The end of the Major League Soccer regular season brought with it the end of voting for the league's big end-of-season awards, a process that ran from October 21 through to polls closing at 8:00 pm ET on Monday, November 9, two days after Decision Day.
Here at the New York Soccer Journal, three of our regular contributors were lucky enough to cast official MLS awards ballots as members of the media. MLS technical staffers, players, plus select members of the media get to vote for these, with an equal share of the vote from each group deciding the final results.
Our voting bloc consisted of Andrew Leigh, editor of NYSJ, Trey Fillmore, co-host of Blue Balls NYCFC and our The Blueprint podcast, and Michael Battista, NYSJ's senior writer who also covers Red Bull New York for New York Sports Nation.
Since all our votes are officially cast, we're going to use this space to share each of our ballots and provide some explanations for our choices across the major categories. Players had to register over 500 MLS minutes to be eligible for consideration for all these awards, and the league also had us create a Best XI of players we rated highest from the 2026 season.
Unlike the media votes we cast for the MLS All-Star Game, which you can read about here, the league gives voters much more flexibility with formations when building their Best XIs. Formation and positioning got specified below while listing out each of our XIs, and shoutout to FotMob's lineup builder for making the visualizations of those Best XIs possible.
So with all the basics explained, let's first run through how each of us handed out the big individual award votes before wrapping up with each of our picks for Team of the Season.
Newcomer of the Year
Andrew: Guilherme, Houston Dynamo FC
His 24 goal contributions carried Houston to fifth place in the Western Conference, a massive improvement on their 2025 season when Houston finished in 12th and missed the playoffs. The 31-year-old Brazilian winger scored plenty himself but he also was great off the dribble (fourth among MLS players in successful dribbles per match), was top-10 in chances created, and produced all season long for Houston.
Michael: Antoine Griezmann, Orlando City SC
The MLS Player of the Month for October and November of 2026 has taken MLS by storm since joining the league in July with Orlando City. Not just that, but Griezmann saved Orlando's season. Before the World Cup break the team had four wins. After the 35-year-old joined from Atlético Madrid, nine wins and five draws to climb into the Wild Card round of the MLS Cup Playoffs. With 14 goals and 8 assists in 18 starts, he's the second-fastest player in league history to reach 20 goal contributions with only Lionel Messi ahead of him. Also, Mark Radigan really likes him.
Trey: Antoine Griezmann, Orlando City SC
It was extremely tempting to honor Houston’s Guilherme here, who instantly jumpstarted last year’s 12th-in-the-West Dynamo into today’s much-easier-on-the-eye 5th place team. However, in even half that time, Antoine Griezmann’s numbers are just too incredibly bonkers for me to argue. Extrapolating his total goal contributions to a full season, Grizi would be knocking on the door of 38 goals and assists while his possession value (via American Soccer Analysis) numbers equaled those of other league star creators in Hany Mukhtar and Carles Gil. Most importantly, he unlocked the disparate attacking talents around him to lead one of the most formidable offensive forces in MLS.
Comeback Player of the Year
Andrew: Ryan Gauld - Vancouver Whitecaps FC
Gauld went 501 days between MLS regular-season appearances for Vancouver after he suffered a major knee injury in March 2025. The two seasons prior saw him established as Vancouver’s attacking focal point and club captain. He did come back for Vancouver’s playoff run to the 2025 MLS Cup final after the initial surgery, but he then needed until after the 2026 World Cup to be ready to contribute again in MLS. Gauld played 20 times and scored six goals and added two assists and helped Vancouver finish with the second best record in MLS and as the top seed in the Western Conference.
Michael: Cameron Harper, Red Bull New York
So let's talk about bias. Harper suffered a catastrophic MCL injury in June 2025 in a match against Austin FC. It would be 343 days until he stepped foot on a Major League Soccer pitch again, with some stops in MLS Next Pro for rehab. Then the World Cup break happens, and Harper picks up another injury that keeps him out of regular play until mid-August. Once he returned, Harper began to fill back into a Red Bull squad that needed stability. Did he save the season? No. But Harper was a huge presence on the wings for RBNY, including assisting on big goals against Columbus Crew and Inter Miami and scoring a huge goal against Chicago Fire that kept the season alive longer. So is there bias in my pick? That’s up to you. But Harper’s continued fight to get on the field is something I saw all year and he deserves all the credit for it.
