Sporting Kansas City defender Graham Zusi's wonder-strike from a 4-1 win at FC Dallas in June 2011 has been voted the fifth-best goal in MLS history.
With the top 25 goals nominated by MLS, a fan vote conducted this week determined The Greatest Goal presented by AT&T, an honor that highlights the best goal in Major League Soccer’s 25 seasons. Former LA Galaxy striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic took home the top prize for his long-range bomb in his MLS debut on March 31, 2018.
The Greatest Goal presented by AT&T - Top Voted Goals
- 12.21% -- LA Galaxy’s Zlatan Ibrahimovic 40-yard Stunner vs. LAFC on March 31, 2018
- 10.55% -- Seattle Sounders FC’s Obafemi Martins splits two Colorado defenders on April 18, 2015
- 9.59% -- Darlington Nagbe scores for Portland with a quick juggle and volley from the top of he box on July 2, 2011
- 8.72% -- Vancouver’s Eric Hassli sends a volley from the right corner of the 18-yard box into the upper left corner on June 11, 2011
- 7.31% -- Sporting Kansas City’s Graham Zusi scores from 45 yards out with a stunning free kick against FC Dallas on June 12, 2011
Zusi's missile on the evening on June 12, 2011, which highlighted lopsided victory over FC Dallas at Toyota Stadium, was significant for multiple reasons.
For one, it sits among the best strikes in club history and one of the finest flashes of brilliance in Zusi's heralded career. Secondly, it marks a decisive turning point for Zusi, who used his superb performance that evening as a launching pad toward 2011 MLS Breakout Player of the Year honors. Third, it kickstarted Sporting's incredible rise from last place in the Eastern Conference in June to first place by season's end.
In the years that followed, Zusi would earn two MLS Best XI selections and Sporting would win four major championships as a perennial title contender under Manager Peter Vermes. In hindsight, it's clear that Zusi's thunderbolt against Dallas was a defining part of the special transformation Sporting underwent in the early 2010s.
A member of Sporting since 2009, Zusi ranks second in club history in games, starts and minutes across all competitions. He is also second on Sporting's all-time assists chart with 81 and places eighth with 32 goals. In addition to winning the 2013 MLS Cup and Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup titles in 2012, 2015 and 2017, Zusi amassed five goals and seven assists in 55 caps for the U.S. Men's National Team from 2012-2017. He notably represented his country at the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil, where he recorded two assists on the sport's biggest stage.
