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MLS MVP Award: Every Winner & the Voting Process

Complete list of every MLS MVP (Landon Donovan MVP Award) winner, how voting works, notable snubs, and award patterns.

The MLS Most Valuable Player award -- officially the Landon Donovan MVP Award since 2015 -- is the league's highest individual honor. Awarded annually since MLS's inaugural 1996 season, the MVP recognizes the player who has had the greatest overall impact on the league during the regular season.

The award's history reads like a timeline of MLS itself: from early American stars like Marco Etcheverry and Preki, through the Designated Player era of international arrivals, to the modern league where homegrown talents and prime-age South American signings compete for the honor. For a broader look at the players who define MLS, see our MLS players guide.

How MVP Voting Works

The MLS MVP is determined through a weighted voting process that combines input from three groups.

The Voting Panel

| Voting Group | Weight | |-------------|--------| | Players (via MLSPA vote) | 25% | | Club technical staff (coaches and technical directors) | 25% | | Media members | 25% | | MLS senior leadership | 25% |

Each group submits a ranked ballot of their top candidates. Points are awarded based on ranking position (first place receives the most points, with decreasing points for lower rankings). The weighted totals across all four groups determine the winner.

Voting Criteria

There are no formal statistical thresholds or published criteria. Voters are instructed to consider "the most valuable player during the MLS regular season," which leaves significant room for interpretation. In practice, voters tend to weigh:

  • Individual statistical output: Goals, assists, key passes, defensive contributions
  • Team success: Players on winning teams receive more consideration, though the award is not always given to a player on the top team
  • Overall impact: How much the player elevates their team beyond what the surrounding roster would achieve without them
  • Consistency: Season-long production matters more than hot streaks

The subjective nature of the criteria leads to perennial debates about whether "most valuable" means the best player on the best team, the player most essential to their team's success regardless of final standings, or simply the statistically dominant individual performer.

Voting Timeline

Voting occurs near the end of the regular season, typically in October before the MLS Cup Playoffs begin. The award is a regular-season honor -- playoff performance does not factor into the voting. This creates occasional situations where the MVP has a poor playoff run while a different player emerges as the postseason star.

Every MLS MVP Winner

Complete List

| Year | Winner | Club | Nationality | Position | |------|--------|------|-------------|----------| | 1996 | Carlos Valderrama | Tampa Bay Mutiny | Colombia | Midfielder | | 1997 | Preki | Kansas City Wizards | Yugoslavia/USA | Midfielder | | 1998 | Marco Etcheverry | D.C. United | Bolivia | Midfielder | | 1999 | Jason Kreis | Dallas Burn | USA | Forward | | 2000 | Tony Meola | Kansas City Wizards | USA | Goalkeeper | | 2001 | Alex Pineda Chacon | Miami Fusion | Honduras | Midfielder | | 2002 | Carlos Ruiz | LA Galaxy | Guatemala | Forward | | 2003 | Preki | Kansas City Wizards | USA | Midfielder | | 2004 | Amado Guevara | MetroStars | Honduras | Midfielder | | 2005 | Taylor Twellman | New England Revolution | USA | Forward | | 2006 | Christian Gomez | D.C. United | Argentina | Midfielder | | 2007 | Luciano Emilio | D.C. United | Brazil | Forward | | 2008 | Guillermo Barros Schelotto | Columbus Crew | Argentina | Midfielder | | 2009 | Landon Donovan | LA Galaxy | USA | Midfielder/Forward | | 2010 | David Ferreira | FC Dallas | Colombia | Midfielder | | 2011 | Dwayne De Rosario | D.C. United | Canada | Midfielder | | 2012 | Chris Wondolowski | San Jose Earthquakes | USA | Forward | | 2013 | Mike Magee | Chicago Fire | USA | Forward/Midfielder | | 2014 | Robbie Keane | LA Galaxy | Ireland | Forward | | 2015 | Sebastian Giovinco | Toronto FC | Italy | Forward | | 2016 | David Villa | New York City FC | Spain | Forward | | 2017 | Diego Valeri | Portland Timbers | Argentina | Midfielder | | 2018 | Josef Martinez | Atlanta United | Venezuela | Forward | | 2019 | Carlos Vela | LAFC | Mexico | Forward | | 2020 | Alejandro Pozuelo | Toronto FC | Spain | Midfielder | | 2021 | Carles Gil | New England Revolution | Spain | Midfielder | | 2022 | Hany Mukhtar | Nashville SC | Germany | Midfielder | | 2023 | Luciano Acosta | FC Cincinnati | Argentina | Midfielder | | 2024 | Cucho Hernandez | Columbus Crew | Colombia | Forward |

