After a few postponements, the Spring season is now finally over and we will be entering the Fall season starting this week. Despite the many delayed kick-offs (due to freaky summer weather conditions) we witnessed another exciting round with 51 goals scored, including two hat tricks. Zlatan Ibrahimovic scored his first MLS hat trick and his ex-Manchester United team-mate Wayne Rooney scored his first MLS goal. Elsewhere, Bradley Wright-Phillips netted his 100th goal and became the fastest player to score a century in MLS history.
https://twitter.com/MLS/status/1023781778308378625
Gameweek 22 Review
The second edition of El Trafico finished in a similar fashion to the first. LAFC were 2-0 up until the 82nd minute when the Galaxy came back, this time to draw the game. Vancouver demolished Minnesota with another stunning performance from the teen sensation Alphonso Davies (who just signed with Bayern Munich) scoring a brace and two assists. Toronto had a second win against Chicago, this time at home. Portland extended their unbeaten streak to 14 with the help of Fanendo Adi, who played his last game for the team and scored a fantastic late goal. Atlanta cemented their lead in the Eastern Conference with a road win at Montreal, where Josef Martinez moved closer to another MLS record (most goals in a season) after his latest brace brought his tally to 24. LA Galaxy and Orlando city produced a seven-goal spectacle to round of the week, in which the visitors endured another loss.
"It's in the net!" @WayneRooney bags his first goal for @dcunited. #DCvCOL pic.twitter.com/p0ZGg9vIdY
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) July 29, 2018
Gameweek 23 Preview
After many double gameweeks, things finally return to normal. This is a single gameweek for all teams, except Columbus Crew who are on bye.
ATL ( W 14 D 5 L 4 ) vs TOR ( W 6 D 4 L 11 )
No doubt where the most picks will come from this week. The Five Stripes are on fire and Martinez is simply unstoppable. At the same time, the Reds are on some kind of a mini-surge after beating Chicago twice in the last two rounds. Being the first early game, some Toronto players could be chanced as part of a switcheroo.
Note: Make sure you keep an eye on the MLS All Stars vs Juventus game on Wednesday, as half of the host team will be from Atlanta United and there is the possibility of injures and/or rotations.
24 goals. 23 games.
The matches just can't keep up with @JosefMartinez17 pic.twitter.com/2soNfMDhDm
— Atlanta United FC (@ATLUTD) July 29, 2018
ORL ( W 7 D 1 L 14 ) vs NE ( W 7 D 7 L 7 )
This will be an interesting encounter between two struggling teams of late. This could be the last chance for the Lions to recover from their long slump and start moving up. The two playmakers Dwyer and Kljestan are beginning to show signs of their past glories and could be tried as high-risk / high-reward punts. Meanwhile, the Revs remain one of the worst travelling teams, with one win from four months ago, so the week of rest they just had is unlikely to help much.
MTL ( W 9 D 1 L 13 ) vs DCU ( W 4 D 5 L 9 )
The Canadians have been on a rollercoaster of late, but despite last week’s loss to Atlanta they are usually good at home and Piatti will be heavily present in many teams. There is a small chance for a clean sheet, as the Black and Red are still not doing well on the road. However, Rooney got a taste of an MLS goal last week and might try for another one (perhaps with a Zorro-like facemask after his accident last week).
DAL ( W 12 D 6 L 3 ) vs SJ ( W 2 D 7 L 12 )
This will be a clash between the top and the bottom teams in the West. The Texans have not lost a game this season at the Toyota Stadium. Barrios, who had not scored since last October, went on the board with three goals last week. At only $4.6M, expect many to have a go with him. As for the visitors, they failed to win either of their home games last week, so we shouldn’t expect any better from them on the road this week.
