2024 MLS awards: Lucho or Cucho for MVP? Is the Shield Miami's?

Just one month of the 2024 MLS regular season remains. The campaign began seven months ago, affording us plenty of opportunities to get a good look at the best (and worst) the league has to offer. So as we march toward Decision Day on Oct. 19, we reflect on all the soccer that has been played this year, and begin to turn our attention to award season.

If not for his prolonged injury layoff, it would be easy to imagine Lionel Messi winning the Landon Donovan MVP award and the Golden Boot — maybe even the Supporters’ Shield all by himself, and Coach of the Year while he’s at it — but his absence has opened the door for the rest of the league. So who will win those awards, and a few others, if not the Inter Miami magician?

ESPN’s Cesar Hernandez, Lizzy Becherano, Ryan Rosenblatt, Megan Swanick and Joseph Lowery make their picks.

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MVP

Luciano Acosta, FC Cincinnati: An outstanding chance creator, goal scorer, and overall game-changer who isn’t afraid to take players on when the ball is at his feet. It might be a predictable move to select the No. 10 who was last season’s MVP, but the 30-year-old Argentine has again been brilliant this season through his goal contributions. That said, an injury and ensuing slight dip in form in the late summer might keep a second consecutive MVP award just out of reach. — Hernandez

Cucho Hernández, Columbus Crew: The Colombian has been a consistent force for the Crew across all competitions this season. When on the pitch, he’s bound to make an impact, having managed 13 goals and 10 assists in MLS and generated the most opportunities in the final third. Many might be quick to name Messi here, but while the Argentine’s impact on Inter Miami is undeniable, participating in 13 out of 28 games by Sept. 18 isn’t enough to clinch the MVP title. — Becherano

Luciano Acosta, FC Cincinnati: If you thought Acosta couldn’t match last season’s MVP-winning campaign, think again. The FC Cincinnati star has been at least as good as he was a year ago and maybe even better, with 11 goals and 18 assists to his name. He has done it for a team that has gone through a lot of turnover this season too, due to transfers and injuries. Cincy has needed the Argentine to be absolutely sensational week in and week out, and he has delivered. Luis Suárez might still snag the award, but Acosta has played much more than Suárez this season and that should make him the very first back-to-back MLS MVP winner ever. — Rosenblatt

Dénis Bouanga, LAFC: One of half a dozen different MLS players could end up with this year’s MVP award, and they’d be a totally justified winner. Currently, my vote goes to LAFC’s dynamic left winger Bouanga. His mixture of goal and creation threats is enough to strike fear into the heart of any opposing defender. It’s the Gabon international’s incredible durability that really sets him apart, though. He has played more regular-season minutes than any other MVP contender. — Lowery

Lionel Messi, Inter Miami: Despite sitting out large swaths of the season because of injuries, Messi is the game-changing GOAT many imagined. At the time of writing, Messi has the highest goals per 90 in MLS at 1.09. And while La Pulga‘s 11 assists are fourth most in the league, like the incredible pace of his goals, Messi’s assists per 90 (.86) are the most in MLS. There’s no way around it: Nobody affects a game the way Messi does when he’s in it, which should earn him deserved honors as MLS MVP. — Swanick

Golden Boot

Dénis Bouanga, LAFC: Sure, a handful of his goals have been earned from the penalty spot, but it now seems as if no LAFC match is truly complete without a rapid and clever run from Bouanga that ends with a shot in the back of the net. Much more than just a pacey dribbler, what makes the 29-year-old truly dangerous is also his ability to add power and finesse, when needed, behind his opportunities. He’ll have plenty of goal-scoring competition nearing the end of the season, but what will help Bouanga — and LAFC — is a fairly manageable list of opponents that remain on the schedule. — Hernandez

Christian Benteke, D.C. United: The Belgian player currently leads the race with 19 goals in 25 games this season. He has scored on 14 different occasions, with two hat tricks and five multigoal games. Although Suárez might come as a close second in the race, I anticipate Benteke to net more goals in the final push given that D.C. United cannot afford to rest him and instead must depend on him to clinch a playoff slot. — Becherano

