In a Leagues Cup competition involving teams from the Mexican and MLS leagues in August, Lionel Messi led Inter Miami to victory.
Despite appearing in just six league games for Inter Miami, Lionel Messi, an Argentine sensation, was one of three candidates announced on Thursday for the Major League Soccer Newcomer of the Year award.
The 36-year-old striker led Miami to the Leagues Cup championship in an August competition featuring MLS and Mexican league teams. He also led Argentina to World Cup triumph in Qatar.
Messi didn’t participate in an MLS game until August 26, when he came on as a second-half substitute and helped Inter defeat the New York Red Bulls 2-0 to end an 11-game losing skid.
However, Messi’s late-season leg injury prevented him from leading Miami from the bottom of the league to the MLS playoffs.
Messi has been MLS’s biggest earner since joining Inter Miami in July thanks to his ability to sell jerseys, increase demand for MLS season pass viewing subscriptions, and increase ticket sales at all Miami games.
German midfielder Eduard Lowen of St. Louis City and Greek attacker Giorgos Giakoumakis of Atlanta United are Messi’s competitors for the newcomer award, which is given to anyone with professional experience who made their Major League Soccer debut this year.
Messi was not one of the three finalists in the MLS Most Valuable Player category, despite being one of the players nominated for that honour as well.
These three players were Argentine midfielder Luciano Acosta of FC Cincinnati, the team that led the regular season in wins, Denis Bouanga, the winner of the MLS Golden Boot and a French-born Gabon international for Los Angeles FC, and Thiago Almada of Atlanta, another outstanding Argentine player.