Best MLS players of the season so far
Here we look at the best MLS players of the season so far – and, spoiler alert, Messi won’t feature.
Who are the best player in the MLS?
Number 5 – Yeimar, Seattle
We kick off our look at the best MLS players of the season so far with Yeimar, which is a name that could raise an eyebrow or two. Despite that, we’re adamant the Colombian centre back deserves his recognition. Seattle hold the second-best defensive record in the entire MLS and Yeimar has been an ever-present in that backline.
It’s not just his sheer presence on the field that sees us include Yeimar though. He has made a league high 54 interceptions, made 93 clearances and boasts a tackle and heading success rate that sits north of the 60% mark.
On top of his defensive qualities, Yeimar is a cool character with the ball at his feet too. Not only does he have a pass success rate of 84% but most of those passes are forward looking and his pass completion only drops to 76% when focussed on his distribution in the oppositions half.
Number 4 – Riqui Puig, LA Galaxy
Riqui Puig is a name that most football fans will be familiar with given he came through the ranks at Barcelona – and recently fired shots at their manager Xavi – and that philosophy is reflected in how the 24-year-old midfielder plays for LA Galaxy. His desire to get the ball down and moving forwards is a significant part of his game and, as a result of that, he’s racked up more passes in the oppositions half than any other MLS player this season.
His pass accuracy within that is strong too at 86% (81% in oppositions half and 93% in his own half) with his long passes only dropping to 79%. Within those passes, Puig has contributed 46 key balls whilst also chipping in with a few goals.
Off the ball, Puig is a huge part of how Galaxy press and regain possession too. His tackle success rate sits at a lofty 77%. He’s a vital part of this team and a figure they need to build around.
Number 3 – Thiago Almada, Atlanta United
Thiago Almada might only be 22-years-old but he is a player we already rate very highly. His influence on this Atlanta side, who sit in seventh place in the Eastern Conference, is unquestionable with him having started in all of his 21 appearances and only being subbed off once. He moves the ball around nicely with a 84% pass success rate but, importantly, it’s where he passes that really impresses with his backwards passes accounting for just 16% of his total.
On top of that desire to always look forwards, Almada has also contributed to this team in respect of goals and assists. Atlanta have scored 42 goals so far this season and Almada has had a direct contribution in 40% of those goals.
The Argentine World Cup winner has laid on nine assists and scored eight goals. With six of those goals coming from outside of the area, which is the league high, and three being direct freekicks it’s also particularly eye catching.
Number 2 – Cristian Espinoza, San Jose
The penultimate name on our list is San Jose winger Cristian Espinoza and there is one key reason why he simply has to form part of our top five and that is his ability to add sparkle to a game of soccer.
Espinoza leads the league in a couple of important stats. The first is that he has provided 66 successful crosses, which is some 25% higher than his next closest challenger on that front. The other stat he leads on is key passes where he’s provided 57 – one ahead of the current chasing pack.
Those stats don’t tell the whole story of Espinoza though. Espinoza is a player that has been on a journey with San Jose and he is on course for the most productive season of his career. Right now, he sits on 18 goal contributions from 23 matches (11 goals, seven assists) with last seasons full tally of 21 contributions very much in touching distance for him.
Number 1 – Hany Mukhtar, Nashville
Coming in first place in our look at the best MLS players of the season so far is Nashville’s 28-year-old attacking midfielder Hany Mukhtar. There is a saying that ‘goals win games’ and, with that in mind, it’s hard to look past the current top scorer of the league.
Mukhtar currently sits on 13 goals for the season with 12 of those coming from inside the 18-yard box, which showcases what a good finisher he is. He is, however, much more than just a fox in the box and his all-around stats prove that. In addition to his goal output, Mukhtar has provided seven assists for his teammates as well as 48 key passes with a pass success rate of 80% underpinning those numbers.
There you have it, our view of the best MLS players of the season so far. If you fancy looking for the best Colorado sportsbook promos you might be wondering why there are no players from the Rapids in this list.
Well, the Rapids are last in their conference so there are not a lot of players to highlight, but they just signed two players with European and South American experience, so perhaps they will bounce back in the second part of the season.