The September international window has come and gone, and saw immense participation from MLS players worldwide.
Whether helping the defending World Cup champions wrap up their qualifying campaign, starring in friendlies or playing a central role in some of the most intriguing national team stories, the window had it all.
Of the over 100 players on international duty from the American top flight, Sports Illustrated picks five that stood out ahead of MLS getting back to regular season action this weekend.
5. Steven Moreira - Columbus Crew (Cape Verde)
Cape Verde has a population of just over 500,000, and is on the verge of qualifying for the World Cup next summer. One of their few citizens? Columbus Crew SC’s Steven Morreria.
Moreira went 90 minutes in two matches for Cape Verde in the window, helping the No. 73-ranked side to a 1–0 upset of Cameroon and a 4–0 win over Mauritius.
The defender played a critical role in the two clean sheets. Now, Cape Verde sits atop their CAF World Cup qualifying group and needs a win in their final two matches in October, against No. 117 Libya and No. 155 Eswatini, to punch their ticket to the tournament.
4. Ali Ahmed - Vancouver Whitecaps (Canada)
The Canadian men’s national team grabbed back-to-back wins against UEFA opponents on European soil for the first time, and Vancouver Whitecaps’ Ali Ahmed was in the middle of it all.
Newly assigned to free kicks against Romania, he served up a cross for Juventus’s Jonathan David to head home, before embodying head coach Jesse Marsch’s high-press to score his first for the national team in the 3–0 win.
Canada went on to beat Wales 1–0, and Ahmed continued to look lively in the two-win, two-clean-sheet window.
3. Lionel Messi - Inter Miami (Argentina)
Despite already clinching their spot at next year’s FIFA World Cup, there were plenty of eyes on Argentina’s last two World Cup qualifying matches, as the 38-year-old Lionel Messi played likely his final competitive home match for La Albiceleste.
Like most Argentina matches, upwards of 77,000 supporters packed into Estadio Monumental in Buenos Aires for the matchup against Venezuela, where Messi was brought to tears by the massive crowd.
The emotions didn’t overwhelm the Inter Miami attacker though, as he bagged a brace in a 3–0 win over Venezuela, before sitting out of Argentina’s final World Cup qualifier, a 1–0 loss to Ecuador.
After the Venezuela match, he threw doubt into whether he would be at the tournament to target a back-to-back World Cup title, but he remained steadfast in his previous messaging.
“The same thing I said before: I don’t think I’ll play in the next World Cup. Given my age, the most logical thing is that it won’t happen. I’m excited, eager, but I’m taking it day by day, match by match,” Messi said in Spanish during a post-match interview.
“I haven’t made a decision about the World Cup.”
2. Son Heung-min - LAFC (South Korea)
LAFC’s newest superstar didn’t have to travel far to represent his country in the latest window, where he scored in both a 2–0 win over the U.S. men’s national team and a 2–2 draw against Mexico.
His goals against the USMNT and Mexico came from smashing finishes inside the box, while he also provided an assist in the victory over the Americans.
South Korea has already qualified for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, but has testing friendlies lined up for October and November, including friendly matches against Brazil, Paraguay and Bolivia.
1. Denis Bouanga - LAFC (Gabon)
4' Denis Bouanga ⚽️
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) September 4, 2025
34' Denis Bouanga ⚽️
38' Denis Bouanga ⚽️@BouangaDenis wastes no time with a first half hat trick for Gabon in World Cup Qualifiers. 🇬🇦 pic.twitter.com/RR21e3Evo2
Denis Bouanga brought his LAFC scoring touch to Seychelles in the first match of the international window, helping Gabon to a 4–0 win with a hat-trick.
While he was held off the scoresheet in a scoreless draw against the Ivory Coast, his performances helped Gabon continue in their hunt for a first-ever FIFA World Cup berth.
With two matches remaining in Group F of CAF first-round qualifying, they sit second behind Ivory Coast with a chance at either the top spot and direct qualification or a second-place finish and a playoff round.
Gabon’s final two matches in this round of World Cup qualifying come in October against Burundi and Gambia.
The LAFC winger also leads all of CAF World Cup qualifying with eight goals, slightly ahead of Liverpool FC’s Mohammed Sala and other world-class stars.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as The Top Five Performances by MLS Players During the September International Break.