Trey: Eduard Löwen - San Jose Earthquakes
Straying from the usual back-from-injury nod in this category, I found it impossible to consider anyone other than Eduard Löwen for this award. After a two-year struggle with stage-four brain cancer, Lowen’s wife Ilona passed away in March of this year. While returning to the pitch is commendable enough as it is, Lowen went on to be a stabilizing force for the Quakes despite the trauma and remains an inspiration for the league as a whole.
Young Player of the Year
Andrew: Cavan Sullivan - Philadelphia Union
Crazy to feel like this is such a slam-dunk pick considering Cavan Sullivan barely played in the first half of the season while Bradley Carnell was his coach. He only got six MLS starts before the World Cup break and had one goal and one assist. Enter Ryan Richter as coach, enter Sullivan into the Union lineup, and off he went: Eight goals, six assists since the World Cup break while carrying Philadelphia into a playoff spot. The 17-year-old arrived in MLS in a big way in 15 starts after the World Cup, pushing him past teenaged USMNT teammate Julian Hall on my ballot.
Michael: Cavan Sullivan - Philadelphia Union
I really wanted to pick Julian Hall. But the case for Sullivan is way too compelling. The teenager had a remarkable first true season in the league. Across all competitions he had 12 goals and 11 assists across 39 games. I think what pushes him past Hall in my opinion is how much he affected the team. Hall was sporadic, having slumps, while Sullivan jump started Philly post World Cup break behind new head coach Ryan Richter. Take out a brace against Defense Force from the USA’s old enemy Trinidad and Tobago and a lone goal vs Orlando, and everything he did came in the second half. Shorter time frame, larger stat load.
Trey: Cavan Sullivan - Philadelphia Union
A youth revolution is sweeping through MLS as it tries to shake its long-forsaken retirement home perception. As best exemplified, advanced data app Futi’s rating system has 10 teenagers with an above-average score, more than triple last season. That should make a difficult decision between the young duo of Hall and Mehmeti out in Jersey, Habroune keeping up with the big kids with the Crew, Chicago’s brick wall of Mbozaki, and many more. But it’s not difficult. At all. It’s Cavan. 14 goal contributions and 97th percentile in possession value as a 16-year-old is stupid. He’s the best young talent the league has ever seen. Mail him the award already.
Goalkeeper of the Year
Andrew: Brian Schwake - Nashville SC
This seemed like a two-player race between Schwake and New England Revolution stopper Matt Turner. I went with Schwake because he’s got the best save percentage of any MLS keeper, the best goals against per 90 minutes, and while yes it’s a team stat, Schwake still deserves credit for a league-leading 16 clean sheets. Advanced stats, like goals prevented and goals-minus-expected goals against, slightly favor Turner’s season over Schwake’s, but I think Schwake conceding the fewest goals in the league and still making plenty of key saves while doing that, warranted this vote.
Michael: Brian Schwake - Nashville SC
Goalkeeping is a very tough thing to quantify. Nashville ended the season with the fewest goals allowed (25) and Schwake the most clean sheets (16). But that could be down to defense over keeper being the best. That said, even doubters have to remember 16 is the MLS record for clean sheets, held by Tony Meola (shoutout Kearny, NJ). He led Nashville to the Supporters’ Shield and the MLS record for points in a season.
Trey: Brian Schwake - Nashville SC
This choice was perhaps the biggest coin flip of any I’ve ever had to make on these ballots. I needed to take a two-hour break while making this final decision and still will think I made the wrong one depending on the day you ask. Matt Turner is perhaps the best shot-stopper in MLS, many underlying numbers favored him, and clean sheets are not entirely a goalkeeping stat (much like wins for quarterbacks in American football). But at the end of the day, the “bad supporting cast” argument in favor of Turner doesn’t negate how vital Schwake has been in creating perhaps the best defensive triumvirate in league history. I picked Schwake, don’t ask me tomorrow.
