The top Latin goalscorers in Major League Soccer history
Throughout its 27 years of existence, Major League Soccer has grown to attract worldwide attention and see international talents thrive on the fields.
Players like Camilo Sanvezzo, Jaime Moreno and Luciano Emilio have all graced the league and broken several club records to give MLS its latin flare.
Hispanic presence in MLS has never been a doubt, but as the impact heightens we must look back at the top seven most influential goalscorers within the American league.
7. Diego Rossi
Uruguayan player Diego Rossi stunned audiences during his time in LAFC. He stands as the last Latino to have won the MLS Golden Boot, earning the title in 2020 after scoring 14 goals.
That same season, the forward was also named top scorer of the MLS is Back tournament and MLS Young Player of the Year.
Rossi has since departed the American league to feature for Turkey’s Fenerbahce, but not before marking his name into MLS history.
6. Chicharito
Mexican forward Chicharito Hernandez had a slow start to his MLS career, scoring only two goals for LA Galaxy in 2020 before really taking off in 2021.
This season, he has been a whole different player. Chicharito has contributed 14 goals and three assists for LA Galaxy to secure a 2021 MLS playoff spot. Much is still expected of the Mexican player, who is likely to climb this list in the near future.
5. Camilo Sanvezzo
The current Mazatlan FC player had great success in Major League Soccer before moving on to Liga MX. Sanvezzo featured for the Vancouver Whitecaps, recording 22 goals during the 2013 season.
4. Carlos Vela
Carlos Vela made MLS history in 2019 by recording 34 goals to win the Golden Boot and set the record for most scored in one season. That same year, he led LAFC to lift the MLS Supporters’ shield and earned the title of Most Valuable Player in the league.
Though he’s suffered several injury setbacks, the Mexican forward is well on his way back to becoming his best version.
3. Josef Martinez
Atlanta United fan favorite Josef Martinez made himself known in 2018. That season, Martinez accumulated 31 goals to earn the MLS Golden Boot and MVP.
After struggling with an ACL injury last year, Martinez is back on the field, shining for Atlanta by recording 10 goals and one assist so far.
2. Carlos Ruiz
In 2002, the Guatemalan player led the LA Galaxy to lift the MLS Cup and MLS Supporters’ Shield by scoring 24 goals alone. During the MLS Cup final, Ruiz stunned audiences and scored the only goal to be named Player of the Match and overall MVP.
A year later, Ruiz topped the goalscoring charts again, sharing the trophy for most points with Taylor Twellman.
1. Jaime Moreno
Bolivian forward Jaime Moreno made league history on several occasions, remembered by fans as the most influential Latin MLS player of his time.
He won the Goleo Champion title during the 1997 season while playing for D.C. United, and stands fourth on the top scorers in all of league history with a total of 133.
Moreno has lifted the MLS Cup four times, the US Open Cup twice and the MLS Supporters’ shield on four occasions, all with D.C. United.
During his time with the team, he also won the Concacaf Champions League and the Inter-American Cup.