NEW YORK – Major League Soccer Monday announced Toronto FC midfielder Alejandro Pozuelo as the 2020 Landon Donovan MLS Most Valuable Player.

Pozuelo finished the season with nine goals and 10 assists, leading the league in combined goals and assists. The 10 assists were tied for the MLS league lead, while the nine goals were tied for eighth-most in the league. He was named to the MLS Best XI for a second successive season in 2020, leading MLS in chances created (70) and game-winning goals (5).

Pozuelo was named the MLS player of the month for September, as he scored four goals and added two assists across six matches, and scored goals in four consecutive games from Sept. 13-Oct. 6. He also was named to the MLS team of the week on five occasions (MLS is Back Round 1, Round 2, Week 6, Week 7 & 8 combined, Week 15).

During the season, Pozuelo led Toronto FC to the second-best overall record in the league, in a campaign in which the club finished the year playing in East Hartford, Conn.

A native of Sevilla, Spain, Pozuelo is the second player from that country to win the MLS Most Valuable Player award, both coming in the last five years (along with David Villa of New York City FC in 2016). He is the second Toronto FC player to win league MVP honors, after Sebastian Giovinco took the award in 2015.

Pozuelo scored 12 goals and 12 assists in his inaugural campaign, then finishing tied for seventh in the league in assists and tied for 11th in goals. He made a splash on his MLS debut, scoring two goals and adding an assist, just the third player in MLS history to achieve the feat in his first league game. In 2020, he became the first player in TFC club history to start in every regular-season match in a season.

Pozuelo finished ahead of Los Angeles Football Club forward Diego Rossi, who finished second after winning the 2020 MLS Golden Boot, and Seattle Sounders FC midfielder Nicolás Lodeiro, who finished third.

The Landon Donovan MLS MVP award has been presented since 1996 to the individual determined by a poll of players, club technical staff and the media to be the most valuable to his club.

Below is a breakdown of the voting results for 2020.

 

MLS MVP Player % Club % Media % Final %
Alejandro Pozuelo (TOR) 20.15% 37.72% 48.19% 35.35%
Diego Rossi (LAFC) 22.77% 13.16% 17.48% 17.80%
Nicolás Lodeiro (SEA) 6.15% 14.91% 10.66% 10.58%
Jordan Morris (SEA) 13.54% 7.02% 4.90% 8.49%
Andre Blake (PHI) 4.77% 5.26% 4.69% 4.91%

All-Time MLS Most Valuable Players:
2020: Alejandro Pozuelo – Toronto FC
2019: Carlos Vela – Los Angeles Football Club
2018: Josef Martínez – Atlanta United
2017: Diego Valeri – Portland Timbers
2016: David Villa – New York City FC
2015: Sebastian Giovinco – Toronto FC
2014: Robbie Keane – LA Galaxy
2013: Mike Magee – Chicago Fire
2012: Chris Wondolowski – San Jose Earthquakes
2011: Dwayne De Rosario – D.C. United
2010: David Ferreira – FC Dallas
2009: Landon Donovan – LA Galaxy
2008: Guillermo Barros Schelotto – Columbus Crew
2007: Luciano Emilio – D.C. United
2006: Christian Gómez – D.C. United
2005: Taylor Twellman – New England Revolution
2004: Amado Guevara – MetroStars
2003: Preki – Kansas City Wizards
2002: Carlos Ruiz – LA Galaxy
2001: Alex Pineda Chacón – Miami Fusion
2000: Tony Meola – Kansas City Wizards
1999: Jason Kreis – Dallas Burn
1998: Marco Etcheverry – D.C. United
1997: Preki – Kansas City Wizards
1996: Carlos Valderrama – Tampa Bay Mutiny

Front Row Soccer editor Michael Lewis has covered 13 World Cups (eight men, five women), seven Olympics and 25 MLS Cups. He has written about New York City FC, New York Cosmos, the New York Red Bulls and both U.S. national teams for Newsday and has penned a soccer history column for the Guardian.com. Lewis, who has been honored by the Press Club of Long Island and National Soccer Coaches Association of America, is the former editor of BigAppleSoccer.com. He has written seven books about the beautiful game and has published ALIVE AND KICKING The incredible but true story of the Rochester Lancers. It is available at Amazon.com.