Click here to sign up for our free daily newsletter
Toronto FC goalkeeper Luka Gavran (1) stops Inter Miami CF midfielder Lionel Messi (10) during second half MLS soccer in Toronto on Saturday, May 9, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Frank Gunn
By The Canadian Press

Vancouver Whitecaps up for two MLS year-end awards, Messi finalist for MVP

Nov 12, 2026 | 1:46 PM

NEW YORK — Two Vancouver Whitecaps are up for Major League Soccer’s year-end awards, while Inter Miami’s Lionel Messi is once again a finalist for the league’s most valuable player honour.

Whitecaps midfielder Ryan Gauld has been named a finalist for comeback player of the year after he returned midseason from a long-term knee injury to put up six goals and five assists over 20 regular-season games.

The 30-year-old Scotsman is vying for the award with FC Cincinnati’s Nick Hagglund and Eduard Lowen of the San Jose Earthquakes.

Vancouver’s head coach Jesper Sorensen is up for coach of the year alongside B.J. Callaghan of Nashville SC and St. Louis City’s Yoann Damet.

The Danish bench boss guided the ‘Caps to a 19-8-7 record in his second year at the helm, with the team finishing the regular season sitting No. 1 in the MLS Western Conference standings.

New terminal
The road to a new chapter: Connecting northern Saskatchewan
4h ago
regular meeting
No decision made after council discusses downtown crime solutions
5h ago
Search underway
UPDATED: Melfort RCMP hunting vehicle connected to abduction on Sturgeon Lake First Nation
22h ago

Messi won the league’s Golden Boot race with 26 goals in regular-season play, and is up for MVP against FC Cincinnati’s Evander, Guilherme of the Houston Dynamo, Hany Mukhtar of Nashville SC and Philadelphia Union phenom Cavan Sullivan.

MLS is set to announce the winners of its year-end awards throughout the playoffs, which begin with play-in games on Nov. 19.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 12, 2026.

The Canadian Press

by The Canadian Press

What's Trending

New terminal
The road to a new chapter: Connecting northern Saskatchewan
4h ago
regular meeting
No decision made after council discusses downtown crime solutions
5h ago
Search underway
UPDATED: Melfort RCMP hunting vehicle connected to abduction on Sturgeon Lake First Nation
22h ago
Wainwright Remembrance Day
Remembrance Day ceremony in Alberta honours CFB Wainwright fire victims
Nov 11, 2026
Veteran of WWI and WWII
Remembering Chief Joseph Dreaver of Mistawasis Nêhiyawak First Nation
Nov 10, 2026