"Messi is going to have to earn it" - Pundit believes Lionel Messi is not the clear favorite to win MLS MVP award this season
Pundit Matt Doyle doesn't believe Inter Miami superstar Lionel Messi is the clear favorite to win this season's MLS MVP award. The Argentine superstar has arguably been the most exciting player in the United States since his move from Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) a year ago. However, the pundit has marked another contender for the award.
Doyle has picked Real Salt Lake forward Cristian Arango as the player who should win the award, thanks to his brilliance in the final third. Notably, the Colombian has scored an impressive 16 goals and provided four assists in just 17 MLS games this season, and Doyle believes Messi will need to catch up.
The pundit told MLS Extratime after the 29-year-old striker scored from the halfway line against Austin on Saturday, June 1 (via Inter Miami News):
“It was awesome, this was a ‘I’m actually in the MVP race’ performance from Arango, we just can’t give it to Messi, Messi is going to have to earn it.”
Lionel Messi has not had a bad season either. The legendary 36-year-old playmaker has scored 12 goals in 12 games while providing nine assists in MLS, which will certainly make him a rather strong contender for the award.
Pundit says it is "time to worry a bit" for Inter Miami, as Lionel Messi jets off for Copa America
Lionel Messi will not be available for Inter Miami's next set of games, as he is set to partake in the Copa America with his home country Argentina. Now, the club's position at the top of the Supporters' Shield is at risk with their talisman no longer with them.
It also doesn't help that they have struggled to keep defensive solidity, as Matt Doyle warned in his column for the MLS' official website. The pundit said (via Inter Miami News):
“When they actually get the ball to their attackers, they string together some of the prettiest sequences in the league and score goals for fun – 42 in 18 games puts them on pace for one of the highest-scoring seasons in MLS history."
“But their center-backs (especially with Nico Freire out for the year) are too hit-and-miss with their distribution; their structure before they get into attack is wildly aggressive and forces those center-backs to defend on an island (which they do relatively well, given the degree of difficulty); and they are always vulnerable in the air."
He went on to ominously add:
“They are both good and bad in eye-catching ways. In a vacuum that’d be fine, but given they haven’t really improved the bad parts since the start of the season, it’s probably time to worry a bit.”
Lionel Messi will be hoping that they can maintain their pole position until he returns from Copa America, potentially with another international trophy.