Top 10 MLS Players – May 2019

Top MLS Players With the Highest Social Interactions Among Fans

Spring has sprung! Major League Soccer is in full stride headed into the summer, and there is no clear favorite for the season quite yet. May featured the unveiling of Portland’s upgraded stadium, eChampionsLeague won by NYCFC, and a lot of goals. Our Hookit Most Engaged Top 10 didn’t see many changes, with international superstars Wayne Rooney, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Zlatan Ibrohimovic, and Nani taking the top four spots. Reigning MLS MVP Josef Martinez and current leading goal scorer Carlos Vela find themselves in the top ten yet again, proving that you can be successful both on and off the field. The newest addition to this month’s top ten is Seattle Sounders defender Roman Torres coming in at number 10 with 37.8K interactions across 10 posts.

Note: All data from Hookit Engagement rankings on June 10th, 2019. Data is updated consistently to reflect live rankings on the Hookit Rankings website.

Nani Jumps 12 Spots to Number 4

Orlando City Soccer Club star Nani jumped 12 spots this month to crack into the top 5 in our Hookit Most Engaged. Nani scored a pair of goals in an outing against Cincinnati FC earning him over 45K views on his tweet highlighting the goals. These two goals have helped Nani secure his spot as one of the top scorers in MLS, with 8 for the season so far. However, Nani’s connection to his previous clubs, Manchester United and Sporting Clube Portugal, provided him with the extra interactions needed for him to secure the number four spot this month. This video, of Nani and his son watching Sporting Clube Portugal earn a win, accumulated almost 90K views and 6K likes, making it his most popular post of the month.

Romell Quioto Steadily Moving up the Ranks

In February, Romell Quioto was ranked #13 in the Hookit Most Engaged Rankings. Since then he has steadily began his march towards the top, jumping to #12 in March, coming in at #7 in April, and this month landing in his highest spot yet at #6. With a total of 74.6K interactions across 21 posts, there is something to be said about Quioto’s consistency. Earning himself anywhere from 2K to 4K interactions on most of his posts, this instagram album received almost 10K interactions! Quioto does a great job of keeping his followers updated on his activities, posting 21 times, and gaining over 2K followers in May.

Reigning MLS MVP Josef Martinez Remains in the Top 10

Josef Martinez has found himself in the MLS Top 10 since October of 2018. Although throughout this season, he has slipped in the rankings a bit, he has yet to fall out of the top 10. Coming in at number 8 this week, former MLS MVP racked up almost 60K interactions on this instagram post celebrating his team’s win on May 29th against Minnesota United. The win saw Martinez netting two goals in the final minutes of the game to secure their 3-0 win. Martinez came away from May scoring five goals across all games, making him the third highest scorer in the league. Will Martinez be the 2019 MLS MVP again this year? Only time will tell.

The Wrap Up

Three months into the Major League Soccer season, we can confirm that on field performance and social presence are not mutually exclusive. Carlos Vela leads the league in goals and assists, makes his third straight top 10 most engaged list, and brought in 5.3K new followers this month. His, and his team’s, success has also put Los Angeles Football Club at #2 in Hookit’s Most Engaged MLS Teams, trailing reigning champs Atlanta United. Portland’s new stadium has also launched them into the top 10, finding themselves at #6 with 348.8K interactions in May. There is lots of soccer yet to be played, and we will be keeping a close eye on the most successful teams on the field and on social!

Note: All data is from official Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Instagram Business accounts. Any personal Instagram account data is not included in these rankings.

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Written by Sophia Leksan

Sophia studied Information Systems at Loyola Marymount University while being a member of the D1 Women’s Soccer team. She is currently studying to earn her Master’s of Sports Administration at Northwestern University. In her free time, she enjoys playing soccer and exploring Chicago.

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