MLS Top Scorers of All Time

Based on

MLS standings history

concerning the number of goals scored in the major American league, there are 11 footballers in MLS history with more than 100 goals who actually top the list of MLS top scorers of all time.

Except for the first and second positions on the list, the rest of the list hardly follow each other with a margin bigger than 10 goals which actually shows at least the first 11 MLS top scorers of all time are somehow or other in the same range concerning their goalscoring capabilities.

A List of MLS Top Scorers of All Time Based on MLS All-Time Stats

Well, as the title suggests, we are not to

MLS top scorers in 2021

but MLS top scorers of all time in this post. There are only two footballers among the first 11 MLS top scorers of all time who are still in the business and playing, but they are not even among the first 20 MLS top scorers in 2021 - at least up until now.

Chris Wondolowski (170 Goals)

According to goalscoring records section of

MLS records book

, Chris Wondolowski is the MLS top scorer of all time with 170 goals. While the difference between the number of goals other positions on the list have scored hardly goes beyond 10 - only two cases, Wondolowski sits strongly on the top of the list of MLS top scorers of all time with a margin of 25 goals from the second position occupied by Landon Donovan who scored 145 goals in the major American league.

is one of the two footballers on the list of MLS top scorers of all time who is still in the business, though near the end of his career. That said, he will probably improve his goalscoring record in the remaining time to the end of his career and increases his margin with Landon Donovan which we will surely update you with. However, in this season (2020-21), with the 4 goals he has scored he sits on the 89th position among all the MLS top scorers in 2021 which is quite natural considering that he’s 38 years old by now.

Ok, let’s get to Wondolowski’s goalscoring stats. Wondolowski has served the American club,

, for a major part of his career; actually for around 12 years. This is as he has served the other two clubs he has played for, namely Houston Dynamo and Chico Rooks, for not more than 3 seasons. The 38-year-old American forward has scored all his 170 MLS goals in 412 appearances which gets him a goal-to-appearance ratio of 0.41 meaning that he has scored a little bit more than 2 goals (exactly 2.05) in every 5 appearances he has made within the major American league.

Wondolowski is not only MLS top scorer of all time actually based on MLS all-time stats but also the all-time top scorer of the club he has served the most: San Jose Earthquakes. He’s one of the 25 greatest footballers in MLS history who has managed to win two MLS Golden Boots too; actually in 2010 and 2012. He also holds the record for scoring the most number of winning goals in MLS history - according to MLS records book - and is the only player to have scored ten or more goals in ten consecutive seasons in the major American league’s history. The most number of goals Wondolowski scored in a single season was in 2012 where he scored 27 goals in 32 appearances. He also provided 37 assists and received 34 yellow cards and two red cards during his career in MLS.

Landon Donovan (145 Goals)

Although Donovan doesn’t top the list of

MLS top scorers of all time

, he’s one of the most famous American footballers ever and one of the two footballers on the list alongside Bradley Wright-Phillips who served top-tier European clubs, namely Bayern Munich, Bayer Leverkusen, and Everton, sometime during his career. Maybe that is what has made him more famous than other American footballers? Maybe.

scored all his 145 MLS goals for only two clubs: LA Galaxy and  San Jose Earthquakes, with the former getting a share of 113 (78%) and the latter a share of 32 (22%) from Donovan’s MLS goals, and all these goals were scored in 340 appearances which gets Donovan a goal-to-appearance ratio of 0.43 meaning that the 39-year-old retired American footballer, just like his peer, Chris Wondolowski, scored more than 2 goals (exactly 2.15) in every 5 appearances that he made within MLS.

Donovan won six MLS Cups during his career which, according to

MLS all-time stats

, is a record not yet broken by other American footballers. He also holds the record for the most number of assists provided within MLS with 136 assists, and don’t forget that the MLS-based MVP award has been renamed to Landon Donovan MVP Award in his honor. And finally, the most number of goals Donovan scored in a single season was in 2008 where he managed to score 20 goals in 25 appearances. He also provided 109 assists and received 53 yellow cards during his career in MLS.

Jeff Cunningham (134 Goals)

Based on MLS standings history concerning the number of goals scored in the major American league, Jeff Cunningham is the third MLS top scorer of all time with 134 goals. He scored all his 134 MLS goals in 365 appearances which gets him a goal-to-appearance ratio of 0.37 meaning that the 45-year-old retired Jamaican-American footballer scored almost 1.5 goals (exactly 1.48) in every 4 appearances that he made within the major American league.

In general, Cunningham served 5 MLS clubs during his career one of which, namely Toronto FC, was Canadian. The other 4 American clubs he served were Columbus Crew, Colorado Rapids,

, and FC Dallas that get a share of 62 (46%), 12 (9%), 19 (14%), and 33 (24%) from Cunningham’s MLS goals, respectively, with Toronto FC having a share of 6 (4%), too. As you see, Cunningham scored most of his MLS goals for Columbus Crew and he also made at least three times more appearances for the club than the other clubs mentioned above.

