Welcome! Over the next 100 days leading up to MLS Cup 2023 on December 9th, I will be counting down the top 100 MLS players of the last 10 years (2014-now) with a daily post. These rankings are based on player performance and awards earned between the start of the 2014 campaign, to current day. Some Major League Soccer legends of the early 2010's will unfortunately be ranked fairly low on the list, while others will be left off completely if the majority of their damage was done prior to 2014. Those young players who went abroad and have only registered a few seasons will not be ranked according to their talent and potential either. Players will be rewarded for consistency and longevity. Although extensive research went into this project, there's no true algorithm for the next 100 days of posts. The inspiration for this project comes from my good friend u/jimbobbypaul of college football reddit (r/CFB), who ranked all 131 FBS programs based on the last 40 years, using an algorithm. Anyway, I promise you'll get mad at a player's ranking at some point, this list won't be perfect, but I can assure you that I tried my very best. Regardless, let's have some fun shall we?
Every single day from now until MLS Cup, a new player will be revealed, counting down from #100 all the way to #1. The posts will be primarily posted on @mlsnetwork's Twitter/X, with a graphic to accompany it. The purpose of this page is to provide easy access to not only the comprehensive rankings, but the links to each individual article as well. Predictions at any and all points are encouraged, it makes the entire process even more immersive for the readers! I hope this series brings back forgotten names of MLS legends and highlights some of the league's current and more recent stars. Let's begin.
To start, a brief shout for our honorable mentions:
Will Bruin: Bruin has scored a goal every single MLS season since joining the Houston Dynamo in 2011. His best scoring season came in 2012, where he notched 12 goals in 32 matches. Ultimately, his numbers are nothing too special, but it has been an incredibly consistent career for the striker.
David Accam: Accam was one of the most electrifying players in MLS during his three years in Chicago. He scored 10, 9, and 14 goals in those seasons, adding 15 assists. Unfortunately, his stints in Philadelphia, Columbus, and Nashville did not bring even a portion of the same success for Accam and he departed the league.
Michael Barrios: Barrios has had some extremely productive seasons, especially on the playmaking/assisting side of things. He very nearly makes the list, but some of his seasons just were a tad too quiet. Regardless, his 2017 and 2019 seasons were ones to remember.
Gareth Bale: Bale was quite literally here in MLS for just a few moments, yet provided one of the most influential moments in the history of the league. It wouldn't be right to at least mention the five-time Champions League winner rising up to equalize, and eventually win, MLS Cup 2022. He scored 3 goals in 13 matches, and retired with a quick trophy.
Lionel Messi: This man is a new addition to the honorable mentions list. What Messi has already accomplished for Inter Miami CF in about two months could almost qualify him for the list, something that virtually no other player in the world could come close to doing.
Alberth Elis: Elis scored and assisted 20 goals each between the 2018 and 2019 MLS seasons. He was a bright spot during some hard times for the Houston Dynamo. Since leaving, Elis has played for Boavista, and now Ligue 1's Bordeaux. Rumors linked Elis with a return to MLS and LAFC, but the deal fell through. Elis will be remembered for his goals and his panther mask during his time in Houston.
Thierry Henry: Henry needs no introduction, but his MLS career ended as this series begins. Henry played 4.5 seasons for the Red Bulls, scoring 51 goals and assisting 42, but only his 10 goals and 14 assists of 2014 matter for this ranking. Thierry Henry went out gracefully, assisting 5 goals in 5 matches during a 2014 RBNY playoff run that came to a halt at Gillette Stadium.
Frank Lampard: Simply, Frank Lampard did not spend enough time at NYCFC. He played just 29 games across two seasons, managing to score at a rate over once every other game. His 15 goals and 4 assists are quite impressive, but it's not enough to make this sort of list, even being the player he is.
Sebastien Le Toux: Similar to Henry, Le Toux was a very feared player, just mostly before 2014. His best season was 2010, a 14 goal and 11 assist campaign for Philadelphia Union. A 2014 of 12 goals and 7 assists was not too shabby, but is not enough to qualify here.
Denis Bouanga: The last of the honorable mentions is one of modern MLS' newest stars. Bouanga has showed out for LAFC since arriving last summer. He has scored 28 goals across his 44 matches, helped to win an MLS Cup within months, and scored at rate of one goal per start in CCL. Bouanga has 12g and 6a to his name in MLS play this season, and that doesn't include his hat trick and in the 7-0 Leagues Cup spanking of FC Juarez (6g in 3 Leagues Cup matches). There is no doubt he will among the league's best as long as he stays.
