MLS: Top 5 Oceanic players in league history

By Matt Coles | May 3, 2020

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - NOVEMBER 20: Tim Cahill of Australia thanks supporters in the crowd after playing his final match for Australia in the International Friendly Match between the Australian Socceroos and Lebanon at ANZ Stadium on November 20, 2018 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images) /

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COLUMBUS, OH – SEPTEMBER 14: Duncan Oughton #8 of the Columbus Crew controls the ball against Joe Public FC on September 14, 2010, at Crew Stadium in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo by Jamie Sabau/Getty Images) /

4. Duncan Oughton

The first member of our Oceanic top five to have lifted the MLS Cup is former Columbus Crew midfielder, Duncan Oughton, who comes in at number four. After being born and raised in Karori, New Zealand, Oughton moved to the United States in the mid-1990s. With the 10th selection in the 2001 MLS SuperDraft, the Kiwi midfielder was chosen by Columbus Crew. He would go on to play for the club for the next decade.

He became an integral part of the side due to his ability to play a number of positions, both in midfield and defence and was a member of their 2002 U.S. Open Cup-winning team, where the Crew defeated the newly-crowned MLS Cup champions LA Galaxy 1-0 in the final.

There was more success to come for Oughton whilst in Columbus, including three Supporters’ Shields, the first of which came in 2004, prior to the Kiwi suffering a bad knee injury, which saw him miss the next 18 months of action. After coming back into the fold with the Crew in the summer of 2006, the midfielder went on to lift the Supporters’ Shield twice more, in 2008 and 2009. He also won the MLS Cup in 2008.

Oughton retired from professional football following the end of the 2010 campaign. He was a part of the Crew’s five major trophies. They have not won anything since. He played 136 regular-season matches, scoring three times and assisting 13 other goals in the best period for Columbus in MLS history.

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