The 2022 MLS regular season started and ended a bit earlier than usual to accommodate this year’s fall/winter World Cup, but the results we got by the end of the year didn’t deviate all that much from the norm. A lot of success was achieved by high-priced players like Hany Mokhtar, Sebastian Driussi and Luciano Acosta. Philadelphia Union were at their now-usual best, and LAFC returned to the levels that the roster’s talent would indicate.
Still, there were some surprises – particularly with solid performances in Montreal and Austin, as well as a few individual breakthroughs throughout the league.
The Athletic will present its selections for the best MLS in 2022 through five full-time staff writers: Felipe Cardenas; Pablo Maurer; Jeff Rueter; Sam Stejskal; and Paul Tenorio.
MVP
Rueter: Hany Mukhtar – I know I’m not the only writer to pick Nashville’s talisman, but I want to take this space to give some love to Sebastian Driussi. He and Austin fell off down the stretch, and it’s certain to ding his campaign a bit. However, he’s done an immense job in his first full MLS season. It’s hard to imagine that Austin could’ve finished second in the West without him.
Cardenas: Hany Mukhtar – I too was a firm believer that Driussi would win this season’s MLS MVP. I was willing to vote for him this summer. Mukhtar then began to remind us all how great he was and how important he was to his club. I was able to seal it by winning the Golden Boot. I know it’s a cliché, but Nashville’s No. 10. is the heart and soul that this team needs. He’s also a joy to watch.
Maurer: Hany Mukhtar – In a year where most of my preseason predictions got turned on their head, Hany Mukhtar was a rare hit for me.
