Montreal Impact of Canada youngster, Orji Okonkwo has been named the USA Major League Soccer (MLS) club’s most outstanding player of the season, and he goes home with the 2019 Giuseppe-Saputo Trophy, after sterling displays in the team, while an overall nomination in the entire division has also come his way, megasportsarena.com reports.
It is a remarkable feat for the 21-year-old Okonkwo, who is on loan at Montreal from Bologna of Italy, following a similar stint at Italian lower division side, Brescia, but he was able to create high marks in his new team, for which he scored eight goals in 28 games.
In the thick of his loan deal, which will end on December 31, the Chile 2015 FIFA U-17 World Cup gold medalist also emerged with the highest total goals by any player in Montreal’s squad since Ivory Coast’s Didier Drogba scored 11 in 2015, with the feat achieved by Okonkwo in his first half-year with the club based in Canada but compete in the United States of America’s elite league.
Okonkwo also tied for second in the team’s shots (55) and joint-10th overall in the MLS with two multi-goal games, recording a brace in wins versus Portland Timbers and Philadelphia, including the winning goal on a volley, for which he was awarded the MLS Goal of the Week for round 17.
Aside his club laurel, Okwonkwo is on the cusp of adding another accolade to his trophy cabinet at league level, as his goal against Portland Timbers on June 26 has been nominated for MLS Goal of the Year 2019.
Okwonkwo, though, will have to ward off an imposing challenge from Carlos Vela’s sizzler for Los Angeles FC against San Jose, Nani’s goal for Orlando City against New England Revolution, Zlatan Ibrahimovic for LA Galaxy against Los Angeles and Wayne Rooney for DC United against Orlando.