Lionel Messi, Landon Donovan and the 25 best MLS players of the 21st century so far – ranked
From Euro stars such as Messi and Beckham to U.S. heroes such as Donovan and Dempsey, each had unique impact on MLS
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Since its founding in 1996, Major League Soccer has become central to growing the domestic game in the United States and Canada. The league has expanded tremendously in the 21st century, now standing at 29 total teams with a 30th coming in 2025 with the introduction of San Diego FC.
The growth of MLS can be attributed to many things, from ownership to fans to innovation, but nothing has been more influential than those who represent the clubs on the pitch.
From former European superstars such as Lionel Messi, David Beckham and Thierry Henry to American heroes such as Kasey Keller, Landon Donovan and Clint Dempsey, they’ve all had an impact in their own unique ways. From MLS Cup titles to Open Cup trophies, individual awards and more, each made an impact on the league.
So, as we approach the end of the first quarter of the 21st century, GOAL is on hand to rank the top 25, with an important caveat: this list is ranked specifically on the players’ contributions while playing in the MLS, not on the full span of their professional careers (especially for those who predominantly played in Europe before joining MLS squads later in their careers).
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Getty Images Sport25Kasey Keller
A brilliant shotstopper in his day, Keller is widely-considered one of the best goalkeepers in league history. He only played three seasons in MLS, which many consider a knock to his domestic stardom, but during those three years, he helped establish a dynasty.
He was the starting goalkeeper for the Seattle Sounders in their first-ever MLS match in 2009 and in three seasons with the Western Conference side, he helped lead them to three straight Open Cup titles.
He was named MLS Goalkeeper of the Year in 2011 and was awarded MLS Save of the Year in 2010 and 2011 as well.
Beloved by the Seattle faithful, in his final match, 64,140 fans attended the contest to send him off.
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Getty Images Sport24David Villa
Known for his brilliance in Spain with Barcelona, David Villa was just as clinical in MLS with New York City FC during his time in MLS. The Spaniard played with the Pigeons from 2015-2018, and was named 2016 MLS MVP as a result of his heroics on the pitch.
NYCFC rose from expansion to become one of the league’s top teams with him on the pitch, with Villa scoring 77 goals across four years during his tenure in the Big Apple. He was NYCFC’s top-scorer each campaign he played, and he was also named to the MLS Best XI twice, too.
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Getty Images Sport23Ignacio Piatti
Piatti is one of those names where you sit there and think… “if you know, you know.”
A truly superb footballer, the Argentine is a forgotten gem of Major League Soccer. He arrived with the Montreal Impact (now CF Montreal) midway through 2014 after helping San Lorenzo win the Copa Libertadores. He stayed there through 2019, where he scored 66 goals and recorded 35 assists across 135 regular-season appearances in Quebec.
He was a key figure in the Canadian side’s run to the 2015 CONCACAF Champions Cup final, where they fell just short, but he achieved a trophy with the club in his final season, lifting the 2019 Canadian Championship. In addition, he was a two-time MLS Best XI selection and a three-time MLS All-Star.
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Getty Images Sport22Thierry Henry
During his time in MLS, Henry was a spectacle. It was the final stage of a brilliant, storied career, and he was immediately the face of the league upon arrival – a true world-class superstar, another following in David Beckham’s footsteps.
From 2010-2014, Henry plied his trade with the New York Red Bulls, becoming a three-time MLS Best XI selection and four-time MLS All-Star during the process. In 122 regular season games, the Frenchman bagged 51 goals and recorded 42 assists. In 13 playoff appearances, he notched another seven assists while scoring once, as well.
He led the Red Bulls to the 2013 MLS Supporters’ Shield and two Eastern Conference titles across five seasons with the club.
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Getty Images Sport21Tony Meola
Meola is a goalkeeping great. When you think of the original MLS goalkeeper that inspired the current crop, it’s Meola.
He played for three different clubs, two of which have since undergone rebranding. From 1996-1998, and 2005-2006, he played with the New York Metrostars, who became the Red Bulls in ’06. Between those spells, he played with the Kansas City Wizards, now Sporting Kansas City, from 1999-2004.
His accolades include being a 2000 MLS Cup winner, 2000 MLS MVP, 2000 MLS Best XI Selection and a 2012 National Soccer Hall of Fame inductee. He is the only goalkeeper to ever win league MVP.
