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How We Voted — MLS

How We Voted: Jayden Nelson dismantles Portland Timbers

The Vancouver Whitecaps winger scored once and handed out three assists in a derby-winning debut with his new Canadian club, making him our pick for MLS Player of the Matchday.

,   and  Andrew Leigh
4 min read
Nelson had that ball on a string at Providence Park. Photo: Vancouver Whitecaps PR on X.

Welcome to the inaugural edition of How We Voted, a new Hudson River Blue feature for the 2025 Major League Soccer season.

After every round of MLS matches, soccer writers like me – and other members of the North American Soccer Reporters – get to cast votes for MLS Player of the Matchday.

We get to name two players on our ballots, so at the conclusion of every matchday this season, I'll be writing up an explanation of my selections while also passing along official word of who won the final Player of the Matchday vote, plus the players who earned spots on the MLS Team of the Matchday.

It's possible and downright likely that my votes will regularly differ from who ends up being named the matchday's top player, but that's part of the fun. Think of this as a quick way to catch up on a few players who starred elsewhere around the league or as an excuse to jump into the comments and call me out for not voting for the right player.

The HRB Ballot, Matchday 1

1. Jayden Nelson, Vancouver Whitecaps FC

Lots of players did big things in their debuts with new teams on Matchday 1 but no one took control of the proceedings quite like Jayden Nelson of Vancouver Whitecaps FC.

Nelson scored one goal and tallied three assists as the Whitecaps destroyed their Cascadia Cup rivals Portland Timbers FC 1-4 at Providence Park in rainy Portland, Oregon. He was involved in every single goal the 'Caps scored, and while some might gripe that all Nelson's damage was done while Vancouver had a man advantage following a straight red card to Portland defender Kamal Miller in the 11th minute, that did not deter me.

Everything positive for Vancouver ran through Nelson. Per FBRef.com, he had 11 shot-creating actions, tied for the most of any MLS player on Matchday 1 with Pablo Ruíz of Real Salt Lake. Nelson was also credited with five chances created, four successful carries into the penalty area, and three successful take-ons of Portland defenders. The hat trick of assists was impressive but the highlight of Nelson's game, for me, was this solo goal he scored in the 61st minute to make it a 0-4 Vancouver lead.

Nelson slices through the shellshocked Portland defense like a hot knife through butter then tucks an incredibly tidy finish inside the near post, flashing breakaway speed but also poise in front of goal.

Vancouver's lopsided win against a rival was aided by that early Portland red card, but Nelson still was my star of the weekend. The Whitecaps signing Nelson this offseason and having him go off like this in his first appearance is also extra salt in the proverbial wound for Toronto FC. The 22-year-old originally from Toronto, Ontario, Canada spent the first four seasons of his professional career with Toronto FC before moving abroad to play in Norway and Germany, but now he's back in MLS and back on a Canadian club – but not Toronto. A loss for the Reds, but a major gain for the Whitecaps.

2. Anders Dreyer, San Diego FC

Nostalgia for New York City FC's inaugural 2015 season somewhat informed my choice for the second player on this week's ballot. It feels like yesterday when a Scandinavian player was scoring the first goal in club history on the road in NYCFC's first-ever match, and that feat was replicated by Anders Dreyer of San Diego FC in their surprise road win over defending MLS Cup Champions LA Galaxy.

Dreyer opened San Diego's MLS account thanks in part to foibles at the back by the Galaxy, one of many instances this weekend of MLS teams failing miserably when trying to play passes deep in their own defensive half (looking at you, Jordi Alba). That opening goal was historic, but the real stunner from Dreyer and San Diego came in stoppage time to seal the club's first win.

The initial pass from Dreyer to spring Tomás Angel is a thing of beauty and so too was Angel's ability to thread the needle through two Galaxy defenders to find an unmarked Dreyer. He got the bar-down finish right to ice the three points and send the visiting fans into a frenzy, a stunning turn given the Galaxy went the entirety of the 2024 season without losing a match at home at Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, California.

Emmanuel Latte Lath scored two good goals in a winning debut with Atlanta United FC, Lionel Messi had a pair of high-quality assists against NYCFC, but Dreyer's brace and the San Diego upset deserve the recognition.

Official Player of the Matchday: Anders Dreyer

Hard to fault the voters for going with Dreyer, who gets another "first" under his and San Diego FC's belt for that huge debut performance in Los Angeles. The vote was close, 35.42% of votes for Dreyer vs. 29.44% for Nelson, per the final tabulation shared by the North American Soccer Reporters.

Official MLS Team of the Matchday

Photo via mlssoccer.com.

Starters: Zack Steffen (COL) - Brayan Ceballos (NE), Miles Robinson (CIN), Rodrigues (SJ) - Diego Rossi (CLB), Brian Gutiérrez (CHI), Boris Enow (DC), Jayden Nelson (VAN) - Anders Dreyer (SD), Emmanuel Latte Lath (ATL), Lionel Messi (MIA)

Bench: Daniel (SJ), Marlon (LAFC), Cristian Espinoza (SJ), Pedro Vite (VAN), Marco Pašalić (ORL), Tai Baribo (PHI), Jordan Morris (SEA), Petar Musa (DAL), Kévin Denkey (CIN)

Coach: Mikey Varas (SD)

Somewhat surprising to see zero New York City FC players included in Team of the Matchday even as substitutes. Goalscorers Alonso Martínez (who also drew the foul leading to Avilés's red card) and Mitja Ilenič might have had a decent case for spots on the bench, after all, it's not the easiest thing to travel to face Inter Miami and its multitude of big-name Designated Players. Better luck next matchday.

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