MLS: Top 5 strikers in league history

1. Chris Wondolowski

Only one man could take the top spot on our list of the best striker in the history of Major League Soccer, and it had to be the man that has scored the most goals in the history of the league, San Jose Earthquakes’ forward Chris Wondolowski.

Before making his name in the American top-flight, ‘Wondo’ spent four years at California State University, where he played for the Chico State Wildcats. In that time, he scored 39 goals in 84 appearances, along with playing for NPSL side Chico Rooks, in which he scored 17 times in just 16 games before making the move to the top level.

MLS Career & Honours:

• San Jose Earthquakes (2005, 2009-)
• Houston Dynamo (2006-2009)

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• MLS MVP – 2012
• MLS Best XI – 2010, 2011, 2012
• MLS Golden Boot – 2010, 2012
• CONCACAF Gold Cup Golden Boot – 2013
• MLS All-Time Leading Goalscorer (159)

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• MLS Cup – 2006, 2007
• Supporters’ Shield – 2005, 2012
• CONCACAF Gold Cup – 2013

Wondolowski was drafted by San Jose Earthquakes with the 41st pick overall in the 2005 MLS Supplemental Draft but played in just a couple of league outings before the team moved to Houston. The striker, along with the rest of his ‘Quakes team-mates, relocated with the team to the newly-formed Dynamo, where he spotted the next three years of his career.

There would be immediate success for the Texan side, as they won the Supporters’ Shield and MLS Cup double in their first season as a team, though the American forward played just six times for the first team, but he did score his first MLS goal that season. Houston won the MLS Cup for a second straight year in 2007, but once again, Wondolowski was unable to break through into the first time for any prolonged period. That came after he made the move back to San Jose.

He re-signed for the Earthquakes midway through the 2009 campaign, and in his first full season back with the side, he hit double-digit goals for the first time in his professional career. Wondo scored 18 times for the ‘Quakes in 28 regular-season appearances earning himself a first MLS Golden Boot award, and a nomination into the MLS Best XI in 2010 for his performances. The American went on to reach double-digit goals in every season throughout the entire 2010s decade.

Two years later, and now a full international with the United States Men’s National Team, Wondolowski scored 27 times in just 32 regular-season matches, along with adding seven assists, as he took the Golden Boot award for the second time in three seasons. His huge goal tally also saw him named the league’s MVP, becoming the first, and to date, the only Earthquakes player to have taken the highest individual honour in American soccer.

He was named into the MLS Best XI for a third straight season, as he helped San Jose to their first major trophy in seven years, as they were the best team throughout the regular season, winning the Supporters’ Shield. Wondolowski himself would achieve more success in 2013, as he helped the USMNT to CONCACAF Gold Cup glory.

Although there have been no trophies for Wondo or the Earthquakes in the last six and a half years, the goals have continued to come. Over the last seven seasons, since his MVP-winning campaign in 2012, he has scored at least 10 goals, with a high of 16 in the 2015 term. He became the first player in the league’s history to do so in eight or more seasons, and he remains the only player to have ten straight seasons of double-digit goals.

In May 2019, Wondolowski became the league’s record goalscorer, and he did so in emphatic fashion, netting four times against Chicago Fire to breeze past Landon Donovan’s old record. He now sits clear at the top with 159 strikes in 361 regular-season appearances, along with a further 41 assists. He also has a single post-season goal to add to his tally. Wondolowski takes the top spot on this list because of his longevity, his record-breaking, and most importantly, his goal-scoring abilities. If the 2020 season, whenever it is concluded, is to be his last in the league, who is to say he won’t go out on a high with another Golden Boot?