Carles Gil Named MLS MVP After Remarkable Season For Revolution

FOXBORO (CBS) -- After an incredible season on the pitch that saw him make play after play for the New England Revolution, midfielder Carles Gil has been named the 2021 Landon Donovan MLS Most Valuable Player.

Gil will be presented with the MVP Tuesday afternoon at Gillette Stadium.

Gil earned the league's highest individual honor after dishing out a league-best 18 assists during the 2021 season, leading the Revolution to the club's first Supporters' Shield title and all-time MLS points record.

"It is an honor for me to be named the MLS Most Valuable Player," Gil said. "I want to thank everyone who voted for me, everyone who works at the club, our coaching staff, our fans, and especially my teammates. Together, we achieved an unforgettable regular season."

The two-time MLS Best XI selection began the 2021 season on a historic pace with 10 assists through 10 games, matching the best start to a campaign in league history. His league-high 18 assists on the year, tied for the 10th most in any MLS season, included eight game-winning helpers to equal the league record.

Gil scored four goals 2021 and finished the season tied for the eighth most goal involvements with 22. He also paced the league with 130 chances created, the highest total in the 11 seasons that Opta has tracked the statistic.

With Gil's playmaking in the midfield, New England's attack led MLS with 65 goals and 70 assists, both club records. The Revolution were 12-1-3 in the 16 games when Gil recorded either a goal or an assist. In total, he contributed to 10 game-winning goals – assisting eight with two winning tallies of his own – en route to 10 MLS Team of the Week selections and June's MLS Player of the Month honors.

The MLS MVP is determined by a poll of players, club technical staff and the media to be the most valuable to his club. Gil received 37 percent of the player vote, 57.6 percent of the club vote, and 61.6 percent of the media vote for a total of 52.07 percent of the overall vote. Nashville's Hany Mukhtar finished second with 11.8 percent.

Gil joins elite company as only the second Revolution player to win MLS MVP honors, joining Taylor Twellman in 2005. With Gil's MVP honor, the 2021 New England Revolution join the 2000 Kansas City Wizards as the only two MLS teams to boast the league MVP (Gil), Coach of the Year (Bruce Arena), and Goalkeeper of the Year (Matt Turner). The Revolution are the first team to have all three awards won by different individuals.

While New England enjoyed loads of regular season success, the club did not win an MLS playoff game, falling in the Eastern Conference Semifinals to New York City FC.