Dark horses like NYCFC and Colorado Rapids have emerged with statement wins and individual performances to keep an eye on come the playoffs that may shock many. One of the biggest questions now going down the stretch run in MLS is who the candidates for the Landon Donovan award at season’s end are.

These top 5 candidates have all made a case to be considered for the top individual prize in all of MLS. What we have considered is contributions from goals, assists, leadership and team standing. Here are the top 5 candidates to win the MLS regular season MVP award.

Raúl Ruidíaz

Seattle’s Raúl Ruidíaz is having one of the best individual seasons for a player in a long time, consider the scenario, Jordan Morris and Nicolás Lodeiro out injured for much of the season someone has to step up, and the Peruvian has. Ruidíaz leads the league in goals, 14, but besides clutch goals, it has been leadership that makes him one of the biggest reasons the Sounders are atop of the west without two key players. Ruidíaz did what a DP is supposed to do… step up.

Valentín Castellanos

NYCFC is a dark horse, winning games against big time opponents, the latest against New England where Valentín Castellanos scored two goals and is having a career year. It’s a team effort for NYCFC but Castellanos has stood out considerably and is coming into his own. Taty will be key come playoff time and has shown he can be a star in MLS, it also marked a year where Castellanos was called into the Argentine U23 squads.

Carles Gil

One of the best midfielders in MLS, Carles Gil is the leagues assist leader and by a mile, his 15 assists are only second by 5 players who are on 8. Gil is the string puller for the Revs two power forwards Bou and Buksa. Once again Bruce Arena has a magic triangle with Gil playing the role of Marco Etcheverry to perfection.

Dániel Sallói

Out of nowhere Dániel Sallói is on an MVP season, already an All-Star and a league leader in goals and assists the Hungarian striker has been pivotal for Sporting KC. He may not be the biggest name on the list, but Sallói has done it all this season for Sporting KC and is on a career year.

Hany Mukhtar

Someone needs to take credit for Nashville SC’s unexpected third place 2021 MLS season. German Hany Mukhtar is tied at second as the leagues assist leader and has 8 goals this season. Mukhtar pulls the strings for a team that has only lost 2 games the whole season and when in doubt Nashville SC gets draws, in a league where earning points is key, Nashville are sitting pretty with an MVP caliber player, and a stingy defense.

While we won’t cover each team individually, we will review some of the bigger stories of the league as well as highlight some players or clubs that are not being talked about as much. This season we saw the Seattle Sounders set a record for longest unbeaten run at 13 games and on the other side of the coin Atlanta United and the San Jose Earthquakes went winless in 11 matches.

The comeback story of Chicharito Hernandez to the coming out party for Ricardo Pepi have been some of the feel-good stories so far. While the firing of Gabriel Heinze and the mess that is Inter Miami has left fans and pundits with their mouths open.With a half season still left to go, MLS will surely provide a lot to talk about after the All-Star break. For now, let’s enjoy some of the best stories and highlights of the 2021 MLS season so far.

The rise of Chicharito

Fans in Los Angeles were scratching their heads when Javier Hernández could only score 2 goals in 12 games last season. After an offseason of soul searching and a coaching change Chicharito found his scoring touch in MLS. 10 goals in 10 games, and while he has gone down with injury no one can question that Chicharito is the rainbow of a rather bland Los Angeles Galaxy team.

The fall of Gabriel Heinze and Atlanta United

Local media in Atlanta said it best, Gabriel Heinze’s time as coach of Atlanta United was so quick that the media never saw him in person. For all the reports and the “sources”, Heinze did not fit in, but had the Atlanta United brass done their homework they would have known that. You don’t ask a guy who spent his career avoiding the media to be the “face” of the club. On the field, Atlanta United did little to justify not firing Heinze winning only two games for the Argentine manager.

Inexplicably the club is still trying to make high price signings that will almost certainly shackle the next coach that comes in. While Atlanta United boasts that they spend the money, they are a club with a lot of expensive deadweight.

