MLS GW14 Tips Fantasy Major League Soccer
It was another strange round with quite a few unexpected scores. Some of the most popular choices (and especially captain picks) failed to deliver, which disappointed many managers. Once again we witnessed more misery for the highly rated 2017 winners and runners-up, Toronto and Seattle. On the positive side, despite not playing this week due to an injury, Luis Robles was honoured with the longest Ironman streak in MLS history, for 183 consecutive appearances between the sticks for the New York Red Bulls.
NEW FF247 MLS LEAGUE
For anyone who missed it we have decided to start up a fresh FF247 MLS league beginning last week in GW13. Please feel free to join in. As a quirk of the new MLS rules they have split their season in two. The first part expires in GW17. You will then automatically be entered in to our league again for the second half of the season.
It’s a perfect opportunity to begin playing MLS if you haven’t already, or if like many others you’ve been playing but haven’t given it due care and attention due to the busy end to the FPL season then perhaps a perfect opportunity to kick-start your MLS season.
TO JOIN THE NEW FF247 LEAGUE JUST CLICK HERE OR THE CODE ITSELF IS RAVFLP3H
THIS WEEKS DEADLINE IS 00:30AM UK TIME on THURSDAY (That’s Wednesday night… ish)
This weeks fixtures…
GAMEWEEK 13 REVIEW
Once again Toronto FC lost at home, this time against FC Dallas. The visitors took the lead in the 11th minute through Urruti. A few minutes later the Reds had a chance to equalise with a penalty kick, but it was missed by Giovinco. Score: 0-1.
Houston Dynamo comfortably won at home against New York City FC. The Blues went on the scoreboard quickly with a goal from Villa in the 6th minute, but that was all they had to offer. Dynamo came back strong, with goals from Fuenmayor, Martinez and Elis, to deservedly collect the three points. Score: 3-1.
On the prowl. ? pic.twitter.com/RATyljitit
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) May 26, 2018
The El Clasico derby was won by LA Galaxy just edging San Jose Earthquakes. It was certainly no classic, with each team only having a single shot on target during the whole match. The difference was that LA made their shot count, with Alessandrini finding the net in the 82nd minute. Score: 1-0.
Surprisingly, Seattle Sounders were shutout at home by Real Salt Lake, who registered their first away win for the season. It was another low scoring game, with the lone goal coming from Saucedo. Score: 0-1.
After three consecutive 2-2 draws, Vancouver Whitecaps had to settle for a single point yet again when they hosted New England Revolution. The first half finished with the Revs in the lead through an own goal from Ghazal. From the very start of the second half the game went mad. Penilla quickly made it two for the visitors, but Techera then scored twice in three minutes to level things. Shortly after that, Bunbury put the Revs in the lead again but Techera came back to complete his hat trick and secure the draw. Score: 3-3.
Six goals in #VANvNE today. ? pic.twitter.com/QbUFzvcH2J
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) May 26, 2018
Despite extending their unbeaten streak to five, New York Red Bulls could only manage a goalless draw against Philadelphia Union. The final score would have been different if Sapong hadn’t missed a penalty. Score: 0-0.
Orlando City failed at home against Chicago Fire, despite registering over twice as many shots (21 vs 10). The guests opened the scoring in the 13th minute with a goal from Katai. Higuita levelled the game before half time. In the 82nd minute Gordon found the net to seal the victory. Score: 1-2.
Minnesota United became the latest team to add to the misery of Montreal Impact, who are now on a four game losing streak. Ramirez and Ibarra contributed to the home shutout. Score: 2-0.
Once again Colorado Rapids failed to win. Despite the own goal from Cascante, Portland Timbers were the dominant side, earning the win through Armenteros’ brace and a goal from Valeri. Boli’s goal in the end made no difference. Score: 2-3.
