SDFC head coach Mikey Varas named finalist for Sigi Schmid MLS Coach of the Year; Winger and Designated Player Anders Dreyer named finalist for Landon Donovan MLS MVP and MLS Newcomer of the Year**
San Diego FC (SDFC Head Coach Mikey Varas (Sigi Schmid MLS Coach of the Year) and Designated Player Anders Dreyer (Landon Donovan MLS MVP and MLS Newcomer of the Year) are among the finalist. The winners will be announced throughout the Audi 2025 MLS Cup Playoffs.
The finalists for Landon Donovan MLS MVP include Denis Bouanga (LAFC), Anders Dreyer (San Diego FC), Evander (FC Cincinnati), Lionel Messi (Inter Miami CF), and Sam Surridge (Nashville SC).
Four different clubs led MLS with three finalists each – LAFC, Philadelphia Union, San Diego FC, and Vancouver Whitecaps FC. In their inaugural season, which saw them finish with the most points by an expansion club in MLS history, San Diego FC became the third expansion side since 2018 to produce at least three finalists in their debut season, joining St. Louis CITY SC (four in 2023) and LAFC (three in 2018). Only two players were finalists for multiple awards – San Diego FC’s Anders Dreyer (Landon Donovan MLS MVP and MLS Newcomer of the Year) and Real Salt Lake’s Diego Luna (MLS Young Player of the Year and Audi Goals Drive Progress Impact Award).
The finalists for the annual awards earned the highest average votes from MLS club technical staff, MLS first-team players, and select media members, with each group accounting for 33.3 percent of the overall results.
Head Coach Mikey Varas – Sigi Schmid MLS Coach of the Year Finalist
Mikey Varas was appointed as the first head coach in SDFC history on September 16, 2024, marking his first head coaching role at the club level. Varas made his MLS coaching debut with a 2-0 victory over the reigning MLS champions, the LA Galaxy, on February 23 at Dignity Health Sports Park.
In his debut season, Varas led SDFC to a first-place finish in the Western Conference with a 19-9-6 record, earning qualification for the Concacaf Champions Cup. Under his leadership, the team set new MLS expansion records for most points (63) and most wins (17) in a debut season.
Designated Player Anders Dreyer – Landon Donovan MLS MVP and MLS Newcomer of the Year Finalist
Anders Dreyer, 27, joined SDFC on January 22 as the second Designated Player in club history. He immediately made an impact, scoring both goals in San Diego’s inaugural 2-0 victory over the reigning MLS Cup champions, the LA Galaxy, on February 23 at Dignity Health Sports Park.
Dreyer has been one of the breakout stars of the season, recording 19 goals and 19 assists for a combined 38 goal contributions—accounting 59% of SDFC’s 64 total goals. He currently leads the league in assists, and his exceptional performance has earned him recognition as a finalist for both the Landon Donovan MLS MVP Award and the MLS Newcomer of the Year Award.
Dreyer was also named MLS Player of the Month twice this season, earning the honor for June and August. With these accolades, he joins Josef Martínez (2017) as the only players in MLS history to earn multiple Player of the Month awards for an expansion club in their debut season.
Landon Donovan MLS MVP
Denis Bouanga (LAFC)
Anders Dreyer (San Diego FC)
Evander (FC Cincinnati)
Lionel Messi (Inter Miami CF)
Sam Surridge (Nashville SC)
Sigi Schmid MLS Coach of the Year
Bradley Carnell (Philadelphia Union)
Jesper Sørensen (Vancouver Whitecaps FC)
Mikey Varas (San Diego FC)
Audi Goals Drive Progress Impact Award
Ryan Hollingshead (LAFC)
Diego Luna (Real Salt Lake)
Brad Stuver (Austin FC)
MLS Comeback Player of the Year
Lawrence Ennali (Houston Dynamo FC)
Nick Hagglund (FC Cincinnati)
Richie Laryea (Toronto FC)
MLS Defender of the Year
Tristan Blackmon (Vancouver Whitecaps FC)
Jakob Glesnes (Philadelphia Union)
Kai Wagner (Philadelphia Union)
MLS Goalkeeper of the Year
Matt Freese (New York City FC)
Dayne St. Clair (Minnesota United FC)
Yohei Takaoka (Vancouver Whitecaps FC)
MLS Newcomer of the Year
Anders Dreyer (San Diego FC)
Son Heung-Min (LAFC)
Philip Zinckernagel (Chicago Fire FC)
MLS Young Player of the Year
Alex Freeman (Orlando City SC)
Diego Luna (Real Salt Lake)
Obed Vargas (Seattle Sounders FC)
The MLS AT&T Goal of the Year (Vote Here) and MLS Save of the Year (Vote Here) will be decided by online voting at MLSsoccer.com, with winners announced on Monday, Oct. 27. Voting opened on Monday, Oct. 20 and will close on Friday, Oct. 24.
MLS Referee and Assistant Referee of the Year award recipients will be announced on Friday, Oct. 24, and the MLS Best XI will be revealed at a later date.
For the latest news and Club updates, please visit SanDiegoFC.com, follow @SanDiegoFC on social media across all platforms, and use the hashtag #SanDiegoFC #FlowWithUs.
