Sebastian Giovinco caps record-breaking season with MLS MVP award

The Atomic Ant towers above the rest of Major League Soccer.

Toronto FC superstar Sebastian Giovinco, whose unprecedented first season in North America has already seen the Italian bestowed with multiple awards, captured the most prestigious individual honor MLS has to offer on Wednesday, being crowned league MVP at a ceremony in Toronto.

(Courtesy: @TorontoFC)

"I'm very very happy for this award," Giovinco said, in English, flashing a smile. "I would like to win more!

"This has been a beautiful experience," Giovinco then said in Italian, via a translator. "It's been a great experience for me and my family. I'm very proud to be in Toronto and play for this team. I wish to stay here longer.

"It was one of my best seasons, for sure. Soccer is a team sport, and it's too bad we couldn't win with the team. But, I'm sure that next year, we will try to win and fight for the championship. I'll be happy to share the trophy with the team and the town."

Giovinco, 28, arrived at the Canadian club from Serie A behemoth Juventus amid much fanfare - and surprise - in January, and promptly began his assault on both the club and league record books. The pint-sized forward dragged the much-maligned Reds to their first playoff appearance in franchise history with his combination of scoring prowess and creative genius. He tied for the MLS lead in goals (22) and stood unmatched in assists (16), winning the Golden Boot as the league's most prolific filler of the net.

Related - Atomic Ant takes over Toronto: Top 5 moments from Giovinco's record-breaking season

His 38 combined points established a new single-season MLS record, topping the previous benchmark set by San Jose Earthquakes forward Chris Wondolowski, who recorded 34 points in 2012.

The first player in MLS history to score at least 20 goals and craft 10 assists in the same campaign, Giovinco beat out Columbus scoring machine Kei Kamara and Sporting Kansas City midfielder Benny Feilhaber for the MVP award - an honor which now accompanies the Newcomer of the Year title he claimed just over a week ago.

His season, of course, was about so much more than just sheer, unrivaled numbers or glimmering hardware. It was about bringing joy to a franchise that, for eight seasons prior, had experienced none, and bringing unbridled excitement to the pitch every time he stepped foot on it. BMO Field rose to its feet in anticipation whenever Giovinco ran at a backpedaling defender or stood confidently over a free-kick.

Standing a mere 5-foot-4, he cast a shadow that belied his size, making even the league's very best talent look mediocre by comparison.

More important, however, is the anticipated impact his remarkable season had on the league, and the precedent it could set. Not an aging player moving across the Atlantic simply to play out his final days in relative obscurity - like so many before, and many after - Giovinco arrived in Toronto in his prime, and proceeded to dominate.

Whether others follow in his wake remains to be seen, but if fellow European players in the middle of their careers make the switch to MLS, Giovinco's 2015 season will be cited as an integral reason why.

Most valuable, indeed.