MASL 2 Announces 2021 MVP Candidates, Golden Boot Winner, Honors Timeline

TAMPA, Fla. – With a successful 2021 season behind it, the Major Arena Soccer League 2 will be announcing post-season awards and honors over the next two weeks, culminating with the selection of the league Most Valuable Player.

On Wednesday, M2 will announce its 2021 Third and Second Line honorees, while on Thursday First Line selections will be revealed.

Next week will see league-wide awards like Rookie of the Year and Goaltender of the Year revealed, along with Coach of the Year and finally the MVP pick on August 10.

“Honestly, every single coach, player, front office person and fan deserves an award for 2021,” Commissioner Chris Economides noted. “We had some spectacular games and performances that certainly deserve to be individually honored, but putting this year in the books as successfully as we did was the result of almost Herculean efforts by everyone involved. We’re grateful for everyone’s contributions, and know they laid a great foundation on which to move forward in such a big and positive manner.”

Already, teams like the San Diego Sockers and Ontario Fury have announced their return to M2, with a number of other announcements of new and returning teams expected over the summer.

All league honors and awards were selected by M2 officials in consultation with representatives of the seven teams that played this season. M2 will kick off its 2021-22 season this coming winter, with an expected 15 to 20 teams suiting up for a 12-game regular season.

Winning the 2021 Golden Boot Award is Colorado Inferno forward Francisco Rivas, who totaled 45 points (29 goals, 16 assists) in 16 games this past season, scoring on 45 percent of his shots taken. 

Rivas has played the last four seasons for the Inferno, appearing in 49 games and totaling 132 points, averaging 2.7 points per game over that span.

Three finalists have been selected for MVP Honors: Wichita’s Eduardo “Benji” Monreal, Amarillo’s Vitor Patriani and Cleveland goalkeeper Marijo Musa who was the winner of the Hernan “Chico” Borja MVP trophy for the M2 playoffs.

All announcements will be made at m2soccer.com and on the league’s social media platforms.