Is it too early to start making assumptions about how the MLS regular season will pan out?
It's a fair question to ask. With four matchdays in the books and only 360-plus minutes of play per team, 2025 yields a small sample size and plenty of time left in a campaign that extends all the way into October.
That said, there are some interesting trends that have emerged after only one month.
In what has proven to be a fascinating checkpoint, a number of surprise players have taken charge and stolen the early spotlight from many of the league's biggest names. As is the norm in MLS, this season is so far looking like another in which we should expect the unexpected through not only team performances, but also the individual players.
With that in mind, let's dive into five players who have hit the ground running in the 2025 MVP race, as well as checking in on a few preseason favorites that have room to catch up to the pack.
The Early Top Five
Tai Baribo | forward | 27 | Philadelphia Union
League minutes played: 319
Goals: 6
Assists: 0
FotMob rating: 8.04
Is he outperforming his xG (3.69) and it's only a matter of time before he slows down his goal-scoring pace? Probably, but there's no denying that Baribo has been the most efficient forward in MLS so far, with six goals from only nine shots.
Scoring all of them in the 18-yard box and through one-touch opportunities, it makes you wonder if there's a case of luck to the player who seems to always be in the right place at the right time, or if his brilliant positioning makes his form sustainable.
Luck or not, much of his success will be dependent on his teammates that have done their work to feed the striker and others in the frontline. Dániel Gazdag, Quinn Sullivan and Kai Wagner lead the club in chances created, with seven each.
Hugo Cuypers | forward | 28 | Chicago Fire FC
League minutes played: 293
Goals: 4
Assists: 1
FotMob rating: 8.13
Goal off a header? Check. From the penalty spot? Check. After being involved in the buildup? Yup, check that one too.
What stands out about Cuypers is not just his ability to quickly find the back of the net four times, but also the variety of goals he has scored. As seen in his assist, he also has the vision to set things up with his four chances created in just as many appearances.
Looking back on a 2024 season in which it took him 16 games to score the same amount of goals in 2025 so far, the new season is clearly a resurgent one for the player who cost the Fire an €11 million transfer fee to recruit from Gent early last year.
Anders Dreyer | forward | 26 | San Diego FC
League minutes played: 360
Goals: 3
Assists: 0
FotMob rating: 7.99
There's a long list of names that have three goals like Dreyer -- eight, to be exact -- but what sets San Diego's Designated Player apart is his playmaking that has him fifth overall in xA across MLS.
Even when the currently injured Mexico superstar Hirving "Chucky" Lozano was healthy and on the field, Dreyer has earned highlight-reel moments through his breathtaking distribution and ability to find the back of the net.
Well-rounded in the attack and coupled with a dangerous combo of speed and power behind his shots, the Denmark international will continue to be a menace for defenders across the league.
Luis Suárez | forward | 38 | Inter Miami CF
League minutes played: 291
Goals: 1
Assists: 4
FotMob rating: 7.76
Sure, four of those goal contributions arrived in a 4-1 thrashing of the Houston Dynamo, but those shouldn't be discounted -- especially for a player like Suárez.
Still making an impact at 38 years of age and stepping up when a certain Argentine World Cup winner is easing into the season, it wouldn't be a shock if Suárez nears or even surpasses his tally of 30 goal contributions set in 2024. If we're looking at all competitions, he has also been an asset in midweek Concacaf Champions Cup games, adding an additional three goals and an assist.
But if there's one thing that the former Uruguay international needs to improve on, it's his shooting in MLS. It's a minuscule sample size that must be taken with a grain of salt considering that he has been finding the back of the net in the Champions Cup, but after four regular season games, he has just one shot on target for Miami.
Albert Rusnák | midfielder | 30 | Seattle Sounders FC
League minutes played: 321
Goals: 1
Assists: 3
FotMob rating: 7.79
Aside from Dreyer, leaving out the rest of the seven-member "three-goal club" was a tough decision here. As was leaving out someone from the top-of-the-table Vancouver Whitecaps, who have game changers like Jayden Nelson, Tristan Blackmon and Sam Adekugbe.
If we're talking about the ability of an MVP to truly have an impact and significant role, though, Rusnak has been invaluable with his joint-league-leading total of 15 chances created in four games.
Add in a goal in his first four appearances and you have a player that looks set to lift the Sounders back into a playoff position in the near future.
The Too Early To Rule Out Top Five
Lionel Messi | midfielder | 37 | Inter Miami CF
League minutes played: 180
Goals: 1
Assists: 2
FotMob rating: 8.70
One of the least controversial things that somebody can say about Messi is to never rule him out.
The only reason why he isn't in the top five of the list above is that he has been unavailable for two games, and when he has been available, he has produced a goal and two assists in 180-plus minutes of play.
Barring some sort of season-ending injury, the greatest player of all time will be expected to leapfrog all others on this list. It's almost inevitable at this point, and it's going to take a truly special and singular season from someone in MLS to top Messi's production through October.
Evander | midfielder | 26 | FC Cincinnati
League minutes played: 281
Goals: 1
Assists: 1
FotMob rating: 7.30
You don't look past a player who had 15 goals and 15 assists in MLS last season, though the 26-year-old Brazilian may need a bit more time to settle into his new team. As seen when he hit the woodwork in his last match, he's on the verge of breaking through with a talented squad that just needs to fine-tune its play in the final third.
And it's not as if the player isn't trying either. In last week's 2-0 loss to Charlotte FC, Evander showed that he can increase his attacking influence with six shots and four chances created.
Miguel Almirón | midfielder | 31 | Atlanta United FC
League minutes played: 357
Goals: 0
Assists: 1
FotMob rating: 7.34
Let's give some time and credit to the returning Atlanta United legend who provided a game-winning assist in his first game back, and a recent hockey assist in his last appearance.
Considering that Emanuel Latte Lath has already found the back of the net three times, there should be plenty of opportunities going forward for Almirón to at least increase his assist total.
We also shouldn't forget that this was a player who was in and out of the Newcastle United XI since last summer, meaning that his match fitness may not be at 100% just yet.
Gabriel Pec | midfielder | 24 LA Galaxy
League minutes played: 360
Goals: 1
Assists: 0
FotMob rating: 6.73
Things just aren't the same when your usual attacking buddies like Ricard Puig and Joseph Paintsil are injured, and when striker Dejan Joveljic is now with Sporting Kansas City.
Pec could begin to pick up his pace once Paintsil is expected to return this spring, and if Puig recovers ahead of schedule, that could also be the difference between a quiet and standout year for not only Pec, but for the Galaxy.
The title holders have been tough to watch in 2025 and may not find their rhythm until later this year.
Denis Bouanga | forward | 30 | LAFC
League minutes played: 301
Goals: 0
Assists: 0
FotMob rating: 6.49
If we're including all competitions, this would be a decent start to the year for Bouanga, who has provided three goals in his past two Champions Cup appearances.
Unfortunately, those goals don't count in MLS for the forward who has had to balance out his responsibilities across two competitions since February, which led to him being a bench option in a game earlier this month.
Nonetheless, more is expected of the player who is arguably second best to Messi in MLS when he's playing at the peak of his abilities.