Top MLS Attackers Through Matchweek 8 | OneFootball

Ladies and gentlemen, it’s back! The Hooligan Attacking Index (HDI) is making its first appearance for the 2026 season. Now that we’ve ended Matchweek 8 of the season, there’s enough data to populate our attacking data set and determine who’s been the most effective attacker in MLS so far.

Effective vs. Prolific

The HDI measures effectiveness among goalscorers by using a formula that weighs positive statistics against negative ones. For attackers, positive statistics include: goals scored (duh), goal conversion %, successful dribbles (gotta reward fancy footwork). The negative statistics are: big chances missed, offsides.

For every variable, we determine the median value across the data set. We then divide the player’s numbers against the median. The positive results calculate a Goal Score Value (GSV). The negatives make up a Negative Score Value (NSV). Yeah, we don’t like the name either. Subtracting the NSV from the GSV gives you the HDI. Higher is better.

Winner: Archie Goodwin

About 99% of you are thinking “who the heck is Archie Goodwin?” And with good reason, unless you’re a Charlotte FC supporter.

Goodwin is a 21-year old striker who joined the club in August 2025 from Adelaide United of the A-League. He’s appeared in six games this season, all as a substitute. During his 74 total minutes of playing time, he’s scored three goals.

His HDI (weighted by minutes) is an astronomical 150.4. This is nearly 4x greater than second place. The kicker on all this is that Goodman has negative points, missing a big chance and being offsides. He’s still kicking ass.

To give you perspective, last season’s top HDI was 20.6 produced by Thomas Müller after he joined Vancouver. He knows a thing or two about scoring.

The Other Leaders

The statistically minded will make an argument that Goodwin is an anomaly, a statistical freak if you will. And there’s some truth to that. There are plenty of players with outstanding HDI scores while not performing the role of “super sub.”

To identify them, we limited our data set to players who appeared in at least half the team’s games (e.g. logged 360 minutes or more). Here they are:

Just The Goals, Please

For those Golden Boot-type folks who just want the goals without formulae, this list is for you: