Toronto FC midfielder Alejandro Pozuelo wins MLS MVP

On Monday, Major League Soccer announced that attacking midfielder Alejandro Pozuelo has been named Most Valuable Player for the 2020 regular season. 

The 29-year-old tied with two others for the league lead with 10 assists and also contributed nine goals for the Canadian side that finished the campaign second in the Eastern Conference standings behind Philadelphia Union. Toronto suffered a surprise loss to expansion club Nashville SC in the quarterfinals of the playoffs. 

Soon after that result, Greg Vanney stepped down from his roles as Toronto head coach and technical director.

Pozuelo earned 35.35% of the overall MVP vote. LAFC's Diego Rossi finished second with 17.80%.

"Vanney is a very good coach and a very good person and he helped me a lot to win this MVP. I want to say thank you to the coach,'' Pozuelo said when speaking with reporters, per the Associated Press (h/t ESPN). "He leaves now, and next year we'll adapt to another coach. But I want to say thank you because with him I won this trophy.''

Toronto started the search for a new head coach shortly after announcing Vanney's departure last week. 

Sebastian Giovinco is the only other Toronto player to ever earn MVP honors, a feat he achieved in 2015.