When Hany Mukhtar appeared in Nashville in January 2020, not many people noticed.
Berlin-born attacking midfielder signed as Nashville SCThe first assigned player of the previous August, but upon arrival in Music City from the Danish club BrondbyHe’s pretty much anonymous.
“Three years ago, nobody really knew who I was,” chuckled Mukhtar in a recent interview with ESPN. “Before, nobody really cared about us as an early team.
“But now they’re asking questions like ‘When is the next game?’ Now, most of the kids recognize me, they say, ‘Hello, Hany Mukhtar’ and they’re doing a goal celebration in front of me.”
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A similar story can be told about the Argentine attacker Sebastian Driussi and Austin FC.
In a city where there is more scrutiny of who is the center of midfield for Texas Longhorns than anyone who occupied the Governor’s Mansion, Driussi quickly entered the Austin mainstream to play with Verdes since joining in August 2021 from Zenit St.Petersburg.
“It’s something really great, really beautiful,” Driussi said after Austin’s regular season finale last Sunday. Colorado Rapids. “The people here in Austin give me a lot of love when I’m on the field or even when I’m on the street. The fans always treat me in the best way and for a player, that’s the thing. That’s very important, so I’m” I’m grateful to the fans for all of that. “
These two players may be from different continents and speak different languages, but looking closer, they have some similarities. Unlike Big football tournamentMore heralded stars in its larger markets, like Carlos Vela in LAFC, Josef Martinez in Atlanta United or Inter Miami‘S Gonzalo Higuain, both Mukhtar and Driussi enjoy great success in a new franchise duo located in midsize markets. That forged a unique bond between the two throughout the 2022 season in which they became leading contenders for the coveted Landon Donovan MVP Award.
Playing in a higher position on the field, Mukhtar played a key role in Nashville’s 5th place finish at the Western Conference. Working diligently with assistant coaches and former Premier League Steve Guppy made Mukhtar a scoring threat, especially in the first game. That improvement has resulted in 23 goals to win the 2022 MLS Golden Boot, which, along with 11 assists, means he has been involved in 65% of Nashville’s 52 goals during the season.
“I think changing positions helped me a lot,” said Mukhtar. “The coaches brought me closer to goal because they told me I had an amazing finish and that I only needed to receive the last ball and not play the last. I think that worked. helped me a lot. Last year, I thought I had a great season (16 goals, 12 assists), but I wanted to show everyone that it wasn’t a one-off.”
Driussi is equally important to second-placed Austin FC, amassing 22 goals and seven assists, helping Verdes improved by 25 points, setting an MLS record for the Open team’s second season. His tireless defense, running and pressing ability was praised by the Austin FC coaching staff, while head coach Josh Wolff has long said said that Driussi’s arrival in the dressing room was a difficult point for his side.
“My coaching staff and teammates have allowed me to put on great performances,” said Driussi. “They helped me a lot during the week and you can see how that is reflected on the pitch. This season has been very gratifying. We have achieved our goal, which is to qualify. live. I think we’ve done a good job throughout the season, and for that we deserve a spot in the knockout stages.”
The first encounter between the two MVP leaders as teammates was in the MLS All-Star game against the Liga MX All-Stars in August. This was followed by two competitions in September over a three-week span, with Mukhtar scored a brace in a 3-0 win over Nashville on September 3, followed by a 1-1 draw two weeks later in Austin, in which each scored his team’s goals. target.
As the season passed and their familiarity with each other grew, mutual respect and admiration emerged.
“He’s a team player,” Mukhtar said of Driussi. “I realized it as we watched more and more videos of Austin that he likes to stay pretty deep in attacking midfield and try to help the team and the way he works off the ball is impressive. . It shows what a great player he is. What kind of person he is” not selfish. I respect him very much. “
“First, I just want to congratulate him. He’s had a very good season. He deserves the Golden Boot for scoring another goal,” Driussi said of Mukhtar. “We had a chance to talk for a bit [after the two games], we wish each other good luck, we know that we are fighting for the same things. He’s had an incredible season. “
Mukhtar’s performance this season has even sparked conversation about the possibility Germany call up. Lothar Matthaus’ call-up to Euro 2000 as a member of the New York/New Jersey MetroStars is the only precedent, but Mukhtar’s form is drawing attention back home.
“Right now in German newspapers, people are referring to me to the German national team. It’s a great honor for me,” Mukhtar said. “I know it’s a big step because obviously there are a lot of players playing the Champions League and they’re not being called up to the German national team. But I still believe you can put someone in a squad that has a lot of them. confidence and who. is scoring goals, that’s the hardest part of our game, so why not?”
Slightly better history with the Argentine MLSers. Gonzalo “Poor” Martinez only one Argentina called back in early 2019 shortly after signing with Atlanta United, while the current Atlanta man Thiago Almada spent a recent international vacation with Albiceleste. However, in a country where stellar attacking midfielders seem to grow on trees, an Argentina call for Driussi is likely not coming in the near future.
However, whether or not they are called up to the national team, Mukhtar and Driussi’s respective impact on their teams has been profound. Five years ago, both cities didn’t even have an MLS team on the field, but now aided by the race for the top individual title for most of the season, Mukhtar and Driussi have helped turn Nashville and Austin into the soccer fields they dreamed of. home of the league’s MVP.