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Getty Images Sport20Josef Martinez
Martinez’s 2018 run was something MLS had never seen before. Named MLS MVP and Golden Boot winner, he led Atlanta United to their first championship in just their second year of existence. During that same campaign, he was also named an MLS All-Star and was a Best XI selection.
In 2019, he led the Five Stripes to the Campeones Cup and also claimed an Open Cup title at the same time. In 2023, he was part of the Inter Miami roster, alongside Lionel Messi, that claimed the inaugural Leagues Cup, as well.
He became the quickest player to ever score 100 goals in MLS, and now plays in Canada with CF Montreal, where he has 11 goals and three assists in 23 appearances.
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Getty Images Sport19Darlington Nagbe
A stalwart in the midfield for the Columbus Crew, Nagbe has been one of the best domestic midfielders in MLS over the past 14 years.
From 2011-2017, he ran the Portland Timbers midfield, before a three-year stint with Atlanta United. Since, he’s been the key to Wilfried Nancy’s midfield for the Crew.
In the Pacific Northwest, he helped lead the Timbers to a 2015 MLS Cup, while in his short time in Atlanta, he claimed his second MLS Cup in 2018, while also hoisting the 2019 Lamar hunt U.S. Open Cup and 2019 Campeones Cup with the Five Stripes.
Internationally, Nagbe was part o the USMNT roster that failed to qualify for the 2018 FIFA World Cup. He’s since declined call-ups to the national team, claiming he wants to spend more time with family. What could have been.
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Getty Images Sport18Jeff Cunningham
Cunningham is one of MLS’ best-ever strikers, with the former Jamaica international gracing the pitch for six different MLS teams over his career. The fourth-highest goalscorer in league history, he totaled 134 regular season goals in stints with the Colorado Rapids, Toronto FC, Real Salt Lake, FC Dallas and the Columbus Crew from 1998-2011.
When he retired, he left MLS as the scoring record holder, but has since been surpassed by three players. Widely known to be one of the faster players in the league, Cunningham was calm and composed on the ball, a true handful for defenders.
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Getty Images Sport17Taylor Twellman
Twellman is one of MLS’ greatest talents, a player whose career ended too soon. The 2005 MLS MVP, he played with the New England Revolution from 2002-2009.
He was a brilliant forward in his day, winning the Golden Boot twice, in 2002 and 2005. He was also a two-time MLS Best XI selection. In 2007, he helped the Revolution lift the Open Cup.
However, during his 2008 season, he suffered a neck injury after a mid-air collision in a match against the LA Galaxy. Persistent concussion symptoms followed, despite him returning to play later that campaign. After playing just two matches during the 2009 season, he was placed on the season-ending injured reserve list.
He retired in 2010, aged 30. He scored 101 goals in 174 regular season appearances during his career.
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Getty Images Sport16Ozzie Alonso
Alonso, who became a bit of a journeyman towards the end of his career, is the gold standard of defensive midfielders when it comes to MLS.
Nicknamed the “Honey Badger,” Alonso was as fearsome as midfielders come. Scrappy, yet composed, he was beyond reliable in the center of the park.
From 2009-2018, Alonso ran the midfield with the Seattle Sounders, becoming a four-time US Open Cup champion, a 2016 MLS Cup winner and helped lift the 2014 Supporters’ Shield with Seattle. During his stretch with the Sounders, he was a four-time MLS All-Star and a 2012 MLS Best XI selection as well.
Over the final few years of his career, he played with MNUFC from 2019-2021 and then two years with Atlanta United from 2022-2023.
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Getty Images Sport15Bradley Wright-Phillips
BWP, the king of New York, the poacher of all poachers.
From 2013-2019, Wright-Phillips was one of MLS’ most ruthless forwards, attacking defenders across the league with the New York Red Bulls. Over the final two seasons of his career, he played with LAFC in 2020 and the Columbus Crew in 2021, helping the Crew to a 2021 Campeones Cup.
During his time with RBNY, he helped them to three MLS Supporters’ Shield titles, while earning two individual MLS Golden Boot awards. Additionally, he is a two-time MLS Best XI selection, and sits seventh in the all-time MLS scoring chart with 114 goals.
In 2018, he became the first to score 15 or more goals in five-consecutive seasons, while also becoming the first player to score 20 or more goals in three different seasons.
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Getty Images Sport14Kyle Beckerman
Known for his long dreadlocks, Beckerman was one of the greatest midfielders to ever touch the pitch in MLS. His national team career with the U.S. wasn’t as memorable, but for Real Salt Lake, he was a master in the middle of the park.