Award Renamed (2015)

In 2015, MLS renamed the MVP award the Landon Donovan MVP Award in honor of the retired U.S. national team legend. Donovan won the award once (2009) but was one of the most important players in league history, holding career records for goals and assists at the time of his retirement.

Patterns and Trends in MVP Voting

Position Breakdown

| Position | Number of Winners | |----------|-----------------| | Midfielder | 17 | | Forward | 11 | | Goalkeeper | 1 | | Defender | 0 |

Midfielders dominate the award's history, reflecting the premium MLS places on creative playmakers and box-to-box contributors. The single goalkeeper winner (Tony Meola in 2000) remains an anomaly. No defender has ever won the MVP, a pattern consistent with most player-of-the-year awards in soccer worldwide.

Nationality Trends

The MVP list reflects MLS's evolution from a league of American players and Latin American imports to a globally diverse competition:

Early era (1996-2005): MVPs were predominantly Central/South American players (Valderrama, Etcheverry, Ruiz, Pineda Chacon, Guevara) with a few Americans (Kreis, Meola, Twellman). This reflected MLS's early roster composition, which leaned heavily on Latin American talent alongside domestic players.

Transition era (2006-2013): A mix of South Americans (Gomez, Emilio, Barros Schelotto, Ferreira), Americans (Wondolowski, Magee, Donovan), and a Canadian (De Rosario). The league was broadening its international reach but had not yet attracted elite European talent.

DP era (2014-present): European and South American DPs dominate: Keane (Ireland), Giovinco (Italy), Villa (Spain), Martinez (Venezuela), Vela (Mexico), Pozuelo (Spain), Gil (Spain), Mukhtar (Germany), Acosta (Argentina), Hernandez (Colombia). The DP rule's introduction in 2007 took several years to fully reshape the MVP landscape, but by 2014 it became clear that the league's best players were increasingly international imports.

American winners: Only five Americans have won MVP: Jason Kreis (1999), Tony Meola (2000), Taylor Twellman (2005), Landon Donovan (2009), and Chris Wondolowski (2012). No American has won since 2012, reflecting the increasing quality of international talent in MLS.

Repeat Winners

Only one player has won the MVP award twice: Preki (1997 and 2003). This is notable given that the award has been given for nearly 30 years. The lack of repeat winners reflects the league's high player turnover and the tendency for top performers to either leave for Europe or decline from peak form quickly.

Club Concentration

D.C. United leads all clubs with four MVP winners (Etcheverry, Gomez, Emilio, De Rosario), reflecting the club's dominance in the league's early years. The LA Galaxy has produced two winners (Donovan, Keane). No other club has more than one MVP winner through 2024.

Notable MVP Snubs and Controversies

Thierry Henry

The former Arsenal and France star was one of the most talented players to ever play in MLS during his time with the New York Red Bulls (2010-2014), but he never won the MVP award. Henry's best statistical season (2012: 15 goals, 12 assists) coincided with Chris Wondolowski's record-chasing 27-goal campaign, and in other years Henry's impact was limited by injuries and team performance.

