NYCFC forward Valentín Taty Castellanos has won the 2021 MLS Golden Boot after scoring a league-high 19 goals in a tightly contested race that came down the final day of the regular season on MLS Decision Day.
Valentín “Taty” Castellanos Wins Golden Boot 2021 As NYCFC Tie With Philly
Castellanos claims the honor via the assist tiebreaker, with his eight helpers holding off D.C. United’s Ola Kamara, who also notched 19 goals over the campaign with five assists.
The first NYCFC player to win the award in club history, Castellanos began the season on a tear – scoring a goal in four straight matches to open the 2021 regular season. However, it was his late-season surge of nine goals in 11 matches from July 25 through Sept. 22 that springboarded him into the race for the Golden Boot.
Ending the season with that same momentum, Castellanos emerged as the frontrunner, notching six goals in the last four games, leading NYCFC’s unbeaten streak over that span and solidifying the club’s No. 4 finish in the Eastern Conference to clinch their spot in the Audi 2021 MLS Cup Playoffs.
Castellanos also becomes the league’s first player from Argentina to claim the scoring crown and the third player from South America to win the Golden Boot presented by Audi since 2018 alongside Atlanta United’s Josef Martínez (2018) and LAFC’s Diego Rossi (2020). Castellanos’ career high of 19 goals for NYCFC surpass his previous marker of 11 achieved in 2019.
LINEUPS
Philadelphia Union: Andre Blake, Jack Elliott, Jakob Glesnes, Oliver Mbaizo, Kai Wagner, Daniel Gazdag (66’ Paxten Aaronson), Jose Martinez, Jamiro Monteiro (90’+3’ Bueno), Alejandro Bedoya (C), Lean Flach (66’ Jack McGlynn), Kacper Przybylko (81’ Cory Burke)
SUBS UNUSED: Stuart Findlay, Joe Bendik, Bueno, Nathan Harriel, Alvas Powell, Quinn Sullivan
New York City FC: Sean Johnson (C), Maxime Chanot, Alexander Callens, Alfredo Morales (62’ Tayvon Gray), Malte Amundsen, James Sands, Maxi Moralez, Jesus Medina, Gedion Zelalem, Santiago Rodriguez (89’ Tayvon Gray), Valentin Castellanos
SUBS UNUSED: Chris Gloster, Thiago, Luis Barraza, Tony Rocha, Gudmundur Thorarinsson, Andres Jasson, Vuk Latinovich, Talles Magno
