Timbers virtuoso Valeri takes home 2017 MLS MVP award
Portland Timbers playmaker Diego Valeri won the 2017 MLS MVP award on Monday, crowning a historic season in which he recorded 21 goals and 11 assists.
He rose above the rest.
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) December 4, 2017
Congratulations to @TimbersFC midfielder @DiegoDv8, the 2017 Landon Donovan #MLSMVP! pic.twitter.com/avAiEBXMLa
The four-time MLS All-Star and 2015 MLS Cup MVP put up gaudy numbers while leading the Timbers to first place in the Western Conference. The first midfielder in league history to surpass the 20-goal mark in a single season, Valeri also scored in a record nine consecutive matches between July 29 and Sept. 24.
He is the third Argentine after Guillermo Barros Schelotto (2008) and Christian Gomez (2006) to claim the honor.
What's more impressive is the fact he's registered a goal and assist in every month of the MLS calendar since March 2014.
Valeri's been one of the most consistent performers on an inconsistent team. The Timbers have only made the MLS postseason in three of the past six years, losing to the Houston Dynamo in last month's Conference Semifinals.