Valeri makes it 3-1 Portland pic.twitter.com/A6xAYtk4Yr
— Total MLS (@TotalMLS) May 27, 2018
Los Angeles FC split the points with D.C. United. Diego Rossi scored the only goal in the first half. The hosts were forced to play the full second half with 10 men after Jakovic was sent off. Minutes before the end, Mattocks equalised for the visitors. Score: 1-1.
Perhaps unsurprisingly in a meeting between two in-form defences, Sporting Kansas City against Columbus Crew played out as a goalless draw. The host team had the edge in terms of possession, but there was a decent amount of shots from both sides. The final minutes of the first half saw the most drama, when Melia fouled Zardes in the area, only to make immediate amends by saving the resultant penalty. A few minutes later, after a controversial VAR decision, Higuain was shown the red card for a serious foul. The 10-man Crew did well in the second half to shut out the hosts and cling on for a point. Score: 0-0.
Gameweek 14 Preview
Another big double gameweek (DGW) is upon us and of course another short turnaround with it (deadline Wednesday night). The teams playing twice are Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Galaxy, New England, Philadelphia and RSL. At the same time D.C. United will be on bye, perhaps busy organising Rooney’s welcome party 😀 At least we know where the scrubs will come from for our switcheroos 😉
Only two teams have the advantage of playing both games at home (New England and RSL), while Houston will be on the road for both of their games. This will be a particularly tricky DGW for fantasy managers to navigate. In addition to expecting the usual DGW rotations, we also have to factor in players who have departed for the World Cup and others who will be playing in international friendlies. More details in Notes for your Diary at the end of the article.
NE (W 5 D 3 L 4) vs ATL (W 8 D 1 L 3)
The Revs are one of the two teams staying at home for both games this week. They are holding on to the last playoff spot at the moment and will hope to remain there and not end up outside like last year. The two fixtures are against teams in good form, but the home advantage should make you consider Bunbury or Penilla, with six and five goals respectively. As for defence, you could gamble on Turner (with three clean sheets) in a keeperoo unless you want to opt for Rimando.
Penilla makes it 2-0 New England pic.twitter.com/H9Vw5CuW86
— Total MLS (@TotalMLS) May 26, 2018
The Five Stripes will be back after a week of rest. They will be eager to repair the damage done by the Bulls in round 12, as their top position in the East is now under threat from CLB and NYCFC who are both only a point behind. In their second game they will be hosting Houston and it looks the better one of the two. That said, they’ve lost their last two home games. Gonzalez Pirez will miss the first game due to yellow card accumulation. Without a doubt we’ll see Martinez and Almiron in many teams (although be aware there is a possibility for the latter to be called up by Paraguay). If you are stretched with your budget, Barco is $6.0M cheaper than Almiron and has scored in the last two games.
PHI (W 4 D 3 L 5) vs CHI (W 4 D 2 L 6)
So far Philly is pretty much repeating their performance from last year, with their ups and downs. Their first game could turn out well – at home against the leaky Fire – but the same can’t be said for their second, which is on the road. Their away record continues to be as awful as last season, with only one win and two goals scored so far (their goalless draw away to NYRB last week can almost be seen as an achievement!). Traditionally, with teams on double, there will be some temptation to pick players, but I personally don’t see anyone to catch my eye. Sapong, Picault and Bedoya can be ignored, with better choices around.
The Fire can’t stop surprising us with their non-stop inconsistency. Their away statistics mirror their home ones, with two wins and losses in each. They do score goals, but at the same time they can’t stop conceding at the other end. The on and off performances from Nikolic and Schweinsteiger are becoming frustrating. Katai is looking promising but, once again, picking any Chicago players carries risks at all times.
RSL (W 5 D 1 L 6) vs HOU (W 5 D 3 L 3)
Real can be notoriously bad on their travels, but the picture at Rio Tinto stadium is different. They’ve won the last four home games in a row, so perhaps these two home fixtures could be a springboard to move them up the table. That’s all good in theory but, with Rusnak away on international duties and Plata with a leg injury, who do we go for? Maybe Baird or Savarino if you don’t have any other ideas. Rimando is still one of the best goalkeepers, with 45 saves to his name, so could be a decent pick if you think at least one clean sheet is in the pipeline (more likely in the second game against Seattle, who they just beat last week on the road).
