GOAL looks at the midseason frontrunners for the 2025 MLS MVP, including reigning award winner Lionel Messi
With all three participating MLS clubs having exited the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup, Lionel Messi's Inter Miami is set to return to league action on Matchday 22 – their first regular-season match since May. In the interim, some top performers have taken center stage in MLS.
Now, Messi's campaign toward second-straight MVP award resumes. It won't be easy, though, as a group of brilliant attackers is set to compete with him for the honor.
Alongside him in the Eastern Conference, FC Cincinnati midfielder Evander and Nashville SC striker Sam Surridge are in the running for the award, while in the West, newcomer Anders Dreyer is spearheading perhaps the single-most impressive expansion campaign MLS has ever seen with San Diego FC.
A group of top players, such as Diego Rossi, Cristian Espinoza, and Tai Baribo follow suit, as each looks to be crowned the league's best in 2025.
Who's leading the chase at this point in the season? GOAL presents the latest edition of MLS MVP Rankings.
Get the MLS Season Pass today!Stream games now1Anders Dreyer: San Diego FC
Dreyer leads MLS in goal contributions with 23 – nine goals and 14 assists. He's been a clutch performer in the final third for the 2025 expansion side and has them in first in the Western Conference heading into Matchday 22.
The Denmark international, who joined SDFC as a Designated Player ahead of their debut campaign in a $5M move from Belgian side Anderlecht, is arguably the frontrunner for both MLS Newcomer of the Year and league MVP this season.
Named June Player of the Month for MLS, the winger recorded a combined nine G+A across the campaign – a complete revelation for MLS this year.
Advertisement2Evander: FC Cincinnati
Evander has been on a tear for FC Cincinnati of late, and is showing why the Eastern Conference side paid the Portland Timbers $12M for him ahead of the 2025 campaign.
The Brazilian midfielder has 11 goals and seven assists in 18 games for FCC, and across Matchday 20 and 21, scored four out of their five combined goals – including the game-winner in both matches to push his team into second in the Eastern Conference heading.
The attacking midfielder has showcased his prowess in the final-third all season, and is increasingly looking to be the league's most threatening set-piece taker.
Getty Images3Lionel Messi: Inter Miami
Messi is looking to become the first player in league history to win back-to-back MVP awards, while also becoming the second player in league history to win it multiple times.
However, he sits third in the running at the moment – for multiple reasons.
Due to his slow start to the campaign, a brief injury hiatus due to "fatigue" and featuring in the CWC with Inter Miami in June, he hasn't logged the same number of minutes as the rest of the league's top players.
What is impressive, however, is that he has 16 goal contributions, with 10 goals and six assists in just 13 matches. If he can return for the second half of the campaign and put up even close to what he's done so far, he will have a real chance to make league history.
Getty Images Sport4Sam Surridge: Nashville SC
The league's top scorer, Surridge has had a brilliant stretch of form of late, and he's finally come into his own under B.J. Callaghan with Nashville. The Englishman is up to 16 goals and has bagged 10 goals in his last six matches.
He's outperforming his xG of 14.77 goals, and in 20 appearances, has 19 total goal contributions. Across MLS, he's the only player with two hat-tricks.
He's elevated Nashville, and has them contending for a top spot in the Eastern Conference.