MLS: Top 5 centre-backs in league history

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COLUMBUS, OH – SEPTEMBER 18: Chad Marshall #14 of the Columbus Crew controls the ball against the Seattle Sounders on September 18, 2010, at Crew Stadium in Columbus, Ohio. Seattle won over Columbus 4-0. (Photo by Jamie Sabau/Getty Images) /

1. Chad Marshall

There could only be one man to have taken the top spot. And he is the only man to have won the prestigious Defender of the Year award three times, Chad Marshall.

Before making his debut in the league in 2004, the defender spent two years at Stanford University, where he featured more than 40 times for the Cardinal before turning professional.

MLS Career & Honours:

Columbus Crew (2004-2013)
Seattle Sounders (2014-2019)

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MLS Defender of the Year – 2008, 2009, 2014
MLS Best XI – 2008, 2009, 2014, 2018

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MLS Cup – 2008, 2016, 2019
Supporters’ Shield – 2004, 2008, 2009, 2014
U.S. Open Cup – 2014

Marshall was drafted with the second overall pick of the 2004 MLS SuperDraft by Columbus Crew, and he played alongside another member of our top five, Robin Fraser, at the heart of the defence. In his first season with the Crew, Marshall started 27 games, and the partnership he created with Fraser was a helping hand in his countryman winning the MLS Defender of the Year award. The club won the Supporters’ Shield as a result of their solid defensive performances.

After playing more than 80 times over his first three seasons in Ohio, he struggled for consistency and fitness in 2007, with a series of concussions being him play in just 12 regular-season matches. He was able to recover from those issues to then start all 29 games he featured in throughout the 2008 season, winning the MLS Defender of the Year award for the first time in his career. He featured in the MLS Best XI alongside Crew team-mates Robbie Rogers and Guillermo Barros Schelotto, who won the MVP award. Thanks, in part, to Marshall’s performances, the Crew won the Supporters’ Shield for the second time in his career, but this time, the club went on to win the MLS Cup as well, beating the New York Red Bulls 3-1 in the final.

Individually, 2009 was another wonderful year for the centre-back, as he became only the second player in the league’s history to win the MLS Defender of the Year award in back-to-back seasons, following in the footsteps of Carlos Bocanegra, who achieved the feat in 2002 and 2003. Marshall was named into the MLS Best XI once again, but this time, was the only member of the 11 hailing from the black and yellow.

FOXBOROUGH, MA – JULY 07: Seattle Sounders FC defender Chad Marshall (14) starts the ball upfield during a match between the New England Revolution and Seattle Sounders FC on July 7, 2018, at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts. The teams played to a scoreless draw. (Photo by Fred Kfoury III/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

Marshall went on to play for the Crew through to the end of the 2013 season, ending his ten-year spell win Columbus with more than 250 regular-season appearances to his name, but there was plenty more to come from the centre-half. He was traded to Seattle Sounders before the 2014 campaign, and he continued to be a rock at the back for a second franchise.

The American, who surprisingly only featured 12 times for the United States Men’s National Team over his lengthy career, was influential in the Sounders securing glory in his first season. Marshall took home the MLS Defender of the Year award for a record third time, a record that may never be broken. He also received his third nod to the MLS Best XI, alongside team-mate Obafemi Martins.

The 2014 season saw Seattle win the Supporters’ Shield for the first, and to date, only time in their history, but they were unable to go on and claim the MLS Cup. However, their time would come two seasons later. They did win the U.S. Open Cup that year, but 2016 would be the year the Sounders broke through, with Marshall continuing to lead the backline.

Two years later, and Marshall would be named into the MLS Best XI for a fourth time in his career, joining the likes of Preki, Eddie Pope, Marco Etcheverry and Robbie Keane as those to have been named into the side four times. Fast forward to 2019, and Marshall retired from the professional game in May, but still received a winner’s medal after Seattle won the MLS Cup for the second time in four seasons.

Next. MLS: Top 5 full-backs in league history. dark

Marshall ended his professional career with over 400 regular-season appearances and was named into Bobby Warshaw’s Best XI of the 2010s. He holds the records for appearances, starts and shutouts among defenders, along with being the only man to have won the MLS Defender of the Year award three times. A worthy man to sit atop our list of the best-ever centre-backs.

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