MLS: Top 5 full-backs in the league right now

There have been some wonderful players over the 25-year history of MLS, but who ranks in the top five of the current crop of full-backs? Find out below.

Here at MLS Multiplex, we have gone over the statistics, the awards won, the games played, the goals scored and the shutouts made to work out who we think are the best five players in the seven major positions in Major League Soccer right now.

We have previously been through the best players of all-time, with the likes of Landon Donovan, Preki, Tony Meola and Carlos Bocanegra all coming out on top in their respective positional categories.

Now, we are taking a look at the best players who currently feature in Major League Soccer. We started with the goalkeepers, with Seattle Sounders’ shot-stopper Stefan Frei taking the top spot on our list, but what about the full-backs in the league?

The likes of Keegan Rosenberry, Shea Salinas and Ali Adnan all came close to making it into our top five following on from their performances in the 2019 campaign. Who does make it into the top five though…? Both of the Timbers’ main full-backs are in, while another on our list only made his MLS debut in 2019…

5. Romain Metanire

The first member of our top five is one of two men on the list that were playing in Major League Soccer for the first time during the 2019 campaign, Minnesota United’s Romain Metanire.

The Madagascan international spent the entirety of his professional career in Europe before moving to the States, including six years with French side Metz. The right-back then featured for KV Kortrijk and State de Reims before his transfer to MLS.

MLS Career & Honours:

• Minnesota United (2019-)

Metanire made the move to Minnesota United prior to the 2019 campaign, and he immediately made his mark, proving his worth in both defensive and attacking ways for the Loons throughout the season, as the club reached the post-season for the first time in their short history.

After signing for the side before the season, the Malagasy defender immediately became the Loons’ starting right-back, and he finished the season with the highest number of crosses put into the box per game for all full-backs, showing his attacking capabilities as he put in an average of six crosses a game into the opposing penalty area.

In his first season in the league, he bagged his first goal, which was the winner against Houston Dynamo in May, along with adding seven assists, second only behind midfielder Jan Gregus at MNUFC. Metanire played the full 90 minutes in the club’s first post-season clash, along with also playing the full 90 in both of their opening games in 2020, before the suspension of the season due to COVID-19. He will look to continue his good form, and maintain his position as the Loons’ starting right-back when the season gets back underway in July.