Major League Soccer announced its Landon Donovan MVP finalists on Thursday, with the Inter Miami forward pair of Lionel Messi and Luis Suárez highlighting the list.

Other finalists included Columbus Crew forward Cucho Hernández, D.C. United forward Christian Benteke and Portland Timbers midfielder Evander.

Messi will present an interesting case study in what voters value most.

The 37-year-old continues to be an absolute menace. His 20 goals were tied for second in MLS, while his 16 assists tied for third, and he did that in just 19 games. Inter Miami were far and away the league's best team this season, registering 74 points, which was eight points clear of any other squad.

Did he play enough games to warrant the MVP trophy, however? That will be the question.

His teammate, the 37-year-old Suárez, tied him in goals with 20 across 27 matches, adding nine assists.

Benteke, 33, led all scorers with 23 goals in 30 contests, adding seven assists. D.C. United did not qualify for the postseason, however.

Evander, 26, tied for first in assists with 19 and added an impressive 15 goals across 28 games, completing 82.5 percent of his passes with 89 key passes. Portland just snuck into the playoffs, though a 5-0 defeat to Vancouver quickly ended the club's season.

Finally, the 25-year-old Hernández was fifth in goals this season (19) and tied for eighth in assists (14) across 27 games, leading the Columbus Crew to the No. 2 overall seed in the Eastern Conference. If there was anybody who might claim the MVP award over Messi, it would be Hernández.

Still, it's hard to argue with Messi's overall output and impact despite missing nearly half the season. Perhaps voters will dock him points for missed time—or perhaps he and Suárez will split some votes as teammates, hurting both of their MVP candidacies—but there's no doubt that Messi was the best player in the league when healthy.