Ranking the Top 75 MLS Players of 2024: 70. Cristian Espinoza

Link to Rankings Hub

It's not exactly possible to spin the 2024 San Jose Earthquakes, who conceded 78 goals, into a positive, though Cristian Espinoza was perhaps the lone bright spot. The Argentine winger has been an absolute assist machine for years now. He has assisted 14, 13 and 14 goals in the last three seasons, respectively. Espinoza continues to be a gem in a long-struggling club.

Espinoza opened his account on the year in a huge win over Seattle. He served up a pair of assists in a wild 4-3 loss to Austin, including a lovely cross to Paul Marie. The Quakes grabbed a statement victory over LAFC through the creative magic of their No. 10, who picked out Rodrigues on a corner kick for one of two assists. Espinoza scored the match-winner to defeat Colorado through a tidy finish.

He put San Jose up 2-1 against Cincinnati, though his side did concede three goals in nine minutes to Yuya Kubo afterwards. Despite the rough season, the Earthquakes truly did have some great wins. They went on the road and shut Real Salt Lake out, with the help of an Espinoza strike. He grabbed his final assist of the season in a 3-2 win over Dallas, where he set up Hernan Lopez.

Espinoza has proved to be one of the premier chance creators in Major League Soccer. He is at the top of the crossing game in the league, connecting on nearly three crosses per game from his position on the right wing. There will almost never be a game where he does not at least create something for one of his teammates, he's a smart player with many ideas. Espinoza has been at the forefront of the attempted rebuild and will play the same large role in 2025. Cristian Espinoza comes in at No. 70.

70) CRISTIAN ESPINOZA | M, SJ | PER 90 STATS (PERCENTILE)

14 ASSISTS | 0.36 ASSISTS PER 90 (90%)

2.78 SUCCESSFUL CROSSES PER 90 (100%)

2.75 CHANCES CREATED PER 90 (93%)

55.1% DRIBBLE SUCCESS (82%)