With 2020 guaranteed to be Chris Wondolowski’s final season with the San Jose Earthquakes, his spot atop the MLS all-time goals scored chart (159) is relatively secure. But it’s also not locked in stone, especially if Kei Kamara has anything to do with it.
Kamara has 127 career goals in MLS, and has been scoring at about 0.43 goals per game since 2010. To make up the 32-goal difference, Kamara would need about 75 games to catch Wondolowski.
Putting that goalscoring pace and length into scale, we’re looking at about two-and-a-half seasons before Kamara would catch Wondolowski. That’s also assuming that Wondolowski doesn’t create further distance atop the charts, with the 2020 season’s status also factoring in.
Kamara, 35, is also showing few signs of slowing down as he approaches 350 regular-season games played in MLS. He’s surpassed 12 goals each of the past three seasons and had one goal in two games before the season was halted. It’s currently his second season with the Colorado Rapids, a team he netted 14 times for in 2019. They’ve also been on an upward climb since Robin Fraser was appointed head coach last August, with Kamara the focal point up top.
Don’t expect Wondolowski to go down quietly, though. He leapfrogged Landon Donovan (145 goals) last year with a four-goal game against Chicago Fire FC, and returned for one last go-around this year. Wondolowski, 37, has also reached double-digit goals every season since 2010.
Another layer to watch for is if Kamara’s production level drops or injuries arise. But those are all unpredictable elements, leaving the hunt for MLS’s goals crown closer than you may think.
