MLS: Top 5 strikers in league history
By Matt Coles
2. Jaime Moreno
Taking the No.2 spot on our list of the best strikers in Major League Soccer history is the only member of our top five that played in the league’s inaugural season, former D.C. United legend Jaime Moreno.
The Bolivian striker started his professional career with his home town team Blooming, where he played for three seasons. He then featured for Independiente Santa Fe before making the move to the English Premier League, where he played two seasons with Middlesbrough.
MLS Career & Honours:
- D.C. United (1996-2002, 2004-2010)
- MetroStars (2003)
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- MLS Best XI – 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2006
- MLS Scoring Champion – 1997
- MLS Cup MVP – 1997
- MLS All-Time Best XI
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- MLS Cup – 1996, 1997, 1999, 2004
- Supporters’ Shield – 1997, 1999, 2006, 2007
- U.S. Open Cup – 1996, 2008
- CONCACAF Champions Cup – 1998
- Copa Interamericana – 1998
Following his spell in the north-east of England, Moreno joined up with D.C. United midway through the league’s inaugural campaign in 1996, and there was immediate success for the striker, and the team. They won the first-ever MLS Cup, defeating LA Galaxy in the final, before going on to win the U.S. Open Cup six days later, claiming a history double in the league’s first year.
A year later, and there was more success from the side from the capital, as they took home another two trophies. This time, it started with the Supporters’ Shield, with Moreno scoring 16 goals and recording eight assists during the regular-season to aide their push for glory. The Bolivian then scored three times and assisted on three other goals, as United retained their MLS Cup title.
Those 16 goals saw him crowned the league’s Scoring Champion, and he was also named MLS Cup MVP for his performance in the final, in which he scored the opening goal against Colorado Rapids. He was also named into the MLS Best XI after his performances that year, alongside fellow United team members Marco Etcheverry, Jeff Agoos and Eddie Pope.
More success came through the 1998 season, this time on the continental level, as D.C. became the first American team to win the CONCACAF Champions Cup. They then also won the Copa Interamericana after beating Brazilian side Vasco da Gama in the final. D.C. remain the only side from the United States to ever win the now-defunct competition. Domestically, United reached the MLS Cup final for a third straight year but were unable to retain their title again, losing out to Chicago Fire.
The 1999 season was almost a carbon copy of the 1997 term for D.C. United, as they returned to winning ways in Major League Soccer. Moreno scored ten goals and recorded 13 assists as the club took the Supporters’ Shield for the second time in three seasons. The franchise then went on to clinch a third MLS Cup title in four years, with the Bolivian striker having scored five goals and recorded an assist in six post-season clashes en route to the trophy. He was named to the MLS Best XI for a second time, joined by Agoos and Etcheverry once more.
The Bolivian reached double-digit goals for a fourth successive year in 2000, as he found the back of the net twelve times during the regular season, along with recording seven assists. However, following the 2000 campaign, injuries began to take their toll on Moreno’s body, and he became a bit-part player over the next two seasons, before being traded to the MetroStars.
The striker would play just a single season in New Jersey, only featuring in 11 games as he suffered from herniating discs in his back. He returned to D.C. for the 2004 season, just over a year after leaving the capital, and returned to full fitness. He found his form once again and received another call-up to the MLS Best XI for his seven-goal, 14 assist term. D.C. lifted the MLS Cup for a fourth time, with Moreno having been a key part of all four successes.
The Bolivian was named into the MLS Best XI for a fourth time in 2005, following a 16-goal season, tying his best in MLS, along with his efforts in the 1997 and 1998 terms. He was joined by fellow United man Christian Gomez in the side, who also joined him in the 2006 MLS Best XI, as the Argentinian was named the league’s MVP. Moreno was named into the MLS All-Time Best XI following the end of the 2005 term, marking a decade of the league’s history. He was joined by three D.C. team-mates, in Eddie Pope, Jeff Agoos and Marco Etcheverry, sound familiar?
United went on to win the Supporters’ Shield in both 2006 and 2007, marking Moreno’s 10th and 11th major trophies with the club. He also passed an individual record in the latter campaign, becoming the league’s all-time leading goalscorer, as he netted for the 109th time to surpass Jason Kreis’ record of 108 goals during the regular season.
Two years later, and after United had won the U.S. Open Cup for a second time, twelve years after their first, Moreno became the first player in MLS history to notch up 100 goals and 100 assists, doing so in April 2009. Only Landon Donovan has joined the Bolivian in reaching both landmarks.
Moreno retired from professional football following the conclusion of the 2010 Major League Soccer term, after 15 years of consecutive play in the league. He finished his career with 133 goals and 103 assists in 340 regular-season appearances, along with 12 goals and nine assists in 32 post-season matches. A true striker for the ages, and a true MLS legend.