2024 MLS Season: The 11 Best American Players

Not a single United States Men's National Team-eligible player made the MLS Best XI in the 2024 season.

Naturally, great players who have thrived in Europe's top leagues led the way, with the likes of Lionel Messi, Jordi Alba, Riqui Puig, Christian Benteke and Juan 'Cucho' Hernandez being among the biggest names.

But plenty of American players had great seasons, and they also deserve recognition.

Here, we have a full starting 11 of Americans who finished the season in MLS. All stats are courtesy of FBRef, and players' rankings in each category will be in parentheses next to the stat. Goalkeeper rankings are among GKs only, while outfielder stats are ranked among all outfield players.

GK: Brad Stuver, Austin FC

Key stats: 6.6 goals prevented (4th), 129 total saves (1st), 77.5 save percentage (1st), 8 clean sheets (T-5th), 23.5 clean sheet percentage (14th), 48 goals conceded (10th-most), 7.3 percent of crosses stopped (5th), 1,174 passes attempted (1st among goalies)

Brad Stuver ranked among the best goalkeepers in every important stat for the position, while playing for a poor Austin FC team. Austin faced the sixth-most shots on target of all MLS teams this season, and they conceded the 13th-fewest goals thanks to the man between the sticks.

Plus, Stuver was one of three players to play every minute of the MLS season. One of the other two players was Charlotte FC 'keeper Kristijan Kahlina, who made the MLS Best XI. At 33, Stuver is not the goalie of the future for Mauricio Pochettino's USMNT, but he might just deserve a call-up.

RB: Brooks Lennon, Atlanta United

Key stats: 7 total assists (T-23rd), 256 crosses (3rd), 72 key passes (T-11th), 48 passes into penalty area (27th), 33 crosses into penalty area (2nd), 8.2 expected assists (12th), 91 progressive carries (T-19th), 39 interceptions (T-26th), 31 tackles won (T-63rd)

The right-back pick for this XI came down to Brooks Lennon's offensive ability against Sporting Kansas City RB Jake Davis' defensive ability. Lennon, who is among the best American playmakers in MLS, gets the edge thanks to his seven assists along with zero errors leading to an opponent's shot.

Unfortunately for Lennon, he suffered a dislocated shoulder 20 minutes into the first game of the first round best-of-three playoff series against Lionel Messi and Inter Miami. He did score the opening goal of his team's Wild Card round win over CF Montreal.

CB: Aaron Long, Los Angeles FC

Key stats: 79.1 percent aerial duels won (1st), 48 blocks (8th), +17.6 expected goals plus/minus (4th), 89.7 percent passes completed (23rd), 121 clearances (16th), +0.67 expected goals plus/minus per 90 minutes (9th)

While FC Cincinnati and USMNT center back Miles Robinson deserves recognition for his imperiousness in the air this season, Aaron Long was a truly complete center back for LAFC en route to the team's first-placed finish in the Western Conference.

Long did not make any mistakes that led to opponent's shots, he won a league-high 79.1 percent of his aerial duels, LAFC gave up just 1.02 goals per game - considerably less than its season average of 1.26 goals conceded per game - when he played, and his team out-created its opponents by 0.67 xG per game when he was on the pitch.

CB: Jackson Ragen, Seattle Sounders FC

Key stats: +12.2 expected goals plus/minus (23rd), +17 plus/minus (T-34th), 0.96 goals conceded per 90 minutes (13th), 89.9 percent passes completed (21st), 67.6 percent aerial duels won (15th)

Jackson Ragen is another example of a complete center back, and the 26-year-old Seattle native was a key cog in the league's best defense. Ragen led his team in minues played, and he's a great example of a defender who keeps his position and is patient when it comes to stepping out to make a challenge.

Seattle did better with Ragen on the pitch than it did without him, which is a key indicator for a center back's performance. The Sounders outscored opponents by 16 goals for the 2024 season, but in Ragen's 33 appearances, they outscored opponents by 17 goals. Plus, they were about 0.6 xG better with him on the field than without him.