Christian Benteke, D.C. United: The Belgian striker currently leads the league with 19 goals, giving him a two-goal advantage over his challengers. He’s also well-situated to keep adding to his total because D.C. United does such a good job getting him service. It’s not always pretty and it’s often uncomplicated, but giving it to Benteke is both an easy-to-execute tactic and one that the striker can turn into goals unlike anyone else in the league. — Rosenblatt

Christian Benteke, D.C. United: You don’t typically expect the Golden Boot winner to come from a fringe playoff team, but Benteke is out in front of the goal-scoring pack at this point in the season — and he doesn’t show signs of slowing. Outside of some Argentine guy down in South Florida, no player in MLS dictates the way his team plays more than Benteke. His aerial dominance gives D.C. United a much-needed release valve in the box, where the Belgian is no stranger to punishing opposing center backs. — Lowery

Luis Suárez, Inter Miami: Benteke currently leads the pack with 19 goals, and his form is fierce: he has scored five goals in D.C.’s past five regular-season games, including three in the four games since the season resumed. The Boot could be Benteke’s if he keeps the pace, but Bouanga, Chicho Arango and Suárez are at his heels with 17 goals apiece. With Messi finally back by his side to help facilitate, I have a feeling Suárez (who also has five goals in the past five games) might leapfrog to the front of the pack. — Swanick

Best new signing

Gabriel Pec, LA Galaxy: Pec might not steal the same headlines as other marquee signings this season, but he has been one of the more effective and proactive players for a Galaxy team that suddenly looks like a title contender in 2024. Often relying in the past on celebrity figures who in recent years couldn’t help their fortunes, the Galaxy’s new approach of adding in low-key but highly talented options such as Pec has helped rocket them up the standings. What’s perhaps most exciting about the energetic Brazilian winger with a growing list of goal contributions is that he’s still only 23. — Hernandez

Luis Suárez, Inter Miami: Most should have expected Suárez to dominate MLS when he joined Inter Miami ahead of the 2024 season. Despite health doubts, the Uruguayan forward took no time to adjust to the league and confidently began finding the back of the net. Years of chemistry with Messi in the final third has translated into 17 goals and six assists in 21 games this season. He’s on track to propel Miami to the Supporters’ Shield and a competitive MLS playoff campaign. — Becherano

Luis Suárez, Inter Miami: Too old? Not Suárez. The 37-year-old has been absolutely sensational in Miami this season to the tune of 17 goals and six assists. While Inter might have envisioned Suárez as a penalty box merchant and hunting tap-ins from Messi, it’s the work Suárez has done when Messi has been out that has really stood out. His impact has led Miami to the verge of the Supporters’ Shield. In fact, if Suárez did not miss five matches while away at Copa América, he’d probably be the MVP front-runner. — Rosenblatt

Luis Suárez, Inter Miami: Those who doubted Suárez after a couple of preseason games did so at their own peril. Since teaming up with the old Barcelona gang down in Miami over the offseason, Suárez has been a truly elite striker. His mixture of subtle, yet effective off-ball movement and brilliant distribution makes it impossible for opposing defenses to just focus on Messi, no matter how much they’d like to do just that. — Lowery

Luis Suárez, Inter Miami: Having Suárez by Messi’s side in the States (after years together at the top of the club game globally) has allowed both superstars to shine. And while injuries have come for the 37-year-old Uruguayan striker just as they have for his Argentine friend, his 21 games (of Miami’s 29 played) are seven more than Messi’s 14, giving the team another goal machine to rely on when Messi is out. Together, they’ve contributed nearly half (31) of Miami’s 67 goals; 17 of those are Suárez’s, making El Pistolero the team’s top scorer. — Swanick

Coach of the Year

Pablo Mastroeni, Real Salt Lake: Despite the fact the salary compensation of their entire team is less than that of just Messi’s and that Mastroeni needed to quickly adjust to a group of new assistant coaches, Real Salt Lake has found a way to step up as one of the more intriguing playoff candidates in the Western Conference. The team is far greater than the sum of its parts under Mastroeni, although it looks as if RSL has been running out of steam in recent weeks. — Hernandez

