MLS: Top 5 central midfielders 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 central midfielders?

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

We have gone through the best players of all-time across seven different categories, and now we are taking a look at the best current players in the league, in those same seven positions. In the all-time lists, the likes of Tony Meola, Carlos Bocanegra, Preki, Chris Wondolowski and Landon Donovan all took top honours for their respective positions, while Stefan Frei, Ike Opara and Ryan Hollingshead have earned the spoils in the current goalkeeper, centre-back and full-back stakes.

This piece takes a look at the best central midfielders in the league today. The likes of Jonathan dos Santos, Marc Rzatkowski and Felipe Gutierrez all miss out on our top five, but who does make it in? We gave two members of Los Angeles FC’s record-breakers and a two-time MLS Cup winner, but who gets the top spot?

5. Jamiro Monteiro

The first member of our list is one of two central midfielders for whom the 2019 campaign was their first in the American top-flight, Philadelphia Union’s Jamiro Monteiro.

The 26-year-old started his professional career in his native Netherlands, spending time with both Cambuur and Heracles Almelo before a brief stint with French side Metz.

MLS Career & Honours:

• Philadelphia Union (2019-)

Monteiro joined Philadelphia Union on an initial four-month loan deal at the start of the 2019 Major League Soccer campaign, and that soon became a season-long loan, as the Dutch midfielder’s performances led the Union hierarchy to keep him around for a longer period.

Along with his defensive duties, which he carried out in the heart of the Union’s midfield during his first season in the American top-flight, Monteiro is also able to pick a pass, and he recorded nine assists, second only behind Haris Medunjanin in Philadelphia during the regular season.

He was also joint-4th amongst the team in goals scored during the regular-season, bagging four times. Only Ilsinho, Marco Fabian and Kacper Przybylko found the back of the net more times than the Dutchman in 2019.

Monteiro is now one of Philadelphia’s Designated Players, after becoming the franchise’s record transfer, as his permanent deal from Metz cost the Union somewhere in the region of $2million. An expensive deal, but one that will pay off for the club over the next few seasons, no doubt!