LB: John Tolkin, New York Red Bulls

Key stats: 171 crosses (9th), 56 key passes (21st), 11 crosses into penalty area (T-36th), 4.4 expected assists (T-50th), 3.54 shot-creating actions per 90 minutes (T-59th), 35 blocks (57th), 73 tackles plus interceptions (81st), +8.6 expected goals plus/minus (63rd)

While the front three of Emil Forsberg, Lewis Morgan and Dante Vanzeir is what drove the Red Bulls from a seventh-place regular season finish in the Eastern Conference all the way to the MLS Cup Final, left-back John Tolkin has been a major contributor to the team's success.

Tolking contributed the game-winning assist in the 1-0 win over Orlando City SC in the Eastern Conference Finals, and he has averaged a 7.63 player rating through four MLS Cup Playoff matches this season, per Opta statistics. His stats don't jump off the page, but he is one of his team's set piece takers and is one of the most creative fullbacks in the league.

DM: James Sands, New York City FC

Key stats: 54 tackles won (3rd), 126 tackles plus interceptions (2nd), 6.8 recoveries per 90 minutes (12th), 44 blocks (18th), 86.5 percent passes completed (82nd), 169 passes into final third (14th), +8.6 expected goals plus/minus (63rd)

James Sands might be a boring player, but he is the type of player every single good team needs. Sands has no issues when it comes to doing the dirty work, as shown by his stellar marks in winning tackles, intercepting passes and recovering loose balls.

The 24-year-old defensive midfielder has a long career ahead of him thanks to his mentality and ability to cover ground. While his plus/minus for the season was +4 - one goal less than NYCFC's +5 goal differential - the +8.6 xG differential NYCFC posted with Sands playing is a notable improvement upon the team's season-long +7.5 xG differential.

CM: Darlington Nagbe, Columbus Crew

Key stats: 95.8 percent passes completed (1st), 88.7 percent of passes over 30 yards completed (2nd), 59 fouls drawn (10th), 5.6 recoveries per 90 minutes (60th), 113 passes into final third (T-67th), +26 plus/minus (T-6th), +11.9 xG plus/minus (22nd)

Darlington Nagbe has been one of the smoothest players in MLS for his entire career. The 34-year-old no longer accepts USMNT call-ups as he wants to spend time with his family, but even still, he has been a key player for his team in all four of his MLS Cup-winning campaigns.

Nagbe is tied for third all time with four MLS Cups to his name, and he is the leader in MLS Cups among active players. It's easy to see why: he glides through the midfield, wins fouls, and does not misplace passes. Every team can use a player like him.

AM: Djordje Mihailovic, Colorado Rapids

Key stats: 11 total goals (T-27th), 10 total assists (T-9th), 4 penalty goals (T-3rd), 11.6 expected goals (T-18th), 9.0 expected assists (10th), 195 progressive passes (17th), 87 key passes (6th), 64 passes into penalty area (10th), 6.3 shot-creating actions per 90 minutes (5th), 28 successful take-ons (T-54th)

Djordje Mihailovic returned to MLS after an ill-fated 18-month stay with AZ Alkmaar in the Netherlands, and upon re-joining the Colorado Rapids, he began to show why he earned that move to Europe in the first place. He was one of eight players in MLS to reach 10+ goals and 10+ assists in 2024.

This season, the 26-year-old attacking midfielder was exactly what an MLS team wants its designated players to be. He carried the ball, made his teammates better, scored goals and even took penalty kicks. In just about every metric that judges a player's creativity, he was the top-ranked American in MLS.

Wing: Diego Luna, Real Salt Lake

Key stats: 8 total goals (T-48th), 8 total assists (T-21), 36 successful take-ons (T-33rd), 4.4 shot-creating actions per 90 minutes (28th), 52 key passes (T-27th), 33 fouls drawn (T-84th), +13.2 expected goals plus/minus (15th), +0.84 on-off plus/minus (75th)

Diego Luna, the 21-year-old winger for Real Salt Lake, proved this season that he can affect games in many ways. While none of his stats are at an elite level like those of Mihailovic, his end product cannot be disputed.

