Lucho Acosta is 2023 MLS MVP! Argentine sensation - who aspires to represent USMNT - collects award after stellar campaign for FC Cincinnati

MLS announced on Monday that Acosta, who racked up 17 goals and 14 assists during the regular season, was selected as the best player of the 2023 season. Receiving 60.37percent of the votes, the Argentine was the clear front-runner from the start. The voting is made up of three equal parts, between current active players in the league, selected media members and Front office/Technical staff of the respective teams.

On top of his 31 goal contributions in 2023, Acosta was a 2x MLS Player of the Month and Matchday. He had 10 games with 2+ goals or assists - the most in MLS - and is the sixth player in league history to record three or more seasons with at least 10 goals and 10 assists.

Acosta led FC Cincinnati to their first-ever MLS Supporters' Shield in 2023, as well as a semifinal appearance in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. They qualified for the 2024 Concacaf Champions Cup and earned the No. 1 overall seed in the 2023 MLS playoffs, too. For the Argentine, though, his goals and aspirations extend beyond just MLS - he is working on a path towards U.S. Citizenship, with hopes of representing the USMNT on the international stage. However, in the meantime, his primary focus is all-in on the playoffs after helping see the Orange and Blue through to the Eastern Conference finals.

It's a date with the Columbus Crew, for a chance to play in MLS Cup. It's an Ohio affair and the Hell is Real derby will take center-stage in the Eastern Conference finals on December 2. The victor advances to play the winner of the Western Conference final between LAFC and Seattle Sounders.