MLS Player Rankings: Keane Earns Top Spot After 2nd Straight Hat-Trick
During the early parts of the season, the title of Most Valuable Player front-runner belonged to only Sebastian Giovinco.
But in the span of two weeks, reigning MVP Robbie Keane has had his say in the discussion. The Republic of Ireland international, who sat out a good amount of the first half of 2015 with an injury, is finding his form in front of goal at the perfect time for the LA Galaxy.
Due to Keane's six goals in two matches, he took over the top spot of the MLS Player Rankings, which Giovinco has owned four times this season.
Continue reading to see who ended up behind Keane and Giovinco on our list of the league's top 20 players after Week 20.
On the Way out
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A pair of rough attacking performances and a bad defensive outing against one of the league's best attacks cost three players their respective spots in the top 20.
Players Dropped Out of Rankings
Cristian Maidana (Philadelphia Union; Previous Ranking: 16)
Matias Perez Garcia (San Jose Earthquakes; 17)
Steve Birnbaum (D.C. United; 19)
20. Ignacio Piatti, AM, Montreal Impact
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Previous Ranking: Not Ranked
Despite falling to Sporting Kansas City on Saturday, the Montreal Impact still received a solid showing from Ignacio Piatti.
In the 59th minute of the 2-1 defeat, Piatti scored the lone Impact goal after he jetted past Kevin Ellis on the left side of the pitch. The strike was the third in four games for the 30-year-old.
Since starting his scoring streak June 27 against Philadelphia, Piatti has moved his season totals up to six goals and four assists.
19. Soni Mustivar, CM, Sporting Kansas City
3 of 21
Previous Ranking: 20
One week after earning 19 interceptions in a single game, Soni Mustivar made 11 against the Impact on Saturday night at Sporting Park.
The 25-year-old was a constant nuisance to the Impact attack, which only fired two shots on target. Mustivar also earned three tackles and two clearances.
Mustivar, who has starred in the middle of the park over the last few weeks, gained more competition at the position on Monday after Amobi Okugo was acquired from Orlando City in exchange for Servando Carrasco.
18. Diego Valeri, AM, Portland Timbers
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Previous Ranking: Not Ranked
Diego Valeri put in an impressive 90-minute shift on Saturday in Portland's 1-1 home draw with Vancouver.
The Argentinian designated player scored the lone Timbers goal and handed out three key passes in the contest at Providence Park. Valeri also led Portland in touches with 66.
In Portland's last four matches, Valeri has one goal and two assists to his name.
17. Javier Morales, CAM, Real Salt Lake
5 of 21
Previous Ranking: Not Ranked
Javier Morales celebrated his 200th-career appearance in MLS with a beautiful bit of attacking class in the 36th minute of Real Salt Lake's win over Houston.
Morales rocketed a shot into the right side of the net from just outside the box with his right foot to put the Claret and Cobalt ahead at Rio Tinto Stadium. He also picked up an assist on Joao Plata's first goal of the season in the 65th minute.
The 35-year-old, who hasn't aged one bit during his time in MLS, recorded six key passes and 93 touches in the victory.
16. Kaka, AM, Orlando City
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Previous Ranking: 18
Kaka took a back seat to the Carlos Rivas show on Saturday as Orlando City tried to claw back from a two-goal deficit down a man against the Red Bulls.
The Brazilian superstar did not put a single shot on goal, but he did make two key passes in the 2-0 defeat at the Citrus Bowl.
The scorer of nine goals in 2015 will face plenty of star-studded opponents in Week 21 as the Lions travel to Yankee Stadium to play New York City FC.
15. Sebastian Jaime, FW, Real Salt Lake
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Previous Ranking: 14
Sebastian Jaime sat out Week 19 due to a red card earned one week ago in the loss to Colorado.
When he returns to the Real Salt Lake lineup in Week 21 against Sporting KC, Jaime will have more pressure on his shoulders as the main target forward in the squad.
Due to Jaime's recent output and the needs of the club, Alvaro Saborio was sent to D.C. United in a trade last week that brought Luis Silva to Utah.
14. Bradley Wright-Phillips, FW, New York Red Bulls
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Previous Ranking: 15
After contributing a goal or an assist in his last three games, Bradley Wright-Phillips did not add anything to the Red Bulls' cause on Saturday.
Even though the star forward did not produce a goal, the Red Bulls still left the Citrus Bowl with a big road win thanks to strikes from Dax McCarty and Sacha Kljestan.
Wright-Phillips will look to get back on the board on Tuesday afternoon in the U.S. Open Cup quarterfinal clash with Philadelphia.
13. Laurent Ciman, CB, Montreal Impact
9 of 21
Previous Ranking: 11
In Montreal's loss to Sporting KC, Laurent Ciman had an average night against one of the hottest sides in MLS.
Ciman made four tackles and four clearances, but he was unable to silence the electric Sporting KC attack led by English forward Dom Dwyer.
Through 16 matches this season, Ciman is averaging 6.7 clearances and 4.6 interceptions per match.
12. Matt Miazga, CB, New York Red Bulls
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Previous Ranking: 12
With every impressive performance at the back for the Red Bulls, Matt Miazga's international stock rises.
The United States U20 international was an absolute force at center back on the turf against Orlando City on Saturday night. The 20-year-old recorded 14 clearances and won a pair of aerial battles in the 2-0 win.
If he continues to thrive over the next month or two for the Red Bulls, Miazga may be an option in defense for the United States' September friendlies against Peru and Brazil.
