Osvaldo Alonso is one of the greatest defensive midfielders to ever play in MLS, being named to four All-Star teams and helping the Seattle Sounders win a total of six trophies, including the 2016 MLS Cup.
At 31 years old, some might have expected the "Honey Badger" to slow down, but he's showing no signs of age. While the Sounders currently sit below the red line after averaging 1.25 points through eight games, Alonso has shown that he remains one of the best players in MLS.
Alonso currently ranks third in the Audi Player Index Award rankings, only sitting behind New York City FC's David Villa and Toronto FC's Sebastian Giovinco. This is in large part thanks to his sterling performance against the New England Revolution last week, when he collected 1,533 Audi Player Index points in the Sounders' miraculous 3-3 draw.
In that game, his equalizing goal earned him 285 points, while his 55 successful passes in the Revolution half added 275 more points.
Alonso is the only defensive midfielder in the Top 10 of the Audi Player Index Award rankings and you can see how much better he is than the average midfielder.
Statistics as of May 3
Of course, he will not be facing off against an average midfielder on Saturday against Toronto FC (4 pm ET; ESPN, ESPN Deportes, TSN2, CTV).
Michael Bradley was perhaps the best player on the field in the MLS Cup final, matched only by Alonso and the outstanding play of goalkeeper Stefan Frei. The US national team captain has gotten off to a solid start in 2017, as he currently ranks 95th overall in the Audi Player Index Award rankings -- sixth among defensive midfielders.
The two will meet again as Bradley attempts to match Alonso for midfield supremacy.
