We can’t get over the crazy MLS top scorers chart of 2024: Messi, Suarez…
The new MLS campaign is now underway and former Barcelona, Celtic and Liverpool stars are among the top scorers of the season so far.
Football Soccer in the United States has grown immensely over the last few decades and as a result, plenty of superstars from around the globe have been attracted to the league.
We’ve taken a closer look at the top scorers of the season so far and have compiled them into a top 10 list.
Note: when players are tied on goals, we have ordered them by their goals per 90 ratio.
10. Robin Lod – 2 goals
Currently averaging a goal every 91 minutes, Lod takes the 10th spot ahead of the likes of Lorenzo Insigne, Riqui Puig, Robert Taylor and Teemu Pukki who have also scored two goals.
Having played for Minnesota United since 2019, Lod is now one of the longest-serving players at the club. Across 109 appearances for the club, the Finland international has bagged 28 goals which isn’t too shabby.
9. Cucho Hernandez – 3 goals
The Colombian forward joined Columbus Crew in the summer of 2022 for a club-record $10million fee. Since making the lucrative switch from Watford, Hernandez has been among the club’s top performers.
He managed to bag 24 goals across all competitions last season and he’s looked just as prolific this time around. Currently averaging a goal every 149 minutes, he earns the ninth spot on this list for the time being.
8. Antony – 3 goals
The 22-year-old Brazilian winger joined Portland Timbers last summer and he’s wasted no time in proving his worth. With three goals in his first five games this season, he already looks like a hit at Providence Park.
7. Lionel Messi – 3 goals
Come the end of the season, we wouldn’t be surprised to see Messi at the top of this list. Of course, the 36-year-old is far more than just a goalscorer, but his scoring figures regularly rank among the best in the world.
Despite missing a couple of matches through injury, Messi still makes the top 10 scorers list having scored three goals in just 270 minutes of MLS action.
His best performance of the season so far came against local rivals Orlando City as Messi managed to score a brace in Inter Miami’s emphatic 5-0 triumph.
With Messi in this kind of form, there’s every chance that Gerardo Martino’s side win some silverware this season.
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6. Matias Coccaro – 3 goals
The Uruguayan forward is averaging a strike in MLS every 76.6 minutes which is a slightly better record than Messi currently boasts.
With well-taken goals against Inter Miami and Chicago Fire, Coccaro is one of Montreal’s most exciting players to watch right now.
5. Luis Suarez – 4 goals
He might be 37 years old, but Suarez still knows how to find the back of the net. Now reunited with Messi, Jordi Alba and Sergio Busquets, Suarez has taken to MLS with ease.
The legendary forward spent last season with Gremio where he scored 29 goals and he looks just as prolific in his new surroundings.
Having scored four goals from an xG of just 1.8, he also ranks as the second-most clinical player in the league right now. We wouldn’t be surprised if he ends 2024 with yet another Golden Boot.
READ: The 16 former Premier League stars currently playing in MLS: Tottenham icon, Liverpool cult hero…
4. Christian Benteke – 4 goals
MLS is ripe with former Premier League ballers and Benteke has looked reborn since moving to the States. The former Aston Villa, Liverpool and Crystal Palace star has been one of DC United’s top performers since his arrival in 2022.
He finished last season as the club’s top scorer with an impressive 14 goals in 31 league appearances. If he maintains his current scoring rate of a goal every 67.5 minutes, he’ll blow his tally from last season out of the water.
3. Giorgos Giakoumakis – 4 goals
Since making the switch from Celtic to Atlanta United, Giakoumakis hasn’t stopped scoring. Last season he put 17 goals away in MLS and he’s been just as prolific this time around.
In just 259 minutes of football, the Greek forward has scored four goals while also providing an assist. If Atlanta United want to reach the playoffs again this year, Giakoumakis’ goals will be key.
2. Dejan Joveljic – 5 goals
With Javier Hernandez now out of the picture, Joveljic has stepped up as LA Galaxy’s main scoring threat. He’s already scored five goals this season which is just one shy of his tally from the entirety of last season.
If the 24-year-old continues to score at his current rate, he’ll be in for the most prolific season of his career to date. Watch this space.
1. Lewis Morgan – 5 goals
After enduring an injury-hit campaign last time around, Morgan has returned with a bang for New York Red Bulls this season.
The former Celtic and Inter Miami forward is averaging a strike every 64.6 minutes and having overperformed his xG by 3.7 goals, he’s also been the most clinical player in MLS this year.
Morgan’s finest moment of the season so far came against his former side as he bagged a hat-trick against Inter Miami to secure an emphatic 4-0 victory.
With the Scottish forward scoring at his current rate, New York Red Bulls could take some stopping this year.
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