Top 10 MLS Players of all time

Even though some of the greatest soccer players have played in MLS, we are only ranking only those top 10 mls players of all time who made a huge impact playing in the league for an extended period.

10. Jeff Agoos

Jeff Agoos (Credit: ussoccerplayers.com)

In terms of MLS Cup victories, Jeff Agoos is second only to Landon Donovan. He is regarded as one of the finest defenders in MLS history, having won five MLS Cups (three with D.C. United and two with the San Jose Earthquakes). Agoos also helped his side win the Supporters’ Shield twice and the US Open Cup once. He was named to the MLS Best XI three times and earned the MLS Defender of the Year award in 2001. In 2001, Agoos was named to the National Soccer Hall of Fame.

9. Marco Etcheverry

Marco Etcheverry is regarded as one of Bolivia’s finest footballers of all time and one of the league’s original superstars. Etcheverry was a member of D.C. United from the league’s creation in 1996 to 2003, during which time he helped the team capture eight major titles. Etcheverry mostly played as an offensive midfielder for D.C. United, where he amassed over 100 assists.

8. David Villa

David Villa is another superstar who deserves to be included in the top ten MLS players of all time. Villa scored 82 goals in 130 games for New York City despite just spending four years there. He immediately contributed to New York’s push for a postseason berth, and in his second season in the league, he was named MLS MVP.

7. Dwayne De Rosario

Dwayne De Rosario (Credit: TransferMarket)

De Rosario played for five different MLS teams over his fifteen-year career, winning four MLS championships in the process. Dwayne De Rosario had one of the longest MLS careers ever, with 343 games, despite being overlooked by prominent European players throughout his heyday. With 106 goals, De Rosario is the 7th most goal scorer in MLS history, and he has won one MLS MVP title.

6. Jaime Moreno

When Jaime Moreno retired in 2010, he was the all-time greatest goal scorer in Major League Soccer, and in 2009, he became the first player in the league’s history to attain the milestone of 100 goals and 100 assists. In 2013, he was honoured by being inducted into the DC United Hall of Tradition.

Moreno has 134 goals in 329 games and has been named to the MLS Best XI five times. He is the fourth all-time leading scorer and sixth all-time assist leader. The Bolivian has won four MLS Cups and is one of the league’s most influential players.

5. Diego Valeri

Diego Valeri is a legendary player for the Portland Timbers. He has appeared in 223 games with the Timbers, scoring 84 goals and leading them to an MLS Cup victory in 2015. Valeri is a fantastic player who will be remembered by Portland Timbers supporters for his contributions to the team.

Valeri’s most memorable season was in 2017 when he single-handedly qualified his side for the playoffs by scoring 20 goals and assisting on 10 goals. He leads the club in both goals and assists. Valeri is a three-time MLS Best XI selection, having won the 2015 MLS Cup and the 2017 MLS MVP.

4. Chris Wondolowski

Chris Wondolowski has appeared for five different Major League Soccer teams (San Jose Earthquakes, Houston Dynamo, Toronto FC, New York Red Bulls, and D.C. United). With 104 goals, Chris Wondolowski is a guy you’d like to have on your squad but despise facing.

He is the all-time leading scorer in Major League Soccer and the first player to score ten or more goals in ten straight seasons. Wondolowski won the 2012 MLS MVP award and is the San Jose Earthquakes’ all-time greatest goal scorer with 162 goals as of March 2021. Wondo is a two-time MLS Cup winner, two-time MLS Golden Boot winner, and three-time MLS Best XI selection.

3. Eddie Pope

Eddie Pope played in Major League Soccer for his whole career, making 254 appearances. He played for three separate clubs (D.C. United, Metrostars, and Real Salt Lake), but his time with D.C. United is remembered most fondly.

The talented defender swiftly rose to prominence in Major League Soccer. When Pope scored the golden goal in D.C. United’s first MLS Cup victory in 1996, he cemented his status as a club icon. He was named MLS Defender of the Year in 1997 and won three MLS Cups. The National Soccer Hall of Fame inducted the four-time MLS Best XI in 2011.

2. Sebastian Giovinco

When they reach the end of their careers, the majority of European players choose to play in Major League Soccer. Sebastian Giovinco, on the other hand, is the polar opposite. At the age of 28, he joined Toronto F.C. in 2015.

Giovinco didn’t take long to establish himself as one of the top players in the MLS after signing a contract that gave him the league’s highest-paid player. Before going to Al-Hilal in 2019, he became the club’s all-time leading goalscorer in just four seasons, scoring 68 goals in 114 games.

1. Landon Donovan

Landon Donovan is widely considered to be one of the greatest American football players of all time. Despite his abilities and aptitude, Donovan played in Major League Soccer for nearly a decade and a half, becoming the most successful player in the league’s history.

He earned a league-record six MLS Cup medals as well as several individual honours, including seven Honda Player of the Year accolades. Landon’s devotion to the MLS and American football, in general, was recognised on January 15, 2015, when the MLS renamed its MVP award in his honour.