After eight seasons of covering Atlanta United and MLS, I was finally given the opportunity to do something I’ve never done: cast a vote for the league’s year-end awards.
There’s obviously a Lionel Messi-sized question to be answered right off the bat: will Inter Miami’s legendary No. 10 win Landon Donovan MLS MVP? He’ll get his share of the votes, that’s for sure. Take away his stats, though, and should a player that missed nearly half of his team’s games still be deserving of the honor?
First off, it’s worth noting that an MVP candidate is required to play in at least 1,000 minutes in a season. Messi has cleared that easily, with 1,453 heading into a Decision Day he probably won’t play in with the Herons having sewn up the Supporters’ Shield. And it’s fair to wonder what his final totals would have been if he’d have played, say, 25-27 games.
Does Lionel Messi ultimately get my vote for MVP? Who were my picks for the other major year-end awards? Keep reading for answers, and share your thoughts in the comments.
MLS Newcomer of the Year: Gabriel Pec, LA Galaxy
It’s not easy for a new player to come into MLS and show his quality immediately, but that’s what Gabriel Pec has done since signing for the LA Galaxy from boyhood club Vasco de Gama in the offseason. He’s on 15g/14a in 32 appearances — maybe in another year, that wins him the MVP race — as the Galaxy have mounted a remarkable turnaround after a dismal 2023. Pretty amazing what happens when you have a consistent attacking talent on your roster.
Honorable mention: Luis Suarez, Inter Miami; Luca Orellano, FC Cincinnati
MLS Young Player of the Year: Diego Luna, Real Salt Lake
Leaving Diego Luna off the U.S. Olympic roster was absolutely criminal considering what he’s meant to RSL since his arrival. Chicho Arango’s 17g/12a season stands on its own, but Luna’s 7g/12a mark ahead of Decision Day has helped the Claret and Cobalt claim a Top 4 spot. They’ve stumbled a little bit down the stretch, but a win on Saturday could help them get right before the playoffs — and Luna will be a big part.
MLS Defender of the Year: Yeimar, Seattle Sounders
The Sounders have done what they always do, and that’s trick teams into thinking they’re in a “down year” before stepping things up in the latter portions of the season. Heading into Decision Day, they’ve allowed 34 goals (fewest in MLS) and kept 13 clean sheets (tops in the league) and that’s thanks in part to the performance of Yeimar in the Sounders’ center back pairing with Jackson Ragan. If the Sounders win MLS Cup, it’ll be primarily due to their stiffling defending.
MLS Goalkeeper of the Year: Kristijan Kahlina, Charlotte FC
On his day, Kristijan Kahlina’s unbeatable. We saw an example of that during Atlanta United’s 1-0 win at Charlotte where, if not for some unbelievable saves by Kahlina, it would have easily been a 2-0 or 3-0 match. He’s tied for second in clean sheets with 11 and tied for third in save percentage (75.5), while leading the league in goals prevented (12.2) according to Fotmob.
No question that Charlotte’s not in the position they’re in without him, and the contract extension they gave him at the beginning of the month speaks for itself.
Sigi Schmid MLS Coach of the Year: Wilfried Nancy, Columbus Crew
I probably struggled with this one more than I should have.
Tata Martino, frankly, will be the favorite to win this one because *gestures to the Supporters’ Shield standings* with Greg Vanney well in the mix. But while Wilfred Nancy has an attacking superstar of his own in Cucho Hernandez, what he’s done with the rest of this roster (no disrespect intended to anyone on it) has been remarkable.
Nancy’s the best in the league in getting the absolute maximum out of just about everyone on the team, and you can tell they’re fully bought in to his vision. No one will bat an eye in December if he and the Crew are lifting the Anschutz Trophy for a second straight time, making them the first team to repeat as league champions since the 2011 and 2012 LA Galaxy — with an LA/Columbus final in Carson a very real possibility.
Landon Donovan MLS MVP: Cucho Hernandez, Columbus Crew
This is the award everyone will be talking about. To be honest, I just can’t get there with Lionel Messi here for obvious reasons. He’ll get a number of votes, sure, but I can’t get there simply due to the amount of time he missed for this team.
That takes absolutely nothing away from his remarkable numbers in limited action: the man is a singular talent, and whether or not you take the cynic’s view that he’s facing diminished quality, 17 goals and 15 assists in Major League Soccer in a shade under 1,500 minutes at 37 years old is simply sensational.
Which brings us to Cucho Hernandez, who continues to elevate the Crew and is a massive (no pun intented) reason why the defending MLS Cup champions are in the mix for a repeat. He’s actually gotten better — posting a 19g/13a statline in 2024 in 2,056 minutes played versus 16g/11a across 2,373 minutes in 2023.
The Crew couldn’t catch Miami in the Shield race (losing both matches against the Herons) but if Cucho’s on his game, which happens more often than not, it’ll tough to bet against them if these two meet in the playoffs.
MLS Best XI
Forwards: Christian Benteke, Cucho Hernandez, Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez
Midfielders: Lucho Acosta, Evander, Darlington Nagbe
Defenders: Jordi Alba, Yeimar, Sergi Palencia
Goalkeeper: Kristijan Kahlina
Other Awards
Referee of the Year: Lukasz Szpala
Assistant Referee of the Year: Jeremy Hanson
Comeback Player of the Year: Robin Lod, Minnesota United
Audi Goals Drive Progress Impact Award: Jay Fortune, Atlanta United
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Agree. I can’t give it to Messi because he missed half the games, but I’m totally fine with him being in the Super XI. I think that’s more about who the best players are, and he’s clearly one of the best forwards in the league. He played enough for that, but not the MVP IMHO.
Congrats on being selected to receive a ballot. That’s quite an honor.
Also, the fact that Miami has run away with the shield with limited participation from Messi means by definition, he is not the most valuable player.
They were marginally better with vs without him. But another way to look at it would be that without Messi on the roster, no Tata, same roster w Josef, Yedlin, etc… prob would have finished last in the east this year. Not a reason to award an mvp but also speaks to how much value he contributed to the net results for the club…kind of hard to overstate the impact.