At last, we have made it to #1. After a long 100 days of writing, Sebastian Giovinco is the best MLS player of the last 10 years. The Atomic Ant need not much of an introduction. The Italian attacker made 93 appearances for Juventus from 2006-2015. He also went on two loan stints to both Empoli and Parma. In January 2015, Giovinco signed with Toronto FC, the best possible choice he could have made for his career. Immediately, he became the highest paid player in MLS at $7.1m. Additionally, he was the highest paid Italian player in the world. In the 2015 season, the 5'3 striker showcased an ability unlike any other the league had ever seen.
Giovinco made his debut on March 7th, where he registered a perfectly weighted assist to Jozy Altidore against the Vancouver Whitecaps. Three matches later, he found his first TFC goal on the road in Chicago. It was far from pretty compared to most of the goals he scored in his career, but a goal is a goal. In the next game, Gio scored a brace against FC Dallas. He scored the cheekiest of chips, before curling in the first of many free kicks. He did another double in a win over DC United. He walked into the box with tight cuts and smashed it into the top right corner and took one on from long range, picking out the bottom corner. In his first MLS Canadian Classique, he took a whopping 13 shots in the game, finally finding the back of the net from the spot.
During a visit to Yankee Stadium and NYCFC, Giovinco bagged his first hat trick in a 4-4 draw. He had another 3-goal game soon after, in which Toronto downed Orlando 4-1. After scoring a penalty kick, he curled a free kick past Tally Hall from downtown Toronto and used his quick strides to drive in and add a third. Later in the campaign, Giovinco scored a goal in four straight games, including 2 versus Colorado. Refuse to close him down from long range at your own peril. Despite his incredible standout campaign of 22 goals and 16 assists, Torotno just barely snuck into the playoffs as the sixth seed. In the knockout round, Montreal sent TFC home with a dominating 3-0 result. In his first year in MLS, Seba made the Best XI, All-Star Team, the Golden Boot, Newcomer of the Year and best of all, the 2015 MLS MVP Award.
His 2016 season started off with a bang, with a tally on opening day against the New York Red Bulls. In the second game, he put one past the other NY team, using his speedy dribbles before lacing one into the bottom corner. A brace against Montreal in April marked his first multi-goal game of the year, where he scored another beautiful weak footed goal. Three weeks later, he turned in a duo of goals in during a 4-3 loss to Vancouver. He scored after completing an unbelievable outside of the boot turn. After going on a bit of a cold streak, Giovinco struck on three occasions to defeat DC 4-1. He opened it up with another one of those signature free kicks up and over the wall. He followed it up with, you guessed it, a free kick. This time, though, he neglected the wall and planted it into the top corner that the goalkeeper was standing in. He waltzed into the box and hit a first-time shot in to complete the hat trick in stoppage time.
Just a few games past, he scored another hat trick, already the fourth in his MLS career. He murdered the ball on his first of the day versus New England, using a bit of a Trivela. After receiving the ball on the side of the eighteen, he attempted a curler from what seemed like an impossible spot, but nothing was impossible for Sebastian Giovinco. He finished it with a PK. On Decision Day, Giovinco scored his 17th goal against the Chicago Fire heading into the playoffs. The No. 3 seed from Ontario pushed past Philadelphia in the knockout round with a stretching, bar-down Gio goal. In a leg two fixture at Yankee Stadium, he removed any doubts of a potential NYCFC comeback, pounding in a playoff hat trick. He turned and fired just six minutes into the game. He finished it off with a deflected goal. In the most chaotic playoff series in MLS history, Giovinco dished out two assists, and ultimately got the job done over Montreal. This victory sent Toronto FC through to MLS Cup 2016. In the final game, Giovinco attempted 6 shots but no one was able to score, leaving the Seattle Sounders to win the cup in penalties. He made the Best XI and All-Star Team again, while adding the 2016 ESPY for Best MLS Player. Toronto also won the Canadian Championship
In 2017, Sebastian Giovinco opened his account in a 2-2 draw with expansion team Atlanta United. Two maches later, he scored a brace versus Chicago. He set up shop from outside the box, tucking into the bottom corner, before scoring one of his greatest free kicks ever, and that is saying something. Two matches removed from that one, he imposed the same fate on Orlando. TFC went back-to-back for the Canadian Championship, as Giovinco finished as the top scorer and won the George Gross Memorial Trophy for being the best player of the tournament. Heading into the ASG, he terrorized NYCFC for 2 more goals, this time at BMO Field. He took on a left footed curler from outside the area. Giovinco made his third straight All-Star Team and played one half in the match against Real Madrid. After the short break, he beat his rivals in Montreal with another pair of goals, one of which was another one of those free kicks.
