The Greatest MLS Players of All Time
A List of the Greatest MLS Players of All Time - Top 22 Soccer Giants!
As we approach Major League Soccer’s (MLS) 30th anniversary, the league has arguably never been in a better position.
MLS first launched in 1996. Although it’s still considered a ‘retirement’ league, at least among European football fans, it has become a hotbed for young talent and a finishing spot for some of the best players of this generation!
Becks made MLS cool outside North America! Image credits: Pinterest
Yes, the 2025 MLS Cup final was dominated by Lionel Messi and Thomas Müller, but there’s more to MLS than its old stars. Part of the appeal of the league is its ability to keep players around.
Many move to MLS, or come through the ranks of the US soccer system, expecting to move on shortly after. Some, though, stick around – and become legends in cities like New York, Chicago, Los Angeles and beyond.
So, who are the greatest MLS players of all time? Let’s take a look!
1. Chris Wondolowski
Let’s start at the top of the goalscoring charts. Chris ‘Wondo’ Wondolowski might not have been the most talented forward, but he was a natural finisher.
With 171 MLS goals, he’s the only player in league history to hit 150+ regular-season goals. In spells with the San Jose Earthquakes and Houston Dynamo FC, he made a name for himself as one of the most fearsome hitmen of his era.
Wondo also hit 11 goals in just 35 games for the USMNT. He was the top scorer in the successful 2013 Gold Cup campaign.
2. Kei Kamara
More nomadic than Wondoloski, Kei Kamara played for several MLS teams, starting with the Columbus Crew and eventually playing for the San Jose Earthquakes, Houston Dynamo, Sporting Kansas City, the New England Revolution, the Colorado Rapids, the Vancouver Whitecaps, Minnesota United, LAFC, CF Montreal, Chicago Fire FC and, currently, FC Cincinnati.
In that time, he’s scored for 11 different MLS clubs and is one of just 13 players to break the 100-goal mark in the league.
At 41, he’s still going strong, and he plays with the same infectious enthusiasm as always. The legs might be going a little, but the enthusiasm and nous are still there for all to see.
3. Landon Donovan
Until Christian Pulisic came on the scene, it was pretty inarguable that Landon Donovan was the greatest American male soccer player of all time. Despite being best remembered worldwide for spells in Germany and England, it was his work in the MLS that had the biggest impact.
With the San Jose Earthquakes and the LA Galaxy, Donovan scored a hugely impressive 145 goals – and also racked up 136 assists. He was a fantastic player; a natural scorer with no shortage of two-way commitment. He was also one of the first MLS domestic players to bring a spark and creativity to breaking down defences.
4. Clint Dempsey
Although he spent much of his storied career abroad, his five-year spell with the Seattle Sounders was nothing short of incredible. He helped the Sounders win the US Open Cup in 2014 and the MLS Cup in 2016, and was even the 2017 Comeback Player of the Year after returning from a heart problem.
57 goals in 136 games from a midfielder is pretty good going, especially at his relatively advanced age. He also scored an impressive 26 goals in 84 games for the New England Revolution before his move to Europe.
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5. Josef Martinez
Things might not be quite so glorious for the Venezuelan today as they once were, but Martinez’s time with Atlanta United was special. 130 goals and counting so far, he was a blessing for MLS when he arrived from a relatively unproductive spell in Italy with Torino.
He won the MLS Cup with Atlanta - and he was a Golden Boot and MVP winner, too. After his glory days with the club, he became somewhat of a journeyman, impressing intermittently for both Inter Miami and CF Montreal.
Now with the San Jose Earthquakes, he’s back to scoring at close to a one-in-two level and has a pretty decent chance at ending his MLS career on a positive note.
6. Lionel Messi
Of course, our list wouldn’t be complete without mentioning arguably the greatest football player of all time. Despite only playing two and a half seasons in America so far, Lionel Messi’s impact cannot be ignored.
He has racked up a whopping 77 goals in only 88 games in the US. He has been a two-time MVP, a Golden Boot winner, and he has led Inter Miami to their only three trophies: the 2023 Leagues Cup, the 2024 Supporters’ Shield and the 2025 MLS Cup. Not bad, right?
7. Zlatan Ibrahimovic
His time in MLS was short but sweet, yet the fact that Zlatan went back to Europe to play for Manchester United and then AC Milan shows that he certainly wasn’t ‘washed up’ when he came stateside.
He scored 52 goals in just 56 games, racking up 13 assists, and he scored one of the most sublime goals in MLS history against rivals LAFC.
His impact on the league cannot be ignored – he helped to revive the LA Galaxy for a period, giving them back the star power and gravitas they’ve almost always had.
8. Robbie Keane
Another European import who enjoyed great success was Robbie Keane, one of the greatest Irish sportspeople of all time. He scored 104 goals in the MLS with the LA Galaxy. He also won three MLS Cups and was league MVP once.
Keane worked with David Beckham to finish off iconic crosses and passes. He lived up to his end of the bargain and then some, and outshone several more highly heralded MLS stars.
9. Nick Ramando
Spare a thought for the guys who stop the goals going in, too! If we’re talking about MLS goalkeepers, few can match up to the great Nick Ramando.
From 2002 until 2019, Ramando was the ‘other’ US goalkeeper. He might have fallen behind the likes of Brad Friedel, Kasey Keller and Tim Howard in terms of international acclaim, with ‘only’ 22 USMNT caps, but he’s still an MLS legend.
