MLS: Top 5 centre-backs in the league right now
By Matt Coles
4. Miles Robinson
Taking the No.4 spot on our list is another young star in the making, who has shown his quality since coming into the league in 2017, Atlanta United’s Miles Robinson.
He spent a couple of years at Syracuse University, where he played 42 times for the Orange, scoring nine goals from centre-back. He also played for FC Boston in the USL Premier Development League during that time before signing a Generation Adidas contract ahead of the 2017 MLS SuperDraft.
MLS Career & Honours:
- Atlanta United (2017-)
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- MLS Best XI – 2019
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- MLS Cup – 2018
- U.S. Open Cup – 2019
- Campeones Cup – 2019
Atlanta United selected the defender with the 2nd overall pick in the 2017 MLS SuperDraft, but he would not play for the Five Stripes until 18 months later. Robinson spent the first year of his professional career on loan with USL Championship side Charleston Battery, where he played 14 times, scoring his first professional goal in the process.
He made his Major League Soccer debut April 2018, helping Atlanta keep a clean sheet in a 5-0 rout of Los Angeles FC, but he only started three matches throughout the entirety of the campaign. However, he did feature twice as United went all the way through to winning the MLS Cup in just their second season in the league.
The centre-back became a prominent part of the Five Stripes starting line-up in 2019, playing in all 34 regular-season matches, and making his way into the MLS Best XI for the first time in his career. He also made his international debut in September of that year.
Although he is yet to score his first goal in MLS, Robinson is ultimately one of the best defenders in the league, and his absence from the side during their post-season run due to injury could arguably be one of the reasons why they were unable to defend their MLS Cup crown.