11. Juninho, CM, LA Galaxy
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Previous Ranking: 13
Thanks to Keane's ridiculous form and the additions of Steven Gerrard and Sebastian Lletget, Juninho's job has gotten easier in the middle of the LA Galaxy midfield.
Playing with a relaxed sense of confidence, the Brazilian has helped the Galaxy climb to second place in the Western Conference standings on 34 points.
In the 5-2 win over San Jose on Friday night, the 26-year-old led the Galaxy in touches with 82 and completed 86.1 percent of his 72 passes.
10. Krisztian Nemeth, FW, Sporting Kansas City
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Previous Ranking: 6
Krisztian Nemeth's drop of four positions may seem a bit harsh since he picked up an assist on Saturday, but a few other attackers outshined the Hungarian in Week 20.
As for his individual performance, Nemeth added a key pass to his fourth assist of the season, which came in the fourth minute on Benny Feilhaber's opener.
All four of Nemeth's assists have come in the last two months, including one in each of Sporting KC's last two contests.
9. Sebastian Lletget, LM, LA Galaxy
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Previous Ranking: 9
Keane may be receiving all the attention for scoring right now, but it is worth keeping an eye on the run Lletget has put together for Bruce Arena's side.
In the 91st minute of LA's California Clasico win over San Jose, the 22-year-old tallied his fifth strike in six matches for the surging Galaxy.
Lletget will get a chance to further extend his form on Saturday, when the Galaxy visit Houston.
8. Fabian Castillo, LM, FC Dallas
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Previous Ranking: 7
It seems unfair to put Fabian Castillo this low on the list given his recent form, but there have been seven players better than him recently.
The dynamic Colombian scored his eighth goal of 2015 in the 91st minute of FC Dallas' 2-1 win over D.C. United on Saturday night. In the win, Castillo had three shots on target and a trio of key passes.
The 23-year-old is currently averaging 2.8 shots on goal and 1.1 key passes per match.
7. David Villa, FW, New York City FC
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Previous Ranking: 2
David Villa was shut out in almost every offensive-stat category by the New England defense on Saturday night at Gillette Stadium.
The owner of 10 goals in 2015 did not take a shot, which means he also didn't put any on goal. The only category in which the Spaniard mildly impressed was key passes as he had two.
6. Mauro Diaz, AM, FC Dallas
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Previous Ranking: 10
Everywhere you turned on Saturday night, Mauro Diaz was wreaking havoc on the D.C. United back four.
Diaz made 75 touches, dished out four key passes and contributed six shots to the FC Dallas attack in the 2-1 victory at Toyota Stadium.
Although his spectacular individual effort deserved a goal, the 24-year-old was unable to net his fifth strike of the year.
5. Ethan Finlay, RM, Columbus Crew
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Previous Ranking: 4
In two games against the Chicago Fire in Week 20, Ethan Finlay picked up a goal and an assist for the Crew.
He handed out his 11th assist of the season in Wednesday's 1-0 win over Chicago at Toyota Park. In the 83rd minute of Sunday's 3-1 win, Finlay finished from close range to move his goal total to six.
Finlay, who has recorded either a goal or an assist in six of his last seven matches, will try and add to his tally in Week 21 against Toronto.
4. Benny Feilhaber, CM, Sporting Kansas City
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Previous Ranking: 5
Feilhaber produced the same numbers as Finlay in Week 20, but he did it in one game.
The United States international scored his sixth goal of the year in the fourth minute of Sporting KC's win over Montreal. In the 34th minute, Feilhaber delivered a superb assist to the feet of Dom Dwyer to hand the hosts a two-goal advantage.
On top of his offensive contributions to the Sporting KC attack, Feilhaber is averaging 2.9 tackles and 1.4 interceptions per match.
3. Kei Kamara, FW, Columbus Crew
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Previous Ranking: 3
Kei Kamara added a pair of goals to his Golden Boot lead in two wins over the Fire in Week 20.
The Sierra Leone international scored the lone goal of Wednesday's match at Toyota Park in the 41st minute on a powerful header from the left side of the box. Kamara did more damage in the air on Sunday, as he rose above a slew of players in the box to knock in a 17th-minute goal.
Thanks to his pair of strikes in Week 20, Kamara's lead atop the Golden Boot standings is now two over Giovinco.
2. Sebastian Giovinco, FW, Toronto FC
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Previous Ranking: 1
Giovinco played a role in both of Toronto FC's strikes in the 2-1 home win over Philadelphia on Saturday.
On the opening goal, Giovinco used superb control in a tight space to feed Marky Delgado in the middle of the box. In the 32nd minute, the Italian outhustled three Philadelphia defenders to a rebound to put the Reds ahead by two.
Of the 28 goals scored by Greg Vanney's side, Giovinco has contributed to 21 of them with 12 goals and nine assists.
1. Robbie Keane, FW, LA Galaxy
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Previous Ranking: 8
The only player hotter than Giovinco in MLS is Keane.
The Irishman netted his seventh, eighth and ninth goals of the season in the Galaxy's 5-2 rout over the Earthquakes at StubHub Center on Friday night.
Two of the three goals scored by Keane came from the spot, while he also knocked in a Gerrard cross in the 64th minute to put LA ahead for good.
On top of his two consecutive hat-tricks, Keane contributed to three Galaxy goals on June 24 against the Timbers. Because of his impressive output, Keane now has nine goals and four assists in 2015.
Joe Tansey covers MLS for Bleacher Report. You can follow him on Twitter, @JTansey90.
All statistics obtained from MLSSoccer.com and WhoScored.com.
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