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MLS: Top 5 full-backs in league history

By Matt Coles

GENOA, ITALY - FEBRUARY 29: Carlos Bocanegra of USA looks on prior to the international friendly match between Italy and USA at Luigi Ferraris Stadium on February 29, 2012 in Genoa, Italy. (Photo by Valerio Pennicino/Getty Images)
GENOA, ITALY - FEBRUARY 29: Carlos Bocanegra of USA looks on prior to the international friendly match between Italy and USA at Luigi Ferraris Stadium on February 29, 2012 in Genoa, Italy. (Photo by Valerio Pennicino/Getty Images) /
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PRETORIA, SOUTH AFRICA – JUNE 01: Carlos Bocanegra defender of US soccer national team looks on during a news conference on June 1, 2010, in Pretoria, South Africa. The USA will face England in their 2010 World Cup opener on June 12. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)
PRETORIA, SOUTH AFRICA – JUNE 01: Carlos Bocanegra defender of US soccer national team looks on during a news conference on June 1, 2010, in Pretoria, South Africa. The USA will face England in their 2010 World Cup opener on June 12. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images) /

1. Carlos Bocanegra

The man taking the top spot on our list of the best ever full-backs could be a slight bone of contention, as he was also known to play in the middle of the defence. However, he was also a very solid left-back, and that is why Carlos Bocanegra takes the spoils in our books.

Prior to making his debut in Major League Soccer just after the turn of the century, Bocanegra spent three seasons with the UCLA Bruins and later went on to be inducted into the university’s Athletics Hall of Fame.

MLS Career & Honours:

  • Chicago Fire (2000-2003)
  • Chivas USA (2013-2014)

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  • MLS Defender of the Year – 2002, 2003
  • MLS Best XI – 2002, 2003
  • MLS Rookie of the Year – 2000

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  • U.S. Open Cup – 2000, 2003
  • CONCACAF Gold Cup – 2002, 2007

Bocanegra signed a Project-40 contract with Major League Soccer and was then chosen with the fourth overall pick in the 2000 MLS SuperDraft by Chicago Fire, where he would experience immediate success, both individually and with the team.

He was named as the MLS Rookie of the Year for the performances he put in during his first season out of college, a term in which he played 27 times for the Fire, scoring once and recording an assist in that time. The defender was a key part of the side that lifted the U.S. Open Cup for a second time that year, as they’d defeated Miami Fusion at Soldier Field 2-1.

After an injury-ravaged 2001 campaign, the American came back with a bang a year later, as he went on to be named MLS Defender of the Year in 2002, after starting all 26 regular-season matches he was a part of, missing part of the season due to representing his country at the CONCACAF Gold Cup, which the United States Men’s National Team won, with team-mate Brian McBride taking home the MVP award for the tournament.

25 Aug 2001: Carlos Bocanegra #4 of the Chicago Fire runs with the ball during the game against the Los Angeles Galaxy at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. The Fire defeated the Galaxy 3-1.Mandatory Credit: Stephen Dunn /Allsport
25 Aug 2001: Carlos Bocanegra #4 of the Chicago Fire runs with the ball during the game against the Los Angeles Galaxy at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. The Fire defeated the Galaxy 3-1.Mandatory Credit: Stephen Dunn /Allsport /

He solidified his place amongst the best as he received the prestigious MLS Defender of the Year title for a second consecutive year in 2003. Having been a lone star for the Fire in the MLS Best XI the year before, he was joined by Chris Armas, DaMarcus Beasley and Ante Razov in 2003. That year, the Fire lifted the U.S. Open Cup trophy for the second time in four seasons, and their third overall title in the domestic cup competition.

Bocanegra left the American top-flight following the conclusion of the 2003 campaign, and would not return to those shores for an entire decade. He spent four years with Premier League side Fulham, before then playing for French sides Rennes and Saint-Etienne. A two-year spell with Scottish Premier League side Rangers followed before he returned to Major League Soccer.

The full-back spent the last two seasons of his playing career with Chivas USA, whilst also breaking into the 100-club for the national side. He finished his international career with 110 caps for the USMNT, scoring 14 goals in that time, with the highlight being the CONCACAF Gold Cup victory in 2002. He then retired from professional soccer after two years with Chivas, in which, due to injury, he only played 30 regular-season matches.

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The American star finished his MLS career with 117 regular-season appearances, plus 18 playoff games under his belt during his four-year stint in Chicago in the early part of his professional career. Bocanegra takes the top spot on our list due to the fact he is a two-time MLS Defender of the Year, and only one man in the history of the league has ever won the award more than that.

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