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
A. Mehmeti of New York Red Bulls is the standout for raw talent across defensive midfielders in Major League Soccer, with a Field Insider Rating of 53.4, and C. Durkin leads the scoring with 2 goals.
The numbers a scout watches are the year-on-year jumps: N. Caliskan has improved his Season rating most, up +41.4 on last season. Those are the players whose trajectory is bending upward fastest.
By our market-value index, N. Caliskan of Real Salt Lake is the most valuable name in this group at 12.9.
14 players · ranked by top scorersCustomise →
| Player | Team | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | C. DurkinDefensive midfielder |  St. Louis City | 26 | 2 | 39186.1% | 4024.7% |
| 2 | H. DotsonDefensive midfielder |  Seattle Sounders | 29 | 2 | 19172.1% | 246.2% |
| 3 | L. SanabriaDefensive midfielder |  Los Angeles Galaxy | 22 | 2 | 35302.3% | 4314.8% |
| 4 | S. SpieringsDefensive midfielder |  Real Salt Lake | 30 | 1 | 2855.4% | 236.6% |
| 5 | S. KowalczykDefensive midfielder |  Houston Dynamo | 28 | 1 | 1932.7% | 3225.9% |
| 6 | N. CaliskanDefensive midfielder | Real Salt Lake | 26 | 1 | 4365.3% | 4111% |
| 7 | J. HaakDefensive midfielder | Los Angeles Galaxy | 25 | 1 | 3027.5% | 433.6% |
| 8 | Luis OtávioDefensive midfielder |  Orlando City SC | 19 | 1 | 19125.3% | 4329.7% |
| 9 | M. PeltolaDefensive midfielder |  DC United | 24 | 1 | 33112.8% | 4410.6% |
| 10 | E. TagsethDefensive midfielder |  Nashville SC | 25 | 1 | 2416% | 405.2% |
| 11 | H. OjediranDefensive midfielder |  Colorado Rapids | 22 | 1 | 26107.9% | 4438.2% |
| 12 | B. BenderDefensive midfielder |  Philadelphia Union | 25 | 1 | 131333.3% | 3710.4% |
| 13 | S. BangouraDefensive midfielder |  Columbus Crew | 24 | 1 | 1557.1% | 384.9% |
| 14 | A. MehmetiDefensive midfielder |  New York Red Bulls | 17 | 1 | 47 | 53 |