Average Height and Weight of MLS Forwards (2023)
I’ve been a collegiate sports performance coach for 20 years. One thing I always felt was effective was showing guys the heights and weights of players at their position in the pros.
It helped give many players the extra motivation needed to gain weight when they were able to compare themselves to guys at the next level.
So, this is essentially the same research I would share with players, but now I’m sharing it with you. I took the 30-Man Rosters for the 2023 Major League Soccer season, over 700 players total and broke them down by position.
For this guide, I took an average of the heights and weights of the 164 forwards across the league. In addition, just for fun, I listed the tallest, shortest, heaviest and lightest forwards as well. Go ahead and impress someone today with your newfound random soccer knowledge.
Average Height of an MLS Forward
The average height of a major league soccer forward is 70.63 inches (just over 5’10 1/2″).
Average Weight of an MLS Forward
The average weight of a major league soccer forward is 164.41 pounds.
Who are the Tallest Forwards in Major League Soccer?
There are five guys listed at 6’4″ or taller, but Bjorn Johnson stands alone at 6’5″.
Tallest Forwards in the MLS | ||
Player | Height | Team |
Bjorn Johnson | 6’5″ | CF Montreal |
Samuel Adeniran | 6’4″ | St Louis City SC |
Ercan Kara | 6’4″ | Orlando City |
Cory Burke | 6’4″ | New York Red Bulls |
Kacper Przybylko | 6’4″ | Chicago Fire |
Who are the Shortest Forwards in Major League Soccer?
There are five forwards in the league listed at 5’5″ or shorter.
Shortest Forwards in the MLS | ||
Player | Height | Team |
Michael Barrios | 5’4″ | Colorado Rapids |
Cameron Dunbar | 5’4″ | Minnesota United |
Nicolas Stefanelli | 5’5″ | Inter Miami CF |
Jader Obrian | 5’5″ | FC Dallas |
Jonathan Menedez | 5’5″ | Real Salt Lake |
Who are the Heaviest Forwards in the MLS?
There are five players listed at 196 pounds or more.
Heaviest Forwards in the MLS | ||
Player | Weight | Team |
Preston Judd | 209 | LA Galaxy |
Samuel Adeniran | 201 | St Louis City SC |
Tega Ikoba | 198 | Portland Timbers |
Brandon Vazquez | 196 | FC Cincinnati |
Ayo Akinola | 196 | Toronto FC |
Who are the Lightest Forwards in the MLS?
Here are the six lightest forwards in Major League Soccer, all weighing 135 pounds or less.
Lightest Forwards in the MLS | ||
Player | Weight | Team |
Edwin Mosquera | 128 | Atlanta United |
Edison Azcona | 130 | Inter Miami CF |
Jojea Kwizera | 130 | CF Montreal |
Alex Monis | 132 | Chicago Fire |
Michael Barrios | 135 | Colorado Rapids |
Joshua Bolma | 135 | New England Revolution |
Final Thoughts
So, what did I learn, other than random knowledge that works perfectly for a sports quiz?
When compared to other major sports, soccer players are, well, smaller.
For soccer forwards (as well as midfielders by the way), size simply isn’t the advantage that is for other positions in other sports. Speed, quickness and skill are the premium skill sets.
Having said all that, it’s still a little surprising (at least to me it was) that there are only two forwards in the entire league over 200 pounds.
Finally, if you’d like to see the full position-by-position breakdown, check out the average heights and weights of major league soccer players by position.