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When you think of great left feet, you think of Gareth Bale golazos, Arjen Robben curlers, John Arne Riise smashers, Robin van Persie volleys or anything Lionel Messi does.
But the best left foot in the history of Major League Soccer doesn’t conjure images of spectacular goals. Heck, most people probably couldn’t pick him out of a lineup.
There have been a fair number of fantastic left-footers to grace MLS, perhaps none greater than Preki. Ashley Cole spent a few seasons with the LA Galaxy and more recently Carlos Vela obliterated the MLS single-season scoring record.
The greatest left foot, however, belongs to this man, Brad Davis.
Actually no, that’s not a photo of Brad Davis. This is Brad Davis.
Oh, sorry, wrong guy again.
For real though, this is Brad Davis.
No player in MLS history has set up as many goals with his left foot as Bradley Joseph Davis, a Missouri native who played for five MLS clubs over 15 seasons and made his mark with the Houston Dynamo.
Davis finished his career with two MLS Cups and one Gold Cup to go with 17 national team appearances. He appeared at the 2014 World Cup for the U.S., starting against eventual champion Germany. But he’ll most be remembered for having the best left foot in MLS history.
Best Left Foot In MLS History
Brad Davis made his MLS debut in 2002 at the ripe age of 20. At a time when many Americans still thought four years of college ball was a good path to MLS, Davis skipped his junior and senior seasons to enter the MLS draft, where he was taken third overall by the poorly named New York/New Jersey MetroStars.
Making 24 appearances and scoring four goals, Davis was a finalist for the MLS Rookie of the Year award that instead went to Columbus Crew midfielder Kyle Martino, he of the big-knotted tie. But Davis wouldn’t last in New Jersey, spending two seasons with the Dallas Burn before moving the San Jose Earthquakes, who would then relocate to Houston the following year. With the Dynamo, Davis made 271 league appearances, plus 27 more in the playoffs, establishing himself as one of the finest left-footed players in league history.
While he was primarily a provider, when he found the back of the net himself, they were almost always bangers.
Few in the history of the league could match Brad Davis on free kick and crossing accuracy. Similar to David Beckham’s right foot, Davis could drop a pass on a dime like Tom Brady in the Super Bowl. Give him an inch and he’ll pick a runner out from 50 yards. Fail to close down on him and he’ll blast a 35-yard rocket into the back of your net.
Davis spent most of his career on the left wing, where he could devastate defenses with his pinpoint passing. Occasionally he found himself in the middle of the park, where he wasn’t the most mobile of midfielders but could kick-start an offense as a capable regista.
Davis and the Dynamo were an immediate success in Houston. In the team’s first year in the Space City, Davis registered a team-high 11 assists as the Dynamo won the city’s first championship since the Houston Comets completed a run of four straight WNBA titles.
Davis had two assists in the Western Conference final, a 3-1 win over Colorado. He missed a penalty in the shootout against New England in the final, but a big save from Pat Onstad helped the Dynamo claim their first MLS Cup.
The following year, Davis wasn’t a huge factor during the regular season due to a torn meniscus, but he came back in time for the playoffs, again helping Houston beat the Revs to win it all. He scored in the Western Conference semifinals and set up Dwayne de Rosario for the match winner in the MLS Cup final.
Those title-winning Dynamo sides were monsters of their day in MLS. One of the league’s all-time most creative players de Rosario led the offense with Brian Ching, USMNTers Stu Holden and Ricardo Clark held down the midfield and Wade Barrett and Eddie Robinson anchored the defense in front of Onstad. These teams were so loaded, Major League Soccer’s all-time leading goal scorer, Chris Wondolowski, was a role player off the bench.
With Davis, Houston reached the MLS Cup final twice more, falling to the LA Galaxy in the 2011 and 2012 finals. Those teams were slightly different, adding Geoff Cameron in place of Stu Holden, but still dynamic. While Houston hasn’t won another championship since, Davis continued to rack up the assists until he retired.
Aside from the injury-plagued 2007, Davis recorded at least nine assists in each of his 10 seasons with Houston, including a career-high 16 in 2011. With Davis in the lineup, it became a sin to give up a corner kick to the Dynamo, especially while Brian Ching was charging into the box.
Davis moved to Sporting KC in 2016 to be closer to home but hung up his boots after the season, signing a one-day contract in Houston to retire as a member of the Dynamo. He retired as the club’s all-time leader in games (271), starts (252), minutes (21,768), assists (104), game-winning assists (34), shots (437), shots on goal (184) and corner kicks (995). He also had the biggest ears in club history.
Davis spent his entire career in MLS. When he was 16, he had an opportunity to join the PSV Eindhoven academy, but his parents weren’t about to send their youngest child overseas so far from home.
“You always wonder what could have happened with that, but to be totally honest with you, I've been happy here,” Davis said in 2016.
But having played his entire career in MLS, Davis left an indelible mark.
Davis finished his playing days with 123 assists, third-most all time in MLS behind Landon Donovan (136) and Steve Ralston (135). The next-closest left-footer on the all-time assist list is Preki with 112.
He made 458 career appearances in all competitions, racking up 62 goals and 140 assists. Unless Carlos Vela sets the league on fire for a few more season, Brad Davis has the best left foot in MLS history.
