Lucho Acosta beats Thiago Almada, Denis Bouanga to 2023 MLS MVP award

FC Cincinnati midfielder Luciano Acosta has been named the 2023 Major League Soccer MVP after his standout season with the Orange and Blue, leading them to Supporters' Shield glory and the Eastern Conference finals.

It was just a matter of time for the 29-year-old to be announced as the best player in the league, and it's no surprise to see him take home the award after all he's accomplished so far in 2023.

Acosta joined Cincinnati in 2021, a year before their ascension in the Eastern Conference under then first-year head coach Pat Noonan. The former DC United player had solid returns in his first two seasons at TQL Stadium, totaling 17 goal involvements in 2021 and 19 in 2022.

But in 2023, Acosta took his game to another level. While he wasn't able to match his assists tally from 2022 (19), he set a new personal best for total goal involvements, contributing 17 goals and 14 assists (both were team-highs) to distinguish himself for the coveted individual award.

Acosta previously took home the Goal of the Year honor after his dazzling solo run against Charlotte FC, and he becomes the first player in Cincinnati's club history to be named MLS MVP.

To paint a different picture, Cincinnati scored 57 goals in the regular season, tied for the fifth-most in MLS alongside Philadelphia Union. Acosta was so crucial to the team's success that he was involved in 54% of Cincinnati's goals scored in 2023.

Perhaps one of Acosta's more underrated traits is his availability. In the 2023 regular season, he missed just one game due to a shoulder injury. While playing MLS, he's missed a total of five games between 2016 and 2023, something that is invaluable to Cincinnati boss Noonan and any coach with their star player(s) for that matter.

Acosta's impeccable performances earned him a new deal at the Eastern Conference club, as he inked a new deal with the Orange and Blue back in September that extends his stay through the 2026 MLS season with an option for 2027.

Acosta received 50.96% of the player vote, 47.5% of the club vote and 82.66% of the media vote to bring his total vote to 60.37%, compared to Thiago Almada's total of 6.46% and Denis Bouanga's 14.97%.

One thing is for sure, as long as Acosta is in the lineup for Cincinnati and Noonan, they have a chance to win any game they take part in. Acosta and Cincinnati return to action December 2 at TQL Stadium to take on Cucho Hernandez and Columbus Crew in the Eastern Conference finals of MLS Cup playoffs.

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