He captained the Western Conference side for more than a decade, helping lead them to a 2009 MLS Cup. Prior. He had stints with Miami Fusion and the Colorado Rapids, spanning a 21-year career in the league.
He was a nine-time MLS All-Star, three-time Jordan Guernsey Humanitarian of the Year award winner and is the league’s all-time leader in career regular-season games played (498), games started (461) and minutes (41,164) among field players.
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AFP13Kei Kamara
Kamara is the definition of an MLS journeyman. In 2024, he’s on his 11th-different MLS club across a storied league career that has seen him play from 2006 onward in the league. He’s had a few loan stints abroad in between, but he’s always returned, and has always been a brilliant footballer at the same time.
A two-time Open Cup victor, once with Sporting Kansas City and the other with LAFC in 2024, Kamara is also a two-time MLS All-Star, and was named to the MLS Best XI in 2023.
On top of that, he’s a finisher.
He’s the league’s second all-time leading scorer, with 147 regular-season strikes. A crafty forward who can get on the end of any ball, he’s long been one of the most impressive attackers the league has ever seen, and at age 40 in 2024, he’s still playing regularly at a high level.
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Getty Images Sport12Clint Dempsey
One of the most imposing, dominant and fiersome players to ever represent U.S. Soccer, Dempsey’s time in MLS was nothing short of brilliant.
2004 MLS Rookie of the Year with the New England Revolution, Dempsey represented the Eastern Conference side from 2004-2006 before moving abroad. He returned to MLS in 2013, playing with the Seattle Sounders through 2018.
A relentless threat in the final-third, he was a two-time MLS Best XI selection, 2016 MLS Cup winner and earned 2017 Comeback Player of the Year after his career was threatened by an irregular heartbeat that sidelined him indefinitely in August 2016.
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Getty Images Sport11Chad Marshall
The only three-time MLS Defender of the Year award winner, Marshall was the gold standard for centerbacks across the league during his time with both the Columbus Crew and Seattle Sounders.
A leader on the pitch and a brick wall in the back, Marshall is widely considered one of the greatest central defenders in league history. He helped lead the Sounders to three MLS Cups, one Supporters’ Shield trophy and the 2014 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup. While with Columbus, he helped them to the 2008 MLS Cup title and three Supporters’ Shield titles.
He was a four-time MLS Best XI selection, and four-time MLS All-Star.
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Getty Images10Carlos Vela
The first club legend for LAFC, Vela, the 2019 MLS MVP, put them on the map after their 2018 expansion year.
In that same season, he earned the MLS Golden Boot while helping the Black and Gold to their first MLS Supporters’ Shield. During that run, he scored 34 goals, setting a record that still stands in 2024 for the most goals scored in one campaign.
In 2022, he led them to the Shield again, while claiming his first MLS Cup title. The Mexico international is one of the most ruthless and creative attackers MLS has ever seen. He had the ability to take on four defenders at once by himself, or set up a string of 10 passes for a gorgeous team goal.
One of MLS’ most decorated players, he’s also a two-time MLS best-XI selection and two-time MLS All-Star.
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Getty Images Sport9David Beckham
Becks was truly a wonderful footballer. Perhaps he’s the most important in MLS history, too.
He arrived at a time in which MLS was not generally viewed as a destination for European stars during the transfer windows. He was the groundbreaking player that changed that viewpoint.
He signed with the LA Galaxy in 2007, and took to the pitch until 2012, becoming a two-time MLS Cup winner, while being named to the MLS Best XI in 2011.
He arrived in the later stages of his career. He wasn’t the flashiest, or even the best player, but he was beyond influential. It was a marquee moment, it was the transfer that put MLS on the map.
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Getty Images Sport8Sebastian Giovinco
An Italian genius, a maestro, and the player who was smaller than most everyone else on the pitch, Giovinco’s time in MLS was nothing short of a spectacle.
Spending his entire MLS career with Toronto FC, Giovinco made 142 appearances scoring 83 goals and recording 64 assists. In 2015, he was named MLS MVP in his first season with the club, while also being named Newcomer of the Year and winning the Golden Boot. In 2017, he made history, leading TFC to the first domestic treble in MLS.
He was also a three-time MLS Best XI selection, a four-time MLS All-Star and was winner of the 2018 CONCACAF Champions League Golden Ball.
