SAN JOSE, Calif. — Major League Soccer announced today that San Jose Earthquakes midfielder Eduard Löwen has been named a finalist for MLS Comeback Player of the Year as part of the 2026 MLS Year-End Awards, honoring the league’s top performers during the MLS regular season. Among the finalists are individuals representing 15 MLS clubs, with the winners set to be announced throughout the Audi 2026 MLS Cup Playoffs.
When his wife Ilona was initially diagnosed with brain cancer in 2024, Löwen—then playing for St. Louis CITY SC—took various periods of time off over the next two seasons to support her in her battle, with his last game during that stretch on Oct. 19, 2025.
Despite multiple surgeries and treatment, however, doctors told the couple that Ilona’s cancer had progressed to an incurable Stage 4, and on March 9 of this year, she tragically passed away. Following the news of her death, Löwen took the next month to grieve and reflect before regaining the strength to return to the field. On April 18, he made his 2026 debut, coming on as a substitute against Seattle Sounders FC and scoring the only goal for CITY during the match.
On Aug 26, San Jose acquired Löwen via trade, and his arrival has been key to the Earthquakes regaining their early-season form to close the season strong. With Löwen in the midfield, the Black and Blue went unbeaten in 11 of 13 matches to finish fourth in the Western Conference and secure home-field advantage in Round One of the Audi 2026 MLS Cup Playoffs, as well as the first-ever postseason game at PayPal Park.
Löwen’s brilliance was on display when he was named to the MLS Team of the Matchday for Matchday 28 after being involved in all three goals with a goal and two assists in a 3-1 win over the Portland Timbers on Sept. 26. Overall, he has amassed four goals and six assists since returning to play in 2026.
The finalists for the annual awards received the highest average votes from MLS club technical staff, MLS first-team players, and select media members, with each group accounting for 33.3 percent of the overall results. The MLS Humanitarian of the Year award was determined by votes from four groups, each accounting for 25 percent of the total – club technical staff, MLS first-team players, select media members, and community relations staff.
Landon Donovan MLS MVP
- Evander (FC Cincinnati)
- Guilherme (Houston Dynamo FC)
- Lionel Messi (Inter Miami CF)
- Hany Mukhtar (Nashville SC)
- Cavan Sullivan (Philadelphia Union)
Sigi Schmid MLS Coach of the Year
- B. J. Callaghan (Nashville SC)
- Yoann Damet (St. Louis CITY SC)
- Jesper Sørensen (Vancouver Whitecaps FC)
MLS Humanitarian of the Year
- Paul Arriola (Seattle Sounders FC)
- Andrew Farrell (New England Revolution)
- Telasco Segovia (Inter Miami CF)
- Mason Stajduhar (Real Salt Lake)
- Brad Stuver (Austin FC)
MLS Comeback Player of the Year
- Ryan Gauld (Vancouver Whitecaps FC)
- Nick Hagglund (FC Cincinnati)
- Eduard Löwen (San Jose Earthquakes)
MLS Defender of the Year
- Andy Najar (Nashville SC)
- Jeisson Palacios (Nashville SC)
- Maxwell Woledzi (Nashville SC)
MLS Goalkeeper of the Year
- Roman Bürki (St. Louis CITY SC)
- Brian Schwake (Nashville SC)
- Matt Turner (New England Revolution)
MLS Newcomer of the Year
- Antoine Griezmann (Orlando City SC)
- Guilherme (Houston Dynamo FC)
- André Luiz (Sporting Kansas City)
MLS Young Player of the Year
- Julian Hall (Red Bull New York)
- Adri Mehmeti (Red Bull New York)
- Cavan Sullivan (Philadelphia Union)
In addition, Earthquakes forward Ousseni Bouda and goalkeeper Angus Gunn are finalists for Goal of the Year and Save of the Year, respectively. Bouda is in contention for his majestic header against San Diego FC on Matchday 25, while Gunn is up for his double save to seal the win over Houston Dynamo FC on Matchday 26.
The MLS AT&T Goal of the Year (Vote Here) and MLS Save of the Year (Vote Here) will be decided by online voting at MLSsoccer.com. Voting opened on Monday, Nov. 9, and will close on Tuesday, Nov. 17. MLS Referee and Assistant Referee of the Year award recipients will be announced on Friday, Nov. 13, and the MLS Best XI will be revealed at a later date.