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Come Fan with UsFriday, June 19, 2026

Diego Valeri is MLS Player of the Week for Week 19

Troy Wayrynen-USA TODAY Sports

Week 19 in MLS was a return to form for a number of skill players around the league, after a dip in most parts in the aftermath of the Copa América Centenario break. Thank goodness for that.

Despite a variety of good performances in an expanded gameweek, SB Nation's MLS Player of the Week was a pretty easy decision according to most voters, as Diego Valeri ran away with the award following his two-goal performance in the Portland Timbers' 3-1 rivalry win over the Seattle Sounders on Sunday.

Valeri, perhaps the biggest MLS All-Star snub so far this year (bear in mind that there’s still one more wave of selections to come) has been quietly building an MVP case in 2016. If he continues to show up on a regular basis, especially in the big games, the Argentine could be in line for some personal silverware come season’s end.

Full results for Week 19, with first-place votes getting three points, second-place votes receiving two points and third-place votes earning a point each:

Player Points
Diego Valeri 25
Fabian Castillo 13
Sacha Kljestan 6
Victor Bernardez 5
Chris Pontius 3
Jack Harrison 2
Cordell Cato 1
Axel Sjoberg 1
Andreas Ivanschitz 1
Jermaine Taylor 1

And here are the full ballots for Week 19:

Voter 1st 2nd 3rd
Rob Usry (Dirty South Soccer) Diego Valeri Chris Pontius Mauro Diaz
Dave Clark (Sounder at Heart) Diego Valeri Fabian Castillo Cordell Cato
Kartik Krishnaiyer (Bitter and Blue) Diego Valeri Sacha Kljestan Mauro Diaz
Austin Fido (Once a Metro) Fabian Castillo Jack Harrison Chris Pontius
Drew Epperley (Big D Soccer) Diego Valeri Fabian Castillo Axel Sjoberg
Michael Citro (The Mane Land) Diego Valeri Fabian Castillo Sacha Kljestan
Jason Anderson (Black and Red United) Victor Bernardez Diego Valeri Sacha Kljestan
John Rossi (Brotherly Game) Diego Valeri Sacha Kljestan Andreas Ivanschitz
Sam Dunn (Hudson River Blue) Fabian Castillo Diego Valeri Jermaine Taylor
Alicia Rodriguez (The Goat Parade) Diego Valeri Victor Bernardez Fabian Castillo
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