Major League Soccer has announced the finalists for their various 2025 awards, including Newcomer of the Year.
While MVP is the biggest individual prize, Newcomer of the Year recognises the outstanding achievements of players in their first year in the league.
The shortlist for this award — previously won by the likes of Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Sebastian Giovinco, Miguel Almiron and Thiago Almada — is out, and there’s a familiar name featured.
Anders Dreyer has been nominated for both this award and the MVP award, but alongside him in the Newcomer running are Philip Zinckernagel of the Chicago Fire, and none other than Son Heung-min, who has made a huge impact since leaving Tottenham for LAFC.
Does Son have a realistic chance of scooping the award? Here are the three finalists ranked.
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Ranked: The MLS Newcomer of the Year finalists
3. Philip Zinckernagel
- Club: Chicago Fire
- Position: Winger
In any other year, Philip Zinckernagel would be a shoo-in to scoop the Newcomer of the Year Award. The Danish winger joined from Bodo/Glimt to little fanfare, but has completely revolutionised the Chicago Fire attack, registering 15 goals and 15 assists* to clock up 30 direct goal involvements — a club record that extends to 31 if you include his strike in the US Open Cup.
Zinckernagel’s exploits have spearheaded the Fire’s return to the MLS Cup Playoffs for the first time since 2017, while they beat Orlando City 3-1 in the Wild Card match for their first playoff win since 2009.
Aside from raw numbers, the 30-year-old posts team-highs in a host of key stats, including chances and big chances created, take-ons attempted and completed, possessions won in the middle third, and crosses attempted and completed.
Unfortunately for Zinckernagel, he’s going up against some big names and narratives, but his debut season in MLS absolutely cannot be understated.
- Read more – Ranked: The top 5 MLS Cup Playoffs contenders
2. Son Heung-min
- Club: LAFC
- Position: Winger
Son’s light has not burned for very long so far in MLS — he only arrived in August, after all — but it has burned incredibly bright.
The South Korean icon has already hit nine goals and three assists in 10 appearances, including a ridiculous run of seven goals in four appearances during October that saw him bag a hat-trick against Real Salt Lake and a brace against St. Louis City.
In such a short time, Son has risen to second on LAFC’s scoring charts behind only MVP nominee Denis Bouanga (14), fourth for chances created (33) and fifth for take-ons completed (18).
That’s quite ridiculous in the space of a few months, and since Son made his debut on 10th August, the Black and Gold have lost just two of 12 matches, with the 33-year-old featuring in just one of those defeats.
Son will probably miss out on the award for two very simple reasons: simply not having quite enough time to justify winning it, and being up against a player who has been a force of nature throughout the entire campaign.
1. Anders Dreyer
- Club: San Diego FC
- Position: Winger
That player is Anders Dreyer.
The second Dane on the shortlist and completing a trident of wingers, Dreyer has been so good this season that he’s also among the favourites to scoop the MVP Award, arguably as Lionel Messi’s closest challenger.
Dreyer finished fourth in the Golden Boot race with 19 goals and was level with Messi on a league-high 19 assists. He’s provided the ruthlessness and quality in the final third to inspire San Diego to the top of the Western Conference and fourth in the Supporters’ Shield race in their very first season in the league.
Expansion clubs just don’t normally perform so well, and they’re genuine contenders to become the very first to win MLS Cup.
Whether or not SDFC do that is irrelevant at this point. Dreyer has been a superb acquisition for the league, and his MVP standing surely makes him an almost guaranteed pick to win Newcomer of the Year.
*MLS’s assist definition used throughout this article.
MLS Newcomer of the Year Award: Previous winners
- 2007: Luciano Emilio (DC United)
- 2008: Darren Huckerby (San Jose Earthquakes)
- 2009: Fredy Montero (Seattle Sounders)
- 2010: Alvaro Saborio (Real Salt Lake)
- 2011: Mauro Rosales (Seattle Sounders)
- 2012: Federico Higuain (Columbus Crew)
- 2013: Diego Valeri (Portland Timbers)
- 2014: Pedro Morales (Vancouver Whitecaps)
- 2015: Sebastian Giovinco (Toronto FC)
- 2016: Nicolas Lodeiro (Seattle Sounders)
- 2017: Miguel Almiron (Atlanta United)
- 2018: Zlatan Ibrahimovic (LA Galaxy)
- 2019: Carles Gil (New England Revolution)
- 2020: Lucas Zelarayan (Columbus Crew)
- 2021: Cristian Arango (LAFC)
- 2022: Thiago Almada (Atlanta United)
- 2023: Giorgos Giakoumakis (Atlanta United)
- 2024: Gabriel Pec (LA Galaxy)