Toronto FC forward Sebastian Giovinco has been named the Etihad Airways Player of the Month for July. Major League Soccer made the announcement Thursday, making the Italian the first player in Toronto’s franchise history to win Player of the Month honors.
In four games in the month of July, Giovinco recorded five goals while adding three assists; three of those goals came on July 12th against New York City FC. The hat trick tied the third quickest in MLS history, taking the ‘Atomic Ant’ a total of just nine minutes to net three times. It was also the first trio of goals in a league game in Toronto FC’s history.
Giovinco was also named the MLS Player of the Week for Week 19 in July; making it the third time he has won the honour this season, the only player in the league to do so this year.
After being named to the MLS Team of the Week for three consecutive game weeks in July (Weeks 19, 20, 21), his latest award brings his tally to seven honors on the season, an impressive resume for a player making his bid to be named Most Valuable Player in his debut season in MLS.
Giovinco has already started towards his quest of being named Player of the Month in back-to-back months. For the second time this season, he net a hat trick Wednesday against Orlando City SC on route to his team’s 4-1 win, an extraordinary way to kick off the month of August.
The former Juventus player now leads the league in Goals (16), shots (122), and shots on goal (52), and sits fourth in the assists table (10).
He is already widely seen as the lock to win MVP, but if Giovinco is to lead Toronto to their first playoff berth in club history, that may very well solidify his name for the honour. They currently sit third place in the Eastern Conference standings, 10 points back of leaders DC United with three games in hand.
TFC play host to Sporting Kansas City at BMO Field this Saturday.