NEW YORK (Wednesday, August 3, 2022) – Austin FC forward Sebastián Driussi was voted the Major League Soccer Player of the Month for July 2022.
Driussi led the league with eight goal contributions (five goals, three assists) in the month of July for an Austin team that tied for the second most goals (15) over the span. His five goals were tied for the most in July along with five other players and he now leads the MLS Golden Boot presented by Audi race with 14 scores on the season. Driussi scored the game-winning goal at the Colorado Rapids on July 4 and recorded the game-winning assist vs. Houston Dynamo FC on July 12. He posted at least one goal or assist in all six of his appearances and was the only player to do so in six games in July.
The Argentine was the key figure in Austin’s 4-1-1 month that saw them take 10 of 12 points on the road with wins at Colorado, Atlanta United FC, and Sporting Kansas City. Austin was the only team in MLS to win three games away from home in July. In Austin’s second MLS season, Driussi has helped the club to second place in the Western Conference and third in the Supporters’ Shield standings, while accumulating a league-high 47 goals.
Driussi, an MLS All-Star selection, leads MLS in both goal contributions (21) and goals (14) in 2022, while also appearing in every match for the Verde and Black. His 21 goal contributions are three more than the next-closest player and are already a single-season club record. In 23 games played this season, Driussi has at least one goal contribution in 15 of those and multiple goal contributions in four of those contests.
This is the second time Driussi has been voted Player of the Month this season after he earned the honor for the month of April. Since the start of 2016, he is the fourth player in MLS to win multiple MLS Player of the Month awards in the same season, joining Valentín “Taty” Castellanos (2020), Josef Martínez (2017, 2018, 2019), and Carlos Vela (2019). Driussi is the 14th different player to do this in league history and just the seventh to win multiple MLS Player of the Month awards before August. Among outfield players, the All-Star is the sixth player to win the first two Player of the Month honors in a club’s history and the first since Josef Martínez for Atlanta United FC in 2017.
The club is back in action on Saturday when they host the San Jose Earthquakes at Q2 Stadium on Saturday, August 6 (9 p.m. ET, MLS LIVE on ESPN+).
MLS Player of the Month is voted upon by a panel of select national media members in a process conducted by MLS Communications.
Month |
Player |
Club |
---|---|---|
March |
Lucas Zelarayán |
Columbus Crew |
April |
Sebastián Driussi |
Austin FC |
May |
Paul Arriola |
FC Dallas |
June |
Luciano Acosta |
FC Cincinnati |
July |
Sebastián Driussi |
Austin FC |