74' – ARE YOU KIDDING ME???? Just call him Hat Trick Barrios!! #SKCvFCD | SKC-1, FCD- 3 pic.twitter.com/S0KkyVHDJe
— FC Dallas (@FCDallas) July 29, 2018
NYCFC ( W 13 D 4 L 5 ) vs VAN ( W 8 D 5 L 9 )
After the two road games last week, the Blues will be back to the Yankee Stadium where they are yet to lose a game this season. David Villa didn’t travel for either trip and we are still awaiting news on his recovery from injury. Once again Maxi Moralez will be a first choice for this game, plus a defender or two. The chances of a home win are high as the Caps have lost their last three games away, with two shutouts and nine goals conceded.
MIN ( W 9 D 1 L 12 ) vs SEA ( W 7 D 5 L 9 )
Although wildly unpredictable, the Loons can be respected at home where they have won their last four games, with 14 goals scored in them. Of course, a clean sheet is highly unlikely, but the likes of Quintero, Ibarra and Ramirez shouldn’t be overlooked.
The Sounders are on a six-game unbeaten streak, but it must be said that they are shy scoring on the road with only 9 goals in 11 away games. Still, Lodeiro fans won’t miss the opportunity, as he often bags bonus points even when he doesn’t score or assist.
HOU ( W 7 D 6 L 8 ) vs SKC ( W 9 D 6 L 6 )
This will be another game where it is difficult to predict the outcome. Both, the home record for the hosts and the away record for the visitors are mediocre. If you are to go with any, Quioto, Elis or Manotas probably stand a better chance than Salloi or Gerso.
COL (W 4 D 5 L 12 ) vs LA ( W 10 D 5 L 7 )
The Rapids remain as bad and inconsistent as ever, so all bets are on the visitors for this one. The Galaxy are on a nine-game unbeaten run during which they’ve netted more than half of their season’s goals (25). They have climbed to third in the West and are only a point behind their hometown rivals, LAFC. It’s obvious that Zlatan has inspired the team, with his 15 goals to date, but credit should also be given to Alessandrini in midfield and to Ola Kamara, who has three goals in his last five starts.
RSL ( W 9 D 4 L 9 ) vs CHI ( W 6 D 5 L 12 )
Real have the best home record in the West, with only one lost game all the way back in Round 2. They will host the Fire, who have not won a game on the road for more than two months and have conceded three goals apiece in their last three away games. Plata and Rusnak will be popular for this match and Rimando, with six clean sheets and 70 saves, should be considered. For the ones who like to gamble with players on the road, the best option is probably Nikolic, who has six goals in his last eight starts.
POR ( W 9 D 7 L 3 ) vs PHI ( W 8 D 3 L 10 )
It’s now almost four months since the Timbers have lost a game and it’s unlikely that trend will stop this week. One of Valeri or Blanco is strongly recommended here.
Despite their recent patchy performances, Philly have won their last two away games with seven goals scored in them. It is doubtful they will do it again in this trip, but the more adventurous could gamble with Burke ($5.0M) who is now on five goals.
NYRB ( W 13 D 2 L 6 ) vs LAFC ( W 10 D 6 L 5 )
The Bulls lost to Columbus last week but that was only their second defeat at home since mid-April. It will be a surprise if BWP is not in every team, plus a defender is a good pickup here given that they’ve only shipped 9 goals in 11 games at the Red Bull Arena.
The Black and Gold have been steadily climbing the Western Conference and are now sitting in second place. They have a great away record, with 25 goals scored, but still remain leaky with 27 goals conceded. Some might go with Vela or Diamonde, but in a cross-country trip to a strong home team it’s probably not advisable.
https://twitter.com/IanWright0/status/1022306483302744064
Captain Suggestions
1. Josef Martinez (ATL) It’s becoming scary to avoid this goal machine.
2. Bradley Wright-Phillips (NYRB) With 100 under the belt, he’ll be hungry for more.
3. Zlatan Ibrahimovic (LA) In scintillating form, with 11 goals and 3 assists in his last 7 starts.
[polldaddy poll=10069166]
Deadline
Saturday 04.08 at 4 PM EDT – 9 PM BST
Best of luck to all Managers
Announcement
There is a NEW H2H league for the Fall season called the Battle of FF247. It’s by invitation only and all serious MLSers on here can obtain the code by contacting the site admin team or message me on twitter.