592 games in his club career, with 153 shutouts, solidifies Ramando’s place at the top of the list for both appearances and clean sheets. He was a cat-like keeper who, in another era, could have a century-plus caps for his country.
10. Tony Meola
Tony Meola was another under-appreciated MLS stalwart goalkeeper. He was the first MLS goalkeeper to go showtime, winning the MLS MVP – the only keeper to do so - and the MLS Cup in a stunning start to the 2000s.
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He played for the New York Metrostars and the Kansas City Wizards. While both clubs have since changed their names, Meola is still beloved at both.
11. Darlington Nagbe
When you’ve won the MLS Cup four times with three different teams, you absolutely deserve a mention on the list of the greatest MLS players of all time.
Darlington Nagbe is an MLS legend. He was a key part of three different MLS sides, winning titles at each, and he even helped the Columbus Crew to reach the CONCACAF Champions Cup Final in 2024.
Despite never being an MLS MVP, he played in 529 games, and he was a stabilising, metronomic force in midfield for well over 10 years.
12. Cobi Jones
Before MLS became mainstream, Cobi Jones was arguably the most recognisable face of MLS. He played his whole MLS career with the LA Galaxy, and he helped to establish them as the glamour franchise of the league. 164 USMNT caps in only 12 years is a testament to his ability, too.
He won the MLS Cup twice, as well as the Supporters’ Shield twice, and was a two-time US Open Cup winner. A five-time All-Star, he rightly made the MLS 25 list, and he remains one of the most iconic players in the league. He was famous for more than his awesome hair, after all.
13. Kyle Beckerman
Hair, you say? Well, Kyle Beckerman is definitely an MLS MVP when it comes to hairstyle. His distinctive dreadlocks stood out for much of his career. The fact that he played until his late 30s was a testament to his commitment, too.
He was a key part of the Colorado Rapids and Real Salt Lake sides of the 2000s and 2010s. He also won the MLS Cup in 2009, captaining the team to victory.
14. Chad Marshall
Chad Marshall is the only player in MLS history to win Defender of the Year three times. He was the heartbeat and defensive mastermind behind the Columbus Crew’s success, but he was also a key player for the Seattle Sounders.
Three MLS Cups in Seattle and a further MLS Cup in Ohio are a testament to a player who was all about winning, nothing else. A four-time All-Star, too, Marshall should be better known outside of the USA than he is.
15. Brad Davis
An all-action midfielder with a decent eye for the goal, Davis played for the likes of the San Jose Earthquakes and Sporting Kansas City, but is most fondly remembered for his time in Houston.
A two-time MLS Cup winner, as well as a six-time All-Star, Davis was a key part of the impressive pre-David Beckham-era Dynamo teams. Speaking of Becks…
16. David Beckham
While his actual on-field performances have come under scrutiny, David Beckham was the guy who made MLS ‘cool’ beyond North America.
His arrival in 2007 came when he was still in good condition, and he managed to rack up 124 games for the LA Galaxy en route to winning two MLS Cups and a pair of Supporters’ Shields. He was also a three-time All-Star.
While he didn’t quite live up to the expectations laid at his feet upon arrival, he opened the door to MLS’s modernisation and also played a key role in getting Lionel Messi to join the league in 2023.
17. Diego Valeri
All of the success enjoyed by the Portland Timbers would not have been possible without their little Argentine genius. He racked up 309 games and 100 goals during his tenure with the club. He was named the 2017 MVP and also won the MLS Cup in 2015.
His creativity and skill were arguably second-to-none during his time in the league; 100 goals and 91 assists in that span are amazing.
18. Taylor Twellman
A bit of a what-if story, Twellman had to retire aged 30. However, he still managed to score 101 goals in 174 regular-season games. He won MVP in 2005, but his injuries halted what could have been a Hall of Fame-worthy career.
What we did get of Twellman, though, was worth remembering. He was a true MLS stalwart.
19. Carlos Valderrama
One of the most iconic and unique players in soccer history, Valderrama was a special player who shone in MLS during its earliest years.
He arrived in 1996 upon the league's inception and played until 2002, contributing to teams like the Tampa Bay Mutiny, Miami Fusion FC and the Colorado Rapids.
Never a prolific goalscorer, the creative spark behind Colombia’s rise in the 1990s still racked up over 114 assists and is remembered fondly – that famous blonde hair will always be iconic in MLS.
20. Carlos Vela
Another creative import, Vela was the first icon of LAFC, winning the 2019 MVP and helping the club establish itself as a legitimate rival to the storied LA Galaxy.
He was a walking highlight reel who scored some incredible goals – and, with 34 goals, he set a record for most goals in a single MLS season.
Two Supporters’ Shields and an MLS Cup win add silverware to what was a tremendous individual talent who ran MLS ragged at his peak.
21. Sebastian Giovinco
The Atomic Ant set the standard for foreign imports into MLS, taking to the league like a duck to water. He scored 83 goals and set up another 64 in only 142 games, and he was an MVP in his debut season.
He even helped Toronto FC to a historic treble in 2017. Future imports have tried to match his contributions on the field, but they’ve failed to do so.
22. Dwayne de Rosario
Canadian soccer players don’t come much bigger than DDR, a four-time MLS Cup winner who scored the winning goal in the 2001 showpiece.
He played for the San Jose Earthquakes, Houston Dynamo, Toronto FC, DC United and the NY Red Bulls. He was a key player at each stop, cementing his position as one of the best players in MLS.
Have we missed anyone? Tell us your top MLS players in the comments!
