MLS: Top 5 strikers in the league right now

1. Carlos Vela

Unsurprisingly, the league’s current Most Valuable Player takes the top spot on our list, having broken records in his second season in the league, Mexico’s Carlos Vela.

Vela spent the entirety of his professional career in Europe before coming to MLS in 2018, including a seven-year spell with English giants Arsenal. He also played for Celta Vigo, Salamanca, Osasuna, West Bromwich Albion and Real Sociedad, where he scored 66 goals in 219 league appearances, before joining LAFC.

MLS Career & Honours:

• Los Angeles FC (2018-)

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• MLS MVP – 2019
• MLS Best XI – 2018, 2019
• MLS Golden Boot – 2019
• MLS single-season goals record (34)

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• Supporters’ Shield – 2019
• CONCACAF Gold Cup – 2009, 2015

The Mexican had already won the CONCACAF Gold Cup twice with Mexico, in 2009 and 2015, before moving back to North America, signing for Los Angeles FC in August 2017. He became the franchise’s first-ever Designated Player, officially joining up with the club on January 1 ahead of their first season in MLS in 2018.

The Mexican scored 14 times during his first season in the league and was nominated to the MLS Best XI for his performances, as the Black and Gold outfit made it into the post-season at the very first attempt.

They would go one better in 2019, as the club won the Supporters’ Shield in emphatic fashion. The club broke the single-season points record and had the silverware wrapped up with several games to spare, mainly down to the performances of their Mexican superstar.

Vela broke the MLS single-season goals record, netting 34 times in 31 games during the regular season, as well as adding 15 assists, which saw him also break the single-season combined points record, with Sebastian Giovinco, had held since 2015. His breakout year in the American top-flight saw him named league MVP, by some margin, and he was also named into the MLS Best XI for a second season running.

Can Vela score 34 times in 2020? Obviously not, not with the season having to be condensed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the Mexican is without a doubt the best player in the league right now, and he could carry LAFC to glory all by himself!