If you wanted outstanding performances from attacking superstars, you got them in July.

The five candidates for the Etihad Airways MLS Player of the Month award for July are a star-studded group that will make it very difficult to choose.

How it works: At the end of each month, the MLSsoccer.com editorial staff selects the five final nominees. You then vote to determine the winner. Voting for June POTM will be open until 11:59 pm PT, Wednesday, August 5.

The nominees:

Ethan Finlay, Columbus Crew SC — Finlay shone bright in July, scoring four goals while assisting on two other, leading Crew SC to a 3-1-1 month. Finlay's best performance came on Independence Day when he scored both the goals in Columbus' 2-1 win over the Red Bulls.

Sebastian Giovinco, Toronto FC — Another month, another opportunity to win Player of the Month for the Italian superstar. Giovinco didn't slow down in July, collecting five goals and three assists over four games for Toronto FC. His standout performance came in the Bronx, when he scored a hat trick in just nine minutes.

Matt Hedges, FC Dallas — With all the attacking talent joining him on this ballot, it would be easy to overlook Hedges' candidacy. You shouldn't. In four games in July, all wins for FC Dallas, Hedges anchored a backline thatn conceded just two goals in four games.

Robbie Keane, LA Galaxy — The 2014 MVP had a slow start to the season thanks to injuries and national team duty but Keane decided to turn it on in July. He scored seven goals in total in the month, leading the Galaxy to three wins in four games. He scored back-to-back hat tricks against Toronto FC and the San Jose Earthquakes, netting him Player of the Week honors both times.

David Villa, New York City FC — Villa was simply marvelous in July as NYCFC began their push for the playoffs. The Spanish national team legend scored six goals in four games, some in spectacular fashion, to lead his team to wins over Montreal and Orlando City SC.