SEATTLE - Throughout history, Major League Soccer has seen a multitude of Latin American players leave their mark all over the country. From Miami to Seattle and from Atlanta to Montreal, Latinos have scored goals everywhere they've gone. Ahead of MLS' 2024 season, 13 of the clubs currently competing in the league have Latinos as their all-time top scorers.
After Raúl Ruidíaz's Panenka-style penalty that gave him his 79th goal for the Seattle Sounders in all competitions, he became the first Peruvian to lead an MLS franchise in all-time goals and also the 15th different Latino to currently have a share or hold the scoring record at an MLS club.
Jaime Moreno - 152 goals for D.C United
The one with the most out of the bunch is Jaime Moreno, who managed to score 152 goals for the D.C. United. Between 1996 and 2010, Moreno was one of the league's best players. The Bolivian was a major contributor to all of D.C. United's 12 major domestic and international trophies, winning four MLS Cups and one CONCACAF Champions League, among others.
He was the league's Golden Boot winner in 1997 and he was included in the MLS' All-Time Best XI during the league's 10th anniversary.
Josef Martínez - 111 goals for Atlanta United
Not many players in MLS history have had a better immediate impact than Venezuelan striker Josef Martínez. Between 2017 and 2020, his first three seasons with Atlanta United, Martínez scored 77 goals in 83 MLS regular season games.
His most impressive campaign came in 2018, when he set a then MLS record by scoring 31 goals in a single season. Four more goals in the MLS Cup playoffs last year helped Atlanta United win their first-ever title.
The Venezuelan has set lots of records thanks to his superhuman scoring abilities. He holds the MLS record for most hat tricks (6), he was the fastest player to reach 100 MLS goals (102 GP) and possesses the longest scoring streak in league history (15 straight games with a goal).
Diego Valeri - 100 goals for Portland Timbers
The Timbers captain and talisman for nine seasons is the Argentine with the most goals scored ever in MLS. From his arrival to Portland until his retirement from MLS, Diego Valeri established himself as one of the most creative and dangerous players in league history.
His ability to create goalscoring opportunities transformed the Timbers' attack into one of the most formidable units in MLS. In 284 MLS games (including playoffs), Valeri participated in 191 goals (92 goals, 99 assists).
His 2017 season was off the charts, reaching double digits in both goals (21) and assists (11), making him only the third Argentine in league history to be named MVP.
Carlos Vela - 93 goals for LAFC
LAFC's first-ever player, Carlos Vela, became an instant success in Los Angeles. His 2019 season will forever be remembered as he set a new MLS single-season record by scoring 34 goals and winning both the Golden Boot and MLS MVP awards.
Vela is the Mexican with the most goals scored in MLS, having scored 80 including regular season and playoffs. But Vela's game goes far beyond just scoring goals, the Cancún native was also involved in 54 assists in all competitions with LAFC, taking his goal contribution total to 147 goals and assists in 188 games for the black and gold.
Raúl Ruidíaz - 79 goals (and counting) for Seattle Sounders
Tied in 5th place among Latinos with the most goals for a single MLS team, Raúl Ruidíaz goalscoring record has been absurd since arriving to Seattle, averaging a goal in MLS play every 136 minutes.
The Peruvian, a player made for big moments, is third among Latinos in MLS Cup playoff history in goals (9), three behind Jaime Moreno's record of 12 and seven goals behind Carlos Ruiz (16).
Ruidíaz has left his mark in Seattle in just six seasons, helping the team to two MLS Cup finals (winning one) and breaking MLS's curse at the CONCACAF Champions League in 2022, scoring one of the goals against Pumas UNAM in the final.
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