VOTE: Three midseason MVP candidates for Revolution

With the World Cup break in full swing, we are technically — technically — at the midway point of the season for Major League Soccer. The Revolution, of course, have one more match before the true midway point is reached, at home to DC United on Saturday, June 30.

But we don’t think it’s too early to see who’s in the running for the club’s Most Valuable Player (at midseason).

We have three candidates for your eyes:



Matt Turner, goalkeeper

Seriously, outside of the Revolution locker room, who saw this coming? Answer: Not a damn one.

Turner came into preseason as the third-string goalkeeper, with Brad Knighton and Cody Cropper the Nos. 1 and 2 goalkeepers (the order of choosing up in the air). But with a strong preseason, he entered the Revs’ season opener at Philadelphia as the No. 1, and he has since opened eyes throughout the Colony. Starting with his strong penalty save against Colorado on Mar. 10, Turner has been The Man when it comes to saving points and keeping the opposition off the scoreboard, with 55 saves on the season. So far, Turner is at three clean sheets, although he hasn’t had one since Apr. 28.

Still, the New Jersey native is a viable candidate for Team MVP.



Teal Bunbury, forward

If there’s anyone in that locker room who didn’t want the World Cup break to arrive, it’s the man who, as the denizens in The Fort say, is not blue, nor green, he’s somewhere in between.

Since the Houston tilt on Mar. 31, Bunbury has been in Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop mode. He’s scored nine goals in the last 12 league games, tying his career-high for goals in one season, and he’s helped on two others to lead the team with 11 points; he’s opportunistic, looking back at last Saturday night’s goal in Chicago, and he kept playing despite calls for offside to score the lone goal against Sporting Kansas City. All told, he’s scored five match-winning goals, and looks to be on pace to break Lee Nguyen’s club-record nine MWG (’14). And he’s scored 16 since July 5 of ’17, so you know he’s itching to get to the DC match to inflict more damage and to make the onion bag burp again.

Bunbury has also been key in the high press with a high work rate. He had a few off-matches at the beginning of the season where his work rate was not crisp, but since Houston, he has been one of the players Revs supporters can count on to be on top of his game during any match.

If Bunbury is not Team MVP, he has to be in consideration for Comeback Player of the Year… but as my boy L.L. Cool J once said, don’t call it a comeback; he’s been here for years.



Cristian Penilla, midfielder

When the Revolution acquired Penilla on loan from Pachuca (Liga MX) for the ’18 season, I was skeptical. I didn’t know who he was; it turns out that he had been on many loans during his time in Mexico, and the Ecuadorian didn’t look to be in Pachuca’s plans moving forward.

Pachuca’s loss, as the saying goes, is New England’s gain as Penilla has taken the Eastern Conference by storm. Since his debut, he has scored six goals and has helped on five others, including Diego Fagundez’s first goal of the season against Colorado. He’s dangerous out on the left-hand side, as he burns right back after right back with his speed, and generally has a one-touch to the right so he can bury the ball with his favored right foot.

He also helped on Juan Agudelo’s lone goal of the season against New York City FC, and almost scored in that one, too (I don’t think the post has stopped shaking from that thunderous strike). The Penilla-to-Bunbury pairing has also been rather profitable with each connecting on a total of three goals (Bunbury 2, Penilla 1).

What do you think, Revs fans? Do you agree? Disagree? Have another candidate to put forth? Vote in this poll, and let us know in the comments below.

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