We've just passed the halfway point of the 2025 MLS season, and with the Summer of Soccer in full swing, it's a good moment to take stock of what's transpired thus far.
Here are a few of the teams, players and storylines that have caught my attention and deserve some praise.
Biggest surprise: Vancouver Whitecaps FC
If you told me at the beginning of the season that Vancouver will be leading the Supporters’ Shield race at this point, I wouldn't have believed it. What the Whitecaps have achieved – playing beautiful soccer, leading the league for long stretches and reaching a Concacaf Champions Cup final – is unbelievable. I know it's only halfway through, but that's the most eye-catching thing for me this season.
I've liked Vancouver the last couple of years, but their performances this season are blowing me away. And they’re not just winning with luck; they're winning with their entire squad, showcasing a lot of depth. This is just vastly exceeding my expectations – as are many of their key players, who are coming into their own at the right time.
Take Jayden Nelson, for example. We knew he had talent, but he helps the team whether he’s starting or coming off the bench. Ali Ahmed is another – these are guys we previously looked at as bench players, and now they're contributing to the best team in the league. It's unbelievable… and it’s all happening in head coach Jesper Sørensen’s first season in charge.
Worst surprise: LA Galaxy
Back in February, if you’d told me LA would start their MLS Cup title defense by winning just one league game in 18 and sit rock-bottom in both the Western Conference and Supporters' Shield standings, there’s no way I'd accept that. I’ve never seen anything quite like it.
Even after LA moved on from key pieces like Dejan Joveljić and Mark Delgado over the winter, I never expected them to fall off this far, this fast.
It’s been a brutal year for Greg Vanney & Co. – and only now, in mid-June, are we starting to see any signs of recovery. It will take a resurrection of historic proportions for them to have any involvement in the Audi MLS Cup Playoffs picture.
Best team to watch: San Diego FC
The Columbus Crew were my favorite team to watch over the last few years, but San Diego FC have surpassed them – all in their expansion season. I had them finishing bottom of the West in my 2025 predictions! I’d heard about the expansive style of play they would try and implement, and I didn't think they would get it done. I thought they would abandon it when things started to go wrong; I wasn’t familiar with many of their players, to be honest. And I've been proven wrong. They’re outstanding.
To watch them is amazing; the football they play, their buildouts from the back, it’s lovely stuff. Veteran central midfielder AnÃbal Godoy is a man revived: He's always been a good player, but he looks to have taken another step. Jeppe Tverskov’s been unbelievable in midfield with his calmness on the ball; he always has an option and rarely gives the ball away. Anders Dreyer is arguably the best signing of the season – for sure he's in the top two or three.
They’ve done everything right. And even when I thought, ‘They need a plan B, they overpass, they need runners in behind,’ that’s when Chucky Lozano got fit again and provided that pace and directness. They can also bring Alex Mighten and Milan Iloski off the bench to change the game. San Diego are not just a team that passes to pass the ball – they pass the ball to break lines. Every pass has a reason behind it.
Head coach Mikey Varas should be very proud of what he's done in such a short period.
Best Turnaround: Philadelphia Union
I thought the Union would crumble after parting ways with longtime head coach Jim Curtin over the winter. When you have a coach like him, who’s impacted the club over many years, rising from the academy level up to the first team, I thought it would take them a while to find their feet again.
Nope.
I worked with Bradley Carnell at the New York Red Bulls and I knew he was a good coach. Still, I expected he’d need more time. He's been really impressive since his arrival and has the group playing as a unit again, almost a Red Bull style of play with high pressing, quick transitions, attacking and defending as a team.
The job Carnell has done has really impressed me. I knew he could get this team going, I just didn't imagine it'd be so quick – and have Philly leading the Supporters' Shield race.
Best Striker: Tai Baribo
It’s the surprise Golden Boot presented by Audi leader for me, and some credit is due to Carnell. He’s got Baribo scoring buckets of goals when last season, nobody guessed what the Israeli would be doing this year. I don't think Curtin really rated him. But he's come on strong, taking hold of Philly’s No. 9 shirt, and he's bagged 13 goals in just 16 matches – on a mere 17 shots on target! That’s incredible efficiency and Baribo's instincts in the penalty box indicate this is sustainable.
Best Reinvention: B.J. Callaghan & Nashville SC
Historically, I never really enjoyed watching Nashville SC games. They sat back, gave the ball to Hany Mukhtar, and if he could produce some magic, that's how they would get their three points.
