“Best” MLS Defenders through Matchweek 8 | OneFootball

In our 2025 article on MLS defending, we commented how thankless a position it is. One line from that still stands out: “A defender’s value is measured not necessarily in what they do, but what they prevent.”

Calculating “Best”

There are different types of individual defensive actions: tackles, interceptions, clearances and blocked shots. There’s also a defensive team variable: the clean sheet. Context is what makes any of these data points important.

Regardless of context, Hooligan Soccer developed a formula that tries to synthesize the different defensive metrics into a single score that we call the Hooligan Defender Index, or HDI.

The HDI measures the four different individual metrics listed above, plus minutes played. After taking the top 40 defenders in each category, we remove duplicates and calculate the median value for each. By dividing each player’s score against the median and adding them together, we derive a “core” value.

Then we apply the negative values, because all defenders make mistakes. It stands to reason that the fewer mistakes they make, the better a defender they are. Negative variables include: penalties committed, errors leading to goal, and own goals. As above, we calculate the median and derive a “core” value.

After subtracting the negative “core” from the positive “core”, who have your HDI. A higher number is better.

The Clean Sheet Conundrum

Obviously, individuals can contribute to clean sheets, but they can also be the beneficiary of this bonus by association (not effort). So we’ll provide a list that includes this variable, and one that does not. Early in the season, it can have a BIG impact, as we’ll explain in an analysis of the two “best” defenders.

Nkosi Tafari (LAFC) 17.4 HDI (with clean sheets); 5.5 HDI (no clean sheets)

Known as much for his flamboyant hair as for his defending, Tafari is a prime example of how the Clean Sheet variable skews the HDI.

He lies in the bottom tenth percentile of tackles (4) and interceptions (4), but 12th overall for clearances and 7th in blocked shots. Without clean sheets (LAFC have six, well above the median of 1) he drops down to 14th with an HDI of 5.5.

Finn Surman (Portland Timbers) 2.1 HDI (with clean sheets); 11.6 HDI (no clean sheets)

The towering Kiwi defender gets the opposite treatment.

With clean sheets as a variable his HDI rank is 57th despite some incredible stats: 17th in Tackles, 10th in Interceptions, 3rd in Clearances, 1st in Blocked Shots. But Portland has zero clean sheets, and he gets dinged hard for that. But remove it, and he leaps straight to the top of the list.

Top Defenders (incl. Clean Sheets)

Top Defenders (excl. Clean Sheets)