Carlos Vela holds the MLS all-time regular season scoring record with 34 goals in a single season, achieved in 2019 with LAFC. However, for career goals, Landon Donovan holds the all-time MLS regular season goal-scoring record with 145 goals scored across his career from 2001-2014 with San Jose Earthquakes and LA Galaxy.
Chris Wondolowski comes in second with 171 total goals (including playoff goals) but 144 regular season goals, just one behind Donovan's regular season record. Wondolowski played the majority of his career with San Jose Earthquakes from 2005-2023.
When including playoff goals, Sebastian Giovinco, Carlos Vela, and Lorenzo Insigne are among the most prolific goal scorers in recent MLS history, but Donovan's longevity and consistency across multiple seasons established him as the league's most reliable goal scorer during MLS's growth period in the 2000s and early 2010s.