It's once again time to check in on who starred around Major League Soccer during the just-completed Matchday 6. How We Voted is a new-ish weekly column that reveals, as the name implies, how I voted when deciding who to support on the latest MLS Player of the Matchday ballot circulated by the North American Soccer Reporters.
This week I cast votes for a pair of attacking midfielders who each scored twice in important home wins for their respective teams. Read on as I explain my thinking while also sharing the final winners of Player of the Matchday, as well as those who earned places in the Team of the Matchday.
The HRB Ballot, Matchday 6
1. Djordje Mihailovic, Colorado Rapids
Many braces scored around MLS this Matchday, some involving a made penalty kick and some not. Djordje Mihailovic got one of his two goals from the penalty spot, but that didn't stop me from giving him my vote for Player of the Matchday.
What made Mihailovic's performance stand out was its totality and the opposition he got his two goals against. Charlotte FC's defense recently shut out the Atlanta United and FC Cincinnati attacks and was coming off a dominant 4-1 home win over San Jose Earthquakes heading into this match in Colorado.
Mihailovic and teammates like striker Rafael Navarro caused Charlotte's usually imposing backline lots of problems, but it was Mihailovic who served as the top threat at Dick's Sporting Goods Park. His goals were scored late in the second half, breaking what had been a 0-0 dominated by the Rapids, but was kept scoreless by Charlotte's reigning MLS Goalkeeper of the Year, Kristijan Kahlina.
Mihailovic had two other dangerous shots saved by Kahlina during this game but found the breakthrough that won his team the match in the 77th minute. He floated into the space in front of the goal left vacated by both of Charlotte's center-backs dropping deep to engage Navarro then hit a perfect one-time finish low and past Kahlina following a pinpoint cross from Bronx native Omir Fernandez.
Djordje Mihailovic breaks through at home! pic.twitter.com/gGOgbeG8CF
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) March 29, 2025
He'd score a second from the penalty spot four minutes later when Navarro was clattered into while in the box, icing the win for the Rapids. Mihailovic registered five total shot attempts, completed two successful dribbles past defenders, created two chances for teammates, and won four of his six ground duels. It was a dominant showing from the American attacking midfielder and deserved to get him votes for Player of the Matchday.
2. Carles Gil, New England Revolution
Another No 10 with a pair of goals scored and one being a penalty kick, but Carles Gil deserves credit for simply getting the New England Revolution attack on the board in 2025. Their only goal scored heading into a Matchday 6 home clash against fellow original MLS team, the Red Bulls, was an own goal from New York City FC defender Thiago Martins.
Gil changed that by curling a perfect free kick past Carlos Coronel to give the Revs a rare lead in the 28th minute. He also would win New England the match by starting the attack that led to a VAR-decided penalty kick in second-half stoppage time, which Gil would convert to give New England its first win of 2025. Gil took four shots, created three chances, and completed 10 passes into the final attacking third. He did all the heavy lifting as the Revs got a must-have win at home against one of their oldest rivals.
𝘛𝘢𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘥. 𝘉𝘳𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘢𝘯𝘵. 𝘐𝘯𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘦. 𝘈𝘮𝘢𝘻𝘪𝘯𝘨. 𝘚𝘩𝘰𝘸-𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘱𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘨. 𝘚𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘢𝘤𝘶𝘭𝘢𝘳. 𝘕𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘮𝘦. 𝘛𝘰𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘲𝘶𝘦. 𝘊𝘢𝘳𝘭𝘦𝘴 𝘎𝘪𝘭 — C𝘢𝘱𝘵𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘮𝘢𝘨𝘪𝘤. 🎩✨ pic.twitter.com/P6y4klWFdP
— New England Revolution (@NERevolution) March 30, 2025
Official Player of the Matchday: Djordje Mihailovic
Djordje Mihailovic of the #Rapids96 has been named this week's #MLS Player of the Matchday! It's his first time winning the award. Mihailovic received the largest share of the votes from our members (24.64%).
— North American Soccer Reporters (@soccerreporters.bsky.social) March 31, 2025 at 3:59 PM
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Another week where my vote was the same as the actual Player of the Matchday winner? Kinda ruins the fun potential of debating Player A vs Player B, but I think Mihailovic's performance against one of the league's best defenses and goalkeepers was too hard to ignore. Even though a wave of players scored exactly two goals on Matchday 6, Mihailovic's pair proved to be the most impressive.
Official MLS Team of the Matchday
Starters: Roman Celentano (CIN) - Jefferson Díaz (MIN), Christopher McVey (SD), George Campbell (MTL) - Djordje Mihailovic (COL), Carles Gil (NE), Evander (CIN), Antony (POR) - Diego Rossi (CLB), Tani Oluwaseyi (MIN), Emmanuel Latte Lath (ATL)
Coach: Mikey Varas (SD)
Bench: Daniel (SJ), Brendan Hines-Ike (ATX), Luciano Acosta (DAL), Albert Rusnák (SEA), Lionel Messi (MIA), Myrto Uzuni (ATX), Onni Valakari (SD), Miguel Almirón (ATL) Felipe Mora (POR)
Hannes Wolf of New York City FC might consider himself snubbed of at least a spot on the bench after he scored twice and played a generally excellent match even in the losing effort. Then again, NYCFC could also claim partial credit for getting Emmanuel Latte Lath his spot in Team of the Matchday since they conspired to hand him his match-winning goal. Surprisingly successful expansion side San Diego FC is the best-represented team this week with two players and coach Mikey Varas in this Team of the Matchday following their big win over Southern California rivals LAFC.
