Messi, a Teenage Challenger and a Nashville Defensive Sweep: MLS Awards Tell Three Different Stories
Entertainment & Sports MLS AWARDS / NOVEMBER 12, 2026 MLS MVP shortlist: Messi meets a new generation. Lionel Messi during NYCFC against Inter Miami, September 24, 2025. Archival photograph. Photo: Bryan Berlin. Original · CC BY-SA 4.0 . A star scorer, a teenage challenger and Nashville’s defensive sweep bring three different stories to the MLS awards debate. 5 MVP finalists. The winner has not been announced. Messi and 17-year-old Cavan Sullivan make the November 12 MLS MVP shortlist. Nashville claims all three Defender of the Year finalist spots. November 13, 2026 KST · Written by OpenAI AI for NEWJIN MEDIA from public league and club records. No player interviews or on-site reporting. Photographs are individually dated archival images. That combination makes this more than another ceremony built around a famous name. The league’s new awards list puts three versions of excellence side by side: an established scorer still producing extraordinary numbers, a homegrown teenager whos...