Cunningham is the winner of two MLS Golden Boots in 2006 and 2009 and he was also named as part of MLS Best XI in 2002, 2006, and 2009. The most number of goals he scored in a single MLS season was in 2002 and 2006 seasons where he managed to score 16 goals in 27 and 31 appearances, respectively. He also provided 52 assists and received 32 yellow cards and 1 red card during his career in MLS.

Jaime Moreno (133 Goals)

The first non-American footballer on the list of

MLS top scorers of all time

, Jaime Moreno is a 47-year-old retired Bolivian footballer who served only two MLS clubs during his career: DC United and MetroStars for whom he scored 133 goals with the former getting a share of 131 and the latter only 2 from Moreno’s MLS goals. In fact, DC United is the club Moreno served the most during his career and in two time periods; once from 1996 to 2002 and another time from 2004 to 2010 which sums up to 12 years of his 19-year career.

Moreno scored all his 133 MLS goals in 340 appearances which gets him a goal-to-appearance ratio of 0.39 meaning that the retired Bolivian footballer scored almost two goals (exactly 1.95) in every 5 appearances within MLS. It might be interesting for you to know that according to MLS standings history concerning the number of goals scored in the American league, Moreno was MLS all-time top scorer from 2007 that he broke the previous record of Jason Kreis’ 108 goals up until 2011 that his record of 133 goals was broken by Jeff Cunningham.

Moreno is also the first MLS player to have reached the 100-goals and 100-assists milestones; actually in April 2009. He won almost all his club trophies with DC United including four MLS Cups and was also named on MLS Best XI five times between 1997 and 2006. The most number of goals Moreno scored in a single season was in 1997, 1998, and 2005 seasons where he managed to score 16 goals in 20, 31, and 29 league appearances. During his time in MLS, he also provided 70 assists and received 29 yellow and 6 red cards; kind of an aggressive player if you ask us.

Kei Kamara (130 Goals)

A footballer from Sierra Leone on the list of MLS top scorers of all time, Kei Ansu Kamara, known simply as Kei Kamara, is a 37-year-old not-yet-retired footballer who currently plays for the Finnish club,

. Kamara has served more MLS clubs than any other footballer at least among the first 11 MLS top scorers of all time. He served eight MLS clubs between 2006 and 2020 for whom he managed to score 130 goals in 359 appearances. That actually gets him a goal-to-appearance ratio of 0.36 meaning that the Sierra Leonese footballer scored a little bit more than one goal (exactly 1.08) in every 3 appearances that he made within MLS.

The MLS club Kamara served the most during his career was

whom he served for 4 years between 2009 and 2013 making 113 MLS appearances and scoring 38 goals for them in the process. This is as he played for the other American clubs he served during his career for a year or two. The number of MLS goals Kamara has scored actually divides between the American clubs he served during his career as follows: Columbus Crew, 32 (24.6%), San Jose Earthquakes, 2 (1.5%), Houston Dynamo, 7 (5.3%), Sporting Kansas City, 38 (29.2%), New England Revolution, 19 (14.6%), Vancouver Whitecaps, 14 (10.7%), Colorado Rapids, 17 (13%), and Minnesota United, 1 (0.7%).

`The most number of goals Kamara scored in a single season within MLS was in 2015 where he managed to score 22 goals in 32 appearances, however, it was just a one-time deviation in all Kamara’s career within MLS since he never scored more than 14 goals during his time in the major American league with the number of goals he scored in a single MLS season mostly being around 10 or lower. Kamara also provided 37 assists, and received 41 yellow and 3 red cards during his time at MLS.

Bradley Wright-Phillips (117 Goals)

The second and last footballer on the list of MLS top scorers of all time,

is a 36-year-old English footballer who’s been playing in MLS since 2013. Before that, he served within English football and for 9 years between 2004 and 2013. He’s actually a product of Manchester City and also served the same club for two years at the start of his career. The other English clubs he has served are Southampton, Plymouth Argyle, Charlton Athletic, and Brentford.

Well, let’s get to Wright-Phillips’ MLS stats. New York Red Bulls is the MLS club Bradley Wright-Phillips has served the most since he’s been playing within MLS and actually since the start of his career: 6 years between 2013 and 2019 during which he scored 108 goals in 195 appearances for them. As you see, a very large part of Wright-Phillips’s MLS goals, actually 92% of them, have been scored for New York Red Bulls, and the rest 9? Well, 8 of which for Los Angeles FC whom he served in MLS 2020 season, and only one of which for Columbus Crew whom he’s been serving since the start of 2021 season. Indeed, that stats might change since the English player has not yet retired.

And what about Wright-Phillips’s MLS goal-to-appearance ratio? Well, he has scored all his 117 goals in 233 appearances which gets him a goal-to-appearance ratio of 0.5 meaning that he has scored one goal in every two MLS appearances he has made. Wright-Phillips is the winner of two MLS Golden Boots in 2014 and 2016. The most number of goals he has scored in a single season within MLS was in 2014 where he managed to score 27 goals in 32 appearances. He has also provided 28 assists and has received 22 yellow cards since his time at MLS.

