NASHVILLE, Tenn. (Oct. 23, 2025) – Nashville Soccer Club and Major League Soccer announced today that forward Sam Surridge is one of the five finalists for the 2025 Landon Donovan Major League Soccer Most Valuable Player Award joining LAFC’s Denis Bouanga, San Diego FC’s Anders Dreyer, FC Cincinnati’s Evander, and Inter Miami CF’s Lionel Messi.
The forward, who tied with Bouanga for the second most goals in MLS this season behind Messi, achieved numerous accolades in 2025:
- Scored 24 MLS goals and 30 goals across all competitions (both Nashville SC records)
- Recorded 29 goal contributions (seventh most in MLS and led Nashville SC)
- Was named a first-time MLS All-Star (one goal in All-Star Game)
- Led MLS with two hat tricks (tied with Bouanga)
- Led MLS in expected goals (xG) with 25.53
- Became the first English-born player in MLS history to record 10 goals in a six-match span
- Became the second English-born player to score at least 20 goals in an MLS season (Bradley Wright-Phillips)
- Became the first Nashville SC player and 19th in league history to score four goals in a single match during Nashville’s historic 7-2 win over Chicago Fire FC on April 26
- Won the 2025 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Golden Boot with six goals in three appearances (including the game-winning goal in the Final) while helping lead Nashville SC to its first-ever trophy and the first major professional sports championship in Tennessee history
The finalists for the annual league 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.
Surridge, who was signed as Nashville SC’s third Designated Player from the English Premier League (EPL) in July of 2023, joins midfielder Hany Mukhtar, who won the award and the Golden Boot with 23 goals in 2022, as the second player in club history to be named an MVP finalist.
The Boys in Gold will begin their 2025 Audi MLS Cup Playoffs run when they visit Inter Miami CF this Friday, Oct. 24 at 7 p.m. CT for Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Round One Best-of-3 series. The match will on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV, FS1 and FOX Deportes, and can be heard locally on 104.5 The Zone and nationally on SiriusXM FC 157 and Soccer en Espanol channel 1999.