Soccer <\/p>\n
The 2025 MLS season hit its midpoint this weekend, which means, instead of the usual Sunday column, we\u2019re going for a bit heavier fare: the annual Armchair Analyst midseason awards column.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
Yup, we\u2019ve got a sample size now, folks. That means we can properly assess who\u2019s leading the Landon Donovan MLS MVP race, the Defender of the Year race and a bunch of other \u201c… of the Year\u201d stuff. It means we can hand out props for adjustments and try to pull apart some tactical trends. And it means we can celebrate the big (or sometimes not-so-big) moves that worked out.<\/p>\n
In we go.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
1. Brian White – Vancouver Whitecaps FC<\/strong><\/p>\n I\u2019ve always been big on trying to give the MVP award to the best player on the best team, while also controlling for degree of difficulty. Well, White<\/a>\u2019s been the best player on the best team and the degree of difficulty, between the injury to Ryan Gauld<\/a> and the deep Concacaf Champions Cup<\/a> run, has been off the charts.<\/p>\n White has not single-handedly kept the team together \u2013 two other players on the roster could get MVP votes \u2013 but he\u2019s been the biggest part of keeping the attack humming with both his on-ball work (his hold-up and link play are both so underrated) and, most especially, his off-ball work. Everything this guy does on the field is additive. I\u2019ve been a fan since before he played a single MLS minute (and have the receipt for that<\/a>), but I never, ever thought he\u2019d be this good.<\/p>\n 2. Lionel Messi – Inter Miami CF<\/strong><\/p>\n Messi<\/a> might have a stronger case for MVP this year \u2013 he\u2019s played a much higher percentage of Miami<\/a>\u2019s minutes and Luis Su\u00e1rez<\/a> has gotten old, so there\u2019s no one to share the attacking burden \u2013 than he did last year when he won it. That said, they\u2019ve got to figure out how to fix the vibes<\/a> down in Fort Lauderdale. As the best player on the team (and, you know, in the history of the sport), that\u2019s on him.<\/p>\n 3. Anders Dreyer – San Diego FC<\/strong><\/p>\n More or less the Platonic ideal of a DP signing. Came in on an affordable fee in his prime, works both sides of the ball and proved more than good enough to keep the engine running for the attack when his more celebrated running mate missed time. Dreyer<\/a>\u2019s fantastic. Elite understanding of how to toggle between playmaker and off-ball goal threat. Love this guy.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n This is an award we dished out on Extratime every season because the guys who do the ball progression are rarely recognized with end-of-year honors. MVP is always \u201cwho\u2019s the best 10, winger or forward?\u201d<\/p>\n But teams don\u2019t function without central midfielders. They are essential.<\/p>\n 1. Sebastian Berhalter – Vancouver Whitecaps FC<\/strong><\/p>\n There were hints in the second half of last season that Berhalter<\/a> was going to have something of a breakout year in 2025. But to me, \u201cbreakout year\u201d meant something in the realm of \u201clocked down the starting job and put in some tough tackles to allow Andr\u00e9s Cubas<\/a> a little more room.\u201d<\/p>\n Instead, he\u2019s looked like a young Michael Bradley with his ability to set the tempo via either long or short-range passing; his ability to find space (he checks his shoulders more than any other central midfielder in the league) and get his teams out of trouble; and his box arrival to finish off the long, delightful sequences of play that have become a \u2018Caps<\/a> staple. Add in some top-tier set-piece service and you\u2019ve got the best No. 8 in the league.<\/p>\n 2. An\u00edbal Godoy – San Diego FC<\/strong><\/p>\n I thought Godoy<\/a> was cooked. I was very wrong, as his ability to instantly make the game big \u2013 getting Dreyer and Chucky Lozano<\/a> into great spots against scrambled defenses \u2013 has been a huge piece of one of the best teams in the league.<\/p>\n 3. Beau Leroux – San Jose Earthquakes<\/strong><\/p>\n I can\u2019t remember the last time a player I had never heard of before First Kick won a starting job. And I don\u2019t think there\u2019s ever been a time a player I\u2019d never heard of before First Kick won a starting job and was instantly<\/em> one of the handful of best players in the league at his spot. For those who haven\u2019t watched the Quakes<\/a>\u2026 you should, they\u2019re fun as hell. Leroux<\/a> is Berhalter-esque in a lot of ways, though probably better on the ball in tight spots and not as good of a long-range distributor.<\/p>\n NOTE:<\/strong> Eduard Atuesta<\/a> and Keaton Parks<\/a> would both be here on a per-minute basis, but I didn\u2019t vote for Messi for MVP last year because he didn\u2019t play 2,000 minutes \u2013 that\u2019s my cut-off for awards voting eligibility \u2013 and these guys are both on track to just miss that number.<\/p>\n So I can\u2019t bring myself to put them on this list. But if either\/both burst through that 2,000-minute barrier, they will get written up in this column at the end of the season.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n \u2014 Major League Soccer (@MLS) May 23, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote><\/div>\n 1. Danley Jean Jacques – Philadelphia Union<\/strong><\/p>\n The Union<\/a> play with dual sixes, so figuring out when to release into the attack is non-negotiable if they want to create numerical superiority, and Jean Jacques<\/a> has been overwhelming when doing so. Through a mix of the press, combination play at full pace and the ability to pick the right pass \u2013 or sometimes even finish himself \u2013 he\u2019s a force-magnifier out there in every conceivable way you\u2019d want from the position. Could his transition defense be a little bit better? Yes. But the other stuff he\u2019s brought to the table has been undeniable and is a huge piece of why the Union are atop the Eastern Conference.