HOUSTON (Nov. 12, 2026) – Houston Dynamo FC attacker Guilherme was named a finalist for the 2026 Landon Donovan MLS MVP and 2026 MLS Newcomer of the Year, the league announced today. The MLS Year-End Awards honor the league's top performers during the regular season, with the winners set to be announced throughout the Audi 2026 MLS Cup Playoffs.
This season, the Brazilian attacker helped lead the Dynamo to their third postseason appearance in four seasons with Houston launching their playoff campaign, powered by Shell Energy, versus the San Jose Earthquakes in the Round One Best-of-3 Series later this month, marking the first postseason meeting between Houston and San Jose. Houston will host Game 2 at Shell Energy Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 28, at 1:30 p.m. CT, and fans can secure their tickets via Tixr HERE. Game 1 (Nov. 24) and Game 3 (Dec. 2 if necessary) will be played at PayPal Park in San Jose.
“We are pleased to see Guilherme recognized by teams and media members across Major League Soccer to be named a finalist for these awards,” said HDFC President of Soccer Pat Onstad. “He had an excellent first season in Houston and made a real impact for our group, helping us return to the playoffs with another top 10 finish in the Supporter’s Shield. Now, our focus is on San Jose and representing Houston in another postseason.”
Notably, Guilherme is the first player in Dynamo history to be named a finalist for two major, performance-based awards, which are voted on by MLS first-team players, MLS Club technical staff and select media members. Additionally, he is the third Dynamo player ever to be named an MLS MVP finalist (Dwayne De Rosario in 2006 and Brad Davis in 2011) and the first Dynamo player ever to be named an MLS Newcomer of the Years finalist.
From the moment Houston signed the attacker from historic Brazilian club Santos FC, Guilherme established himself as a key figure in Houston's frontline. The veteran led the team with 16 goals and 10 assists, contributing to 60.5% of Houston goals and setting a new Club single-season record, surpassing the previous mark of 21 set by midfielder Héctor Herrera (2021) and Manotas (2019). Additionally, he became just the second Brazilian player in MLS history to record at least 25 goal contributions in their debut season (Gabriel Pec, 2024).
Guilherme represented Houston at the 2026 MLS All-Star Game, presented by Chime, in July, coming on in the first half and playing 28 minutes alongside some of the league's top stars. The standout playmaker was also named to the MLSSoccer.com Team of the Matchday nine times during this season (Matchday 1, 4, 5, 14, 18, 19, 20, 25 and 30).
Guilherme kicked off the 2026 campaign in style, recording a debut brace during the team's 2-1 home victoryover Chicago Fire FC in February and becoming just the third player in Dynamo history to score multiple goals in his debut and the first since 2020. The 31-year-old proved to be a consistent threat throughout the season, recording at least one goal and one assist in seven MLS matches and scoring in four consecutive matches at one point, just one shy of the Club's all-time record (Mauro Manotas managed five in 2019).Â
Additionally, on Oct. 17 against FC Dallas in the Texas Debry, Guilherme became just the second player in Dynamo history to record 10 goals and 10 assists in a single season (Alberth Elis, 11 goals and 10 assists in 2018) after assisting on Herrera's goal.
His most notable performances this season include the fixture at FC Dallas (March 21), the 2-1 victory over Austin FC (July 25) and the 3-3 road draw versus San Diego FC (Oct.14). Across those three matches, Guilherme recorded three goal contributions in each. Against the Texas rivals, he notched one goal and two assists, while at San Diego, he recorded two goals and one assist. Notably, Guilherme became the first Dynamo player in team history to record three goal contributions in a half multiple times in a single season.
In October, Guilherme was featured on Season 4 of Breakaway, the league’s original storytelling series that offers an intimate look at the personal journeys, defining moments and experiences that have shaped players across the league.
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.