The Revolution in New England

An old dog doing with the same trick, Bruce Arena has built a winner in New England. The Revolution have done everything they were criticized for not doing before the arrival of Bruce Arena. Carlos Gil, Gustavo Bou, and Adam Buksa could be the best three DPs in all of MLS considering their production and work rate. As always Bruce is building a great team off of a great triangle offense, and as usual American players are blossoming with Arena, Matt Polster, Matt Turner, and Brandon Bye are a few examples. Anyone watching the Revs knows that the team is an MLS Cup candidate.

The Matías Almeyda experiment

While Matías Almeyda has won the hearts of many, his life philosophy, his approach to the game, and his charisma make him a great person to showcase on social media. And that has been pretty much it for Matías Almeyda in MLS, he is a great story. His team…. a nightmare, 11th in the West, San Jose fans have grown tired of seeing their team eek out wins and watch from afar how other teams are playoff bound. While not all Almeyda’s fault, the firing of Jesse Fioranelli is the first sign that the Argentine’s experiment is coming to an end.

The unbeatable Sounders

The Revs have competition for the MLS Cup and they’re in Seattle. The Sounders have been special this season and all while doing it without Nicolás Lodeiro and Jordan Morris. Kudos to Raúl Ruidíaz for showing that a DP steps up, the leading scorer of the league, at the time of this writing, has proven 10-fold that Gareca made a huge mistake not taking him to the Copa America.

Los Angeles weak club

LAFC has gone down the pecking order of the best clubs in MLS and this season the team has looked well, stale. Much more should be expected by a team that is still largely the same group of players that broke the MLS record for points in aseason. Bob Bradley has the team in the playoffs, yes, but 1 game above .500 is that really the measuring stick? Yeah, Vela has been good but Rossi not so much, and to be honest the team has been largely disappointing and are in the clear mostly for the forgiving league MLS can be to some. What to do with Brian Rodríguez seems like a question Bradley will need to answer quickly although help is on the way in forward Cristian Arango.

A dark horse in NYCFC

Statement game after statement game is all NYCFC has done this season with big wins against the Crew and Orlando City. Firmly in third in the East after an inconsistent start the club is on a three-game winning streak and is playing some of the most attractive soccer in the league. NYCFC of 2021 could be the team to finally end the New York champion drought in MLS.

Ricardo Pepi

Ricardo Pepi has been one of the best young players to watch this whole season with strong performances for an otherwise lackluster FC Dallas side. Subject to strong transfer rumors, Pepi might not be in MLS for long so watch him!

In the dumps

Inter Miami has just been a rollercoaster ride of bad play, bad decisions, and weak performances. The worst team in MLS with only 12 points, they’re off the field fiascos are jaw dropping, recently loaning a $9 million signing for free in Matías Pellegrini. For all the crap he gets, Gonzalo Higuaín has 7 goals on the year and is the best player on the worst team this league has seen in a long time.

Kudos to the Crew and Austin FC

Three words: Beautiful Soccer Stadiums! The Crew joins the club of being the only MLS team to play in two stadiums built for them and Austin’s Q2 Stadium is one of the nicest in the whole league, and a worthy atmosphere! Not to be left out isTQL Stadium of FC Cincinnati all great venues for Soccer in the U.S.

Honorable mentions

Orlando City and Minnesota United are teams to look out for down the stretch, both teams have shown that they can play good soccer and get wins. The Colorado Rapids quietly are in the top spots in the West while Nashville SC have only lost 1 game this whole season.

* Odds via DraftKings

The race for theMLStitle has just started and four teams havea realistic chance of winning the title.Considering the fact that this season is unlike many others, some teams could have dips in form and others might use that in their favorto be in the top spots in the USA/Canadatop flight.

As things stand, LAFC are the current favorites to lift theMLS Cup title. Behind them are the Columbus Crew, with Seattle Sounders and Toronto FC lurking from behind.This has made it extremely difficult for the oddsmakers to pinpoint which team will take the title.

