The MLS assist leaders table tracks every playmaker in Major League Soccer for the 2026 season, updated after each round of fixtures.
With the season now past the early weeks, the creative leaders are starting to separate themselves. The table below ranks every MLS player by total assists this season, so you can follow the playmaker race as it develops alongside the Golden Boot standings. With the summer stretch underway, the league’s leading playmakers have established themselves at the top of the assists chart.
While the goalscorers often take the spotlight, the creative playmakers who set them up are equally vital to a team’s success.
Although there isn’t an official “Playmaker of the Season” award in MLS, the player with the most assists in the MLS regular season is widely celebrated.
Notably, MLS tracks assists differently from European leagues by awarding up to two assists per goal — a primary assist (the final pass) and a secondary assist (the pass before the assist), similar to hockey’s system.
This means the official MLS totals are typically higher than official date records, which only track primary assists.The all-time record for the most assists in MLS history belongs to the legendary Landon Donovan, who tallied an incredible 136 assists during his illustrious career.
The single-season record is held by Carlos Valderrama, who recorded an astonishing 26 assists for the Tampa Bay Mutiny in 2000. The MLS top assists chart is always a who’s who of the league’s most creative talents.