VANCOUVER, BC – Major League Soccer announced on Wednesday that Vancouver Whitecaps FC defender Tristan Blackmon and midfielder Sebastian Berhalter have been named to the 2025 MLS Best XI, which recognizes the league’s top players at each position as determined by members of the media, players, and club technical staffs.
The 2025 MLS Best XI features a total of five players from Canada and the United States, which is the most in a single season since 2015, when there were also five. Six different individuals are first-time honourees, and nine different MLS clubs are represented, with the ’Caps leading the pack with two representatives alongside Philadelphia Union.
2025 MLS Best XI
- Goalkeeper: Dayne St. Clair (Minnesota United FC)
- Defenders: Tristan Blackmon (Vancouver Whitecaps FC), Alex Freeman (Orlando City SC), Jakob Glesnes (Philadelphia Union), Kai Wagner (Philadelphia Union)
- Midfielders: Sebastian Berhalter (Vancouver Whitecaps FC), Evander (FC Cincinnati), Cristian Roldan (Seattle Sounders FC)
- Forwards: Denis Bouanga (LAFC), Anders Dreyer (San Diego FC), Lionel Messi (Inter Miami CF)
This is the first time Whitecaps FC have multiple players named to the MLS Best XI, with former defender and captain Kendall Waston previously receiving the honour in 2015 and 2017.
Blackmon, the 2025 MLS Defender of the Year, earned his first MLS Best XI selection after demonstrating exceptional defensive leadership and composure in possession within head coach Jesper Sørensen’s system. In MLS play, he started 23 of his 25 appearances and played a pivotal role in Vancouver achieving a league-best +28 goal difference. With Blackmon on the field, Whitecaps FC conceded just 1.08 goals per game. He led the team with 36 clearances, ranked third with 37 aerial duels won, and recorded the most key passes among centre backs with eight. Blackmon becomes only the second Whitecaps FC defender ever named to the MLS Best XI, joining Waston.
- Tristan Blackmon – stats among centre backs in MLS:
- Top 2% for progressive passes
- Top 3% in fewest goals conceded when on the field
- Top 5% for long passes completed
- Top 7% for percentage of dribblers tackled
Across all competitions, Blackmon started 33 of his 36 appearances and featured in 14 of the ’Caps clean sheets. The Las Vegas, Nevada native had a career-year offensively, recording five goals and one assist. Three of those goals were game-winners, including a last-gasp goal at Pumas UNAM in the second leg of the Concacaf Champions Cup quarterfinals that will go down as one of the most iconic moments in club history.
Blackmon was a first-time MLS All-Star and made his United States men’s national team debut during the September international window.
Berhalter, earning his first MLS Best XI selection, has taken a major step forward as one of the key players for Whitecaps FC. Of Vancouver’s 63 points this season, he started or appeared in matches where the team collected 57 of them. In MLS play, Berhalter started 25 of his 29 appearances, contributing four goals and 11 assists. The 24-year-old midfielder ranked among the league’s best in several key categories, combining his creative playmaking ability with dependable defensive work in central midfield. Berhalter becomes the first Whitecaps FC midfielder to be named to the MLS Best XI.
- Sebastian Berhalter – stats among midfielders in MLS:
- Led MLS in long passes completed per 90 at 9.43 during the regular season
- Top 1% in assists and expected assists (xA) per 90
- Top 2% in key passes per 90
- Top 4% in goals + assists per 90
- Top 7% in progressive passes per 90
- Top 10% in touches per 90
Across all competitions, Berhalter has registered a career-high 24 goal contributions, with eight goals and a team-leading 16 assists. He has started 38 of his 44 appearances, underscoring his importance to Sørensen’s system and the team’s overall success. Berhalter’s impressive development this season has seen him rise to second in assists with 27 and break into the top 10 for appearances with 146 during the club’s MLS era.
Some of Berhalter’s notable moments throughout the year include his performances against Inter Miami CF in the semifinals of the Concacaf Champions Cup, as well as a run of 11 goal contributions in eight matches from August to October that culminated with his first career brace and MLS Player of the Matchday 38 honours. Berhalter also earned four selections to the MLS Team of the Matchday in Matchdays 4, 25, 33, and 38.
It’s not the first time Berhalter has been recognized for his performances this year. The midfielder was named to the Concacaf Champions Cup Best XI, earned his first MLS All-Star selection, and received his debut call-up to the United States men’s national team, where he played a key role in the USMNT’s run to the 2025 Concacaf Gold Cup final.