<\/p>\n 2. Jeppe Tverskov – San Diego FC<\/strong><\/p>\n There aren\u2019t many teams left that play a true single pivot. San Diego<\/a> are one of them, and they can do it because of the work Tverskov<\/a> does in reading the game on both sides of the ball. That alone would probably be enough, but on top of it, he brings the ability to hit these clever, disguised passes that end up opening the game for the likes of Godoy and Luca de la Torre<\/a>.<\/p>\n 3. Andr\u00e9s Cubas – Vancouver Whitecaps FC<\/strong><\/p>\n Never puts a foot wrong (unless it\u2019s in Mexico City, anyway) as a backline shield, never puts a foot wrong in his distribution and always sets the physical tone. \u201cDiego Chara<\/a>-esque\u201d is one of the highest compliments I can give, and it\u2019s one he\u2019s earned.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Danley Jean Jacques scores in his second straight game!@PhilaUnion<\/a> are pulling away at home. ???? pic.twitter.com\/UddWsKxTpM<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Major League Soccer (@MLS) April 26, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote><\/div>\n 1. Alex Freeman – Orlando City<\/strong><\/p>\n So good going forward \u2013 legitimately game-breaking at times \u2013 that Oscar Pareja scrapped the game model he\u2019s used for more than a decade to put Freeman<\/a> in a position where he could attack at will. Orlando<\/a> have been rewarded with goals and assists, but Freeman also still takes the defensive part of the game seriously. He tracks back all the time (my guess is he leads the league in full-field sprints), which makes the decision to adjust the game model an easy one.<\/p>\n 2. Andy Najar – Nashville SC<\/strong><\/p>\n Another team that\u2019s adjusted their game model is Nashville<\/a>, who have put much more emphasis on building from the back, combining with short passes through midfield and disorganizing the opponents with the ball. Najar<\/a>\u2019s done the above at a high level while still being a more-than-solid defensive presence.<\/p>\n 3. Kai Wagner – Philadelphia Union<\/strong><\/p>\n Wagner<\/a> still goes endline-to-endline like a madman, still serves in maybe the best left-footed cross and strikes the second-best left-footed set piece in the league. Runs through his tackles, picks more conservative passes when he needs to and takes nothing off the table.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Alex Freeman just might be the best USMNT-eligible player no one seems to be talking about.<\/p>\n The 20-year-old Orlando City right back is absurdly good going forward, doing stuff few 6’2″ outside backs on the planet can do.<\/p>\n Buy your stock now.pic.twitter.com\/ZB4ATrT6uv<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u2014 Joseph Lowery (@joeclowery) May 12, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote><\/div>\n This year-end award always goes to a center back, so let\u2019s just understand it as being exactly that.<\/p>\n 1. Michael Boxall – Minnesota United FC<\/strong><\/p>\n There are three pillars of Minnesota<\/a>\u2019s excellent half-season:<\/p>\n Boxall<\/a> is essential in every one of those situations. He\u2019s a dominant and active aerial presence who is a much better passer than folks realize \u2013 not just long balls, but third-line passes to the likes of Robin Lod<\/a> and Joaqu\u00edn Pereyra<\/a> \u2013 and he\u2019s got the best long throw-in in the league. That means Minnesota get what amounts to three or four extra set pieces per game.<\/p>\n 2. Tristan<\/strong> Blackmon – Vancouver Whitecaps FC<\/strong><\/p>\n Blackmon<\/a>\u2019s passing and ball carrying have arguably been as crucial to Vancouver\u2019s excellence as Boxall\u2019s box dominance has been to Minnesota\u2019s (Blackmon\u2019s got a good long throw-in, too, by the way). Blackmon\u2019s also got great recovery speed, which has allowed the \u2018Caps to play a higher line without constant panic attacks.<\/p>\n 3. Miles Robinson – FC Cincinnati<\/strong><\/p>\n None of the good teams have been forced to play as much emergency defense as Cincy<\/a> have, and that wouldn\u2019t work as well as it has if not for Robinson<\/a>\u2019s ability to put out fires all over the defensive third.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n \u2014 Major League Soccer (@MLS) May 25, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote><\/div>\n 1. Zack Steffen – Colorado Rapids<\/strong><\/p>\n He\u2019s passed the eye test, he\u2019s passed the points-per-game test (Colorado<\/a> are much better when he\u2019s on the field than when he\u2019s been off of it) and he\u2019s still got the best underlying numbers in the league. Will he end up playing enough to win it, given he just picked up an injury<\/a> at USMNT<\/a> camp and could be sidelined for a while? I don\u2019t know. Will he have good enough basic counting stats (shutouts, saves, save percentage) that voters love? I kind of doubt it. But he\u2019s been the best goalkeeper in MLS this year when healthy.<\/p>\n 2. Carlos Coronel – New York Red Bulls<\/strong><\/p>\n Coronel<\/a>\u2019s shot-stopping has been almost as good as Steffen<\/a>\u2019s, and that\u2019s what I care about most. That said, while Steffen has taken a massive step forward by simplifying his game \u2013 fewer sweeper-keeper moments, more launching goal kicks instead of playing short \u2013 Coronel has gone in the other direction as Sandro Schwarz has modified the game plan.<\/p>\n 3. Daniel – San Jose Earthquakes<\/strong><\/p>\n The Quakes play at about a 60-point clip when he\u2019s on the field, and they play at about a 30-point clip when he\u2019s not. Daniel<\/a>‘s shot-stopping is the biggest reason why, but he\u2019s also almost doubled his interventions outside the box per 90, as well as the percentage of crosses he\u2019s claiming. That\u2019s made him more commanding, which San Jose have desperately missed when he\u2019s not out there.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n \n \n
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