It won‘t be easy for the Orange, with two games on the road, but the good news is that both opponents are manageable with their current state of play. They showed that two weeks ago when they went to Chicago. The team is one of the highest scoring ones, but you must make up your mind who to choose from Elis, Manotas, Quioto or Martinez.
LA (W 5 D 1 L 6) vs DAL (W 5 D 5 L 1)
The Galaxy are slowly finding a vein of form. Perhaps it’s too early to get over excited, as the last two wins were achieved by just a single goal in each. Let’s not forget the four-game winless streak before that, with 11 goals shipped in them. These two games should indicate whether they are finally on the right track. The Dos Santos brothers are already off to Mexico, but we’ll see the return of Ibrahimovic (hopefully less frustrated this time!). My bet is that Alessandrini will be in most teams and perhaps Zlatan as a punt. Both games will be tricky, especially the second. Ashley Cole is on four yellow cards, so look elsewhere if considering a defender.
Don’t bet against Alessandrini’s left foot. #CaliClasico https://t.co/xvNntZyQcQ
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) May 26, 2018
The Texans are on a four-game unbeaten streak and they will be looking to extend that run, as only four points separate them from the leader in the West. Let’s hope they improve their discipline, as seven yellow cards in a game is not a joke. They will be dealing with both LA teams, first away and then at home. That means Urruti (6 goals) and Diaz (6 assists) will try to expand their accounts, so it’s advisable to have one of them.
COL (W 2 D 2 L 7) vs VAN (W 4 D 5 L 5)
It‘s not easy to describe the Rapids, with six losses in a row (their longest such streak since losing seven straight in 2014). The only likely prospect here is that they will go on to match that gruesome record. It can be said straight: ignore and move on!
The Caps have turned into the draw masters of the league. Somehow they always manage to level the score. Their away record is not good, but given their opponents it may be a big chance for them to stay in the playoff zone. Techera could be a popular pick after his hat trick last week.
POR (W 6 D 2 L 3 ) vs LA
The Timbers are in tremendous form, with six consecutive wins including 13 goals and three clean sheets. They have not lost at home so far and I doubt the visitors will change that. If you are not overdosing on DGW players, find a space for Valeri or Blanco. The rise of Armenteros is hard to ignore, especially at that price.
Armenteros again! 2-1 Portland! pic.twitter.com/7szIto7yF6
— Total MLS (@TotalMLS) May 27, 2018
LA are covered above.
CLB (W 7 D 4 L 3) vs TOR (W 3 D 1 L 7)
The Crew continued their excellent defensive record with a goalless draw away to Sporting Kansas last week. That was their fifth consecutive clean sheet as part of a current seven-match unbeaten run. With that kind of form, at home against a struggling opponent, there’s a lot to recommend for Columbus assets this week. Unfortunately, with no DGW, it may be that they get unfairly overlooked. Steffen, Abubakar, Valenzuela or Afful could be great single gameweek differentials.
The misery for the Reds continues. Last year’s champions are now floating above the very bottom of the Eastern Conference. The same mistakes keep happening like Groundhog Day; with them conceding early goals and then being unable to recover. With their current bad form, and with big names still on the injury list (Mavinga being the latest victim), few managers will repeat the mistake from last week (I was one of them) and go for any player.
ATL vs PHI
Both teams are covered above.
MTL (W 3 D 0 L 10) vs HOU
With 8 losses in the last 9 games, the Canadians are in a dire phase. It’s scary to trust them even in a home game. If you are one of those mad optimists, then go and pick up Piatti again. I am not.
Houston are covered above.
NE vs NYRB (W 7 D 1 L 3)
New England are covered above.
