Soccer is an incredibly diverse sport, from the high-scoring strikers all the way back to the keeper holding down the fort. When the forwards and attacking mids are the ones netting the most points for their teams, a lot of the glory is concentrated up front. You score, you win, you land on Team of the Matchday. You block the equalizing goal, your name is lifted up in the stands. I’d never demean the importance of a good striker or a lethal defender, but I do think there’s one position that is consistently overlooked: the defensive midfielder.

Playing defensive midfielder might just require the most ranged skill set in the sport. You need to be able to protect your backline, tackle, intercept, and keep that birds-eye view of the pitch that lends itself to strategic off-the-ball movement. You need to be a precise passer, a great sprinter, and a selfless cog in the well-oiled machine of the XI. Think Claude Mekélélé. Sergio Busquets. Roy Keane.

It’s a role that is very much about balance, breaking up the opponent’s attack but also requiring a quiet efficiency that gets the ball where it needs to go and is absolutely crucial in transition. And nobody in MLS has been doing that for quite as long as Portland’s Diego Chará.

Chará has made 415 regular-season appearances for the Portland Timbers since joining the club in its debut season in April 2011, the all-time MLS record for single-club appearances. He surpassed legendary scorer Chris Wondolowski (San Jose) in 2024. The 39-year-old Colombian shows no signs of slowing down, and his contract runs through 2025 with a club option through 2026.

This guy’s had enough playing time to draw the most fouls in the entire league (917) and second-most number of yellow cards (121), which honestly speaks to the physicality of the position more than anything else. Minnesota’s own Wil Trapp is up there in the club stats for cautions, because defensive midfielders oftentimes take a yellow to prevent a counterattack. Again, it’s about compromise when you’re the linchpin holding the defense and attack in place, judging the sacrifices that are worth it and the ones that aren’t.

In each of the 19 times Minnesota and Portland have met on the pitch (18 regular-season fixtures and a U.S. Open Cup semifinal), Chará has played, starting 15 matches and subbing in for the other four. He often wears the captain’s armband, but he’s only recently started earning the level of appreciation he’s probably deserved for years. It’s probably hard to keep the spotlight on you when you’re playing with the high-scoring likes of Jonathan Rodríguez (out on injury) or Evander (now with FC Cincinnati), but Chará is a club legend for his consistency, longevity, and status as one of the best defensive mids in the league. Pay a little extra attention to him when the Loons hit up Portland this Saturday, and you’ll see what I mean.

Let’s not forget about our own DMs. Trapp has logged 138 regular-season appearances for the Minnesota United (out of 344 in MLS). He brings an undeniable leadership to the team, rivaled in longevity by only a handful of other Loons, and wears the captain’s armband when Michael Boxall isn’t on the pitch. Trapp is one of those names you don’t hear a lot on the broadcast, because he’s always there making off-the-ball moves under the radar. He’s been one of Minnesota’s most consistent starters since joining the club in 2021, across large-scale roster changes and even a new head coach.

Carlos Harvey has also taken on some of those defensive mid responsibilities for the Black and Blue, when he’s not holding down the fort as a right center back. With the transfer window rapidly approaching, and both Hassani Dotson and Hoyeon Jung having sustained serious injuries this season, it might not be a bad idea to sign another player who can occupy that spot as well.

To close out this rant on the underappreciated heroes of the world’s best sport, here’s a Wil Trapp goal, just for kicks. Defensive midfielders aren’t set up to score very often, but when they do, it is glorious.