Major League Soccer

L. Messi leads the race with 21 goals after 24 matches for Inter Miami. He is 3 goals clear of P. Musa on 18, while B. White sits 4 back on 17. At the current rate L. Messi projects to finish on around 30 for the season.

L. Messi has scored 21 goals for Inter Miami this season, accounting for 33% of the team's 64 league goals. The output goes well beyond a flat scoring rate. He is the player Inter Miami turn to in tight games and the one defenders have to pick up first. Recent goal hauls include 1 goal against Columbus Crew, 1 goal against San Diego, and 1 goal against Nashville SC. The numbers put him in the conversation for player of the season as long as the form holds.

1. L. Messi (Inter Miami) on 21 goals. 2. P. Musa (FC Dallas) on 18 goals. 3. B. White (Vancouver Whitecaps) on 17 goals. 4. S. Surridge (Nashville SC) on 16 goals. 5. M. Iloski (Philadelphia Union) on 16 goals.

L. Messi of Inter Miami tops the assists chart with 11. A. Dreyer (San Diego) is next on 11, and C. Espinoza of Nashville SC rounds out the top three on 11.

P. Musa of FC Dallas is the most efficient finisher in the league at 0.94 goals per 90 minutes. He has 18 goals from 1717 minutes, so volume is not the headline. The story is how rarely he wastes time on the pitch.

Guilherme is the breakout story so far. In a first season at this level he has 14 goals for Houston Dynamo, the kind of return scouts will keep on file. Defenders did not have much footage to study, and Guilherme has used that to his advantage.