The other title race that is heating up is one for the leading goalscorer, where even five players have a chance to claim the prize. Carlos Vela, Josef Martinez, Raul Ruidiaz, Diego Rossi, and Gonzalo Higuain areDraftKings’ foremost picks to win the scoring title in the Major Soccer League. Each has a case for themselves and with a lot to play for each one could end up becoming the top goalscorer. Here are the top 5picks to become theMLS 2021 top goalscorer.

Carlos Velato become theMLStop goalscorer

Carlos Vela missed a great part of the 2020 season due to a ligament injury. Eventually, hemade barely seven appearances in the league. During those seven games, he scored four times. Overall, his stats in the MLS are out of this world. The Mexican striker has netted 62goals in 81 games for theLos Angeles FC.

Josef Martinezto become theMLStop goalscorer

Aswell as Carlos Vela,Atlanta starJosef Martinez also missed almost the entire 2020 MLS season. He managed to make one rareappearance in the final game of the term, failing to find the net. In the time spent at Atlanta United from 2017 to this day, Martinez has scored a total of 90 goals in 106 matches.

Raul Ruidiazto become theMLStop goalscorer

Ruidiaz appeared in 22 MLSgames for theSounders FC last season, including the MLS Is Back tournament and the MLS Playoffs. The Peru forward scored a total of 14 goals in 2020. For the Seattle side, he has written his name on the scoresheet 44 times on 67 occasions.

Diego Rossito become theMLStop goalscorer

LAFC star Diego Rossi took the pitch 21 times last campaign, scoring 18 total MLS goals, including his goals in the MLS Is Back tournament. In 102 total appearances for the Los Angeles club, Rossi has scored a total of 53 goals so far.

Gonzalo Higuainto become theMLStop goalscorer

The new MLS star,Gonzalo Higuain appeared in nine games for David Beckham’s club, Inter Miami in 2020. In only one of them, he succeeded to beat the rival’s goalkeeper. Much is expected ofMiami’sbiggest signing so far in the 2021 season.

Keep up with all the MLS news and sports betting news around the United States and the world right here at Bolavip!

The new MLS season is set to kick off in April, all 27 teams are in preseason mode and the oddsmakers at DraftKings have already listed who has the best chance of winning MLS Cup at season’s end. Now the sports betting platform has put out the odds on who has the most chances to win the scoring title!

There were some eye raising snubs from the top five, most notable is Argentine forward Gonzalo Higuaín (+900). El Pipa is the league’s highest paid player, but Inter Miami have been dreadful, with a coaching change, Inter has not signed any notable player to suggest that Higuaín will end up the scoring champion. Javier Hernández, who had a very subpar year with the Galaxy is paying out +1800 if he ends up the scoring champion, if the Galaxy could get hot and Chicharito can get going he could be a surprise pick.

Here are the 5 top candidates, according to DraftKings, who could win the MLS scoring title, the usual suspects of Diego Rossi, Carlos Vela, and Josef Martinez made the list and with some decent odds to choose from.

Carlos Vela to win MLS Scoring Title

Mexican Superstar, Carlos Vela is hoping to get back on track after a down 2020. The Mexican forward has scored 52 goals in 66 games. Last year he was only able to play 7 games and still scored 4 goals. At +250, Vela looks like a safe pick to win the Golden Boot.

Diego Rossi to win MLS Scoring Title

Vela’s teammate, Uruguayan Diego Rossi, is last year’s golden boot winner. With 14 goals in 19 games in 2020, Rossi has improved year after year. At +300, Rossi is another solid pick for the scoring title, but his production won’t be an issue, the key to picking Rossi is that with all the European interest will he play out the season?

Raúl Ruidíaz to win MLS Scoring Title

Raúl Ruidíaz is long overdue for his golden boot season, the Peruvian international has improved in all three of his MLS seasons with 2020 being his most productive year. At +400 Ruidíaz could be a dark horse for the scoring champion. The question is this, will the Sounders start slow again or can they come out the gate at full force to help Raúl Ruidíaz get those essential first game goals that go a long way at the end of the season?

