With 19 goals apiece,Ā Colorado Rapids 2āsĀ RĆ©miĀ Cabral, Orlando City BāsĀ Jack Lynn and NYCFC IIāsĀ MD Myers won the 2023 MLS NEXT Pro Golden BootĀ following a thrilling Decision Day on Sunday that saw Cabral score a hat trick in the second half of his match to pull even with Lynn and Myers.
Lynn and Myers entered the final day of the regular season tied for the lead (18 goals) in the race for the scoring title, followed by Cabral and Atlanta United 2ās Nick Firmino with 16 goals each. With all Eastern Conference matches kicking off at 2 pm ET, Lynn and Myers each scored a goal and seemed to pull away with their share of the Golden Boot before the Western Conference matches began at 5 pm ET.
However, Cabral would not be denied, scoring three times in a 22-minute span in the second half of Coloradoās 4-2 win over MNUFC2 to finish the season with 19 goals and capture a share of the Golden Boot.
The MLS NEXT Pro Golden Boot race does not use assists as a tiebreaker.
Lynn has been a key figure for Orlando City B (13W-10L-5D, 46 points) throughout the 2023 season, leading the charge for the Lions to clinch their first MLS NEXT Pro playoff berth, finishing as the No. 5 seed. Lynn surpassed his scoring mark from the 2022 season, in which he finished third in the Golden Boot standings with 15 goals.
Myers has been a talisman for NYCFC II (12W-12L-4D, 41 points) at the front, buoying the Northeast Division outfit that narrowly missed out on a playoff berth. In his first season in MLS NEXT Pro, the Rutgers University alum was Co-Player of the Month in August after a stretch of six goals in three games, including a hat trick against Inter Miami II. Myers also recorded five assists.
Like his Golden Boot-winning counterparts, Cabral has been vital for the Colorado Rapids 2 offense in 2023, propelling the Rapids to clinch the Frontier Division title, No. 1 seed in the Western Conference and No. 1 overall seed with the leagueās best record (19W-4L-5D, 66 points). Cabralās goal-scoring prowess proved invaluable for Rapids 2, enabling a stark turnaround from the 2022 seasonās record of 7W-11L-6D (31 points). Cabarl's twin brother, KĆ©vin Cabral, is a striker for the Colorado Rapids first team.
