Many goals have been scored in the 20 years of Major League Soccer's existence, some simple, others epic. Here at The18, we decided to pick the 18 most epic MLS goals in Major League Soccer history that showcase the quality of the league.
These goal are not in any particular order.
(Just a warning about the quality: the older the video, the worse the quality. We know. We wish they had HD digital cameras back then too.)
Related: Who Are The Highest Paid Players In The MLS?
The Top 18 MLS Goals Of All Time
#18 – Dwayne de Rosario’s free kick vs. Los Angeles in 2005:
Few free kicks will make this list of MLS goals, but this is one of them. What makes this epic is the power and the curve that de Rosario puts on the ball that makes it curve around the wall.
#17 – Obafemi Martins’s chip vs San Jose in 2014:
Martins just takes the first-time shot at a difficult angle and chips it over Jon Busch.
#16 – Darlington Nagbe juggle shot vs Kansas City in 2011:
This is one of the reasons why you learn to juggle the ball in soccer. Well this, and to better your ball control. Here the goalkeeper punches the ball away from goal only to land on the feet of Darlington Nagbe who juggles it twice and then fires a rocket right back to the goal. All without the ball touching the ground. Amazing MLS goal.
#15 – Marcelo Balboa’s bicycle kick vs Columbus in 2000:
There’s been plenty of bicycle kick goals in MLS. There are ones where the ball deflects upwards and comes right down to a player. More impressive are the ones like Balboa’s that are just straight from a cross where he just turns around and shoot it on a dime.
#14 – Graham Zusi’s long-range free kick vs Dallas in 2011:
Here another free kick. It makes the list because of the distance. It’s nearly at mid-field. It takes an amazing mix of power and accuracy to put a shot like that past the goalkeeper.
#13 – Clint Mathis’s amazing run vs Dallas in 2001:
He just takes the ball from beyond midfield and just runs with it, dribbling past two players and putting it in the back of the net.
#12 – Thierry Henry’s Olympic goal vs Columbus in 2012:
Honestly, there are many epic Henry MLS goals. It’s hard to choose one but this one is special within itself. An Olympico goal is a corner kick that goes into the goal. A rare feat that of course one of the greatest players of all time can pull off.
#11 – Federico Higuain outside the box chip vs Portland in 2014:
When it comes to chipping the goalkeeper, it’s usually one-on-one situation within the box and the goalkeeper is kind away from the goal. This is not the case. Higuain chips the ball from outside the box and over the goalkeeper, who is standing right in front of the goal.
#10 –Diego Fagundez’s volley kick vs Chicago in 2015:
Fagundez was in the right place at the right time after the ball popped up in the air and fell to him, he just first-timed it in with a deadly volley.
#9 – Eric Hassli’s goal vs Seattle in 2011:
Hassli wasn’t even facing the goal, he doesn’t even look at it when he takes the shot but he just senses where the goal is and fires it in.
#8 – Dax McCarty’s diving header vs Salt Lake in 2013:
Minutes into extra time, McCarty makes the run into the box and meets cross with a diving header to gave the Red Bulls the 4-3 win.
#7 – Ronnie Ekelund’s free kick vs Columbus in 2002:
These are the type of free kicks you don’t see any more today. Richard Mulrooney set the ball up for Ekelund to blast it into the top left corner of the goal.
#6 – Giovinco dribbles towards a goal vs New York in 2015:
Using his perfect touch, he get by three Red Bull defenders and shoots the ball past the goalkeeper.
#5 – Will Johnson’s turn and shoot goal vs Dallas in 2008:
Receive pass, flip ball up, turn and shoot. Goal.
#4 – Landon Donovan vs New England in 2009:
After a bad cross blocked by the New England defense, Donovan just strikes the ball on his first touch and just watches it curve past the goalkeeper into the net.
#3 – Juan Agudelo’s backheel chip over the goalkeeper vs Chicago in 2013:
Agudelo sees the lob pass and slightly overruns it, but makes the best of it. He just gives it a flick with his heel and it makes it across the line.
#2 – Adam Moffat’s outside the box volley vs New England in 2013:
Moffat just saw the defender's ball coming towards him and decided to give a wonderful left-footed strike.
#1 – Marco Etcheverry dribbling in the box vs. New England in 1997:
It was a different time in soccer back then. Dribbling like Etcheverry did in box with contact from defenders would just be met today with diving. Etcheverrey fought and dribbled his way through the defense to score this goal. (Etcheverry's goal is the second is this compilation video. The others are just a bonus.)
