Who are the most creative players in MLS this season?

Sharks can detect one part of fish extract in 25 million parts of seawater, meaning that feeding frenzies are common events in the depths, with tens if not hundreds of huge, teeth-filled fish fighting and thrashing for a single bite. The competition is fierce and many different species can get involved, but when a near-18-foot Great White enters the fray, the smaller sharks know who’s boss, and scarper.

Messi is coming to MLS, and he’s sniffing out the records like a white-eyed underwater beast, but who is already feeding at the top table? Who are the top creators in MLS, and are they about to be pushed away like rotten fish chum? Somebody play the Jaws music...

MLS is a rapidly-growing league in world football with a lot of talent that is giving the division a new reputation, and Messi’s arrival is only going to serve to enhance the new perception. Every year, younger talents from Europe are making their way across the Atlantic to join various teams, with the idea of playing good football - not just earning good money - on the mind. Messi is a prime example of this: the supposed contract from Saudi Arabia was about as big and juicy as a deal in football can get, yet he decided against it, preferring MLS’ challenge, a place where he could lead a relaxing lifestyle while still being tested on the pitch on a weekly basis.

Who are the most creative players in MLS?

The shapes that are circling around him, the top creators in the league, are not uncommon. Cristian Espinoza, when looking at the data from FBREF, is one name that leaps out as a big player in the division: the Argentinian has completed the most key passes in the league (57), has by far the highest expected assists (9.2, ahead of Almada with 7.4) while also scoring 9 goals for the San Jose Earthquakes.

A player who follows him close behind is Mateusz Klich of DC United, the ex-Leeds United midfielder. He left the then-Premier League side following a lack of minutes at the club, but looking at his numbers, it is hard to see why. Klich is in the top 10 for passes into the penalty area, crosses into the penalty area and assists, as well as being third in the list of key passes and fourth for expected assists. While, unlike Espinonza, he does not feature at the top of any metric, Klich is an almost ever-present in the statistics databases and has been something of a revelation for Rooney’s side in terms of chance creation.

Messi’s compatriot is dominating the statistics

We’ve mentioned Thiago Almada already, and it’s not hard to see why Lionel Scaloni called him up to the World Cup squad for Qatar 2022. The young attacking midfielder only drops out of the top 2 in creative metrics when it comes to the total of progressive passes, yet he is in the 99th percentile of the same metric as he has racked up over 9.5 per 90 - a figure that suggests he tears through teams with his forward-thinking vision and direct play.

The stats don’t stop there: Almada manages almost 7 shot-creating actions per game and completes around 3 take ones per 90 minutes; at just 22-years-old and with 8 goals and 9 assists (top) so far, is showing just why Atlanta United paid such a hefty fee to bring him stateside.

Special mentions?

Riqui Puig, Hany Mukhtar, Luciano Acosta, Carles Gil... all of these players deserve mentions as potential names I could have chosen to talk about, but they will have to wait until next time. Puig is all over the news after his performance and goal against LAFC in El Tráfico gave the struggling side a much-needed victory, and rightly so. The ex-Barça man is having a stellar season and another ex-Culé is soon about to join.

The clock is ticking down every day for the arrival of Messi, who should, if history is to be believed, tear these records apart. However, the growing talent in MLS is here to stay, which means that the little Argentinian, despite having won it all, might not just have it entirely his own way.