Josef Martinez to win MLS Scoring Title

Okay, the oddsmakers at DraftKings did their statistical homework but after being out of action for 1 year will the Venezuelan goal machine come back and produce a Golden Boot season? This looks unlikely, Martinez will score goals, but he will be brought along slowly. At +500 we say it looks tempting to put it on Josef, but can he really score 20 goals or more after a year layoff?

Kacper Przybyłko to win MLS Scoring Title

The Polish forward from the Philadelphia Union could be ready to produce a golden boot season, Kacper Przybyłko has scored 23 goals in 49 games for the Doop. With 15 goals last season this team built on youth could be a dark horse to win the golden boot and MLS Cup. At +600, the odds look good for the Polish target man to have a big season.

Keep up with all the latest MLS trending news and Sports Betting tips right here at Bolavip!

At the moment there are 67DPs in MLS playing for various clubs this season. In 2019, the average MLS player salary was $345,867 yearly, on thislist, we will see that some DP’s are making up to 5-times the average salary.Every year the MLS Players Union reveals each team’s salary budget for the year, and fans get an insight as to how much their club is spending.

While Major League Soccercontinues to grow, so has team spending, and slowly MLSsalaries on average have become more competitive with those of top European leagues.Here are the top highest-paid players in MLS!

20. Valeri “Vako” Qazaishvili, San Jose Earthquakes – $1.47 million

Vako, as he is known in San Jose, has been with the club since 2017, Valeri Qazaishvili has been with them through some tough times and is a pivotal part of their resurgence under Mathias Almeyda. The midfielder is deadly with his passing and he is one of San Jose’s attacking options. Vako’s contract was not picked up by San Jose and it looks like 2020 was his last year in MLS.

19. Alan Pulido, Sporting KC – $2 million

Alan Pulido signed with Sporting KC for a club-record $9.5 million transfer fee. Pulido has lived up to his high price tag as he scored 6 goals in 12 games for the club in the 2020 season.While not official it is reported that the Mexican international earns an estimated $2 million per year.

18.Albert Rusnak, Real Salt Lake – $2million

Albert Rusnak signed with Real Salt Lake in 2017 and has been the team’s midfield brain since then. He has been one of the best players for RSL and has had two consecutive 10 goal seasons. He has played a total of 101 regular season games and has scored 30 goals.

17.Maxi Moralez, NYCFC – $2 million

The little man from Argentina,Maxi Moralez has been the key to so many NYCFC goals since he arrived in 2017. In 2020, Moralezscored 1 goal in 13games, in total he has played 103 games and scored 21 goals. The midfielder is a fan favorite and MLS All-Star.

16.Raul Ruidiaz, Seattle Sounders FC – $2 million

Raul Ruidiaz has been nothing short than a blockbuster signing for the Seattle Sounders. He has an excellent partnership withNicolás Lodeiro. He has, an almost, 1 goal per 2 game ratio for the club.Ruidiaz was a pivotal part of the Sounders 2019 MLS Cup.

15.Jonathan dos Santos, LA Galaxy – $2 million

Jonathan dos Santos came as a complement for this brother Gio dos Santos, whileJonathan dos Santos has played fairly well for the LA Galaxy, when you think of the Galaxy and DP’s he is hardly what you would consider the top of the class.

14.Carles Gil, New England Revolution – $2.3 million

The Spanish international signed for the Revs in 2019 and has been an instant success. Carles Gil has 10 goals in 40 games for the Revs and was namedMLS newcomer of the year and the Supporters player of the year in 2019.

13. Gustavo Bou, New England Revolution – $2.4 million

Gustavo Bou signed with the Revolution in 2019 from Tijuana in Mexico. In his debut game, Bou scored an impressive volley in a 4–0 win over the Vancouver Whitecaps. He has been a consistent goal scorer and one of the Revolution’s top players since signing with the club.

12. Diego Valeri, Portland Timbers – $2.41 million

Diego Valeri is one of the best MLS players of all time. He has entered the MLS’ exclusive 80/80 club having scored 80 goals and 80 assists for the Portland Timbers. Valeri has played over 200 games for the club since arriving in 2013.