For the second straight Decision Day, Giovinco put one in, against Atlanta, another bar-down free kick from the left side of the pitch. Very few players in league history can compete with his free kick taking ability. At that point, the Supporters' Shield was already won and clinched with 69 points. In the first round of the playoffs, the New York Red Bulls fell on away goals, Giovinco scored once with ANOTHER free kick. RBNY even tried to have a defender head it out, but it did not work. TFC beat Columbus to host an MLS Cup rematch with the Seattle Sounders. This time around, Giovinco and Toronto would not be denied. TFC's No. 10 assisted the game-winning goal to Jozy Altidore in the final match, allowing the Canadian club to win their first MLS Cup. They completed the domestic treble, which had never been done before. His 16 goal and 6 assist season qualified him for the Best XI and All-Star Team for the third straight year.
Coming off a win in MLS Cup, Toronto FC qualified for the 2018 CONCACAF Champions League. Giovinco found a new tournament to light up. The CCL practically took over the entire beginning of their season, because they just kept winning. Their star scored in series against Colorado, Tigres, Club America and in the final against Chivas Guadalajara, all within two months. Chivas stopped them from becoming the first MLS team to win the competition, winning the finals in a shootout. Giovinco won the Golden Ball for being the highest scorer with 4 goals and made the Best XI as well. With a focus back on MLS play, he scored against the Philadelphia Union. He used a cut in, a cut back out and a nice show of balance to score the goal. In the summertime, the Canadian Championship was back on the horizon. Before that, Giovinco made his fourth ASG in four seasons, getting to play against his former club in Juventus. He then scored a goal versus NYCFC, a shot destined for the bottom corner. In the Canadian Championship final with Vancouver, Giovinco scored a rare header, an a diving one at that. Toronto won the trophy for the third straight year. Two games later, he scored twice in a win over the other Canadian MLS Cup that did not make the final of the CC. He got in on the break and clipped one in and fit one in at the near post. He scored a top bins screamer against New England in September. On the final day of Sebastian Giovinco's MLS career, he scored a volley at the back stick whilst hosting Atlanta United, his final goal for the club. The man was a walking highlight reel.
The 2018 season had 13 goals and 15 more assists in store for Sebastian Giovinco. It is too bad that Toronto wasted one of his four unstoppable seasons by failing to qualify for the postseason. The 32-year-old was ahead of the curve when it comes to Saudi Arabia. On January 30, 2018, Sebastian Giovinco was sold to Al-Hilal, the team that now roster Neymar. In his goodbye note to the city of Toronto, it was clear that he did not want to leave, and was hoping a contract extension. "They may say I left for a more lucrative deal, but this is not the case... After having grown the brand and elevating the overall reputation of TFC both at home and abroad, it seems I no longer serve a purpose. I would have accepted less to stay in Toronto," Giovinco wrote. Much to the dismay of TFC supporters, that did not happen, and he instead started a new adventure in a new country. The Ant played 52 matches there and scored 12 goals. In 2022, he made two appearances back at Sampdoria. Now 36, Giovinco still has not announced his official retirement. As recent as September 2023, he was training with the first-team in Toronto, just as he did in 2022, but neither time did he re-sign with the team. It remains to be seen if Giovinco will ever rejoin the club before he retires. Sebastian Giovinco was one of the most impactful players in Major League Soccer history with his persistent showcase of skill and precision. He is the #1 player on the list.
Well, that'll do it. The goal was to relive the 100 best players that MLS has seen from 2014-2023 ahead of the 2023 MLS Cup, with one being revealed every single day. It all started 99 days ago, and now the series has come to an end. A list like this is almost impossible to make, but the best way to do it was a strong basis on measurable stats, such as MLS longetivity and consistency, not just a ranking of skill. I appreciate all of the heinous, but creative, insults in my DM's and replies. Even moreso, I appreciate those who have interacted with the series positively and can respect that no team's fans will ever be happy with a massive ranking like this. Regardless, we will head into the off-season after what should be an electric MLS Cup final between the Columbus Crew and LAFC. Afterwards, we get to embark on a fun silly season of transfer news and the revamping of MLS clubs. Thank you to all of the sicko Major League Soccer enjoyers out there, this was the ranking of the top 100 MLS players of the last 10 years.
YEAR | CLUB | MINUTES | GOALS | ASSISTS |
2018 | TFC | 2,384 | 13 | 15 |
2017 | TFC | 2,058 | 16 | 6 |
2016 | TFC | 2,418 | 17 | 5 |
2015 | TFC | 2,775 | 22 | 16 |
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