Defender of the Year
Andrew: Jeisson Palacios - Nashville SC
Went into this planning to pick between Palacios and Maxwell Woledzi, since they are the center-back duo at the heart of the league’s best defense in Nashville. Woledzi played more minutes in MLS, but Palacios was even more vital to Nashville’s overall success. Both players rate well defensively, but Palacios stands slightly above as a passer, is better in the air, and I just think he’s the slightly better all-around player deserving of the nod this season over an equally-great teammate.
Michael: Timo Baumgartl, St. Louis City SC
This might be a darkhorse pick but I think a lot needs to be said about St. Louis this season, things that might get lost in the Messi Mania or Nashville coronations. The latter allowed the least amount of goals in the league and won the shield, shouldn’t it be Jeisson Palacios or Maxwell Woledzi? Both fine picks, by the way, however, putting on my College Football Playoff-esque hat, looking at the quality of the East top to bottom doesn’t do them favors. Baumgartl played every minute of every match for St. Louis in a balanced bloodbath of the west. He’s been a towering presence at centerback, an accurate passer (93%), and has taken over captain duties since Roman Bürki went down in the US Open Cup Final. He’s had a huge impact and St. Louis should try everything they can to keep him next season.
Trey: Tate Johnson - Vancouver Whitecaps
I generally try to reserve this space for the best defender on the team with the lowest expected goals against it. In one surprise, despite the goals-against and clean sheet record of Nashville, Vancouver prevented the most quality chances. In another surprise, the best out-and-out defender on the team was arguably Tate Johnson, the rare breed of a defensive-minded left back. No quadrant in the league had a lower opponent possession value than Johnson’s rear flank, while he individually had a goals subtracted possession value in the 97th percentile, better than any centerback.
Coach of the Year
Andrew: BJ Callaghan - Nashville SC
Just such a transformational figure for Nashville since he took over, and 2026 in MLS was Callaghan’s best work. Set the league record for most points earned this season, turned Nashville into a team with no apparent weaknesses. Didn’t suffer at all in the league from the fact that his team made a deep Concacaf Champions Cup run, and continued to get all the results even when players like Patrick Yazbek or Sam Surridge weren’t available. I think Yoann Damet in St. Louis has a decent case to make, but nobody did more with their team than BJ Callaghan this season.
Michael: BJ Callaghan - Nashville SC
This was a split between Callaghan and St. Louis City head coach Yoann Damet. While the US Open Cup and an MLS record tying unbeaten streak are undoubtedly great feats, especially for a first-year coach, Callaghan has done incredible things in Nashville. One year after winning the 2025 Open Cup, Nashville became the team in Major League Soccer. That high press style has been fun to watch and, more importantly, good on the field. Good enough to earn the Supporters’ Shield and break the league points record.
Trey: BJ Callaghan - Nashville SC
I’ve been extremely impressed by FC Dallas’ overachievement under Eric Quill this season. Jesper Sorenson has somehow improved on the wild successes of his freshman Caps year.
But it's BJ. Points Record. BJ Callaghan. Bing Bang Boom. Coincidentally, he also got my personal nod for “Most Avuncular Coach.”
Most Valuable Player
Andrew: Lionel Messi - Inter Miami CF
No one can take the crown off him, even in his age-39 season. Fitting then that he had 39 goal contributions and guided Miami to second place in the East and the third-most points in MLS, with Miami in position to challenge for a repeat as MLS Cup winners. There was nobody better this season and it’s true across pretty much every category in which you can measure an attacking player’s performance. Messi had the most of everything, and he’s going to get his third consecutive MVP and there won’t be much, if any, argument made against it.
Michael: Lionel Messi - Inter Miami CF
He’s gonna win three in-a-row and eventually MLS is gonna change the name of this award to the “Lionel Messi MVP Award”. Sorry Landon Donovan. You only need to go to the MLS stats page right now and see his face on top of three of the main six categories; goals (26), shots (183), and shots on target (76) - and those last two he clears second by a lot. It felt like 2026 was going to be a slow down of the Messi train in MLS. While his dreams of a second World Cup ended in East Rutherford in what would be his final match with Argentina, and while he faced his own personal loss of his father back home, Messi continued to turn back the clock. There’s no escaping it - he’s just on another level even at 39. And that scares me for the next few years.
Trey: Lionel Messi - Inter Miami CF
Messi has put up back-to-back best MLS seasons ever just to spite me for not voting him for MVP his first half-season in the States. (He played less than 50% of available minutes, justice for Riqui Puig.)
