1. Marco Etcheverry. The benchmark of what a foreign player can be. He wears the No. 10 shirt, he’s learned to speak English, and he’s led United to domestic and international titles.
2. Carlos Valderrama. A living embodiment of Johan Cruyff’s pronouncement that “soccer is a game you play with your brain.”
3. Jaime Moreno. Other guys have better stats, so perhaps we should label him the best player to play forward in MLS.
4. Peter Nowak. Led Chicago to a pair of MLS finals and two U.S. Open Cups with a slashing yet deft style of play. He’s not adverse to tracking and tackling, either.
5. Raul Diaz Arce. His numbers have slipped and his skills are limited, but he has 86 goals in regular-season and playoff games.
6. Stern John. He scored 44 goals in two seasons before being snapped up by Nottingham Forest in a deal that may eventually pay the league as much as $6 million.
7. Mauricio Cienfuegos. Hasn’t brought L.A. a title, but he’s still a draw at the Rose Bowl and was the team’s engine in its best seasons.
8. Giovanni Savarese. A supreme goalpoacher and a popular, personable individual.
9. Mo Johnston. There is justice in the world when a consummate pro enjoys a championship after enduring seasons of misery.
10. Ronald Cerritos. Put up some remarkable numbers for San Jose until injury sidelined him for most of 2000.
11. Leonel Alvarez. Cautioned incessantly early in his career, then adapted to the ways of MLS to become a formidable, inspiring presence.