With the 2022 Major League Soccer season upon us, it's time to look ahead to the upcoming season by breaking down the league's biggest stars.
Of course attacking talent makes headlines, but that's not all as we look across the league for the most talented, most valuable, and most skilled players.
It was extremely difficult to pick just 10 players, with some serious talent left off that list, but this represents the best of the best in the league as MLS enters its 27th season of competition.
| Player | Odds |
| Carlos Vela | +373 |
| Javier Hernandez | +800 |
| Josef Martinez | +900 |
| Raul Ruidiaz | +1000 |
| Cristian Arango | +1100 |
*Odds courtesy of Sports Interaction.
Here are the 10 best players in the league going into 2022, with a list of Honorable Mentions. We'll see if they can deliver for their teams during the season.
MORE: Who are the top young prospects in MLS for 2022?
Top 10 MLS players for the 2022 season
10. Maxi Moralez (CM, NYCFC)
Last year's top goal scorer, Valentin 'Taty' Castellanos, gets the plaudits on NYCFC, and rightly so, but the most important player on the defending MLS Cup Champions is the man in the engine room.
Maxi Moralez is the league's best passer from the center of the pitch, and he dictated play over 2,800 minutes last season. At 34 years old, it's hard to imagine he can replicate those numbers, but if he does, NYCFC has a fabulous chance of repeating as champs.
Castellanos's goal haul relies heavily on Moralez's production as well, just as any striker relies on the production of those in support.
9. Luiz Araujo (FW, Atlanta United)
A relative newcomer to the league (signed Aug. 6, 2021), Araujo was an instant hit in Atlanta through the second half of last season. At 25 years old, Araujo has excellent versatility, with the ability to play back in midfield, or either up front or on the right side of the attacking line.
MLS writer Sam Jones says Araujo is "magic" at Atlanta United training, and if he brings that magic to the field in 2022, the Atlanta United front line could prove a vicious attacking force.
8. Carles Gil (CM, New England Revolution)
The New England creative force was fabulous last season, and his final tally of four goals and league-leading 18 assists could have been even greater if not for some time missed due to injury in August. That still didn't prevent him from winning the league's MVP award.
It's clear that Gil is one of the more productive attacking midfielders in the league, and in his prime at 29. years old, the Spaniard is a threat for another big campaign.
New England's squad was already dangerous enough, and now with the acquisition of Sebastian Lletget — who was in consideration for this list — the Revs seem primed for another run at the season's top regular season prize and possibly a deep run in the postseason, as well.
7. Hany Mukhtar (ACM, Nashville SC)
You'd be hard pressed to find a bigger jump from average to league star than Mukhtar's 2021 season.
After scoring four and assisting three in 15 matches across the COVID-shortened 2020 season, Mukhtar skyrocketed into orbit with a double-double 2021 campaign (16 goals, 10 assists), and a boom through the regular season's second half and playoffs that earned him MVP consideration.
His earlier struggles in Germany and Norway prior to MLS mean Mukhtar doesn't yet have the body of work to rate higher up this list. Still, if he can recapture his 2021 form and carry it through 2022, Mukhtar can continue to change the narrative.
6. Valentin Castellanos (FW, NYCFC)
This group is packed with attacking players, but we would be remiss to leave the reigning Golden Boot winner off a forward-heavy list.
After bagging a league-leading 22 goals (including playoffs) across last season and logging a ridiculous 3,000 minutes, Castellanos was already off the mark before the MLS season began with a brace in the CONCACAF Champions League opener.
MORE: How NYCFC won its first MLS Cup
At just 23 years old, the Argentine is one of the best young talents in the entire league and has a fantastic career ahead. It's possible he could even earn a timely call-up for Argentina in the near future, although that seems more likely after the World Cup, as it's unlikely Luis Scaloni will want to introduce new players so close to the big dance. Either way, he should be considered for that honor soon if this form continues.
5. Carlos Vela (FW, LAFC)
Carlos Vela struggled through a difficult 2021 season beset by a nagging hamstring problem that ate up his entire September and October, and was clearly a problem after as well.
Even before that, he was showing signs of regression, with five goals and five assists in 17 games prior to his time away. At 32 years old and with an expiring contract, Vela needs a big season to prove he's still one of the most dangerous attackers in the league.
Still, Vela has provided some of the most magical moments in recent MLS history, and his capabilities when fully fit are unquestioned. Even last season, nearly all his goal contributions came across an 11-game stretch during which he showed flashes of his best self. When he's in that kind of form, there's no stopping both Vela and LAFC.
4. Lorenzo Insigne (FW, Toronto FC)
Insigne is a massive get for Toronto FC, and he makes the top half of this list even though he won't be joining until midseason.