David Beckham

Despite being the most famous player in MLS history, David Beckham never won the MVP during his time with the LA Galaxy (2007-2012). Beckham's on-field impact was inconsistent, hampered by loan spells at AC Milan and injuries, though his off-field impact on the league's growth was immeasurable.

Josef Martinez's Record Season (2018)

Josef Martinez's 2018 MVP award was one of the least controversial in league history. The Venezuelan forward scored 31 goals in the regular season, shattering the single-season record (previously 27, held by Wondolowski and Roy Lassiter). Martinez also led Atlanta United to the MLS Cup championship, making him a unanimous-level choice.

Carlos Vela's 2019 Campaign

Carlos Vela's 2019 season at LAFC was statistically the greatest individual season in MLS history: 34 goals and 15 assists in the regular season, obliterating Martinez's year-old record. Vela won the MVP in what amounted to a coronation. LAFC set the regular-season points record that year, though they were upset by the Seattle Sounders in the playoffs.

The Messi Question (2023-2024)

Lionel Messi's arrival at Inter Miami generated immediate MVP speculation. However, Messi's 2023 season was abbreviated (he joined mid-season in July), and Inter Miami failed to make the playoffs through the regular season despite a Leagues Cup triumph. In 2024, Messi's injury absences limited his regular-season availability, opening the door for Cucho Hernandez to claim the award.

The Messi situation highlights the tension between peak performance (when healthy, Messi is clearly the best player in the league) and the "most valuable over the full season" standard that MVP voting typically demands. A player who misses significant time, regardless of quality, may lose out to a consistently available contributor.

The MVP and MLS Cup: How Often Do They Align?

The MVP award recognizes regular-season performance, but fans often expect the MVP to also lead their team to the MLS Cup championship. How often does this happen?

| Alignment | Count | Percentage | |-----------|-------|-----------| | MVP's team won MLS Cup | 8 | ~28% | | MVP's team made playoffs but lost | 14 | ~48% | | MVP's team missed playoffs | 7 | ~24% |

The MVP's team has won MLS Cup in roughly one in four seasons. Notable alignments include Barros Schelotto (2008 with Columbus), Martinez (2018 with Atlanta), and Hernandez (2024 with Columbus). The relatively low alignment rate reflects the unpredictability of MLS playoffs, where single-elimination rounds create frequent upsets. For more on how the playoff format works, see our MLS playoffs guide.

Perhaps more surprising is that nearly a quarter of MVPs have played on teams that missed the playoffs entirely. De Rosario (2011) won the MVP while D.C. United finished with a losing record -- a testament to his individual brilliance on a struggling team. This pattern suggests that MLS voters are willing to reward individual excellence even without team success, which is not always the case in other sports' MVP voting.

The Evolving Standard for MVP

The MLS MVP award has grown in prestige alongside the league itself. In 1996, the first MVP (Carlos Valderrama) was a recognizable name but playing in front of modest crowds in a league fighting for survival. In 2024, the MVP (Cucho Hernandez) was a Colombian international earning nearly $6 million per year in a league with a $2.5 billion broadcasting deal.

The standard for winning has risen accordingly. Today's MVP candidates typically need:

  • 20+ goal contributions (goals plus assists) minimum
  • Consistent availability throughout the full regular season
  • A team that is at minimum a playoff contender
  • Statistical performance that stands out in an increasingly deep and talented league

As MLS continues to attract higher-quality players through the Designated Player rule and growing financial resources, the bar for MVP consideration will only continue to rise.

Key Takeaways

The MLS MVP award tells the story of the league's evolution through its winners: from Latin American pioneers and American trailblazers to European stars and South American game-changers. The award's voting process, while imperfect, captures a consensus view of the league's most impactful individual performer each season. For context on the players, salaries, and roster rules that shape MVP-caliber seasons, see our MLS players guide and MLS salary cap explainer.

This article was generated with the assistance of AI. All award winners, statistics, and voting details are based on publicly available MLS records, official league announcements, and verified sports reporting. Historical statistics for early MLS seasons may vary slightly between sources.