Major League Soccer

L. Messi leads the race with 13 goals after 15 matches for Inter Miami. He is level on goals with P. Musa on 13, while H. Cuypers sits 0 back on 13. At the current rate L. Messi projects to finish on around 29 for the season.

L. Messi has scored 13 goals for Inter Miami this season, accounting for 29% of the team's 45 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 Portland Timbers, 2 goals against FC Cincinnati, and 1 goal against Toronto FC. The numbers put him in the conversation for player of the season as long as the form holds.

1. L. Messi (Inter Miami) on 13 goals. 2. P. Musa (FC Dallas) on 13 goals. 3. H. Cuypers (Chicago Fire) on 13 goals. 4. N. Fernández Mercau (New York City FC) on 13 goals. 5. Guilherme (Houston Dynamo) on 11 goals.

Evander of FC Cincinnati tops the assists chart with 8. Son Heung-Min (Los Angeles FC) is next on 8, and L. Messi of Inter Miami rounds out the top three on 7.

H. Cuypers of Chicago Fire is the most efficient finisher in the league at 1.18 goals per 90 minutes. He has 13 goals from 989 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 11 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.