Before a ball was kicked in the 2026 MLS season, the league already had Lionel Messi, Robert Lewandowski, Son Heung-min and Thomas Muller on marketing posters as the headline act.
But as the league goes on through its post-World Cup stretch run to the playoffs, it’s a different combination of names who are actually at the top of the stats and making fans check the standings twice.
Here are 5 players making 2026 impossible to miss:
Inter Miami CF, Lionel Messi
Still the standard by which everyone else in the league is measured.
Messi currently has 12 goals in 15 games but the more important factor for him being on top of this list is how much of Miami’s attack still runs through him, whether he is finishing off chances himself or setting up teammates.
The only thing that may slow him down is workload management around his national team duty, but on the field he’s still the most complete player in MLS.
FC Cincinnati, Evander
If there’s a better player in the league than Messi right now, it’s Evander.
The Brazilian has 10 goals and 8 assists this season and sets the pace of almost every match he features in, mixing long-range strikes, pinpoint set-piece delivery and the vision to unlock defenses for his team-mates.
He’s one of the few players who can win a game as a scorer, passer or set-piece taker and Cincinnati’s offense is predicated entirely on his ability to do all three.
Nicolas Fernandez Mercau, New York City FC
There aren’t many midfielders who can claim to be on his level at the moment.
The 12 goals Fernandez Mercau has scored from a false No. 9-adjacent midfield position in 17 starts would be impressive for a natural striker and borderline absurd for a player whose primary duty is to link play.
He’s given NYCFC a dual threat that few opponents have figured out how to defend.
Dallas FC Petar Musa
Musa’s summer has been a whirlwind. He scored for Croatia against England at the World Cup, then came back to Dallas and continued his club form, sitting on 13 goals in 16 games.
But what makes his season more than just a scoring streak is the partnership he has developed with Logan Farrington, combining to push Dallas into legitimate Western Conference contention, and the efficiency behind the numbers, with 13 goals coming from just 40 total shots.
Anders Dreyer, San Diego FC
Dreyer has quietly been one of the league’s most consistent players over the last two seasons.
He has chipped in with 7 goals and 7 assists, playing heavy minutes on the wing in 2026, and continues to combine with Marcus Ingvartsen to give San Diego FC one of the most productive attacking partnerships in MLS in just the club’s second year of existence.
He’s doesn’t get much highlight reel appearances like Messi or Evander, but few players change games as consistently as he’s doing
