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
Iceland 11 (vs Norway, lost 2-3, Gylfi came on and scored)
Ivan….You went from having Martinez to selling him. You went against your own advice. Kop does that all the time, gives great advice but then doesn’t follow it himself and gets punished.
Atlanta should have scored over 10 goals in these two games, damn did they miss some ridiculous chances over the DGW.
Mito, I feel sick. That was my biggest mistake ever. I knew that nobody can stop Martinez at home and still went with that stupid decision. I had Katai and Alessandrini in my original draft who did better than that f**ing Zahibo. Let’s say it’s the bloody curse.
Now, Melia has been removed in order to get the 13 points from Rimando. With Zusi left my only other option is to bring Besler or Opara but that is a big risk to lose the 8 points from Elis. Even with a CS they need to score to get more. I might just stick.
With all that mess I will drop at least 100 places :rant:
Look at my score to feel better amigo. I thought this would be a good time to ‘think outside the box’, especially with PHI on a roll… I didn’t know the feckin’ ref was ATL shareholder ffs
Yes but those two from Philly went unnecessary mad and the ref had no other choice, I watched the highlights this morning. I wish you went with your plan and used a couple of scrubs, you could have the 31 points sitting on your bench added to the total.
ITT At least I can give a little light relief to those that missed an opportunity
I might change tactics this season Mito
Supporting Utd, Real….. or both?
Fuuuuuuuck!!!!!! My fucking scrub played!! Bunbury will stay on the bench. This is why I hate MLS hahah
Who was your scrub?
Probably Martinez knowing Matt
That’s unfortunate to leave 17 points on the bench.
Some guy named E.Juarez.
The little circle beside his name is red so I thought they meant he was unavailable. Bloody annoying
You know Matt, when a team is on a bye, that is actually a sure thing….just saying.
That is bad. For future reference, you should use scrubs from teams on a bye (eg DCU this round) to avoid this scenario ever happening again.
Maybe you should add. Don’t do as Ivan and follow your guts.
Stick to your original draft.
I had done that with my defenders buy thought I was safe with the 4.0 mid that had the red circle beside his name haha
Don’t ever trust FMLS site. Their markings are always wrong.In general the injury and disciplinary reports are very poor. The best is to go with a player on bye, like Chipster said.
Not quite as bad as your’s Matt, I didn’t get up in time to scrub Villa, so i have Fagundez sat on my bench with 10pts! Still happy overall with 155pts though!
That’s the kind of bench boost I would love in fpl.
Neymar in for Willian in the XI and that is probably their starting xi in the world cup.
I assume all of their creativity comes from the front 3?
Nah, Paulinho is very helpful and Fernandinho and Casemiro are better going forward than people think, just their roles at City and Madrid don’t allow them to show it as much. Marcelo provides a lot from the left and before Alves got injured he was on the ball more than any other Brazilian. They could also opt for Coutinho over Fernandinho in the midfield and leave Willian, Jesus and Neymar in the front 3. Renato Augusto could also play instead of Fernandinho in the midfleld and he is good going forward. I am going to watch them vs Croatia, this will be a great test for their midfield considering who Croatia has in theirs.
Ah ok. I probably haven’t seen Brazil play since the last WC!
Dang, what a starting 11, even w/o Neymar (who apparently will come on in the second half). They have to be favorites to take the WC w/ Spain, Germany, France somewhat close behind them. Absolutely Brazil for me this year.
I am with the same four except I have Uruguay over France, but I am going back and forth on that one.
Yeah, France have a deep squad and look good but people have been questioning whether Deschamps is the right man (not as questionable as Bobby the Clown Martinez for Belgium but that’s a different story), so I can see them being knocked out (by possibly Uruguay) after some kind of tactical error or what-not.
Or a Suarez dive to get a pen. 😉
Haha, true!
I feel Coutinho will play in the group stages when they have easy opponents and they can be more attacking! I mean Coutinho will play instead of Fernandinho, Fernandinho will perhaps play when the real games start and Brazil want to be slightly more defensive!
