Major League Soccer announced today that FC Cincinnati midfielder Luciano ‘Lucho’ Acosta has been named to the 2024 MLS Best XI presented by Continental Tire, which recognizes the league’s top players at each position as determined by members of the media, MLS players, and MLS club technical staffs.
The Best XI is a collection of elite performers from the 2024 MLS Regular Season and one of the most prestigious annual honors a player can receive. Acosta has been named to the MLS Best XI for the third consecutive season and the fourth time in his career (2018 with D.C. United), surpassing Diego Valeri and Christian Gómez for the most MLS Best XI honors by an Argentine.
2024 MLS Best XI presented by Continental Tire
• Goalkeeper: Kristijan Kahlina (Charlotte FC)
• Defenders: Jordi Alba (Inter Miami CF), Yeimar Gómez Andrade (Seattle Sounders FC), Steven Moreira (Columbus Crew)
• Midfielders: Luciano ‘Lucho’ Acosta (FC Cincinnati), Evander (Portland Timbers), Riqui Puig (LA Galaxy)
• Forwards: Christian Benteke (D.C. United), Denis Bouanga (LAFC), Cucho Hernández (Columbus Crew), Lionel Messi (Inter Miami CF)
Acosta followed up his 2023 campaign when he won the Landon Donovan MLS Most Valuable Player award with more goal contributions in 2024 (33: 14 goals, 19 assists) than he had in 2023 (31: 17 goals, 14 assists).
His 33 goal contributions were tied with Columbus Crew’s Cucho Hernández for second-most in MLS in 2024, only behind Inter Miami’s Lionel Messi (36). His 19 assists were tied with Portland Timbers midfielder Evander for the most across the league, and he led the league with 108 key passes – passes which lead directly to a shot.
Acosta’s season was highlighted by the month of May when he earned his fifth career MLS Player of the Month award. He led the league with eight goal contributions (three goals, five assists) in the month and he made FC Cincinnati history by becoming the first player to record a goal contribution in nine consecutive matches.
The Argentine became the second player in club history (Yuya Kubo) to reach 150 career appearances for the Orange and Blue, reaching the milestone in Game 2 of the Round One Best-of-3 series against NYCFC in the Audi 2024 MLS Cup Playoffs.
Over the summer, Acosta was named to the MLS All-Star Team for the third straight season and he was named the All-Star Team Captain for the second straight year.
