Who Will Be Named MLS Most Valuable Player for 2014?

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With only three weeks remaining in the 2014 MLS regular season, the battle to be named as the country’s MVP is heating up.

It’s been one of the most enjoyable MLS season in recent years, if not ever, and that has led to an abundance of potential candidates being considered for the honour of being awarded the league’s Most Valuable Player (MVP) title.

However, as ever with such awards, fans and the media tend to favour silky skills and audacious goals over strong defending and clean sheets. It means most onlookers think the award will be given to one of three men.

Robbie Keane is arguably the favourite. The ex-Liverpool and Spurs player has already bagged a phenomenal 33 goals in 2014, only one behind record holder Chris Wondolowski’s 2012 haul of 34. LA Galaxy have won 13 of the 19 games in which he has either scored or provided an assist, and he’s scored a league-best 12 goals against teams in the playoff spots.

Obafemi Martins is widely considered Keane’s closest challenger. The former Newcastle striker has also enjoyed a great season, with his side Seattle Sounders winning all twelve games in which he has scored. Unlike Keane, however, he has failed to produce against the league’s best – scoring a paltry two against sides in the playoff positions.

The final player to consider is Landon Donovan. He will retire from the sport at the end of this campaign, bringing the curtain down on the finest MLS career in history. Although he was brutally denied a place in Jurgen Klinsmann’s World Cup squad, he has still played a vital role in LA Galaxy’s successes this season. If he wins he would become the first player to win the award twice.

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