The Bulls served us with one of the biggest shocks of last week, by blanking at home after a nice winning streak. The Revs are not the easiest team to visit, but with the previous three games won on the road it’s possible. You know the usual suspects if you go for any.
NYCFC (W 7 D 3 L 3) vs ORL (W 6 D 1 L 5)
The Blues stumbled last week and missed the chance to move up, letting Columbus overtake them. As we know, they tend to recover quickly. This big DGW is one of those where you can easily forget about the strong single gameweek contenders, like Villa.
Quality from @Guaje7Villa! ?
His 8th of the season puts the visitors ahead. #HOUvNYC https://t.co/n4S3XgOGS7
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) May 26, 2018
After winning six in a row the Lions have now lost three straight games. Dwyer missing in the last two games could be one of the reasons. Watch out for injury updates.
DAL vs LAFC (W 6 D 3 L 3)
Dallas are covered above.
The Black and Gold continue at a slow speed, with unnecessary draws by allowing late goals from their opponents. They are in danger of losing second spot in the West, as Portland and Dallas are chasing hard and only a point behind. Last week was a good time for Rossi to show that he is still around, as he will be relied upon now Vela, Ciman and Urena will be away for some time.
CHI vs SJ (W 2 D 3 L 7)
Chicago are covered above.
The Quakes are back in losing mode and I doubt anyone will be interested this week.
RSL vs SEA (W 2 D 2 L 6)
Real are covered above.
Unfortunately the Sounders are in very bad state. Another team to be ignored.
SKC (W 7 D 4 L 2) vs MIN (W 5 D 1 L 7)
Sporting continue their dominance, sitting four points clear at the top of the Western Conference. They are super-strong at home, so you would expect them to win this game. Melia is always a safe pair of hands, and the backline are dependable for clean sheets of late (although Minny are well known as clean sheet spoilers). Playing last again, perhaps this is good team for switcheroos if your earlier punts fail.
It was a nice win from the Loons last week, but with so many other options around perhaps it’s time to give them some rest.
Captain Picks
1. Penilla (NE) Two home games. Time for a differential captain?
2. Martinez (ATL) Could do well, particularly in the second game.
3. Villa (NYCFC) Very often single gameweek players can outscore those on a double. And Villa at home is surely one of them!
Notes for your Diary
As mentioned above, the World Cup is not the only concern. Some players will be away on international duties involved in friendly matches. So far confirmed players who will miss games are: Kaku (NYRB) possibly Almiron and Villalba (ATL) joining Paraguay to play Japan. Russell (SKC) to Scotland playing Peru and Mexico. Kamara (LA) and Berget (NYCFC) to Norway to play Iceland and Panama. Rusnak (RSL) joining Slovakia for games against Holland and Morocco. Delgado (TOR) for USA to play Ireland and France. Watch out for further updates.
Best of luck to all managers.
Post your teams below and we will be sure to help out as much as possible.
Thanks for reading: MLS Tips Fantasy Major League Soccer GW14. This article was written by Ivan The Terrible
All these years of playing and I still haven’t learned my lesson. I had both J. Martinez and Bunbury in my squad and after reading threads on various fantasy sites, I end up dropping both. Urruti and T. Martinez owe me.
Now I see Urruti isn’t even starting.
I’m sure you beat my, ahem, mammoth 42pts!
I’m sitting on 66. When I saw Urruti was sitting, I dropped him for Ibrahimovic.
I actually made a late move that paid off!
That was a great call Gene, I don’t know of you were able to watch any of that game, but he was bloody awful in the first half. He had a great fantasy half in the second. Alessandrini was the one that was close several times could have easily been the Frenchman with 15 plus points.
Bloody Urruti!! Who should I drop out of Valeri or Moralez so Bunbury will come on? I’d say Urruti will play the 2nd game just to spite me!
Urriti will play, so that’s done. It’s a toss up between those two. I probably keep Moralez for the higher floor.
