Poll of MLS players pegs Dos Santos, Bradley as most overrated
LA Galaxy star Giovani Dos Santos and Toronto FC captain Michael Bradley were voted the most overrated players in Major League Soccer by some of their peers, with the former receiving 11 percent and the latter 10 percent of the vote in an anonymous 104-player poll conducted by ESPN FC.
Dos Santos struggled to impose himself in the 2017 season, but Bradley led his team to a historic treble by winning the MLS Cup, the Supporters' Shield, and the Canadian Championship. However, he could not guide the U.S. national team to a berth in the 2018 FIFA World Cup, which players cited as the primary reason for his "overrated" label.
Other notable vote-getters include:
| Name | Team | % of Vote |
|---|---|---|
| Jozy Altidore | Toronto FC | 7 |
| Gyasi Zardes | Columbus Crew | 7 |
| Paul Arriola | D.C. United | 6 |
| Benny Feilhaber | LAFC | 4 |
| Tim Howard | Colorado Rapids | 4 |
| Brek Shea | Vancouver Whitecaps | 4 |
| Darlington Nagbe | Atlanta United | 3 |
| Juan Agudelo | New England Revolution | 3 |
| Alejandro Bedoya | Philadelphia Union | 3 |
| Nemanja Nikolic | Chicago Fire | 3 |
| Dom Dwyer | Orlando City | 2 |
Several players mentioned it was harder to select an overrated player than in last year's poll. One explained, "It was easier (last season) with Mix (Diskerud) and Frank (Lampard) and even (Andrea) Pirlo. Before it was easier. Me answering like that is probably a good sign for the league."
The players were also asked which of their peers was the most underrated. The Montreal Impact's Ignacio Piatti led that category ahead of Chicago Fire's Dax McCarty, Seattle's Cristian Roldan, Columbus' Wil Trapp, Sporting Kansas City's Ilie Sanchez, Orlando goalkeeper Joe Bendik, and Real Salt Lake's Albert Rusnak.
Meanwhile, strikers Sebastian Giovinco and David Villa joint-led the poll in the category of toughest individual opponent, where Piatti ranked third.