Next up, #100.
RANKING | PLAYER | ARTICLE |
100 | JOHNNY RUSSELL | |
99 | JACK HARRISON | |
98 | ALPHONSO DAVIES | |
97 | CJ SAPONG | |
96 | RIQUI PUIG | |
95 | CRISTIAN ROLDAN | |
94 | DANIEL GAZDAG | |
93 | ALBERT RUSNAK | |
92 | DIEGO RUBIO | |
91 | DIDIER DROGBA | |
90 | SEBASTIAN DRIUSSI | |
89 | AARON LONG | |
88 | GUSTAVO BOU | |
87 | CHRISTIAN RAMIREZ | |
86 | FABIAN CASTILLO | |
85 | SEBASTIAN BLANCO | |
84 | KAKA | |
83 | ROMELL QUIOTO | |
82 | TIM HOWARD | |
81 | EMANUEL REYNOSO | |
80 | LAURENT CIMAN | |
79 | ETHAN FINLAY | |
78 | RYAN HOLLINGSHEAD | |
77 | THIAGO ALMADA | |
76 | WAYNE ROONEY | |
75 | CHICHARITO |
74 | NANI | |
73 | ALEJANDRO POZUELO | |
72 | JESUS FERREIRA | |
71 | JONATHAN OSORIO | |
70 | MAXI URRUTI | |
69 | DEANDRE YEDLIN | |
68 | BILL HAMID | |
67 | DAMIR KREILACH | |
66 | JERMAINE JONES | |
65 | MAURO MANOTAS | |
64 | KYLE BECKERMAN | |
63 | ANDREW FARRELL | |
62 | MIGUEL ALMIRON | |
61 | DAX MCCARTY | |
60 | BASTIAN SCHWEINSTEIGER | |
59 | KENDALL WASTON | |
58 | NEMANJA NIKOLIC | |
57 | DIEGO ROSSI | |
56 | JUSTIN MORROW | |
55 | ALEJANDRO BEDOYA | |
54 | JUSTIN MERAM | |
53 | CYLE LARIN | |
52 | MATT TURNER | |
51 | FANENDO ADI | |
50 | DIEGO FAGUNDEZ |
49 | FEDERICO HIGUAIN | |
48 | JORDAN MORRIS | |
47 | BRAD GUZAN | |
46 | BENNY FEILHABER | |
45 | VALENTIN CASTELLANOS | |
44 | LUCAS ZELARAYAN | |
43 | SEAN JOHNSON | |
42 | OBAFEMI MARTINS | |
41 | JOAO PLATA | |
40 | JULIAN GRESSEL | |
39 | MAXI MORALEZ | |
38 | OSVALDO ALONSO | |
37 | IKE OPARA | |
36 | SACHA KLJESTAN | |
35 | OLA KAMARA | |
34 | LUIS ROBLES | |
33 | MATT HEDGES | |
32 | MICHAEL PARKHURST | |
31 | MATT BESLER | |
30 | STEFAN FREI | |
29 | MICHAEL BRADLEY | |
28 | GRAHAM ZUSI | |
27 | CLINT DEMPSEY | |
26 | JOZY ALTIDORE | |
25 | RAUL RUIDIAZ |
24 | LEE NGUYEN | |
23 | NICK RIMANDO | |
22 | DOM DWYER | |
21 | CARLES GIL | |
20 | GYASI ZARDES | |
19 | NICOLAS LODEIRO | |
18 | ZLATAN IBRAHIMOVIC | |
17 | HANY MUKHTAR | |
16 | LUCIANO ACOSTA | |
15 | IGNACIO PIATTI | |
14 | CHAD MARSHALL | |
13 | KEI KAMARA | |
12 | DARLINGTON NAGBE | |
11 | DIEGO CHARA | |
10 | WALKER ZIMMERMAN | |
9 | ROBBIE KEANE | |
8 | ANDRE BLAKE | |
7 | DAVID VILLA | |
6 | CARLOS VELA | |
5 | JOSEF MARTINEZ | |
4 | CHRIS WONDOLOWSKI | |
3 | BRADLEY WRIGHT-PHILLIPS | |
2 | DIEGO VALERI | |
1 | SEBASTIAN GIOVINCO |
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