Forwards win games. They are the players fans pay to watch, the names on the back of jerseys, and the difference between playoff contenders and cellar dwellers. But which MLS forwards are truly the best when you move beyond raw goal tallies?
This ranking uses American Soccer Analysis's Goals Added (g+) model to evaluate every MLS forward from the 2025 season. Goals Added captures not just shooting but every on-ball action a player makes: receiving, passing, dribbling, and even defensive contributions. It measures total impact on goal difference relative to the positional average.
The results confirm some obvious stars. They also reveal some surprises.
How Goals Added Evaluates Forwards
For forwards, the balance of action types shifts compared to midfielders and defenders:
Receiving: Often the most important metric for strikers. It measures how dangerous a player's positioning is when they receive the ball. Strikers who make intelligent runs, find space between center backs, and time their movement to receive in the most dangerous areas score highest here. Among the top 10 strikers, receiving was the largest contributor to total g+ for 9 out of 10.
Shooting: Quantifies the quality of a player's shooting compared to the average forward in the same positions. This goes beyond raw conversion rate. It accounts for shot location, defensive pressure, and shot type. A player who consistently hits the corners from 20 yards adds more shooting value than one who taps in from 3 yards.
Dribbling: Captures a player's ability to carry the ball effectively. For wingers, this is often the primary differentiator. Beating a defender 1v1 in the final third creates immediate danger.
Passing: Usually negative or near-zero for strikers, which makes sense. Strikers who sacrifice shooting opportunities to pass are often making the wrong decision. But the rare striker who can both score and create (+5.24 for Messi) is on another level.
The Best MLS Strikers in 2025
1. Lionel Messi (Inter Miami) — g+ 23.21
The number is so far beyond anyone else that it almost breaks the scale. Messi's +23.21 total Goals Added is more than double the second-ranked striker. Every component is elite: +6.78 receiving (the best movement in the league), +5.24 passing (the best creative output from a striker), +4.75 shooting (clinical finishing), and +4.48 dribbling (still beating defenders at 38). He is not just the best forward in MLS. He is the most valuable player in the league's history by this measure.
2. Sam Surridge (Nashville SC) — g+ 16.14
Surridge's +10.84 receiving g+ was the highest of any player at any position in MLS. He was a movement machine, finding space in the penalty area with a frequency and intelligence that created constant danger. His passing contribution was negative (-1.04), but that is exactly what you want from a number 9. He shot instead of passed, and the data says he was right to do so.
3. Prince Owusu (CF Montréal) — g+ 12.15
Owusu's emergence was one of the stories of 2025. His +9.41 receiving g+ showed a striker who understood space at an elite level. Like Surridge, his negative passing g+ (-1.45) is actually a feature, not a bug. He was selfish in the best way.
4. Hany Mukhtar (Nashville SC) — g+ 12.12
Nashville having both Surridge and Mukhtar in the top four explains their attacking potency. Mukhtar's profile was more balanced than Surridge's: +5.80 receiving, +3.07 shooting, and crucially +0.40 passing. He could create as well as finish, making the partnership with Surridge complementary rather than redundant.
5. Hugo Cuypers (Chicago Fire) — g+ 11.60
The Belgian striker was prolific by any measure. His +8.25 receiving g+ and +2.75 shooting g+ showed a classic poacher who made the right runs and finished with quality. Chicago's attacking resurgence (Cuypers, Gutiérrez, Gutman, and Elliott all appearing across our position rankings) was one of the more complete team improvements in the league.
6. Rafael Navarro (Colorado Rapids) — g+ 11.50
Navarro's +7.59 receiving g+ was driven by intelligent runs into channels and behind the defensive line. At Colorado, where service is not always consistent, his ability to create danger from imperfect situations was invaluable.
7. Alonso Martínez (New York City FC) — g+ 10.22
Martínez's +8.70 receiving g+ was the third-highest among all strikers. He was exceptional at losing defenders in tight spaces, a necessary skill for a player who operates in the small-sided game that NYCFC's compact Yankee Stadium pitch demands.
8. Martín Ojeda (Orlando City) — g+ 10.19
Ojeda stood out among strikers for his passing contribution (+1.69), the second-highest among the top 15 strikers. He was both scorer and creator, which made Orlando's attack multidimensional.
9. Petar Musa (FC Dallas) — g+ 9.64
The Croatian international's +6.34 receiving g+ and +2.08 shooting g+ showed a well-rounded striker. In Dallas's attacking system, his intelligent movement was the catalyst for most of the team's best chances.
10. Christian Benteke (D.C. United) — g+ 8.83
Benteke packed +8.83 goals added into just 2,092 minutes. His per-minute rate was among the highest of any striker in the league. His +7.43 receiving g+ showed that even at this stage of his career, his movement and physical presence in the box create constant problems for defenders.