Paulinho has been great in Brazil shirt, could be a sneaky punt in WC fantasy if he’s cheap! Paulinho often sneaks into the attack, has an ok shot, and he can score goals. Plus, he has amazing defensive work rate (at least for Brazil), which is one of the reasons he’s preferred by Tite! He is a definite starter as he has flourished in the national team, and he even scored a hat trick against Uruguay away!
I think Douglas Costa will play instead of Willian, but it’s a 50-50 perhaps… They do have a great team though, and Tite is a good manager, Brazil was amazing in qualifiers after Tite took control! Brazil will do well!
Yeah, Paulinho is one I have an eye on. Have him as the garbage collector. Whatever the front 3 doesn’t score, Paulinho swoops in and picks it up, will be very interested in his price.
Same here, if he’s cheap enough, he’s one of the first names on my team sheet
Croatia :red-flag:
That’s a strong side!
Strong but in a dodgy group. Let’s hope they can surprise like in France 98.
On paper and from what I have seen so far, they are better than Argentina.
Argentina is like Brazil from 4 years ago, someone is going to expose them and if Messi is out from a game, they will lose 7-1 😉
This, Argentina don’t have a defense and now that Romero got injured, who’s gonna be their goalie, Caballero? :hippo:
Armani should be the starter, he is better than Romero in my opinion and a lot of Argentinians agree. Problem is, their manager seems to prefer Willy because he is better with the ball at his feet. With that defence and that weak ass midfield, I be starting the one that is a great shot stopper. But if Sampaoli wants to start Caballero, that should be more fun for us to watch.
Always liked Croatia! :dance:
Almost had the opening goal with that header just now.
Who does everyone fancy to be top scorer at the WC?
I usually back a player or two. However, 4 years ago I’d have been as well of flushing my money down the jacks!!
Who was it? HiguaÃn and a Brazilian guy wasn’t it?
On paper they seemed decent picks.
Hard to pick a forward, with the exception of France and Uruguay I don’t love any of the ones from what I perceive as the 3 favourites(Spain, Germany and Brazil). I do like Jesus and Firmino, but minutes could be a concern, so I would grab Neymar if any Brazilian. Spain and Germany might share the goals too much. Maybe Suarez or Griezmann?
Think those be my 3 favourites.
Neymar
Suarez (Cavani does bother me a little)
Griezmann
All 3 should be on pens also and have good first round groups where you will need to get off to a decent start if you are going to win it.
Fred was one
and I can’t think of the other.
I’ve been considering Cavani at 25/1
Cavani not a bad choice one would think. Leading goal scorer in SA qualifiers.
Cavani could be it, although it’s 50/50 between him and Suarez… Which one will score more goals? I’d pick someone from either Uruguay or Brazil though as they have the easiest groups I feel, so they could snatch a few in group stages… Brazil more likely to have more games though, so that’s why I’d lean towards someone from Brazil, and Jesus is my sneaky punt there…
Suarez has the pens, doesn’t he? Neymar for Brazil… So they are more likely I reckon to get most goals…
Yeah, those two will take them and they also have direct free kicks. That is why I rated them 1-2.
I don’t even see Griezmann on the choices in the team??
oh I see just showing whats playing in the round of play dohhhhhh
:shake:
Yeah, Griezmann and someone like Timo Werner perhaps. Did well in 2017 Confederations Cup.
Werner is another I’ve looked at. He’s 14/1
I’d punt on Jesus, if Brazil win it he could easily be top scorer! Jesus has a very good chemistry with Neymar, and he was arguably among Brazil’s best players in qualifiers! He assisted many of Neymar’s goals, and Neymar assisted many of his goals. It’s his first WC and the Brazil number 9 shirt is perhaps a bit taunting to wear, but he’s played well in U20 WC and won the Olympics in Rio! I do feel Firmino will warm the bench more than play, as I see Jesus as the starter there. However, note that if Brazil win their first two games, Firmino might play the third game instead of Jesus, so of course Neymar is an easy choice here! But my pick is Jesus! 😉
I was hoping for some consensus. Sadly not.
I don’t disagree that Jesus be great, I am just not as confident that he will get get the minutes necessary. I worry that if Jesus struggles a little he won’t get the time needed or the 2nd chance with Firmino lying in wait. If you guarantee me his minutes, I probably punt on him also. He did great in qualifiers.