Every Metro fan should know the team's league goalscoring record. It's 19 goals by Juan Pablo Angel in 2007. But what about the assist record?

Alright, the headline is a complete giveaway. The record belongs to Eduardo Hurtado, and has stood for 15 years. His 14 assists in league play in 1998 have never been topped.

Of course, Hurtado was not exactly known for his passing ability. A 21-goal scorer for Los Angeles in the league's inaugural season, he came to Metro in early 1998 in exchange for fellow Ecuadorian Wellington Sanchez. "El Tanque", as he was known, proceeded to have an excellent season, tallying 10 goals and those 14 assists in league play. (A terrible 1999 followed, when the newly-named "El Stanque" couldn't hit the broad side of a barn, and ended with seven goals and three assists.)

Back then, the league was more liberal in awarding its assists. For example, you could earn assists off rebounds, or off opponent deflections. If a goal was preceded by two passes, two assists were always awarded. Starting in 2003, MLS revamped its rules... which makes Hurtado's record that much harder to top.

Before the rule change, two players got close. In 2000, Clint Mathis tallied 13 assists to go with his 13 goals. In 2002, Andy Williams matched the 13, doing so in just 19 games after arriving in mid-season. (Many of Williams' assists were of the secondary variety and would not have counted under today's rules.) Since then, the only players to tally more than 10 were Mark Lisi with 11 in 2003, Amado Guevara with 11 in 2005, and Thierry Henry with 12 in 2012.

So, how long will Hurtado's record stand? The list of players who have broken 14 assists since 2003 is rather short, and contains some of the best passers in league history: Preki, Guillermo Barros Schelotto, Javier Morales, Landon Donovan, Brad Davis, David Beckham, and Graham Zusi. This year, no one topped 13.

So, unless Metro gets that midfield maestro, looks like Hurtado will hold the record for the foreseeable future. Oh well. It's a better legacy than his "El Stanque" season...