Thiago Almada Headlines 2023 MLS MVP Finalists; Lionel Messi Not Included

MLS announced its three Most Valuable Player finalists for the 2023 season on Thursday.

Atlanta United midfielder Thiago Almada, Los Angeles FC forward Dénis Bouanga and FC Cincinnati midfielder Luciano Acosta are the last three standing in the race for the coveted award.

Almada finished as the league leader in assists (19) and added 11 goals. He helped to power one of the most effective attacks as Atlanta's 66 team goals were second only to the Columbus Crew.

The club set an MLS record that still stands when it sold Miguel Almirón to Newcastle in 2019 for $27 million. Should Almada pursue a new opportunity in Europe, he promises to net Atlanta United a significant windfall, one that could surpass the Almirón deal.

Bouanga, who signed with LAFC in August 2022, made the most of his first full season in the United States. He claimed the MLS Golden Boot for 2023 after scoring a league-high 20 goals. Per FBref, his 0.71 goals per 90 minutes were his best ever in a domestic league season.

Acosta, who was listed in the MLS Best XI in 2018 and 2022, is arguably the MVP favorite, though. The 29-year-old had more goal contributions (31) than any other player between his 17 goals and 14 assists.

In April, Cincinnati sold forward Brenner Souza da Silva to Udinese in Serie A for a club-record fee. That could've been a tough blow considering Brenner's 18 goals were tied for the team lead in 2022.

Instead, FC Cincinnati was the Supporters' Shield winner after earning 69 points, and a lot of that was down to the performance of Acosta. He was brilliant from start to finish in the regular season.

As expected, Inter Miami star Lionel Messi missed the cut despite making his presence immediately felt in the U.S. He may have helped the club win the Leagues Cup and finish runner-up in the U.S. Open Cup, but he only logged six appearances in MLS games with one goal and two assists.

That didn't stop Messi from earning an MVP nomination.