Midfielder Luciano Acosta and forward Patrick Mullins have won United's 2017 Golden Boot award after ending the season even in scoring. The players contributed five goals each as they helped spearhead the United offense.
Argentine playmaker Acosta featured in the heart of the Black-and-Red midfield through the 2017 season, making more appearances (31) than any other United player and ending the year with five goals and five assists. The 23-year-old was United's attacking talisman, as the Black-and-Red went 5-0-0 when Acosta scored this season. The Argentine also tallied four game-winning goals and one game-winning assist.
In 2016, Mullins was a goal away from being United’s top scorer, contributing eight goals in 12 starts after being acquired in the July transfer window. While the forward picked up of a series of injuries in 2017 that limited him to only 12 starts, he still managed to find the back of the net five times. Mullins’ MLS Player of the Week performance against San Jose on Sept. 23 saw the former Maryland Terrapin score four goals in the second half for the first time in MLS history. The following week, Mullins scored his fifth goal against the New York Red Bulls in a tense 3-3 clash between the rivals on Sept. 27.
Acosta, Mullins, and the other offensive linchpins of the reinvigorated Black-and-Red attack will now look to use the offseason as an opportunity to continue developing goalscoring chemistry for the 2018 season.
