Leading goal scorer Denis Bouanga and MVP Luciano Acosta were among the MLS Best 11 players chosen by the league on Tuesday as the best men at their positions.
Luciano, an Argentine midfielder who helped FC Cincinnati win the regular-season title, was named to the Best 11 for the third time, while French-born forward Bouanga, who plays for Gabon, scored 20 goals for defending champion Los Angeles FC and was one of eight first-time winners.
Lionel Messi of Inter Miami, who only began playing MLS matches late in the season, was not among those chosen, despite leading the squad to the Leagues Cup, an event comprising MLS and Mexican League clubs.
Players, coaching staffs, and a media panel voted to select the players.
Nashville defender Walker Zimmerman was named to the Best 11 for the fifth time in a row, joining only five other players to win the accolade five times or more, while German midfielder Hany Mukhtar was named to the Best 11 for the third time in a row.
Matt Miazga, the United States’ MLS Defender of the Year, was also picked from Cincinnati, which will face Columbus in an MLS playoff semi-final on Saturday for the chance to face LAFC or Houston in the MLS Cup final.
St. Louis City, the first expansion team to win a conference title, named two players to the squad: MLS Goalkeeper of the Year Roman Buerki of Switzerland and US defender Tim Parker.
Argentine midfielder Thiago Almada of Atlanta, Mexican midfielder Hector Herrera of Houston, Greek forward Giorgos Giakoumakis of Atlanta, and Colombian attacker Juan Hernandez of Columbus were also named to the Best 11.