Best Defensive midfielders by Season Rating in Major League Soccer 2026
The best defensive midfielders in Major League Soccer in 2026, ranked on Field Insider.
At a glance
A. Mehmeti of New York Red Bulls is the standout for raw talent across midfielders in Major League Soccer, with a Field Insider Rating of 53.4, and L. Messi has been the form player this season, grading 89.1.
The numbers a scout watches are the year-on-year jumps: Pep Biel has improved his Season rating most, up +47.2 on last season, while H. Synchuk's scouting Rating has risen fastest, +10.8 over the same span. Those are the players whose trajectory is bending upward fastest.
By our market-value index, D. Edelman of St. Louis City is the most valuable name in this group at 15.6.
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