Any statistical chart for Messi looks like a satellite exiting a solar system, just light-years away from any other human. But as long as he is in the universe of MLS, he’s the MVP until he floats away into the heavens.
Andrew Leigh's MLS Best XI
GK: Brian Schwake - Nashville SC; RB: Andy Nájar - Nashville SC; CB: Mathias Laborda - Vancouver Whitecaps, Jeisson Palacios - Nashville SC; LB: Anthony Markanich - Minnesota United FC; CM: Evander - FC Cincinnati; Nicolás Fernández Mercau - New York City FC; Hany Mukhtar - Nashville SC; FW: Dénis Bouanga - LAFC, Lionel Messi - Inter Miami CF, Petar Musa - FC Dallas
I wanted to create something close to a real formation and a real, playable lineup, so I actually chose fullbacks and two center-backs in a true back-four, and I tried to avoid going too crazy with players wedged into the wrong positions. Unsurprisingly, Nashville players dominate my Best XI, four making the cut including my Goalkeeper and Defender of the Year. To me, Markanich of Minnesota is the best current left-back in MLS, while Najar of Nashville is the cream of the right-back crop. My wildest card is probably the one NYCFC player I included: Nico Fernández Mercau, who I had to have in here after he singlehandedly made NYCFC worth watching. Petar Musa at center-forward flanked by Bouanga and Messi feels like the best attack I could choose from, considering they produced 66 goals combined.
Michael Battista's MLS Best XI
GK: Brian Schwake - Nashville SC; DF: Micael - Inter Miami CF, Timo Baumgartl - St. Louis City SC, Maxwell Woledzi - Nashville SC; MF: Rodrigo De Paul - Inter Miami CF, Marco Reus - LA Galaxy, Cavan Sullivan - Philadelphia Union, Evander - FC Cincinnati; FW: Julian Hall - Red Bull New York, Lionel Messi - Inter Miami CF, Brian White - Vancouver Whitecaps FC
Yeah, I didn't do what Andrew did because I probably would have gone insane. We don’t need to go over Schwake, Baumgartl, Sullivan, or Messi since I spoke about them above. Brian White was fourth in the MLS Golden Boot tally and helped Vancouver finish first in the West for a second straight year, and Julian Hall was not going to be completely absent from my ballot. His 17 goal contributions, plus a healthy but officially not counted boost from that USMNT call-up, gets him on for me. I unintentionally went heavy on Inter Miami, crediting Messi’s success to great lead-up play by Argentina teammate Rodrigo De Paul, and gave some respect to Micael on defense. And of course Nashville’s success defending earns Maxwell Woledzi a place. The LA Galaxy may have stunk, much like their 2024 MLS Cup Final partner in RBNY, but Marco Reus was a shinning point on that team with 20 direct goal contributions – enough to earn him a contract extension. Finally Evander had a career year, showcased with a stint in May, July, and August that earned him back-to-back Player of the Month honors.
Trey Fillmore's MLS Best XI
GK: Brian Schwake - Nashville SC; DEF: Mathias Laborda - Vancouver Whitecaps, Jeisson Palacios - Nashville SC, Tate Johnson - Vancouver Whitecaps; CM: Andres Cubas - Vancouver Whitecaps; Rodrigo De Paul - Inter Miami CF; Carles Gil - New England Revolution; Hany Mukhtar - Nashville SC; FW: Dénis Bouanga - LAFC, Lionel Messi - Inter Miami CF, Petar Musa - FC Dallas
Broke my personal rule of fielding a playable XI formation-wise and I’m devastated that I was forced into it by the shadowy league figures. Hany Mukhtar can only be chosen as a midfielder for some reason and I refused to field a team without both him and Carles Gil, so I folded (Sorry, Andy Najar). Outside of what was discussed above, Palacios was my personal fave of the Nashville CBs and Laborda held it down as well. A close snub of the machine that was San Diego’s Tverskov, but his team stunk and Cubas was a sweeping broom with fangs at CDM. Rodrigo De Paul of all people has somehow become underrated, the moose was loose in DFW, and while a lot went wrong at LAFC this season Dénis Bouanga did not.
