Lionel Messi made an impressive impact in his debut season with Inter Miami, earning him a spot as a finalist of the MLS Newcomer of the Year. This award is primarily bestowed for the experienced player who makes MLS regular season debut during the same year. However, a USMNT veteran was not convinced about including La Pulga in the final roster and expressed strong displeasure with this choice.

Messi played fielded in just 6 games, netting a single goal with two assists in the entire MLS regular season. The Argentine failed to emulate his illustrious performances in other competitions in the league. Yet, the Herons’ players, club officials, and media members voted in favor of La Pulga for this prestigious award, which raised eyebrows among soccer fans and pundits.

Is Lionel Messi best suited for MLS Newcomer of the Year shortlist?

Herculez Gomez criticized Lionel Messi’s inclusion as a finalist of the newcomer award, citing his limited playing time and underwhelming performance in the regular season. The 41-year-old legend emphasized that both the media and the league took this as a ‘marketing ploy’ to grab global attention in this award category. Consequently, MLS didn’t carefully asses the eligibility before including Messi in the Newcomer of the Year shortlist. Lionel Messi scored 11 goals in 13 games for the Herons, helping them secure their first-ever Leagues Cup. However, Gomez highlighted that the glory of any competition other than the MLS regular season does not contribute to getting inducted into the newcomer award.

On this note, the LA Galaxy legend fumed, “What are we doing? We are doing everything that people hate about Major League Soccer is on display here. We don’t care about this marketing ploy. We don’t care about trying to use Messi, that’s what you’re trying to do. You’re trying to use Messi.”

Gomez continued, “The worst thing isn’t that the club would do it, isn’t the league would do it. There are people out there, actual press with credentials, who write about the game, who follow the game. Who have voted for him as a finalist? It is just disappointing.”

However, MLS has a different perspective on the Most Valuable Player award nominees. They have announced the contenders for this award who fairly align with the expectations of soccer enthusiasts.

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La Pulga missed out on the league’s MVP award

The Barca star was one of the 30 players nominated in the Landon Donovan MLS MVP honor. Messi stepped up for the Herons in this debut season but was limited to just two full regular season games due to injury concerns and in the latter half of the fixture. As a result, it was difficult for the world champion to face the challenge of securing a spot on the final MVP award shortlist.

Thus, Luciano Acosta, Thiago Almada, and Denis Buanga are the nominees for the Most Valuable Player award. Messi can still add an individual honor on this debut season following his nomination for the MLS Newcomer of the Year award. Do you believe Lionel Messi deserves the position in the newcomer award? Comment and let us know.

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