Once again I didn’t go with my guts. Yesterday was telling Matt in post 14.2
“I am still pondering about Zlatan. Many think that it’s unlikely to play the two games but with the suspension he had a good rest and I think he will. Plus, Ola will play only the first game before he departs to Norway and they will need Ibra for that”. Even if I stayed with my first draft (post7) with Katai and Alessandrini would have been better. The only good part is leaving Almiron on the bench where he is going to stay. As I mentioned before, I don’t trust Atlanta anymore, even at home. Surprisingly Philly are playing very well at late, unbeaten in 4 games and that goalless draw away to NYRB should have reminded us for that.
That’s why I am leaving Almiron with his miserable 5 points and will upgrade my scrub to Moralez, Valeri or even Techera against the Rapids.
“secretzorro
says:
May 29, 2018 at 2:00 am
You always talk this crap mate; I’m never this-I’m never that, blah-blah then 5m before deadline you follow the herd.”
You’re priceless amigo. For everything else there’s midnight’s Mastercard!
You should have listened to me and wouldn’t have Ibra and his 15 points wasted on the bench. And it’s very likely he will add more in the second game :cuss:
I watched that Atlanta game last night, Atlanta should have absolutely destroyed New England. Barco missed about 3 glorious chances. Almiron missed two or three good chances, I would have expected him to score one of those. If they put one or two of those away, it is a road win and no one can say anything about them. If they put two of those away their big 3 all finish in double digits.
Mito, Atlanta was my favourite team last season. They did tremendous job as a new franchise. This season their performance is quite patchy and despite the great start they are at danger of losing the top spot. What worries me is that they are becoming like Galaxy with a better road record than at home.
The 2 losses and draw at home were to arguably the 3 best teams in MLS besides them, I am not worried about them yet, I watch them every game and they have looked much shakier on the road, despite getting good results.
Let’s hope that is the case. If they sort out the defence will become unstoppable.
Ivan, I guess that it doesn’t take a person to be a genius to be a manager in MLS. The 5-Stripes mgr displayed that when he subbed in Kratz in the final minutes of a 1-0 CS & turned it into a draw losing me points from D & GK. Kratz stepped onto the pitch & prompted yielded a penalty. Couldn’t Barco last a few minutes to preserve the draw? Who the hell is Kratz & why play him at that time?
I don’t know Mosc. He always play Kratz as a sub for some reason. The only good thing from him was the brace against MTL last month.
LGP will be back from suspension for the second game, that might help them.
Real Madrid press conference been called….about to start….
Surely they can’t….?
Zidane called it….and has announced he has resigned….
Zidane has resigned…
I am not sure of the circumstances, I wouldn’t put it pass Florentino to have somewhat forced him out, but surely this was Zidane’s decision. Real Madrid will probably need to renew their squad most of their stars have hit 30 already, so if his decision was strictly based on football, he probably stepped away at the perfect moment. Imagine how much he is going to command when he decides to manage again.
He has been great, hate seeing him go.
Great to call it quits while at the top… He’s got 100% winning percentage of CL now, hasn’t he? I’d call it quits too if I was in his shoes 😉
Excellent smoker as well. I hope he doesn’t quit that habit.
Stylish I’d imagine? Haven’t seen him in action, I’ll go google.
That was quite a fun google. So it’s pretty much every French & Italian player / manager. And Jack Wilshere :satansmoking:
Socrates deserves an honorary packet of B&H – he was a two packet a day man, by all accounts.
But I think my favourite was Cruyff – his smoking was truly epic.
There are loads of “lucky strikes” in football! 🙂 Cruyff gotta be the king here, Berbatov was a more modern version.
He is out,yep…
Mauricio to replace him :popcorn: ?
It would be a very logical thing to do, especially if you add Kane to that plan…
p.s. I ll give Arsene the underdog role as a back up option 😉 …
https://www.theguardian.com/football/2018/may/31/real-madrid-mauricio-pochettino-tottenham re the Poch / Madrid dance.
