Diego Chara was one of the main reasons the Portland Timbers won the MLS Cup last season, while Osvaldo Alonso has been one of the best defensive midfielders in MLS since he joined the Seattle Sounders in 2009.
The two rivals will meet again on Sunday as the Timbers and Sounders meet for the second time in a week, this time at Providence Park (5 pm ET, ESPN in US | MLS LIVE in Canada). Alonso is currently No. 1 in the Audi Player Index among defensive midfielders who have played at least 10 games this season.
One of the main reasons that Alonso tops the charts is because of his passing aptitude. Among players who have played at least 10 games, Alonso has the highest passing accuracy at 91.21 percent. Midfielders receive negative points for missing passes in their own half (minus-20) and in the oppositions half (minus-18).
Chara does not feature in the top 10, as he has averaged 86 points per match this season.
Here are the top 10 defensive midfielders in MLS this season, according to the Audi Index. The scores are an average of each player's Audi Index score per game:
RANKING |
SCORE |
PLAYER |
CLUB |
1 |
550 |
<a href="//www.mlssoccer.com/players/osvaldo-alonso" style="color:#000;border-bottom:1px dotted #909090;">Osvaldo Alonso</a> |
SEA |
2 |
350 |
<a href="//www.mlssoccer.com/players/anibal-godoy" style="color:#000;border-bottom:1px dotted #909090;">Anibal Godoy</a> |
SJ |
3 |
339 |
<a href="//www.mlssoccer.com/players/nigel-de-jong" style="color:#000;border-bottom:1px dotted #909090;">Nigel de Jong</a> |
LA |
4 |
333 |
<a href="//www.mlssoccer.com/players/dax-mccarty" style="color:#000;border-bottom:1px dotted #909090;">Dax McCarty</a> |
NY |
5 |
283 |
<a href="//www.mlssoccer.com/players/kyle-beckerman" style="color:#000;border-bottom:1px dotted #909090;">Kyle Beckerman</a> |
RSL |
6 |
273 |
<a href="//www.mlssoccer.com/players/sam-cronin" style="color:#000;border-bottom:1px dotted #909090;">Sam Cronin</a> |
COL |
7 |
269 |
<a href="//www.mlssoccer.com/players/wil-trapp" style="color:#000;border-bottom:1px dotted #909090;">Wil Trapp</a> |
CLB |
8 |
230 |
<a href="//www.mlssoccer.com/players/kellyn-acosta" style="color:#000;border-bottom:1px dotted #909090;">Kellyn Acosta</a> |
DAL |
9 |
198 |
<a href="//www.mlssoccer.com/players/scott-caldwell" style="color:#000;border-bottom:1px dotted #909090;">Scott Caldwell</a> |
NE |
10 |
185 |
<a href="//www.mlssoccer.com/players/fatai-alashe" style="color:#000;border-bottom:1px dotted #909090;">Fatai Alashe</a> |
SJ |
