MLS: Top 25 current players in Major League Soccer
By Josh Bouland
Midfielders
Nine midfielders made the list: Alejandro Pozuelo, Nico Lodeiro, Maxi Moralez, Diego Chara, Darlington Nagbe, Jona Dos Santos, Diego Valeri, Ozzie Alonso, and Michael Bradley. We can categorize these midfielders into three further detailed categories: creative, attacking midfielders, box-to-box midfielders, and defensive, ball-winning midfielders. We’ll start with the defensive midfielders.
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Chara and Alonso are the only two pure defensive midfielders in the mix. Chara, who ranks sixth on this list, is one of the best defensive midfielders to ever play in MLS. For me, his most impressive moment came in MLS Cup 2018 when he ran down Miguel Almiron from behind. Alonso, at 15th on the list, is the definition of a ball-winning defensive midfielder. His tackling is fierce and his impact with Minnesota United this past season (along with Opara) was incredibly noticeable.
Nagbe, Dos Santos, and Bradley are box-to-box midfielders. Bradley is Toronto FC’s captain and was an integral part in turning the club around from its darkest days. His play in midfield and general leadership helped Toronto to three MLS Cup appearances in four years and the historic treble-winning 2017 season. Dos Santos is not talked about often because of the bigger, flashier personalities on his LA Galaxy team. However, he is arguably their most important player, linking their defense to their attack and putting out plenty of fires in the midfield. Nagbe, meanwhile, is the league’s best press-resistant midfielder.
Pozuelo, Lodeiro, Moralez, and Valeri fall under the attacking, creative midfielder description. Valeri is the face of the Portland Timbers, winning MLS MVP in 2017 and leading the club to an MLS Cup win in 2015. Moralez notched an incredible 20 assists in 2019. Lodeiro transformed the Seattle Sounders upon arriving midway through 2016, leading them to their MLS Cup win that December and their most recent triumph in 2019. Finally, Pozuelo only played in 30 league matches for Toronto this season, but his impact was felt immediately in his first appearance. Despite not having a lot of experience in MLS, his talent is immense and makes him one of the very best in the league.