Bořek Dočkal wins MLS assist crown with 18th of the season

With his assist on Cory Burke’s 14th minute goal at Yankee Stadium on Sunday, Bořek Dočkal finished the season as the assist king in Major League Soccer.

Though initially not credited with the assist because of a deflection on the play, an assist was credited to the Czech Republic international after a post-game review. D.C. United midfielder Luciano Acosta finished second with 17 assists after D.C. played the Chicago Fire to a scoreless draw.

Dočkal’s 18 assists for the year are the most in MLS since Sacha Kljestan had 20 in 2016. Kljestan also won the assist title in 2017 with 17 assists.

The 30-year-old midfielder is the 10th player in MLS history to post a season with 18 or more assists.

MLS Players with 18 or More Assists in a Season
1996 – Marco Etcheverry – 19
1997 – Carlos Valderrama – 19
1998 – Marco Etcheverry – 19
1999 – Steve Ralston – 18
2000 – Carlos Valderrama – 26
2002 – Steve Ralston – 19
2008 – Guillermo Barros Schelotto – 19
2014 – Landon Donovan – 19
2016 – Sasha Kljestan – 20
2018 – Bořek Dočkal – 18

Dočkal had three games with two assists and had at least one assist in 13 of his 31 appearances for the season. The Union were 8-3-2 on the season in games where the playmaker on loan from the Chinese Super League had at least one assist.

Matthew Ralph

Matthew Ralph is the managing editor of Philadelphia Soccer Now. He's covered soccer at all levels for a decade in the Philadelphia region and has also written for TheCup.us, NPSL, PrepSoccer and other publications. He lives with his wife and two young children in Broomall, Pa., but grew up in South Jersey and is originally from Kansas.

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