Average Height and Weight of Soccer Players

Average Height and Weight of MLS Soccer Players (2023)

I’ve been a collegiate sports performance coach for 20 years. Over my career, I always felt it was extremely effective to show 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, these are essentially the same numbers I would share with players I’m now sharing with you. I took the active 30-man rosters for the 2023 Major League Soccer season, over 700 players total and then broke them down by position.

For this guide, I took an average of the heights and weights of each position group across the league. In addition, just for fun, I listed the tallest, shortest, heaviest and lightest players as well regardless of position. Go ahead and impress someone today with your newfound random soccer knowledge.

Average Height of an MLS Player by Position

The average height of a major league soccer player is 70.98 inches (just under 5’11”), with the tallest position being Goalkeeper at 74.56 (over 6’2 1/2″).

Average Major League Soccer Player Height
Overall 70.98
Goalkeeper 74.56
Forward 70.63
Midfielder 69.23
Defender 71.85

Average Weight of an MLS Player by Position

The average weight of a major league soccer player is 166.01 pounds.

Average Major League Soccer Player Weight
Overall 166.01
Goalkeeper 186.2
Forward 164.41
Midfielder 157.02
Defender 169.71

Who Are The Tallest Players in Major League Soccer?

There are 8 players listed at 6’6″ or taller – half goalkeepers and half defenders.

Tallest Players in the MLS
Player Height Position Team
Matthew Nocita 6’8″ Defender New York Red Bulls
Hunter Sulte 6’7″ Goalkeeper Portland Timbers
Ben Lundt 6’6″ Goalkeeper St Louis City SC
Javier Otero 6’6″ Goalkeeper Orlando City
Benjamin Martino 6’6″ Goalkeeper Nashville SC
Jackson Ragen 6’6″ Defender Seattle Sounders FC
Aime Mabika 6’6″ Defender Inter Miami CF
Jack Elliott 6’6″ Defender Philadelphia Union

Who are the Shortest Players in Major League Soccer?

There are 9 players 5’4″ or shorter, the majority of them are midfielders.

Shortest Players in the MLS
Player Height Position Team
Daniel Rios 5’1″ Midfielder Houston Dynamo
Luciano Acosta 5’3″ Midfielder FC Cincinnati
Michael Barrios 5’4″ Forward Colorado Rapids
Cameron Dunbar 5’4″ Forward Minnesota United
Javier Casas 5’4″ Midfielder Chicago Fire
Erik Duenas 5’4″ Midfielder Los Angeles Football Club
Frankie Amaya 5’4″ Midfielder New York Red Bulls
Lorenzo Insigne 5’4″ Midfielder Toronto FC
Andres Cubas 5’4″ Midfielder Vancouver Whitecaps

Who are the Heaviest Players in the MLS?

Here are the eight heaviest guys in the league, all 209 pounds or more.

Heaviest Players in the MLS
Player Weight Position Team
Evan Louro 225 Goalkeeper FC Cincinnati
Ben Lundt 220 Goalkeeper St Louis City SC
Aime Mabika 214 Defender Inter Miami CF
Fred Emmings 209 Goalkeeper Minnesota United
John Pulskamp 209 Goalkeeper Sporting Kansas City
Alex Bono 209 Goalkeeper DC United
Preston Judd 209 Forward LA Galaxy
Tim Melia 209 Goalkeeper Sporting Kansas City

Who are the Lightest Players in the MLS?

Here are the ten lightest guys in Major League Soccer, all weighing 130 pounds or less.

Lightest Players in the MLS
Player Weight Position Team
Riqui Puig 123 Midfielder LA Galaxy
Nuno Santos 126 Midfielder Charlotte FC
Anthony Sorenson 126 Defender Philadelphia Union
Edwin Mosquera 128 Forward Atlanta United
Erik Duenas 130 Midfielder Los Angeles Football Club
Lorenzo Insigne 130 Midfielder Toronto FC
Ozzie Cisneros 130 Midfielder Sporting Kansas City
Edison Azcona 130 Forward Inter Miami CF
Jojea Kwizera 130 Forward CF Montreal
Martin Ojeda 130 Midfielder Orlando City

Final Thoughts

So, what did I learn?

I always tell people it’s hard to wrap your head around how big the NBA Guards are. This is because the only context most people have is seeing them on the court next to guys that are 7 feet tall. This makes them look small even though most guards are around 6’4″ and would easily be one of the biggest people in almost any other social situation.

Soccer players are somewhat the opposite. The average player is only around 5’11”, at least a few inches shorter than players of other major sports. On top of that, there are only 30 players out of 735 that weigh 200 pounds. Crazy considering 200 pounds (or more) is the average size of many professional athletes.

This all makes sense though. It’s a sport where speed, skill and a tremendous amount of conditioning are critical for success.

Height can be helpful for goalkeepers for obvious reasons and it can also be beneficial for players to play corners and crosses in the air. Being heavy though is more of a disadvantage than an advantage like it is in other sports.

References

MLSsoccer.com

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