Top-Scoring defensive midfielders in Major League Soccer 2026
The top-scoring defensive midfielders in Major League Soccer in 2026, ranked on Field Insider.
At a glance
T. Habroune of Columbus Crew is the standout for raw talent across defensive midfielders in Major League Soccer, with a Field Insider Rating of 46.3, and A. Cubas has been the form player this season, grading 46, and D. Jean-Jacques leads the scoring with 3 goals.
The numbers a scout watches are the year-on-year jumps: D. Jean-Jacques has improved his Season rating most, up +40.6 on last season, while N. Caliskan'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. Jean-Jacques of Philadelphia Union is the most valuable name in this group at 13.1.
| Player | Team | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | D. Jean-JacquesDefensive midfielder |  Philadelphia Union | 26 | 3 | 4522.2% | 426.9% |
| 2 | L. SanabriaDefensive midfielder |  Los Angeles Galaxy | 22 | 2 | 40362.1% | 4415.6% |
| 3 | C. DurkinDefensive midfielder |  St. Louis City | 26 | 2 | 43215.3% | 4229.6% |
| 4 | S. SpieringsDefensive midfielder |  Real Salt Lake | 30 | 1 | 3278.5% | 2413.7% |
| 5 | T. HabrouneDefensive midfielder |  Columbus Crew | 20 | 1 | 37182.4% | 4610.8% |
| 6 | Luis OtávioDefensive midfielder |  Orlando City SC | 19 | 1 | 20138.6% | 4230.1% |
| 7 | B. BenderDefensive midfielder | Philadelphia Union | 25 | 1 | 1±0% | 3812.5% |
| 8 | H. OjediranDefensive midfielder |  Colorado Rapids | 22 | 1 | 29129.4% | 4438.4% |
| 9 | H. DotsonDefensive midfielder |  Seattle Sounders | 29 | 1 | 31350% | 2616.3% |
| 10 | S. BangouraDefensive midfielder | Columbus Crew | 24 | 1 | 21112.2% | 397.1% |
| 11 | E. TagsethDefensive midfielder |  Nashville SC | 25 | 1 | 292.4% | 406.6% |
| 12 | B. BronicoDefensive midfielder |  Charlotte | 31 | 1 | 1749.3% | 1819.7% |
| 13 | M. PeltolaDefensive midfielder |  DC United | 24 | 1 | 36127.6% | 4512.9% |
| 14 | J. BuenoDefensive midfielder | Philadelphia Union | 27 | 1 | 13±0% | 314.7% |