The MLSNEXTPro.com editorial team, several league personnel, announcers, and clubs voted on the top performers across the league during August to declare a Team, Coach, Goalkeeper, Rising Star, and Player of the Month.
The voting process entailed performances taken from MLS NEXT Pro league matches from August 1 through the end of Matchweek 25 on September 2.
Here are the winners:
MLS NEXT Pro Team of the Month: Carolina Core FC
Though it was a tough start to the season and a long wait to begin playing home matches at Truist Point, the team is ready to contend for a playoff spot as the race comes to a head in the next few weeks. The club's last match, a comeback 4-2 win over New York Red Bulls II at Truist Point, showed exactly why Carolina Core FC are primed for the playoff race.
"It's special to us to have won Team of the Month," said Chief Sporting Officer Eddie Pope. "We've been working really hard and when we think back to where we started and to where we are now, we've come a long way. We knew it would take time, but it's great for the morale of the team, for the morale of the coaches, and it means we're moving in the right direction. We've just got to keep pushing forward and hopefully make a run for the playoffs."
Facundo Canete has emerged as one of the top players in MLS NEXT Pro, scoring nine goals and adding six assists so far in 2024. The club has also seen major contributions from their captain Jacob Evans, with seven goals and six assists, plus five goals each from David Polanco and 20-year-old Josuha Rodriguez.
MLS NEXT Pro Player of the Month: Facundo Canete
Facundo Canete is the second player in MLS NEXT Pro to score a brace in three straight matches, equaling the feat of former MLS NEXT Pro MVP Jacen Russell-Rowe in 2022. The star player of a surprising playoff contender late in the season, Canete has fully integrated himself with his teammates in Carolina Core's first season as a club and the results are showing.
"I'm really happy to win this award, but I'm even more happy for the team to win some games and we've been working hard to do this," Canete said.
Canete has led Carolina Core to its current four-game winning run, scoring six goals and adding two assists. He was named MLS NEXT Pro Player of Matchweek 25 for his heroics in a comeback 4-2 win over New York Red Bulls II.
The 24-year-old joined Roy Lassiter's side ahead of the season after impressing in a tryout. He is a versatile midfield player who has lined up this season as a center or defensive midfielder as well as on the wing.
MLS NEXT Pro Coach of the Month: Roy Lassiter
When Roy Lassiter departed from Houston Dynamo 2 to become the head coach at Carolina Core FC, he must have been aware that starting a club from scratch would come with its challenges. However, Lassiter seems to have found a breakthrough late in the season.
Known as a legendary striker in Major League Soccer, Lassiter is making his name known as a coach with a successful recent run during Carolina Core FC's inaugural season.
"I'm honored, but first and foremost, it's my staff that deserves it," Lassiter said. "I wouldn't claim to accept this award without my staff: Amado Guevara, Donovan Ricketts, JC Martinez, Andy Williams, and Eddie Pope. I wouldn't claim to receive this by myself. These guys work really hard, and we work together on every single thing that we do, and so they are equally deserving of this award."
On a four-game winning streak, Carolina Core FC have entered the race for the playoffs in the club's first year. It's an incredible recovery, considering the club had only two wins by June 22. Lassiter and his staff identified a top player in MLS NEXT Pro in Facundo Canete, and have enabled other key contributors such as Josuha Rodriguez and Jacob Evans to lead the charge.
MLS NEXT Pro Goalkeeper of the Month: Stas Lapkes and Alex Sutton
The monthly award for top goalkeeper in MLS NEXT Pro for August is shared by Columbus Crew 2's Stas Lapkes and Carolina Core FC's Alex Sutton.
Sutton made 13 total saves across six games, giving up multiple goals only once in his team's current four-game winning run. Lapkes most recently helped Crew 2 win in a shootout against fellow Eastern Conference contender NYCFC II. Lapkes made 16 total saves across three games in August.
Both goalkeepers are key pieces to teams that are looking to end the season in a big way. Carolina Core FC, with Sutton in goal for 21 starts, sits two points away from a playoff spot in a tight Eastern Conference race. Further up the table, Crew 2 is one point behind Union II and FC Cincinnati 2 to vie for the top spot in the conference.
"I'm grateful to be honored with this award," Sutton said. "I think it's a true testament to how well our defense has been playing the last month or so. I wouldn't have been able to do it without those guys, so I'm just glad the team is moving up and doing well. We've got a lot more work ahead of us."
MLS NEXT Pro Rising Star of the Month: Owen Anderson
Owen Anderson opened his MLS NEXT Pro scoring account back in July, and his impact for Real Monarchs has grown since then. Anderson added three goals in August, including a brace that included two goals in two minutes in a 2-1 win over Colorado Rapids 2.
"I am super grateful to receive the award, but my focus remains on the pitch and improving each day in practice," Anderson said of the monthly award. "I couldn’t have done it without this squad; their support and hard work have been everything to me."
Anderson also earned Rising Star of Matchweek 22 honors after he scored in the sixth minute of a 2-1 home win over Tacoma Defiance.
Anderson is taking a step forward into the lineup for Real Monarchs with 10 starts and 759 minutes so far in 2024. Last season, he made an impression by scoring a goal against Crystal Palace U21s in the MLS NEXT Pro Invitational.
