the defense after an assured season for Cincinnati in which they conceded just 39 goals. He also helped keep a clean sheet in 10 starts.
Veteran defenseman Tim Parker helped St. Louis City to first place in the Western Conference, so he’s included and another solid campaign from Walker Zimmerman in Nashville has earned him a spot to round out the defense.
In goal is Swiss stopper Roman Burki. He helped St. Louis City to 17 wins during their first season and recorded the second-most saves this season and the fourth-highest save percentage among active MLS goalkeepers.