Guti promoted to replace ZZ?
Maybe, probably a top 5 candidate, guess they want to hire from within he be likely, can’t see Raul being it as I think he legally can’t. Could see a similar situation to Zidane and Ancelotti. Florentino could bring in someone and throw one of their own (Guti, Raul or Xavi Alonso) as an assistant. Perhaps Sarri or Poch in teaching their possible successor If not directly after them, 2 or 3 years down the line.
I do enjoy silly season…
“If Grealish does leave Villa Park, we understand the club would be looking to recoup around £40m.”
Admittedly, that’s taken from the SS website!
This period of trying to sort out business before the WC is very entertaining. Bit like an extended deadline day. And potentially quite a bit of management business to sort out as well (maybe Spurs now and Chelsea).
I did have a minor wobbly moment earlier re the RM press-conference – that maybe it would be announcing new signings Mane, Firmino and Salah; something nightmarish like that.
Marco Silva has been confirmed as the latest Everton manager!
Can’t say I’m overwhelmed to be honest. I did in fact immediately check the odds on the next Everton manager to see who we’re getting in December to sort the latest mess out
Wenger, after he is sacked in November. 😉
I actually assumed you were joking when you said that privately before. Turns out he’s 2nd favourite.
Then again…….
I keep thinking the likes of Tosun, Siggy and Coleman may be okish options – as their prices should or may be reasonable. Maybe one of those three as an early season punt, should Everton’s fixtures be kind. I think a lot of us dodged that bullet this season as their opening run was terrible, fixture-wise. But perhaps the likes of Burnley will offer better enabling options for 18/19. Bit early, I know.
I know some Everton fans were half-hoping Rafa could be lured in, but that never seemed likely to me.
I’d have loved that personally. He’s a calibre above Silva. But yeah, wasn’t going to happen. Moshiri has had a crush on Silva for ages so that was only going one way.
Their prices should soften a bit after the lack of productivity this season. Tosun could be a serious consideration but I’d imagine we’ll probably buy another striker too. Then again we said that last season…
I’m loving this…haha…
Zidane is less than a quarter of the odds of poor old Sam
He looks like a crim from The Sweeney, about to meet some crunchingly violent end at the hands of Jack Regan.
Or, indeed, see out an end as a bitter ex-pat on the Costa del Crime.
I had a look at the odds – and the slightly rum collection of candidates – and the fact that Alan Pardew is 66-1 says quite a lot. They must be desperate for Poch – who signed a new contract with Spurs the other day.
Or maybe not.
I was just disappointed Kevin Keegan wasn’t on there.
First thing that crossed my mind was that new Poch contract. Levy ain’t daft is he?!
The ZZ resignation seemed to catch everyone on the hop. Maybe there was something out there in the aether. Maybe they’re not interested in Poch. Maybe the new management will be an automated solution, saving millions. But the timing of the resignation may not be great news for Spurs as Poch may want to take a couple of players with him (as well as their losing Poch, of course).
Having said all that, the RM gig is not exactly the most secure of jobs.
I’ve no idea who’s plying their (fledgling) trade in their lower ranks but you may be right. It’s more of the Barca style that though, Madrid tend to be more flashy, probably for marketing purposes mainly.
I’d like to see him stay at Spurs but these opportunities don’t come along every day and this weeks man of the moment can easily become next weeks forgotten one. And Poch will be well aware of that for sure.
The new bloke is going to be on a hiding to nothing. Although, that’s not a new scenario at Madrid.
Sort of Kop, but there’s the league to go back after. There’s at least a hole there to aim to fix.
Whoever comes to Madrid better secure all the money they can and throw in a clause. Florentino has sacked everyone I can think of, except Zidane and ZZ probably wasn’t sacked because he won the CL every chance he had. He fired Del Bosque once because he was tired of him. Del Bosque won La Liga twice (including the year he was sacked) and CL twice in 4 years.