Another key stat that proves Luna's value is his on-off plus/minus, which subtracts the team's goal differential without the player on the pitch from its differential with the player on the pitch. This shows that RSL averages a much better scoring margin with Luna than without him thanks to his ability to dribble, find teammates in dangerous areas and create chances for himself.

Wing: Quinn Sullivan, Philadelphia Union

Key stats: 5 total goals (T-83rd), 8 total assists (T-21st), 7.4 expected assists (T-18th), 116 progressive carries (10th), 28 successful take-ons (T-54th), 109 touches in attacking penalty area (34th), 62 carries into final third (T-20th), 40 carries into penalty area (T-11th), 43 key passes (T-44th), 47 passes into penalty area (T-29th)

Quinn Sullivan grew from a bit-part academy graduate with potential into a bona fide MLS impact player this season. His five goals and eight assists are both career-highs, he played the sixth-most minutes of all Philadelphia Union players in 2024, and his numbers show he was one of the best USMNT-eligible creative players in the league.

Sullivan mostly played on one side of former Union coach Jim Curtin's 4-4-2 diamond. With Curtin having departed the club after Philly missed the playoffs, it seems as though the club will target a coach who gets the team to control games much more than Curtin did, which should benefit Sullivan by giving him more chances to score, assist and create space for his teammates through his dribbling.

Striker: Brian White, Vancouver Whitecaps

Key stats: 15 total goals (T-9th), 2 total assists (T-147th), 12.8 expected goals (13th), 0.55 goals per 90 minutes (22nd), 0.99 shots on target per 90 minutes (T-57th), 2.2 goals scored above expected (T-32nd), 120 touches in attacking penalty area (T-25th), 78 aerial duels won (6th)

As the top-scoring American player in the 2024 MLS season, Brian White earns a spot in this XI. White has formed an exciting partnership with Scottish attacking midfielder Ryan Gauld in Vancouver over the last few seasons, and this was the American forward's second consecutive year with 15 goals.

White plays for the team that kept the ninth-smallest share of possession (47.6 percent) and he received fewer total touches of the ball per game than the 24 players ahead of him in the touches in attacking penalty area statistical category. That means he has had to make the most of every opportunity he gets, and he has done just that throughout his MLS career.

The Bench

GK: Patrick Schulte, Columbus Crew

Key stats: 3.1 goals saved above expected (10th), 1.07 goals against per 90 minutes (2nd), 74.3 save percentage (7th), 37.0 percent clean sheet rate (2nd), 4.6 percent crosses stopped (T-19th)

CB: Miles Robinson, FC Cincinnati

Key stats: 72.6 percent aerial duels won (5th), 78.6 percent dribblers tackled (3rd)

FB: Jake Davis, Sporting Kansas City

Key stats: 101 tackles plus interceptions (T-21st) 40 blocks (T-29th), 60 crosses (80th), 17 switches of play (T-43rd), 11 crosses into penalty area (T-36th)

MID: Emeka Eneli, Real Salt Lake

Key stats: 8.21 ball recoveries per 90 minutes (1st), 52 interceptions (4th),46 blocks (T-10th), 106 tackles plus interceptions (T-10th), 89.4 percent passes completed (T-26th), 84.4 percent passes over 30 yards completed (3rd)

MID: Julian Gressel, Inter Miami

Key stats: 9 total assists (T-14th), 2.13 points per match (7th), 6 successful through balls (T-40th), 3.0 shot-creating actions per game (T-100th)

MID: Cole Bassett, Colorado Rapids

Key stats: 9 total goals (T-40th), 7 total assists (T-23rd), 184 passes into final third (12th), 223 progressive carries (9th) 77 progressive carries (T-29th)

ATT: Jordan Morris, Seattle Sounders

Key stats: 13 total goals (T-20th), 4 assists (T-68th), 0.61 expected goals plus expected assists per 90 minutes (T-35th), 43 key passes (T-44th)

ATT: Duncan McGuire, Orlando City

Key stats: 10 total goals (T-30th), 0.56 goals per 90 minutes (T-20th), 0.4 expected goals per 90 minutes (T-44th)

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