There are many, many delicious storylines heading into Decision Day 2025.
Arguably topping that list is an incredibly tight race to take the top individual honors.
With the last three MLS NEXT Pro Most Valuable Player presented by adidas crowns going to Golden Boot winners, the top contenders in this year's race will need little extra motivation to try to add their name to that list.
New in 2025, the Playmaker of the Year will go to the player who earns the most regular-season assists. Three players have been neck and neck at the top of that chart all season long, but you can't ignore a pair of dark-horse candidates to steal the show in the 11th hour.
Take a look at the top candidates looking to take the spoils below:
Chicago Fire FC II striker Jason Shokalook comes into Decision Day as the frontrunner with 18 goals and riding the momentum of a three-game scoring streak that includes a hat trick.
The 23-year-old Akron Zips product looks to keep the Golden Boot in the Windy City, following up 2024 MVP David Poreba, who earned last year's boot with 18.
With 16 goals, Tacoma Defiance attacker Yu Tsukanome will have to dig deep to earn this year's title.
But it's something he's more than capable of, as evidenced by his 23-minute hat trick as a supersub in Matchweek 4.
Also no stranger to putting up multi-goal performances, North Texas SC striker Sam Sarver is absolutely unplayable when at the peak of his powers.
Another performance like his four-goal outing against Sporting KC II during Matchweek 19, the Indiana University and Columbus Crew Academy product could wind up with this year's hardware.
Dark horse contenders
They'll have their work cut out for them to catch Shokalook and Co., but Colorado Rapids 2's Billo Diop (14g) and St Louis CITY2 winger Mykhi Joyner (15) trail a little further back, but have proved capable of catching up in a hurry.
Joyner's four-goal haul in May and Diop's torrid eight-goal run across July and August serve as proof they have a credible outsider's chance.
Tiebreakers: If multiple players finish with the same number of goals, the Golden Boot winner will be decided by which one of the players has the most assists; if the number of assists are tied, the winner will be decided by the player with the most open-play (non PK) goals; if the number of open-play goals are tied, the winner will be decided by the higher goals per match ratio.
Topping the charts for the last several weeks, New England Revolution II's Marcos Dias
With his 11th assist breaking the league's all-time single-season record in Matchweek 27, the crafty 24-year-old Brazilian has one hand on the accomplishment heading into Sunday.
Reppin' the independent scene, it's not crazy for Chattanooga FC fans to cheer on right-back Tate Robertson's bid to take the playmaker honor.
Sitting on 10, a gentleman's brace assist could do the trick.
Winger Rafael Mosquera is a BIG reason New York Red Bulls II are in position to take the top overall Eastern Conference seed.
With 10 on the year and a recent three-assist performance against Columbus Crew 2 in Matchweek 25, it's not unthinkable that the 20-year-old Panamanian international can pull it off.
Dark horse contenders
They'll have to go supernova, but it's no coincidence St Louis CITY2s' Brendan McSorley and Whitecaps FC 2's Jackson Castro happen to be assist leaders on the highest-scoring teams in the Western Conference.
McSorley has become a regular in the CITY first-team setup in recent weeks and may be called upon for the remainder of the MLS season, but can't be ruled out of stealing the show if available.
Castro, on the other hand, is a week-in, week-out starter for WFC 2 and will be more likely to get 90 minutes to go for it.
Tiebreakers: If multiple players finish with the same number of assists, the player with the best assists per match ratio will be named the winner.
