MLS: Ranking the 10 Most Lethal Goalscorers

Top goalscorers frequently come and go in Major League Soccer. Some have one or two outstanding seasons and never regain form; others simply depart to test their skills in a foreign league.

However, in the last few seasons the league has seen some more consistency in regards to its crop of strikers. The race for the MLS Golden Boot has seen a core of three of four players fighting for the honor, while familiar players continually to follow behind. 

So here is my list of the top 10 lethal goalscorers in MLS, most which will likely battle for the Golden Boot till the end of the season.  

10. Kei Kamara

Kei Kamara has made a name for himself playing for Sporting Kansas City since his transfer there in 2009. He's found the back of the net 24 times, including four times in 2012. 

Kamara was a big factor in Sporting KC's recent success after the club's re-branding in 2011.

9. Dominic Oduro

Dominic Oduro could quickly climb up this list if he repeats his 2011 campaign for Chicago Fire. Last season, his first with the Fire, Oduro scored 12 goals, and so far has three this season.

Considered the fastest player in MLS, Oduro shouldn't have a problem hitting double digits by the end of the season. It also not be a surprise if he's in the running for the Golden Boot at season's end. 

8. Kenny Cooper

Kenny Cooper left for Germany in 2009 to test Europe. Before then he was FC Dallas' front man, scoring 40 goals in 90 appearances.

After Cooper returned to MLS in 2011, the Portland Timbers acquired him but wasn't able to produce like the club hoped.

A trade to the New York Red Bulls before the 2012 season re-lit the fire under Cooper. So far he's scored eight times in nine appearances, and has become one of the most dangerous strikers in the league. 

If Cooper continues this trend, he might be deserving of another look for the U.S. National Team.

7. Fredy Montero

Coming in as a loanee in 2009, Fredy Montero has been Seattle Sounders' bread-and-butter in the offense through four seasons. 

Montero has hit double digits in goals all three prior seasons, scoring an all-time season high of 12 goals twice (2009, 2011).

Montero has had a slow start in 2012, only recently scoring his second and third goals of the season, but it may be what the Colombian needs to get back into the form he is known for.

6. Sebastien Le Toux

Sebastien Le Toux is probably one of the more underrated strikers in the league.

He came up to MLS from the USL when the Seattle Sounders made the same jump. But after one season with Seattle, Le Toux was shipped to Philadelphia, where he scored 25 goals for the Union. 

The Vancouver Whitecaps picked up Le Toux for the 2012 campaign, and so far has tallied three goals in six appearances. 

5. Alvaro Saborio

Alvaro Saborio has been a great catch for Real Salt Lake as he's been one of the most effective strikers RSL has had. 

The last two seasons Saborio tallied 23 goals in 50 appearances, and in 2012 he has four goals in 11 matches. 

4. Dwayne De Rosario

Dwayne De Rosario is like an sniper assassin. Seriously, the power he puts behind his long-range shots could probably kill a man, and he would only need one.

De Rosario mostly plays in the midfield, with the freedom to attack as he wishes. That freedom has led him to score 95 goals in his MLS career.

He lost his form during the early half of 2011, bouncing from team to team. However, once De Rosario landed in the nation's capital playing for D.C. United, he scored 13 goals. De Rosario finished the 2011 season with 16 goals, one more than his 2010 tally of 15 goals. 

3. Landon Donovan

Like De Rosario, Landon Donovan plays mostly as a midfielder for LA Galaxy, but he sure knows how to find the back of the net.

Donovan has scored 117 goals in 263 regular season appearances, including a 20-goal season in 2008. He is also leads the all-time playoff goal scorers list.  

2. Thierry Henry

Thierry Henry came to the New York Red Bulls midway through the 2010 season and only scored two goals. 

Fans saw more of what he can do in 2011, scoring 14 goals during the campaign. Now in 2012, working alongside Kenny Cooper, Henry continues to be on fire with nine goals in eight appearances. 

1. Chris Wondolowski

Chris Wondolowski's last three seasons with the San Jose Earthquakes have been out of this world. After a meager three-goal campaign in 2009, Wondolowski notched 18 goals in 2010. 

The following season, Wondolowski tallied 16 goals in 30 matches. Currently in 2012, he is past the halfway marker of his 2011 output with 11 goals in 10 games.

There is no other player in MLS that deserves more of an opportunity to play with the U.S. National Team, which has been lacking in offensive productivity, than Wondolowski.