Another MLS season is in the history books and we’re left reviewing what was a rather entertaining season. What started as relative uncertainty that this season would even start due to a possible players strike, resulted in the Portland Timbers lifting their first MLS Cup championship. A record total of 937 goals were scored in 340 games this regular season in addition to 46 goals in 17 MLS Cup Playoff games. Some of those goals are truly world class. Unfortunately only 10 of them can be chosen so here is the top 10.
10) Clint Dempsey – Seattle Sounders vs. New England Revolution – March 8
The team passing here is just incredible. Six passes that made the New England defense look like they were lost and ended with a Clint Dempsey tap in. And this was in the first week of the season.
9) Marco Donadel – Montreal Impact vs. Columbus Crew SC – July 11
I don’t know how fast Marco Donadel shot this ball but it certainly had some speed on it. Striking the ball from about 30 yards out, curving away and into the top corner of the goal. This is the kind of goal that the entire world would go nuts over if someone like Steven Gerrard scored this.
8) Bradley Wright-Phillips – New York Red Bulls vs. D.C. United – August 30
Bradley Wright-Phillips shot this ball as if he wanted to rip a hole through the net. The power and velocity of this shot makes it almost impossible to believe that this could remain in the boundary of the goal but it did.
7) Benny Feilhaber – Houston Dynamo vs. Sporting Kansas City – April 25
In one of the more entertaining games of the season, Benny Feilhaber left some late game magic to equalize and end this game in a 4-4 draw. There wasn’t a lot of room for error and Feilhaber placed this perfectly.
6) Javier Morales – San Jose Earthquakes vs. Real Salt Lake – April 5
This is a highly difficult shot that is rarely ever seen. Javier Morales volleyed his own rebound off the wall on his free kick to score. Such a perfect strike.
5) Diego Fagundez – New England Revolution vs. Chicago Fire – June 13
As this ball was high up in the air, Diego Fagundez had a couple seconds to perfectly time this kick. Most of the time, that is way too much time and a player screws up the kick because he overthought the shot. Diego Fagundez was focused and timed the shot perfectly for a beautiful goal.
4) Olmes Garcia – Real Salt Lake vs. Columbus Crew SC – June 27
We see plenty of set pieces in soccer but we rarely ever see set plays in soccer. Soccer is meant to be free flowing and rarely reliant on set plays like in other sports but this play devised on the training ground was timed to perfection.
3) Sebastian Giovinco – Toronto FC vs. New York Red Bulls – October 14
Sebastian Giovinco has been shooting great goals left and right in MLS and that showed when he won the Golden Boot. Going through the Supporter Shield winners to rip a terrific strike is a brilliant individual effort.
2) Taylor Kemp – Real Salt Lake vs. D.C. United – August 1
To watch Taylor Kemp defy the laws of physics with this shot is something that should be played on repeat. The skill it takes to shoot from the outside of your left foot, curve from right to left and go into the top right corner of the goal is some amount of skill that isn’t seen in just anybody.
1) Krisztian Nemeth – Portland Timbers vs. Sporting Kansas City – October 3
This goal was voted MLS Goal of the Year and with good reason. Similar to Giovinco’s individual effort, Nemeth took it upon himself to march down the field and score. And he did it against the MLS champs.