Nowadays they play attack-minded football, are exciting to watch, have dangermen up top and they're getting top performances from players we would just normally call good squad players. B.J. Callaghan is getting the best out of everyone.
We’ve got to give Callaghan credit because there are players like my former RBNY teammate Alex Muyl, who I’ve always thought is a good player, but he's added something extra this year. He’s coming up with assists and looking like a more well-rounded player. Dan Lovitz and Andy Najar look so good at the fullback spots; they’ve produced 11 assists and 36 key passes between them.
Sam Surridge has stormed up to second in the Golden Boot race with 12 goals, just one behind Baribo. It’s the kind of season I expected him to have when he first arrived in Nashville two years ago. Somehow Callaghan’s got him and Mukhtar on the same page, making them one of the most dangerous duos in the league where at one stage, they didn't look like they could play together.
Best Breakout: Antony (POR)
I don’t recall much discussion about the Brazilian winger at the beginning of the season. That’s all changed now because he’s absolutely balling.
Antony has scored some amazing goals and is doing some ridiculous things with the ball, embarrassing fullbacks weekly. He leads the Portland Timbers in scoring, and with 6g/7a, has already matched his production from last season with several months still to go.
David Da Costa was brought in to be the Evander replacement for Portland, and he’s played well. But it's been Antony’s team. He’s the one producing the showtime moments.
Most Overlooked Star: Emil Forsberg (RBNY)
It might sound strange given Emil Forsberg's résumé and role in the Red Bulls’ run to last year’s MLS Cup final. But because the team isn't high up the table at present, currently sitting eighth in the East, the Swedish playmaker is flying under the radar.
I watch RBNY a lot and Forsberg is an unbelievable player: Such clear vision in the final third, understands how much weight to put on a pass, where the pass should be made, always makes the right decisions. With five goals, five assists and 36 chances created, he’s centrally involved in any good work they do going forward.
Here I also want to praise Chicago’s new wing duo, Jonathan Bamba and Philip Zinckernagel, two players who, again, I didn't know much about before they came into the league. I’d done a little bit of internet research when the Fire signed them and thought they sounded interesting, but I've seen bigger names come here and not do the business.
These two have fit right into Gregg Berhalter’s system – some of this has to be down to his guidance, how he’s using them, the freedom he gives them – and they're just fun players to watch. When you first get to MLS, it can be very difficult to adjust to the travel, the heat, just a lot of different challenges. Yet those two seem like they've been playing here for years, and I think they’ve been two of the best pickups.
Best Coach: Jesper Sørensen (VAN)
No question here.
Vancouver’s new Danish boss has proven a quick study in North America, installing a methodical, proactive playing style and producing individual improvements all across a squad most outsiders thought was mid-table caliber. Callaghan (NSH) and Varas (SD) deserve their flowers, but Sorensen is special.
Most Underrated Position: Fullback
Let's end with a curveball.
Amid all the MLS All-Star talk ahead of the big game in Austin next month, I’ve seen some outstanding players fail to draw the buzz they deserve, and it seems the nature of the process affects fullbacks disproportionately. I’ve already mentioned Nashville’s excellent duo of Najar and Lovitz, and I'd like to shout out a few more I hope make it.
First is Alex Freeman, Orlando City’s breakout homegrown right back. I coached against him when I was an assistant coach with Red Bull II in MLS NEXT Pro, and to me at the time, he looked like a guy who was bigger than everybody else and found it very easy as a result. I didn't know if that was because of his size or ability, but since stepping up to first-team football, he’s slowly becoming the best player on that Orlando side – which is not easy to do, because they've got some very good football players. But he's a beast with elite athleticism and strong technical ability. It seems to me he could play in any league in the world.
I also love what Omar Valencia is doing at New York Red Bulls. He too has just come out of MLS NEXT Pro, and at age 21, he's got five assists on the season, tied for most on that team. I wouldn’t have expected the Panamanian to pop up at left back and be this productive, filling the gap left by John Tolkien’s transfer to German side Holstein Kiel.
Chicago’s Andrew Gutman has been really good as well. I've always been a big fan of him, and after injury struggles earlier in his career, he’s staying fit and playing consistently. He always offers something useful going forward, and his six assists already mark a career-best, plus he’s chipped in with two goals to boot. I'm impressed every time I watch him play and hope he can stay healthy down the stretch.