Still, there's a lot for the Italian to prove. He has suffered through a very difficult season at Napoli, with just six league goals in 20 appearances, beset by nagging calf and adductor injuries. He will be 31 years old by the time he arrives in Canada.
Insigne has been a recurring member of the Italy squad since 2016, but if Italy gets through a difficult qualification path and reaches the 2022 World Cup, Insigne will need to prove he has plenty left in the tank to make Roberto Mancini's group this winter.
3. Xherdan Shaqiri (CM/LW, Chicago Fire)
Like Insigne, Shaqiri comes to MLS on the heels of a difficult European club spell. His time at Lyon did not go as planned, left further and further adrift of the squad as the season progressed.
Unlike the Italian, Shaqiri decided to come to the United States immediately, and will have the full fixture list to get his feet under him in a new league. Chicago has made a number of offseason moves to get younger, and Shaqiri's presence will no doubt be a boost for the up-and-comers. But his first job will be to contribute on the field.
A 15-20 goals haul and double-digit assists seems well within reach for Shaqiri this season.
The A̶l̶p̶i̶n̶e Lake Michigan Messi. #cf97 | @XS_11official pic.twitter.com/ekiHoGhIoY
— Chicago Fire FC (@ChicagoFire) February 9, 2022
2. Walker Zimmerman (CB, Nashville SC)
It's hard to overstate just how important Walker Zimmerman has become to Nashville SC. Just ask LAFC.
When Zimmerman was traded from LAFC to Nashville in the 2019 offseason, the west coast club plummeted down the standings the following season thanks in large part to a much leakier defense. In 2019, LAFC conceded 37 goals across 34 games to win the Western Conference. In 2020, they conceded more goals in far fewer matches, with 39 goals allowed in just 21 games (in a COVID-shortened season).
All Zimmerman did at Nashville was win MLS Defender of the Year honors in consecutive seasons, and he's grown into a critical part of the USMNT's push toward 2022 World Cup qualification.
A rock at center back is an extremely valuable piece, and at 28 years old, Zimmerman has developed into one of the league's best players.
1. Josef Martinez (FW, Atlanta United)
Like Vela, Martinez took a big step back last season. Unlike Vela, he still managed to log significant time over the course of the campaign and finished with double-digit goals.
Still, the Atlanta United attack is not what it once was, proving it takes more than one superstar to make a team tick.
Martinez remains one of — if not the — most dangerous player in the league. He needs help up front, which is why the club spent big on Thiago Almada and Luiz Araujo in recent months. Almada is one for the future and still needs development, but Araujo showed his capabilities, taking only a few matches to find his MLS footing before delivering four goals and three assists down the stretch last season.
Martinez's form next season — and more importantly his consistency — will go a long way toward determining whether Atlanta United pushes for an Eastern Conference title or ends up squeaking into the playoffs and bowing out early.
Honorable Mentions
Here are some players who just missed the cut for the Top 10:
Matt Turner (GK, New England Revolution)
Turner will only be in MLS for another half-season, but his move to Arsenal is a clear indication of his talent.
Andre Blake (GK, Philadelphia Union)
Easily the league's best remaining goalkeeper once Turner departs, Blake's steadiness has peaked into match-winning performances.
Aaron Long (CB, NY Red Bulls)
Long is returning from an ACL tear, but with the defender back to 100 percent, he could challenge Zimmerman for Defender of the Year honors.
Kai Wagner (LB, Philadelphia Union)
One of the league's bright young fullback talents, Wagner is one of the standouts on a Philadelphia squad lacking high-profile stars.
Mark-Anthony Kaye (CM, Colorado Rapids)
Kaye's development has been slow, but he showed flashes of brilliance at LAFC, and if he can continue to cut down on the disciplinary issues, he could be one of the league's best No. 8's.
Facundo Torres (ACM, Orlando City SC)
It's tough to put a total newcomer onto the Top 10 list with little to back it up from elsewhere, but at just 21 years old, Torres is already an accomplished player.
Raul Ruidiaz (FW, Seattle Sounders)
Ruidiaz has double-digit goals in all four of his MLS campaigns, including the COVID-shortened 2020 season. He's as consistent as goalscorers come.
Brian White (FW, Vancouver Whitecaps)
The American doesn't have quite the resume to back up a spot on the list, but 12 goals and five assists last season after moving from the Red Bulls certainly caught the eye.
Javier 'Chicharito' Hernandez (FW, LA Galaxy)
What could have been an historic season last year was cruelly cut short by a calf injury, and at 33 years old Chicharito's biggest enemy is his health, but when he's on the field he can still be one of the league's best. He just missed out on a Top 10 spot.
