Greek-American central defender George John is the US soccer league’s second-highest-rated player so far this season, with only the New York superstar Thierry Henry ranked above him.

The latest edition of the MLS Castrol Index, Major League Soccer’s official player performance index, shows FC Dallas’s John moved up five places in the last month, after being rated seventh in the previous index release in June.

In his last match, John scored one goal – his second of the season – and helped keep a clean sheet as FC Dallas defeated the Portland Timbers 4-0.

After 17 matches, FC Dallas is tied with the Seattle Sounders for second place in Major League Soccer’s Western Conference with 31 points, four points behind the Los Angeles Galaxy. FC Dallas is looking to qualify for the MLS Cup Playoffs for the second consecutive season, after reaching the MLS Cup Final in 2010.

John recently had his first experience with the Greek national team, joining the squad in New York ahead of the June 7 friendly game with Ecuador, although he was unable to participate in their training sessions, as hoped, as he was suffering from a minor injury at the time.

The in-form defender will be hoping for another chance with the national football team next month, when Greece manager Fernando Santos names his squad for a friendly against Bosnia on August 10.