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Seattle Sounders forward Clint Dempsey has scored eight goals in seven matches this season, leading MLS. Dempsey also leads the league with five road goals and is on top of the first edition of the 2014 MLS Striker Index. How hot has Dempsey's start to the 2014 season been? Deuce is only two goals away from tying his MLS career-high 10 goal season when he played 26 matches for New England Revolution in 2005.
Here's the Top 15 (Minimum 3 Goals):
Player | Team | Average Rank | Goals/90 Minutes |
Clint Dempsey | SEA | 3.8 | 1.26 |
Joao Plata | RSL | 5.4 | 1.14 |
Bradley Wright-Phillips | NY | 5.6 | 0.86 |
Erick Torres | CHV | 7.8 | 0.83 |
Will Bruin | HOU | 8.6 | 0.57 |
Vicente Sanchez | COL | 9 | 1.37 |
Robbie Keane | LAG | 9.1 | 0.67 |
Chris Wondolowski | SJ | 9.9 | 0.71 |
Alvaro Saborio | RSL | 10.7 | 0.56 |
Dom Dwyer | SKC | 11 | 0.60 |
Lee Nguyen | NE | 11.2 | 0.51 |
Jermain Defoe | TOR | 11.7 | 0.81 |
Obafemi Martins | SEA | 12 | 0.45 |
Quincy Amarikwa | CHI | 12.1 | 0.66 |
Federico Higuain | CLB | 12.7 | 0.50 |
Real Salt Lake is the only club with two players in the Top 10 (#2 Plata and #9 Saborio). FC Dallas leads MLS with four players in the Top 25: Je-Vaughn Watson (#29), Mauro Diaz (#22), Blas Perez (#23) and Michel (#25). The Sounders have Lamar Neagle at #20 in addition to Dempsey (#1) and Martins (#13). Kenny Miller, who was just dropped as a Designated Player by the Vancouver Whitecaps, came in at #26. Kekuta Manneh (#17) and Pedro Morales (#21) also ranked for the 'Caps.
Wondo Back?: After a down year in 2013 with *only* 11 goals, Chris Wondolowski already has five goals and is sitting 8th in the Striker Index. Wondo has already tied his 2013 road goal total with two and is scoring at nearly a 10 percent higher rate of his shots than last season, and, at a slightly higher rate than his 27-goal 2012 campaign.
Penalty Kick Boost?: The Top 18 above has four players (Torres), (Sanchez), (Nguyen), (Higuain) with at least two penalty kick goals. However, Robbie Keane and Alvaro Saborio are a combined 1/3 on penalty kicks (Keane 0/2) in 2014 and both made the Top 10. Will Bruin, Joao Plata and Dom Dwyer are also in the Top 10 with no PK attempts.