Wilfried Nancy, Columbus Crew: Under Nancy’s leadership this year, the Columbus Crew lifted the 2024 Leagues Cup, reached the Concacaf Champions Cup final, and currently sit in third place in the Eastern Conference table. Coaches often struggle to find a steady rhythm, but Nancy found a way to regularly compete while also balancing multiple competitions. He successfully navigated restrictive MLS roster rules, which various coaches in the league have used as an excuse, and tapped into the potential in each of his players to defeat the best across the Concacaf region. In a short period, Nancy shaped the Columbus Crew to have a distinctive style of play and threaten the strongest opponents. — Becherano

Gerardo Martino, Inter Miami: It’s easy to pick the coach of the league’s top team, and it’s not as if Martino is exactly short on talent, but that doesn’t mean he hasn’t done a phenomenal job. Messi has missed extended time, but he’s hardly alone. Inter have dealt with a litany of injuries and absences, and yet Martino has still managed to guide the team into first place. FC Cincinnati’s Pat Noonan has also expertly navigated tons of absences, and the Crew’s Nancy would be the choice if the award factored in all competitions, but Martino has stalked the sidelines best in MLS this season. — Rosenblatt

Wilfried Nancy, Columbus Crew: You can make a compelling argument for Martino, who has had to do a ton of minutes managing and on-the-fly rotation in 2024. However, Nancy deserves all of the love here. His team plays the most scintillating soccer in league history and they’ve been one of the absolute best teams in the regular season, even while balancing a run to the Concacaf Champions Cup final and a Leagues Cup win. For my money, Nancy is the best coach MLS has ever seen. — Lowery

Wilfried Nancy, Columbus Crew: Last year’s MLS Cup champions are this year’s Leagues Cup champions. They were also the last MLS team standing in this year’s Concacaf Champions Cup, losing to Pachuca in the final, after making history beating a Liga MX team (Tigres) on penalties in Mexico for the quarterfinal, then soundly beating Monterrey in the next round after falling behind in the first leg. Currently third in the Supporters’ Shield standings with a game in hand, the Crew will finish high in the Shield race, and will be contenders in the playoffs as well — all while playing some of the prettiest soccer in the league. — Swanick

Supporters’ Shield

Inter Miami: The Galaxy might make things interesting, LAFC could make a late push, and it wouldn’t be a shock if Columbus take off in the final days of the regular season, but the true answer is a very, very, very easy one: Miami. They’re on a superb run of form, and with Messi back in the picture, it would be foolish to bet against them. — Hernandez

Inter Miami: Inter Miami currently leads the Eastern Conference and Supporters’ Shield standings with 63 points in 29 games and remain on course to break the league’s record for most points in a season. The team’s success can be credited in part, to Messi and Suárez, who together boast 31 goals this season. But even when Suárez and Messi don’t play, Martino has found a way to make the team consistently competitive as academy products and new signings step up to each challenge. Inter Miami are 13-9-5 when Messi does not play, but 18-4-8 when he does across all competitions. — Becherano

Inter Miami: Inter has an eight-point lead and a match in hand in the race for the Shield. That alone would make it the clear favorite, but the team is also scalding hot with nine wins in its past 10 matches. Oh and that Messi fellow? He’s back from injury. Toss in a soft closing schedule with only one more game against a team in the league’s top 10 and you can just about ship the Shield to Miami now. — Rosenblatt

Inter Miami: Inter Miami have had three fingers on the Supporters’ Shield for weeks now. When all is said and done, it will claim the title as the best regular-season team in MLS this year, but it won’t stop there. Miami will win the Shield and then it will break the MLS single-season points record (73) set by the New England Revolution in 2021. — Lowery

Inter Miami: With five games left to play, it seems nearly certain the star-studded squad in South Florida will take the Supporters’ Shield. The Herons were the first to clinch a playoff spot this year, beating their current closest contender (FC Cincinnati) 2-0 to make history as the fourth MLS team in history to snag a playoff position within 26 games of a 34-game season. With 63 points and an eight-point lead, Miami is cruising toward not only the Shield but the MLS record for number of points in a season. — Swanick