With 2020 approaching, Goal has decided to pick out the best players to have graced the league over the past 10 years
Russ IsabellaGK: Nick Rimando
There may have been more talented goalkeepers to grace MLS over the past 10 years, but there have been none as consistent as Nick Rimando.
On the heels of an MVP campaign, the Real Salt Lake legend kickstarted the decade with a historic 2010 season that saw him set the record for fewest goals conceded in a single campaign.
Rimando made six All-Star teams this decade while saving a league-record 22 penalty kicks throughout his career, proving a consistently dominant keeper in a league where the position always seems to be in flux.
As he steps away from the game, Rimando's stats speak volumes, leaving him with a legacy that sees him exit as unquestionably the most accomplished goalkeeper to ever play in the league.
AdvertisementWinslow TownsonCB: Matt Besler
For virtually the entire decade, Sporting Kansas City counted themselves among the league's top teams, contending year after year atop the standings.
Matt Besler was a focal point for the entirety of that run, as he came to represent a team and a system that somehow achieved the same results despite the shifts around them.
Originally drafted in 2009, Besler immediately became a fixture in the Sporting KC backline, and nothing has changed in the decade since. He has shattered several club records during that time, as he leads all players in games played, games started and minutes played both in MLS and in all competitions.
The Sporting KC captain drew overseas interest after featuring at the 2014 World Cup, but he and teammate Graham Zusi committed their future to the team, where they have remained mainstays ever since.
With an MLS Cup and three U.S. Open Cups to his name, Besler's team success rivals any in MLS, and his 2012 Defender of the Year and four All-Star appearances illustrate his success at an individual level as well.
Jennifer BuchananCB: Chad Marshall
If one were to make a team for the previous decade, Chad Marshall's name might just end up on the list, and the fact that his name is among the headliners on this one as well should tell you all you need to know about the defender's career.
After becoming a fixture for the Columbus Crew in 2004 and captaining the side through the early half of the decade, Marshall became an integral part of the Sounders' surge to the postseason year after year once he was traded to Seattle.
A three-time Defender of the Year, Marshall helped the Sounders claim a Supporters' Shield, a U.S. Open Cup and, ultimately, a highly-coveted MLS Cup in 2016 while forming the backbone for a team that was a contender from day one. He was often overshadowed as he never broke through on the international stage, but there are few defenders in MLS history as reliable as Marshall.
Clint Dempsey and Ozzie Alonso's departures felt like a changing of the guard for the Sounders, but Marshall's retirement this past summer was truly the end of an era.
Kyle TeradaCB: Omar Gonzalez
It's easy to forget just how good Omar Gonzalez was during his time with the LA Galaxy.
The defender spent several years out of the American soccer spotlight after moving to Liga MX in 2016, and his resurfacing during the ill-fated 2018 World Cup qualifying disaster left many with a bad taste. Still, make no mistake, Gonzalez is one of the best defenders MLS has ever seen.
The former Galaxy star won MLS Defender of the Year in 2011 and finished top three in the voting in 2013 and 2014. He helped anchor the Galaxy defense en route to MLS Cups in 2011, 2012 and 2014, proving a mainstay in one of the most dominant periods the league has ever seen. Gonzalez was ultimately the first defender to earn a Designated Player deal, and he was worth every penny.
He was often overlooked and overshadowed by his illustrious big-name teammates, but Gonzalez was as vital to the Galaxy's early-decade dynasty as any of them.