Coming off a two-goal, one-assist performance that powered a resounding 5-0 victory over rivals CF Montréal, Vancouver Whitecaps FC forward Simon Becher has taken home MLS Player of the Matchday presented by Continental Tire honors for Matchday 6.
The 23-year-old's explosive effort keyed the one-sided result for Vancouver and continued a historically fast start to Becher's MLS career. With the pair of goals, Becher has become the fastest player in MLS history to reach four career tallies, hitting that milestone in just 87 minutes of action. The previous record was held by Columbus Crew forward Cucho Hernández, who accomplished the feat in his first 89 MLS minutes in 2022. Becher also joined Octavio Rivero (2015) as the only players in Whitecaps history to score in each of their first three matches.
A first-round MLS SuperDraft pick in 2022 (16th overall), Becher was a standout for Vancouver Whitecaps 2 last season, scoring eight goals in 22 MLS NEXT Pro appearances. The forward is a product of Saint Louis University, where he scored 21 goals in 47 appearances from 2019-21 before his Vancouver arrival. Becher is the first alumnus of MLS NEXT Pro to win MLS Player of the Matchday presented by Continental Tire honors.
The victory was crucial for the Whitecaps, who were winless through five league matches to start their 2023 campaign. Now at 1W-2L-3D through Matchday 6, Vancouver have moved up to the No. 9 spot in the Western Conference table, sporting a respectable +3 goal differential after the five-goal rout. They'll look to carry that momentum into their ongoing Concacaf Champions League venture, which continues Wednesday evening when hosting MLS counterpart LAFC for a leg-one quarterfinal matchup at BC Place (10 pm ET | OneSoccer, FS1).
The MLS Player of the Matchday presented by Continental Tire is selected each matchday of the regular season through both media and fan voting in a process conducted by MLS Communications. A panel of journalists from the North American Soccer Reporters (NASR) comprises 75 percent of the vote, while a Twitter fan vote represents the remaining 25 percent of voting. NASR consists of members of print, television, radio, and online media.
