Lionel Messi has made the impact that was expected for Inter Miami and in MLS to become the best player in the league, and some more. (Photo by CHRIS ARJOON/AFP via Getty Images)The Major League Soccer season is in full swing and with a third of the campaign complete, there's no better time to look at the players who've separated themselves from the pack in the race for MLS MVP honors. We'll revisit when we hit the the home stretch of the season to see who else has forced their way into the conversation.
For now, here's a look at five names currently leading the way along with two names who just missed out on the top five, and two names who could potentially enter that race in the future.
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THE TOP FIVE
Lionel Messi | Inter Miami
2024 stats: 10 matches, 10 goals and nine assists
Is Lionel Messi here because he's the best player on the league's best team? Or because he leads the league in assists while being fourth in goals? Or because he's Lionel Messi?
Try all of the above.
It's neither surprising nor controversial to say that Messi is the league's best player. Whether he wins MVP is likely a matter of whether he can stay healthy enough to play enough games for the award, and he's already flirting with that line. He's been undeniably sensational, but he has only played in 10 of Inter Miami's 15 games.
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Lionel Messi unleashes stunning strike from distance for Inter Miami
Lionel Messi lines up a superb goal from over 25 yards out for Inter Miami.
If Messi continues at that pace, he'll finish the season having played in just 23 games. The only MVPs to play so few games were Alejandro Pozuelo in the COVID-shortened 2020 season and Carlos Valderrama in the shorter inaugural MLS season back in 1996.
Given that Messi is guaranteed to fall short of the typical 30-game threshold for MVPs, if he continues to average a goal per game and better than an assist per game and Miami wins the Supporters' Shield, how many games does he need to play to win the league?
Will 25 games suffice? 23? 20? We may be in uncharted territory, because when he is on the pitch, he is so much better than anyone else in the league. -- Ryan Rosenblatt
Christian Benteke | D.C. United
2024 stats: 12 matches, 11 goals and one assist
There's been no more imposing force in front of goal this season than Christian Benteke. He's second on the scoring charts with 11 goals, and seven have come with his head as he's made a habit of dunking on opposing center-backs.
While Benteke has unquestionably been one of the league's most potent players this season, he's been even more valuable than the goal numbers let on. D.C. United is in the midst of a rebuild, with a new chief soccer officer in Ally Mackay and a new manager in Troy Lesesne, so you'd think they'd be hovering near the bottom half of the table. However, they're one of the league's most surprising teams and currently sit in a playoff spot. Benteke scoring more than half of the team's goals on the campaign plays a big role in that, but he also enables how they play.
CHRISTIAN BENTEKE HAT TRICK!