Back in September, we checked in on Major League Soccer's best players with the ball at their feet.
Now that the 2021 regular season is over, we have a more complete picture of the best dribblers in MLS – thanks to stats from Opta – and the results might be a little surprising.
Here are five key facts about who the numbers say are the best stepover, cutback and ankle-breaking wizards in the league.
(NOTE: A completed dribble is defined as when a player advances the ball past an opponent.)
Five key facts
1. TRY AND TRY AGAIN: No none attempted more dribbles than Minnesota United FC playmaker Emanuel Reynoso, who completed 110 of his whopping 203 attempts. In terms of volume, Reynoso was followed by Lucas Zelarayan (93 of 177), Marcelino Moreno (95 of 174) and Luciano Acosta (86 of 161).
2. EMA TIME: League leader Ema Twumasi was remarkably efficient at right back for FC Dallas. The former Generation adidas SuperDraft pick enjoyed a breakout year with 23 appearances (19 starts) after previous loan stints to the USL Championship.
3. DON'T PRESS DARLINGTON: Columbus Crew box-to-box workhorse Darlington Nagbe continued to be the best "get out of jail free card" in the league, completing nearly 80% of his dribbles while playing in the center of the park.
4. A BETTER BARCO: Atlanta United attacker Ezequiel Barco had easily his best MLS season, and his 71.43% dribble completion rate (65 of 91) reinforces why he's often connected with a potential winter move to Europe.
5. IS GIL THE ONE? New England Revolution playmaker Carles Gil slots sixth in dribbles despite attempting more than anyone else in the top 10. Might that also factor into his Landon Donovan MLS MVP candidacy, along with his league-leading 18 assists and 117 key passes?
Here are the top 25 dribbling leaders (by success rate) during the 2021 MLS regular season, with a minimum of 40 dribbles completed:
Player |
Dribbles Completed |
Dribbles Attempted |
Success Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
1. Ema Twumasi (DAL) |
41 |
50 |
82% |
2. Darlington Nagbe (CLB) |
54 |
68 |
79.41% |
3. Ezequiel Barco (ATL) |
65 |
91 |
71.43% |
4. Victor Wanyama (MTL |
48 |
70 |
68.57% |
5. Alvaro Medran (CHI) |
69 |
106 |
65.09% |
6. Carles Gil (NE) |
76 |
117 |
64.96% |
7. Luiz Araujo (ATL) |
51 |
79 |
64.56% |
8. Nani (ORL) |
42 |
67 |
62.69% |
9. Kyle Duncan (RBNY) |
58 |
96 |
60.42% |
10. Eduard Atuesta (LAFC) |
47 |
78 |
60.26% |
11. Latif Blessing (LAFC) |
45 |
75 |
60% |
12. Andy Najar (DC) |
55 |
92 |
59.78% |
T-13. Khiry Shelton (SKC) |
42 |
72 |
58.33% |
T-13. Justin Meram (RSL) |
42 |
72 |
58.33% |
15. Rodolfo Pizarro (MIA) |
45 |
78 |
57.69% |
16. Deiber Caicedo (VAN) |
58 |
102 |
56.86% |
17. Yeferson Soteldo (TOR) |
71 |
128 |
55.47% |
18. Jamiro Monteiro (PHI) |
45 |
82 |
54.88% |
19. Marcelino Moreno (ATL) |
95 |
174 |
54.6% |
20. Emanuel Reynoso (MIN) |
110 |
203 |
54.19% |
21. Luciano Acosta (CIN) |
86 |
161 |
53.42% |
22. Gadi Kinda (SKC) |
48 |
90 |
53.33% |
23. Lucas Zelarayan (CLB) |
93 |
177 |
52.54% |
24. Chofis (SJ) |
46 |
89 |
51.69% |
25. Tomas Pochettino (ATX) |
52 |
101 |
51.49 |
