The MLS Cup Playoffs, presented by AT&T, are back.
After a weekend off due to the FIFA international date, the MLS postseason resumes on Nov. 23-24 with the first leg of the Conference Championships. It's another chance for players to etch their names in the history books among the all-time playoff greats.
But figuring out exactly which players are the best in MLS playoff history isn't easy. We put it to the MLSsoccer.com editors to come up with their all-time MLS Best XI in postseason history, and here's what they came up with. Leave us your thoughts in the comments section below.
Goalkeeper: Nick Rimando
One of the toughest positions to pick because of the depth of goalkeeping talent through the years in MLS, but we’ll take the Wall of the Wasatch. He won a crucial shootout in the Eastern Conference final en route to winning his first MLS Cup title with D.C. United on 2004, and he almost single-handedly carried Real Salt Lake to the title in 2009. That year, Rimando posted a shutout and shootout win in the conference championship, then won another shootout in the final against LA to become just the second goalkeeper to win the MLS Cup MVP award. With two rings and 13 career postseason shutouts, and you’ve got your man.
Honorable Mention:Pat Onstad, Kevin Hartman,Joe Cannon
Right Back: Jay Heaps
Perhaps there were others who burned brighter, but few were as steady. Heaps appeared in 28 postseason games with the New England Revolution when they were really good, and he played every minute of every playoff game for the team’s MLS-record eight straight postseason appearances from 2002-09. Although he never won one, Heaps started four MLS Cup title games.
Honorable Mention: Craig Waibel, Tony Sanneh
Center Back: Eddie Pope
Perhaps the best center back the United States has ever produced, Pope was one of the heroes of D.C. United's early domination. He logged 23 postseason games with D.C. from 1996-99 and won three MLS Cups. Of course, Pope forever etched his name in MLS history books by scoring the game-winner in the inaugural MLS Cup title game, a thundering header that is still one of the league’s most iconic moments.
Center Back: Jeff Agoos
One of only two players to appear in six MLS Cup title games and one of three to win five league titles, Agoos was a rock for both D.C. United and the San Jose Earthquakes. Yes, he played some left back for D.C. back in the day, but he leads all defenders in career postseason appearances – 39 in total, third in league history – and ranks second all-time in postseason minutes played. He played a part in the playoffs every year from 1996-2005.
Honorable Mention: Carlos Llamosa, Eddie Robinson, Omar Gonzalez, C.J. Brown
Left Back: Todd Dunivant
Though injury has largely kept him on the shelf for the LA Galaxy this year, Dunivant’s postseason legacy is safe. He played a limited role for the MLS Cup-winning Earthquakes in 2003, but he has started in four title games since 2005, all with the Galaxy. Dunivant is one of nine players to win at least four four championships in his career, and he played every minute of the postseason during LA’s back-to-back title runs in 2011-12.
Honorable Mention:Wade Barrett
Defensive Midfielder: Chris Armas
Another spot with tough competition, but the former Fire great gets the nod. He played in the first MLS Cup as a member of the Galaxy in 1996 and then logged every minute of three more title games with Chicago, winning the only ring of his career with the Fire in 1998. Fourth all-time in postseason minutes played over 37 appearances, Armas averaged just two fouls per game in his postseason career and somehow managed to earn only five yellow cards.
Honorable Mention: Shalrie Joseph, Kyle Beckerman, Richie Williams
Right Midfielder: Brian Mullan
While it’s almost impossible to edge out a legend like Cobi Jones on the right wing, Mullan has the number that matters: 5. Mullan is one of just three players to win five MLS Cup titles, and he did it with four clubs: Galaxy, Earthquakes, Dynamo, Rapids. Though his postseason numbers cannot match Jones – who ranks as the all-time leader in postseason games and minutes played – Mullan's nine assists include two of the quickest responses to an opponent's goal in MLS history, both coming in championship games (2003, 2006) within seconds of the ensuing kickoff. Perhaps more than anyone, he embodied the gritty, get-it-done mentality of Dominic Kinnear-coached teams.
Honorable Mention: Cobi Jones
Left Midfielder: Landon Donovan
Maybe Donovan could fit at forward or right mid, but he’s just fine here too. A five-time MLS Cup winner and the all-time league leader in postseason goals, he has twice as many game-winning goals in the playoffs as anyone else. If he picks up two more assists this year, he’ll become the all-time leader there too. He’s also a two-time MLS Cup MVP (2003, 2011) and he has five goals in MLS Cup finals. No one else has more than two.
Honorable Mention:Brad Davis, Ned Grabavoy
Attacking Mid:Marco Etcheverry
Another key cog from the glory days of D.C. United, Etcheverry beats out a field of the best playmakers in league history. Though he never amassed the career postseason numbers of LA playmaker Mauricio Cienfuegos or Kansas City wizard Preki, Etcheverry burned brighter than anyone in the league’s early days. He was the MVP of the league’s first MLS Cup in 1996 – he had two assists that day – and won two more titles with DC in 1997 and 1999. The final year of that run was perhaps his best, when he scored a goal and dished out six assists in six games en route to D.C. winning its third championship.
Honorable Mention:Mauricio Cienfuegos, Preki, Peter Nowak
Forward: Jaime Moreno
One of the best forwards in league history, Moreno is also a four-time MLS Cup winner and was the MVP of the final in 1997 with D.C. United. He ranks second all-time behind Donovan in points (12 goals, 10 assists in 32 playoff games), and his 1999 postseason was one of the best in league history. That year, he scored at least one goal in every postseason round and finished with five goals in six games, including the one that opened up D.C.’s eventual win over the Galaxy in the MLS Cup.
Forward: Dwayne De Rosario
Few players on this list managed to pop up at just the right time in the postseason like De Ro. A four-time MLS Cup champion, he won the MLS Cup MVP with the Earthquakes in 2001 after scoring the game-winning goal in extra time, and he won another MVP in 2007 with Houston by scoring and assisting in a win over New England. He played a part in the playoffs every year from 2001-08 and saved his best for the biggest games, scoring two goals and adding two assists in four appearances in the MLS Cup.
Honorable Mention:Brian Ching, Taylor Twellman, Robbie Keane, Ante Razov
