Finalist Cristian Arango has been named 2021 MLS Newcomer Of The Year
LAFC forward and 2021 MLS Newcomer Of The Year finalist Cristian Arango must be ecstatic. One of our own in Black & Gold was recognized as Major League Soccer revealed the finalists for the MLS season awards. Arango was officially named the 2021 MLS Newcomer Of The Year on Monday.
The Newcomer Of The Year annual honor is awarded by the MLS to a new impactful player who has played professionally in another league and has made an impressive debut season in the MLS. The Colombian international stood out among a class of nearly 250 star-studded newcomers that came from 53 different countries.
2021 MLS Newcomer Of The Year finalist Cristian Arango, who joined LAFC from professional Colombian football team Millonarios F.C. on August 2nd, scored a team-high 14 goals and two assists in his first 17 MLS outings. All the way until Decision Day, Arango’s efforts kept the Black & Gold in contention for the Audi 2021 MLS Cup Playoffs.
Named MLS Player of the Week two times this season in Weeks 24 and 31, Cristian Arango was included in the MLS Team of the Week on three accounts. Arango’s hat trick in the October 20th match versus FC Dallas made him the fourth player in LAFC’s young history to do it.
Check out the fun clip below where Magic Johnson breaks the news to newcomer finalist Cristian Arango.
MVP 🤝 Newcomer of the Year
Congrats, @Chichoarango!
🤳 @MagicJohnson pic.twitter.com/QRg9aeiYvz
— LAFC (@LAFC) November 22, 2021
In Major League Soccer, the 26-year-old Colombian ranked second in goals per 90 minutes (0.90) trailing only D.C. United star Ola Kamara (0.94). Arango even made LAFC history by scoring the club’s fastest goal on September 12 against Real Salt Lake, which came only 20 seconds into a match making it the the eighth-fastest goal in MLS history!
A big congrats to Cristian Arango for winning the award for 2021 MLS Newcomer Of The Year. Let’s go Chicho!