11. Nani, Orlando City – $2.48 million

Nani joined Orlando City in 2019 and has been a consistent contributor for the team since his arrival. The team captain, the Orlando attack is built around the talented Portuguese midfielder. Nani has had a sensational 2020 season, scoring highlight-reel goals and taking Orlando City to their first playoff appearance.

10. Nicolás Lodeiro, Seattle Sounders – $2.5 million

Nicolás Lodeiro might possibly be one of the greatest Sounders players ever. Arriving from Argentine power Boca Juniors in 2016 he has been the string-puller of the Sounders midfield. Since the Uruguayan’sarrival, the club has won 2 MLS Cups and he has played over 100 games.

9. Sebastián Blanco, Portland Timbers – $2.85 million

Sebastián Blanco arrived in Portland in 2017 and has been one the Timbers most consistent performers. In 2020, he was having a breakout year until he went down with an ACL, the Argentine was an early 2020 MVP candidate. Blancowas the MLS is Back player of the tournament.

8. Josef Martínez, Atlanta United – $3.05 million

One of the most lethal goal scorers in MLS, Josef Martinez has been nothing but goals for Atlanta United. He has 77 goals in 84 games. LETHAL! Despite his injuries, few players find the back of the net like Martinez. Josef Martinezscored 19 goals in 2017, 31 in 2018, and 27 in 2019.

7. Alejandro Pozuelo, Toronto FC – $3.8 million

Alejandro Pozuelo is the midfield brain of Toronto FC. He arrived in 2019 as a replacement for the recently departed Sebastian Giovinco and Víctor Vázquez in the creative midfield role. Pozuelo has 21 goals, 22 assists in 53 games for TFC.

6. Rodolfo Pizarro, Inter Miami – $4.9 million

The Mexican international is reported to be on Inter Miami’s books for $4.9 million. Rodolfo Pizarro had a decent first season for Miami scoring 4 goals in 19 appearances. He continues to play for the Mexican national team and slowly became one of Inter Miami’s better players as the season progressed.

5. Carlos Vela, LAFC – $6.3 million

Carlos Vela is considered by many to be the best player in MLS. He has been nothing but class since his arrival in 2018 to LAFC. In his secondseason, Vela set the record for most goals scored in a single season by scoring 34 goals. He did not play in the MLS is Back tournament to stay with his wife.

4. Jozy Altidore, Toronto FC – $6.33 million

Many might be shocked to see Jozy Altidore so high up on this list, but in 2015 MLS wanted to bring home some of the 2014 World Cup heroes and Altidore was up to a return, especially considering he scored only 1 goal in 42 outings in the EPL. Altidore has been making this salary roughly since 2015!

3. Michael Bradley, Toronto FC – $6.5 million

Michael Bradley is one of the U.S. Men’s National Team all-time best players. He was playing very well in Serie A for Roma, although Bradleywas not an out and out starter when MLS called in 2014. Again, in 2014 MLS was looking to bring home prominent American players and paid them very well to return. It’s up to debate if Bradley has been worth such a high salary.

2. Javier Hernández, LA Galaxy – $7.2 million

The crown jewel of MLS. Chicharito is the league’s prize catch, it took a long time to get Javier Hernández to MLS, but he is finally here. The Mexican internationalis on the Galaxy books at 7.2 million and the club’s 2020 season was one of their worst ever. Chicharito scored an abysmal 2 goals in 12 outings.

1. Gonzalo Higuaín, Inter Miami – $8.8 million

Who is the highest paid MLS player? Gonzalo Higuaín. The Argentine striker is the league’s highest-paid player, he has signed a two year deal with Inter Miami for $8.8 million a year, according to the Miami Herald. The 33-year-old forward is a proven goalscorer having scored over 100 goals for Real Madrid, 71 for Napoli, 48 for Juventus. While his first season ended with him testing positive for coronavirus and missing the team’s critical playoff game, Higuaín was a much-needed boost for a club going in the wrong direction. For now, his numbers are lukewarm, 1 goal in 9 games, but with a proper preseason Pipita could light up the league in 2021.