MLS: Top 5 wingers in league history
By Matt Coles
4. Steve Ralston
Coming in at No.4 on our list of the best-ever wingers to play in Major League Soccer is a man who spent 15 years in the league, former Tampa Bay and New England man Steve Ralston.
Before making his professional debut in the American top-flight, Ralston spent three years at Florida International University, where he scored 40 times for the Golden Panthers.
MLS Career & Honours:
- Tampa Bay Mutiny (1996-2001)
- New England Revolution (2002-2010)
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- MLS Best XI – 1999, 2000
- MLS Rookie of the Year – 1996
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- Supporters’ Shield – 1996
- U.S. Open Cup – 2007
- North American SuperLiga – 2008
The Tampa Bay Mutiny selected Ralston with the 18th overall pick in the 1996 MLS College Draft, and it would pay off for the Floridian side, as the winger went on to play for the franchise until they were contracted at the end of the 2001 term. He would hold the appearance record for the franchise following their six-year spell as an MLS side.
The inaugural season of Major League Soccer saw the Mutiny take the first-ever Supporters’ Shield title, with Ralston scoring seven goals in 31 regular-season appearances, along with adding a couple of assists in that season as well. The American was named MLS Rookie of the Year for his efforts, becoming the first man to take home the award in the league’s history. The franchise made it all the way through to the Conference Finals, but they lost out over two legs to D.C. United, the eventual winners of the MLS Cup.
The winger went on to score five goals in each of the next four seasons with the Mutiny, adding 11 assists in the 1997 campaign. He would go on to better that by recording a league-high 18 assists in 1999, with his performances leading to a first call-up to the MLS Best XI, where he was the only player from Tampa to make the cut.
A year later and after tallying a further 17 assists along with the aforementioned five goals, Ralston made it into the Best XI for a second successive year, this time being joined by both Carlos Valderrama and Mamadou Diallo, with the former breaking the record for most assists in a single season, while the latter was the league’s Scoring Champion.
The American, who had made his debut for his national side in 1997, played for the Mutiny in their final season in the league, scoring seven goals during the regular season in 2001, along with six assists, as his time in Tampa came to an end. He finished the six-year stint as the franchise’s leading all-time appearance maker, having played 177 times for the club in the regular season, along with ten post-season games under his belt.
Ahead of the 2002 term, Ralston made the move to New England, signing for the Revolution, and the club would go on to reach the MLS Cup final in his first season with the franchise. He scored five times and led the league in assists for a second time in his career, recording 19 assists in just 27 regular-season appearances. Unfortunately, the revs would miss out on glory, losing to LA Galaxy in the final.
Throughout the next couple of seasons, Ralston continued to be a consistent part of the Revolution set-up, and come the 2005 campaign, the club made it into MLS Cup final once more. The Revs would also make the big game in both 2006 and 2007, but would, unfortunately, lose all three. They lost in extra time against LA Galaxy in the former, before then being defeated by Houston Dynamo twice in consecutive years.
Ralston remained a key figure for the club through the 2007 campaign, which did see New England win a domestic competition, as they got the better of FC Dallas at Pizza Hut Park to win the U.S. Open Cup, the club’s first major trophy. They would then win another a year later, as they got revenge over Houston to lift the North American SuperLiga, becoming the only American side to ever win the tournament.
He would go on to play for the Revs through the 2010 term, but after dislocating his left elbow in his first appearance of that season, he announced his retirement from the professional game. Ralston tallied 378 regular-season appearances across a 15-year career, scoring 76 goals and recording 135 assists, putting him 2nd on the all-time list, behind only Landon Donovan. He may not have the silverware in his cabinet to match others, but the American is one of the top wingers to have ever played in the league. He has also gone on to be the assistant manager at Houston Dynamo and San Jose Earthquakes since retiring.