New York City FC forward Valentin Castellanos was voted as MLS Player of the Month for October-November of the 2020 MLS regular season, the league announced Wednesday.
Across eight matches during that span, the Argentine had six goals and three assists, helping NYCFC close with a 6W-2L-1D record as they locked up the No. 5 seed in the Audi MLS Cup Playoffs.
The clear highlight for Castellanos was scoring three goals and contributing one assist in a 5-2 win over the New York Red Bulls on Nov. 1. The Hudson River Derby victory proved crucial in NYCFC surging into the postseason with four straight wins.
Watch: Valentin Castellanos highlights
Castellanos also produced on Decision Day presented by AT&T, notching one goal and one assist in a wild 4-3 victory over Chicago Fire FC. During a 4-1 win against D.C. United back on Oct. 7, he had another one goal, one assist performance..
His importance has increased since fellow forward Heber went down with a season-ending ACL tear and the subsequent loaning of Alexandru Mitrita to Saudi Arabian club Al-Ahli. Coinciding with the return of dynamic midfielder Maxi Moralez, the 22-year-old has hit a rich vein of form.
NYCFC begin their playoff push with a Round One matchup Nov. 21 at Orlando City SC (12 pm ET | TV & streaming info). This is their first season under head coach Ronny Deila, and they're looking to advance past that stage for the first time in club history (four straight quarterfinal exits).
Previous MLS Player of the Month winners in 2020 are Orlando striker Daryl Dike and Toronto FC midfielder Alejandro Pozuelo. MLS Player of the Month is voted upon by a panel of select national media members in a process conducted by MLS Communications.
