Players of the MLS Matchday 8 - ranked

MLS week eight was filled to the brim with lopsided blowouts and exciting stoppage time goals.

Teams and players finally get settled into the weekly grind of the season; The defending is more intense and the attacking play is much more fluid.

The five players on the list represent the fruits of that week-to-week grind. Their performances on the pitch show that they stood head and toes above the rest.

Here are the top five players from week eight…

5. Jeremy Ebobisse

San Jose Earthquakes forward Jeremy Ebobisse was a man on a mission as his two goals saw his team get their fourth win of the season with a 3-0 victory over a lifeless Sporting KC side.

Though Ebobisse only had three shots all game (one of which was a penalty), he was clinical and made sure he didn't miss when he was called upon to score. 

The 26-year-old ended the match with two goals on just 29 touches and four passes into the final third.

4. Santiago Moreno

Although the Portland Timbers may be in a rough patch of form, that didn’t stop them from getting a 4-1 win over their heated rivals, the Seattle Sounders.

Winger Santiago Moreno was a significant reason why the Timbers got their second win of the season.The 22-year-old held it down on Portland’s right side as they completely overwhelmed their opponent.

Moreno ended the game with two assists, three chances created, and five recoveries.

3. Jared Stroud

Jared Stroud is not the biggest name on St. Louis City’s roster, but his impact during their 5-1 thumping of FC Cincinnati was felt. Stroud opened the scoring up for the men in red in just the third minute off a set piece which caught Cincinnati off guard. 

The 26-year-old continued his Man of the Match performance in the 45th minute, where he assisted St. Louis’s third goal of the night with a sumptuous cross into the box that center-back Kyle Hiebert finished off.

Stroud ended the match with one goal, one assist, two passes into the final third, and a whopping 12 defensive recoveries. 

Talk about a complete game. 

2. Daniel Gazdag

Though the Philadelphia Union may not be as in form as they were in the 2022 season, midfielder Daniel Gazdag gives them a reason to believe they can return to those levels. 

In their recent match against the Chicago Fire, the Union fought back from two goals down to pull out a 2-2 draw.

Thanks to Gazdag’s penalty goal in the 62nd minute and his game-tying assist just three minutes after in the 65th, the Union were about to salvage a valuable point away from home. 

1. Carlos Vela

Carlos Vela is aging backwards. 

The 34-year-old turned back the clock as his two-goal performance lifted LAFC past their rivals, the LA Galaxy, in a 3-2 El Trafico victory.

Vela was the most influential player on the field for the Black and Gold, ending the game  with two goals, one assist, three chances created, and eighth passes into the final third.

While the Galaxy fought hard in the match and nearly equalized at the last minute, Vela’s contributions were just enough to see LAFC get all three points.