His tenure in MLS was groundbreaking and memorable. He’s since retired and joined TFC as a member of their front-office.
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Getty Images Sport7Nick Rimando
The best goalkeeper MLS has ever seen, Rimando was a wall between the posts, and a penalty shootout genius.
A two-time MLS Cup winner and three-time MLS Save of the Year winner, Rimando represented the Miami Fusion from 2000-2001, the Houston Dynamo from 2002-2006 and Real Salt Lake from 2007-2019.
His most iconic moment came in the 2009 MLS Cup, where his PK shootout heroics helped lead RSL to their first league title, defeating a star-studded LA Galaxy side.
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Getty Images Sport6Dwayne De Rosario
De Rosario was a gem of a footballer. A multi-club servant, he played for San Jose Earthquakes from 2001-05, Houston Dynamo 2006-08, Toronto FC 2009-11 and 2014, New York Red Bulls in 2011 and DC United from 2011-13.
He was a four-time MLS Cup winner, named 2011 MLS MVP and Golden Boot winner, was a six-time MLS Best XI Selection and scored MLS Goal of the Year twice.
He will forever be remembered for his 2001 MLS Cup-winning strike. In his rookie season, he scored the Golden Goal for the Earthquakes to lift the championship trophy in his debut campaign.
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Getty Images Sport5Diego Valeri
When talking about influential Argentine attacking midfielders in MLS, Valeri is among the best.
Valeri might is one of the most gifted player to ever touch a ball in this league. A proper maestro in the final-third of the pitch, he represented the Portland Timbers from 2013-2021, scoring 92 goals and registering 99 assists in 284 matches.
A 2015 MLS Cup winner, five-time MLS All-Star, 2017 league MVP and three-time MLS Best XI selection, the Argentine was a genius on the pitch. He’ll forever be remembered for his 2015 strike in MLS Cup, where he bagged an effort 28 seconds into the match.
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Getty Images Sport4Robbie Keane
Keane was a serial winner with the LA Galaxy. He was a three-time MLS Cup winner, was named 2014 MLS MVP and was a four-time MLS best XI selection.
He only graced the pitch for the Galaxy for five seasons, but was part of a roster that included both Beckham and Donovan and won three MLS Cups in four years. He will forever be part of one of the league’s most legendary dynasties.
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IMGAN3Lionel Messi
What else is there to say about Messi? He’s an eight-time Ballon d’Or winner, and arguably the greatest footballer the world has ever seen. In his short time in MLS, he’s led Inter Miami to their first two trophies as an organization, lifting the inaugural 2023 Leagues Cup and the 2024 MLS Supporters’ Shield.
With the introduction of the Argentine into the league came fans and viewers from around the world. He will forever be remembered for his impact on the pitch, but for MLS, his influence off the pitch might be just as important. He’s helped establish MLS as an elite domestic league in the United States, while generating audiences and enthusiasm beyond what MLS had ever seen before.
The Argentine is in the running for 2024 MLS MVP as well. Only the fact that he has played less than two seasons in the league prevents him from being higher on this list.
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Getty Images Sport2Chris Wondolowski
The greatest goalscorer MLS has ever seen, Wondolowski was lethal in front of net. The all-time scoring leader in MLS, 2012 MLS MVP, three-time MLS best XI selection, two-time Golden Boot winner and two-time MLS Cup winner was absolutely brilliant on the pitch.
Representing the San Jose Earthquakes and the Houston Dynamo across his career, Wondolowski was prolific in front of the net, producing some of MLS’ most legendary moments.
Who could forget him joining Earthquakes supporters in the stands after being sent off for a straight red card offense? What a guy, and what a player.
The @MLS all-time leading goal scorer.
In the stands with our supporters.
We will do anything for this man. #VamosSJ pic.twitter.com/QxPcvPQTsp
— San Jose Earthquakes (@SJEarthquakes) September 26, 2019
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Getty Images Sport1Landon Donovan
There is no question that Donovan is the best MLS player of all time, over the span of a career. He’s someone who could have played at a high level in Europe his entire career, but opted to represent the domestic game, helping establish MLS as a growing entity.
During his storied career with the LA Galaxy and San Jose Earthquakes, he became a six-time MLS Cup winner, was named 2009 MLS MVP and was a seven-time best XI selection.
He’s third on the all-time goalscoring charts in MLS with 145 goals and first in career assists with 136 during the regular season.
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