All-Time MLS Top Scorers

It has taken a long while to establish soccer as a bonafide sport in North America, but Major League Soccer has undoubtedly achieved that feat. The all-time MLS top scorers list features a who’s who of US soccer.

The first season in 1996 took place with just 10 teams, and subsequent financial struggles threatened to kill the league before it got off the ground.

However, the MLS has proved the doubters wrong to become a genuine fifth ‘major sports league’ in the United States and Canada.

The introduction of the Designated Player Rule in 2007 changed the landscape in the MLS, allowing clubs to add world-class stars to their squads.

Players like David Beckham, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Wayne Rooney have helped to raise the profile of the league, creating a platform for the competition to flourish in the future.

Although the MLS has only been around for just over two decades, it has quickly built up a reputation for being hugely entertaining. Goals are the name of the game in any football league, and the MLS has been blessed with a plethora of forwards who know where the back of the net is.

Read on as we reveal who are the current all-time top 10 goalscorers in the MLS (as of November 2021).

All-Time MLS Top Scorers – Top 10

1. Chris Wondolowski: 171 goals in 423 appearances

2. Landon Donovan: 145 goals in 340 appearances

3. Jeff Cunningham: 134 goals in 365 appearances

4. Jaime Moreno: 133 goals in 340 appearances

5. Kei Kamara: 130 goals in 359 appearances

6. Bradley Wright-Phillips: 117 goals in 234 appearances

7. Ante Razov: 114 goals in 262 appearances

8. Jason Kreis: 108 goals in 305 appearances

9. Dwayne de Rosario: 103 goals in 341 appearances

10. Taylor Twellman: 101 goals in 174 appearances

MLS Top Scorers – Profiles

CHRIS WONDOLOWSKI – (San Jose Earthquakes, Houston Dynamo)

Wondolowski was first drafted to the MLS in 2005 and has since become the record scorer in the competition.

He twice won the MLS Cup with Houston in 2006 and 2007 and is the only player to have scored 10 or more goals in 10 consecutive seasons.

Wondolowski’s four-goal haul for San Jose against Chicago Fire in 2019 broke Landon Donovan’s record and cemented his status as a true MLS legend.

The 38-year-old announced his retirement from Major League Soccer following the Quakes’ regular-season finale in November 2021.

LANDON DONOVAN – (San Jose Earthquakes, LA Galaxy)

Donovan was widely recognised as THE face of soccer in the United States during the early part of the 21st century.

He first made his name with San Jose, helping the club win the MLS Cup in 2001 and 2003 whilst on loan from Bayer Leverkusen.

Donovan signed a permanent deal with Galaxy in 2005 and established himself as one of the most prolific goalscorers in the MLS.

Loan spells with Bayern Munich and Everton between 2009 and 2012 were largely unsuccessful, but Donovan remains one of the best players ever to grace the MLS.

MLS Top Scorers – Best of the Rest

The top two in the MLS all-time scorers list are unlikely to be overhauled for some time, with most of the chasing pack either retired or approaching the end of their careers.

Josef Martinez is the player most likely to force his way into the upper echelons of the list, having averaged just almost a goal per game for Atlanta United since joining them in 2017.

The Venezuelan forward struggled to make an impact in European football but has demonstrated his talent in the MLS over the past few seasons.