With 14 goals from direct free kicks, Sebastian Giovinco is the all-time leader in MLS history. What’s even more remarkable is that it’s only taken three seasons of play for Giovinco to hit that mark.
According to an article from MLSsoccer.com published last October, no player on the planet comes close to matching Giovinco’s effectiveness from free kicks. Between March 1, 2015, and October 30, 2017, the closest rival to Giovinco’s mark of 14 was Juventus’s Paulo Dybala, who hit seven goals from direct free kicks over that same period.
Giovinco scores from a free kick, on average, every 570.5 minutes. For comparison, Messi averages one every 1,271.67 minutes. This all just goes to show that Giovinco is not normal.
The Italian will certainly add to his total this season. During the preseason, he punished both Club America and Cruz Azul with a pair of unstoppable free kicks.
It’s a privilege to have this guy in MLS.