Ante Razov (114 Goals)

Only played within MLS during all his career, Ante Razov is a 47-year-old retired American footballer who served six American clubs during his 13-year career and between 1996 and 2009. He scored a total of 114 goals in 262 MLS appearances which gets him a goal-to-appearance ratio of 0.44 meaning that he scored a little bit more than 3 goals (exactly 3.08) in every seven appearances that he made within MLS. He scored the most number of his MLS goals for Chicago Fire (76) and then for Chivas USA (30) whom he served at the end of his career.

The most number of goals Razov scored in a single season within MLS was in 2000 where he managed to score 18 goals in 24 appearances. He also provided 46 assists and received 32 yellow cards, one second yellow card leading to a red card, and 4 direct red cards during his career. Somewhat an aggressive player if you ask us. Razov won only 5 club trophies during his career including one MLS Cup.

Jason Kreis (108 Goals)

Jason Kreis was into football a few years even before MLS was launched. He served two minor-league clubs, namely Raleigh Flyers and New Orleans Storm, before he singed officially for the MLS club,

, in MLS inaugural season, 1996. He served the American club for 8 years between 1996 and 2004 where he managed to score most of his MLS goals, actually 91 (84%) out of 108, and in 247 appearances. After that, he signed for Real Salt Lake whom he served for 2 years before the end of his career in 2007 where he added another 17 goals to his MLS goals finishing his career with a total of 108 goals in 305 appearances.

108 goals in 305 appearances; that gets Kreis a goal-to-appearance ratio of 0.35 meaning that he scored a little bit more than one goal (exactly 1.05) in every 3 appearances that he made within MLS or indeed during his career. The most number of goals Kreis scored in a single season in MLS was in 1999 where he managed to score 18 goals in 32 appearances. He also provided 39 assists, and received 42 yellow cards, one second yellow card leading to a red card, and 2 direct cards during his time at MLS.

While Jaime Moreno is the first MLS player to have reached the milestone of 100 goals and 100 assists, Jason Kreis is the first MLS player to have scored 100 goals within the American major league; a record that was registered in August 2005 in a match against Kansas City where Kreis’ side, Real Salt Lake, lost 4-2 to their opponent.

Dwayne De Rosario (104 Goals)

A 43-year-old retired Canadian footballer who served five MLS clubs during his career, Dwayne De Rosario managed to score 104 goals in 343 MLS appearances which gets him a goal-to-appearance ratio of 0.3 meaning that the retired Canadian footballer scored almost one goal (exactly 0.9) in every 3 appearances that he made within the major American league. The club he served the most during his career was San Jose Earthquakes for whom he also made the most number of MLS appearances (108) but he actually scored 27 goals for them which is only one less than the goals he scored for Toronto FC (28) whom he served in two time periods.

The interesting fact about De Rosario is that except for

for whom he scored only 2 goals, for the other 4 MLS clubs he served, namely San Jose Earthquakes, Houston Dynamo, Toronto FC, and DC United, he scored almost around the same goals; something between 23 and 28. The highest number of goals De Rosario scored in a single season was in 2010 where he managed to score 15 goals in 27 appearances. He also provided 58 assists, and received 43 yellow cards and 2 red cards during his time at MLS.

Taylor Twellman (101 Goals)

The only one-club man, indeed within MLS, on the list of

MLS top scorers of all time

, Taylor Twellman is a 41-year-old retired American footballer who served only two clubs during his career: 1860 Munich II for two years between 2000 and 2002 and the MLS club, New England Revolution, for the rest of his career which ended in 2010. He actually scored 101 goals in 174 appearances for the American club which gets him a goal-to-appearance ratio of 0.58 meaning that the retired American footballer scored almost 3 goals (exactly 2.9) in every 5 appearances that he made within MLS.

The most number of goals Twellman scored in a single season within MLS was in the first season that he joined New England Revolution, 2002, where he managed to score 23 goals in 28 appearances. He also provided 25 assists and received 11 yellow cards and 1 red cards during his time at MLS.

Edson Buddle (100 Goals)

Having scored exactly 100 MLS goals during his career, Edson Buddle is a 40-year-old retired American footballer who served 5 MLS clubs, namely

, New York Red Bulls, Toronto FC, LA Galaxy, and Colorado Rapids, during his career. He scored the most number of his MLS goals for Columbus Crew and LA Galaxy with the former getting a share of 42 and the latter a share of 45 goals from all Buddle’s MLS goals.

This is as he scored no goals for Toronto FC in his 10 appearances for them and only 6 and 7 goals for New York Red Bulls and Colorado Rapids, respectively. The most number of goals Buddle scored in a single season was in 2010 where he managed to score 17 goals in 25 appearances for LA Galaxy. He also provided 21 assists and received 21 yellow cards during his time at MLS.

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