Toronto FC: Sebastian Giovinco Snub Makes MLS Look Bad
By Paul Taylor
No matter how you break it down, the decision to leave Sebastian Giovinco off the shortlist for 2016 MLS MVP reflects poorly on the league.
Before we get into this, let’s clarify that I am not from Southern Ontario — I was born and raised in England — and I’m not a Toronto FC fan. This seems important to note, given that what I’m about to write for a Toronto sports website may be perceived by some as biased or the words of a bitter Canadian.
With that out of the way, let’s get straight to the point. In my humble opinion, the decision to leave Sebastian Giovinco off the shortlist for this year’s MVP award looks extremely bad on the part of MLS.
Just to stress, this is nothing against David Villa, Bradley Wright-Phillips or Sacha Kljestan, who all had excellent seasons. However, it leaves you wondering what basis is being used to determine what makes someone a MVP candiate?
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Voting is split evenly between the players, clubs and media members. So how did they collectively come to the decision to leave Giovinco off the shortlist?
In the interest of fairness, there is no denying each of the three finalists did one thing better than Toronto FC’s superstar, whether it be score goals or create assists. However, Giovinco still ranked third in MLS for scoring and second for setting goals up.
In fact, it is the Italian international’s ability to do both extremely well — among other things — which makes the omission even more absurb. His collective total of 32 is tied for fourth-best in MLS history.
For the record, Villa totaled 27 combined (23 goals and 7 assists), Wright-Phillips had 29 (24 & 5) and Kljestan finished with 26 (6 & 20). Also keep in mind the trio all played in at least 32 games, compared to just 28 by Giovinco.
Where else can we go in our attempts to understand the collective rationale of the MLS voters? Some people may well point to the final standings, with the New York Red Bulls and New York City FC both finishing above TFC. (Voting is concluded the day after the regular season concludes.)
In connection to this, some analysts have made the argument that the two New York teams would fall apart without Villa or one of Wright-Phillips/Kljestan respectively. Reasonable point, but what about Toronto FC’s record without the Atomic Ant?
In the six games Giovinco missed, TFC managed just a single win and took only 7 points from a possible 18. Given how close the team was to the two New York teams in the final standings, I firmly believe they would have finished top of the Eastern Conference if the 29-year old had played as many games as Villa, Wright-Phillips and Kljestan.
Admittedly that last point cannot be proved and is all about opinion, much like the ballot for MLS MVP. However, its not exactly a stretch, given what Giovinco has achieved when he’s been on the pitch during his two years in the league.
Overall, there is nothing that can be done now. However, pure and simple, the decision to snub Giovinco is a back eye for MLS, as they attempt to improve their standing and reputation on the global football stage.
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What’s your take on Giovinco being left off the MLS MVP shortlist? Do you agree or disagree with the voters, and why? Let us know in the comments section below.