2. Laurent Ciman
The only defender to make the list of our top five players to play in MLS who come from the rest of the European continent is Belgium’s Laurent Ciman, who has spent the best part of five years in MLS.
The centre-half made the move to MLS in 2015 after playing more than 150 matches for Standard Liege. Ciman signed for Montreal Impact. In his first year with the team, the Canadian club made it through to the final of the CONCACAF Champions League, finishing runners-up to Mexican side Club America in the final.
The Belgian defender helped the Impact qualify for the postseason in both of his first two seasons, the Canadian side reaching the Eastern Conference finals in the latter of those, where they lost 7-5 on aggregate to Toronto FC. He was also named the MLS Defender of the Year in his rookie campaign. Ciman would go on to feature in the MLS All-Star team three times, twice while with Montreal.
After three seasons and 85 regular-season matches with the Impact, Ciman joined Los Angeles FC for the 2018 campaign, one that would see his third trip to the All-Star Game. After a single season with the expansion side, the Belgian made the move to Toronto FC and went straight to the MLS Cup final in 2019.