Djordje Mihailovic on fire after seven games
It’s clear to anyone who’s watched a handful of CF Montréal games this year. Djordje Mihailovic is playing on another level right now.
So much so, that after just seven games played in MLS, many are calling him the frontrunner for this year’s MVP award.
Mihailovic has four goals and three assists in his last four MLS games, adding a goal and an assist against Santos Laguna in the Concacaf Champions League as well.
“Djordje Mihailovic is going to be a dark horse for MVP this year,” said defender Alistair Johnston. “I think we need to start that narrative early. Often in MVP voting, it’s a lot about a narrative. Djordje has all the qualities. His stats this year are unbelievable. If you just watch our games, you can see that he’s playing at a different level that anyone else on the field. When you have a guy like that, it takes some pressure off, because you know he can create against whoever he’s playing against.”
Djordje has proven that thus far this year. The American midfielder has already matched his goal tally in 2021 after just seven games, and he sits just one goal back from leading the entire MLS in goals scored. He’s a big reason why Montreal is one of the best offensive teams so far this season, sitting third league-wide with 13 goals.
His fellow midfielder and Designated Player Victor Wanyama has started almost every game alongside Djordje since the beginning of last year’s season and has seen his progression first-hand.
“Djordje is a great player,” said midfielder Victor Wanyama. “I understand his movement and he’s a top talent. He’s on fire at the moment. If he continues playing like this, I see him in the big leagues to be honest. He’s doing well. He needs to continue being humble and repeating these types of performances.”
Confidence on the rise
Djordje’s first season with CF Montréal was a very impressive one. Although the attacking midfielder managed just four goals, he finished the season as the league’s second-best passer, behind only New England’s Carles Gil in assists.
This year, when Djordje showed up to training camp in January, his objective was clear.
“I asked him what he wanted, and he told me he wanted to score more goals,” explained head coach Wilfried Nancy. “He knows he had opportunities to score a few more goals last year. He was thinking about scoring so much in the beginning of the year that he was shooting from everywhere. Now, he’s found the right balance. He’s growing. Not only does he listen, but he also exchanges with you. I also listen to him to try and put him in the best environment possible. He’s also a very hard worker.”
Not only is he a hard worker, Djordje is a competitor. So, when he came to training camp with the clear objective of scoring more goals in 2022, a betting man would have not bet against him.
“I think I always had it in me,” said midfielder Djordje Mihailovic. “It’s more about having the confidence of actually getting it done. Having the confidence to take guys on one-on-one. It’s having the confidence to do the movement, and then remaining calm when it comes time to taking a shot to put the ball where I want it.”
There’s no limit to what Mihailovic can achieve this year in this sort of form. If he continues playing like this, it’ll be difficult to explain how the young American was overlooked as the league’s most valuable player.
