Nashville SC leads all clubs with six year-end award finalists across four different awards
NEW YORK (Thursday, November 12, 2026) – Major League Soccer today announced the finalists for the 2026 MLS Year-End Awards, honoring the league’s top performers during the MLS regular season. Among the finalists are individuals representing 15 MLS clubs, with the winners set to be announced throughout the Audi 2026 MLS Cup Playoffs.
The finalists for Landon Donovan MLS MVP award include Evander (FC Cincinnati), Guilherme (Houston Dynamo FC), Lionel Messi (Inter Miami CF), Hany Mukhtar (Nashville SC), and Cavan Sullivan (Philadelphia Union).
Nashville SC led MLS with six year-end award finalists, which is the most in a single season since Inter Miami CF had six in 2024. After producing the best 34-game defensive season in league history, Nashville became the second club in MLS history to have all three finalists for a single MLS award (MLS Defender of the Year), joining Seattle Sounders FC in 2009 (MLS Newcomer of the Year). Two players were named finalists for multiple awards – Houston Dynamo FC’s Guilherme (Landon Donovan MLS MVP and MLS Newcomer of the Year) and the Philadelphia Union’s Cavan Sullivan (Landon Donovan MLS MVP and MLS Young Player of the Year). At 17 years old, Sullivan is the youngest player in MLS history and the first teenager to be named a finalist for Landon Donovan MLS MVP. Vancouver Whitecaps FC’s Jesper Sørensen became the first coach to be named a finalist for the Sigi Schmid MLS Coach of the Year in each of his first two MLS seasons since Gerardo Martino in 2017-18.
The finalists for the annual awards received the highest average votes from MLS club technical staff, MLS first-team players, and select media members, with each group accounting for 33.3 percent of the overall results. The MLS Humanitarian of the Year award was determined by votes from four groups, each accounting for 25 percent of the total – club technical staff, MLS first-team players, select media members, and community relations staff.
Landon Donovan MLS MVP
- Evander (FC Cincinnati)
- Guilherme (Houston Dynamo FC)
- Lionel Messi (Inter Miami CF)
- Hany Mukhtar (Nashville SC)
- Cavan Sullivan (Philadelphia Union)
Sigi Schmid MLS Coach of the Year
- B. J. Callaghan (Nashville SC)
- Yoann Damet (St. Louis CITY SC)
- Jesper Sørensen (Vancouver Whitecaps FC)
MLS Humanitarian of the Year
- Paul Arriola (Seattle Sounders FC)
- Andrew Farrell (New England Revolution)
- Telasco Segovia (Inter Miami CF)
- Mason Stajduhar (Real Salt Lake)
- Brad Stuver (Austin FC)
MLS Comeback Player of the Year
- Ryan Gauld (Vancouver Whitecaps FC)
- Nick Hagglund (FC Cincinnati)
- Eduard Löwen (San Jose Earthquakes)
MLS Defender of the Year
- Andy Najar (Nashville SC)
- Jeisson Palacios (Nashville SC)
- Maxwell Woledzi (Nashville SC)
 MLS Goalkeeper of the Year
- Roman Bürki (St. Louis CITY SC)
- Brian Schwake (Nashville SC)
- Matt Turner (New England Revolution)
MLS Newcomer of the Year
- Antoine Griezmann (Orlando City SC)
- Guilherme (Houston Dynamo FC)
- André Luiz (Sporting Kansas City)
MLS Young Player of the Year
- Julian Hall (Red Bull New York)
- Adri Mehmeti (Red Bull New York)
- Cavan Sullivan (Philadelphia Union)
The MLS AT&T Goal of the Year (Vote Here) and MLS Save of the Year (Vote Here) will be decided by online voting at MLSsoccer.com. Voting opened on Monday, Nov. 9, and will close on Monday, Nov. 16.
MLS Referee and Assistant Referee of the Year award recipients will be announced on Friday, Nov. 13, and the MLS Best XI will be revealed at a later date.