The Best MLS Wingers in 2025
1. Dénis Bouanga (LAFC) — g+ 15.29
Bouanga was the most complete winger in MLS. His +3.97 dribbling g+ was the highest among all forwards, showing a player who could beat defenders off the dribble at will. His +3.58 shooting g+ was also the best among wingers. Add +6.04 receiving g+ and you have a player who could score in every way imaginable: cutting inside, running in behind, or finishing from distance.
2. Gabriel Pec (LA Galaxy) — g+ 10.95
The LA Derby is better when both teams have elite wingers, and Pec held up his end. His +2.92 dribbling g+ showed a player who could take on defenders 1v1, while +2.87 shooting g+ meant those dribbles often ended in dangerous shots. He was the most exciting player to watch in MLS for neutral fans.
3. Anders Dreyer (San Diego FC) — g+ 10.94
For an expansion team, having a winger post +10.94 g+ is remarkable. Dreyer's +6.95 receiving g+ was the highest among all wingers, meaning his off-ball movement was closer to a striker's than a winger's. He played 3,415 minutes, more than any other winger in the top 10, combining production with durability.
4. Miguel Almirón (Atlanta United) — g+ 9.23
The Paraguayan's return to Atlanta after his Premier League spell was a success by any measure. His +3.66 receiving g+ and +1.42 passing g+ showed a winger who could both create and find space. His +0.85 dribbling g+ was lower than his Newcastle days, but his decision-making was sharper.
5. Marco Pašalić (Orlando City) — g+ 8.66
Pašalić combined +2.74 shooting g+ with +1.64 dribbling g+ to give Orlando a direct, vertical threat on the wing. His willingness to shoot from distance and his ability to cut inside made him difficult to defend.
6. Hirving Lozano (San Diego FC) — g+ 8.20
The Mexican international packed +8.20 g+ into just 2,033 minutes. His +4.57 receiving g+ and +2.09 shooting g+ showed a player who found dangerous positions and finished chances at a high rate. San Diego's pair of Dreyer and Lozano on the wings was one of the best in the league.
7. Jack McGlynn (Houston Dynamo) — g+ 7.25
McGlynn's profile was unique among wingers. His +3.64 passing g+ was the highest of any winger in the league, playing more as a creative wide player than a traditional dribbler or finisher. His +1.06 shooting g+ and +0.66 dribbling g+ were complementary to that creative output.
8. Theo Corbeanu (Toronto FC) — g+ 6.84
Corbeanu's +3.25 dribbling g+ was the second-highest among all wingers, behind only Bouanga. The Canadian international was a direct runner who created chaos when he got the ball in wide areas and drove at defenders.
9. Jonathan Bamba (Chicago Fire) — g+ 6.77
Another Chicago player appearing across our rankings. Bamba's +3.18 receiving g+ showed intelligent movement, and his presence alongside Cuypers, Gutiérrez, Gutman, and Elliott gives Chicago five players across our four position rankings.
10. Wilfried Zaha (Charlotte FC) — g+ 6.59
The former Crystal Palace star's Premier League pedigree showed in his all-around game. His contributions were spread across shooting (+1.59), receiving (+1.91), passing (+0.65), and dribbling (+0.40). He did not dominate any single category but contributed meaningfully in all of them.
What the Data Reveals
Messi is in a category of one. His +23.21 g+ is not just the best among forwards. It is the best at any position, by a margin so large it is historically anomalous. At 38, playing in MLS, he is generating more value than any player in the league's analytics history.
Receiving is the striker's superpower. Among the top 10 strikers, 9 had receiving as their largest g+ component. Goals come from being in the right place at the right time, and the data shows that the best strikers are the ones who make the best runs, not necessarily the ones with the hardest shots.
Wingers are more diverse than strikers. Bouanga leads through dribbling and shooting. Dreyer leads through receiving. McGlynn leads through passing. There is no single template for a great MLS winger.
Chicago placed 5 players across all position rankings. Cuypers (ST), Gutiérrez (CM), Bamba (W), Gutman (FB), and Elliott (CB). No other club placed more than 3. Whatever Chicago built in 2025, it was deep.
Negative passing g+ is normal for strikers. 11 of the top 15 strikers had negative passing g+. This is not a flaw. Strikers who pass when they should shoot are leaving value on the table. The rare exceptions (Messi at +5.24, Ojeda at +1.69) are genuinely special.
How We Built These Rankings
These rankings use American Soccer Analysis (ASA) Goals Added data from the 2025 MLS regular season. Only players with 500+ minutes were included. Players are grouped by striker (ST) and winger (W) as classified by ASA's position model. Goals Added measures total contribution through every on-ball action compared to the positional average.
See also: Best Defenders in MLS | Best Midfielders in MLS | MLS Goalkeeper Rankings