Thanks for reading: MLS Tips Fantasy Major League Soccer GW23. This article was written by Ivan The Terrible
They wiped out my team ffs. Impossible to make a decent team now, I think I’ll bin MLS – final straw
Why? Now is the real challenge….lets start afresh. All existing leagues are set to 0…. no advantage to anyone, fair start to all.
Zorro, you are not alone there. Many thought that they are clever and did quick teams thinking that will stay as it is while it has been announced that today everything will be reset. GM is right, now the real game starts.
Quite true, hard to fit everyone.
Ah, well, while it is hard to see my 164 million drop to 100, will be fun to see what the second half brings.
Having said that, I doubt whether I will do as much tinkering as in the past, as ultimately, FPL is the main focus
Forgot to add, @Ivan, great article, as usual, thanks and much appreciated.
Thanks Shrivathsa.
I think the second part will be more interesting with the prices now looking more challenging.
I don’t mind them wiping out my team, but Elis HOU was 8m, now is 10m ffs.
Well SZ, it’s back to basics. You will see all the teams with 4 M scrubs only on the bench.And I think there will be more sensible price fluctuations this time.
I loved it….. it was less of a challenge with 164m ITB and I had abundance of choices. Now the dice has been drawn upside down…..can’t even fit the obvious choices. Its more like FPL pricing now….with advantage of knowing the form of the players.
Wish you all good luck on the drawing board !
That is true. What the f was that? A defender like Zussi at 13.0. Now he is less than a half price, have two 😆
Requested Dashdar for a mini podcast post price revisions… expected that it will be tight, but not to this extent.
The prices came out just now and the podcast has been out since last night. I bet there will be a special edition soon. They are already discussing them on twitter.
Budget back to 100 brings back the interesting challenge of finding the cheapo stars. What is you opinion of :
Herrera (RSL) Allen (ORL) Krolicki (MTL) Muyl (NYRB) Sunny (RSL) and Rocha (ORL)?
The only one worth a try is Muyl. Don’t forget that the transfer window is open for another two weeks and many can come or go. Adi from (POR) left and few others are in the pipe. Davies (VAN) signed with Bayern but will stay till the end because he can’t play in the Bundesliga until he is 18 which will be in November.
I have Krolicki.
Did not pick up Herrera as he played just 4 games, (of which 2 were for four minutes), recently played 90, but maybe that game time was because Acosta was missing.
I think Allen is basically cover for when Tarek or Munir are not playing, so bit of a gamble.
Did not check the rest out.
We just have to say goodbye to the switcheroos. Back to old school. The good days are over.
I think switcheroo can still be there. Just means we have to stay awake for the line ups to pick the cheapest prospects from the early games as subs. Then because we are fortunate this week in having a good game last we can scrub out our NYRB picks if the subs do well
Yeah, I am sure we will find a way for some shenanigans. I still haven’t explored the new prices and options.
This is my 1st attempt at putting together a squad:
Gonzalez — Sweat, Boxall, Kappelhof, Raitala — Moralez (C), Medina, Valeri, Bunbury — J. Martinez, Baird.
BENCH: 4 x $4 mil scrubs.
It’s very sad when you wake up and find out that you have turned from a Prince into a pauper. It’s hard to do much with the new budget :shake:
Here’s my lot Ivan
Just think I’ll pick players most likely to play this first week & see how the price rises work out. Even the bench who may play. If they do so/so & rise it will be good for next week. Not worried about score this time just get the TV up. The mls game is sh1te this time around.
I dunno what they’re thinking. I thought the game was fine last season.
Looks well balanced Zorro. Maybe we won’t get high score this week but like Mosc said let’s hope we add some money to the TV.
I’m just hoping everyone plays amigo
This is it, now seeing the lineups is more important than ever. I don’t think that Ibeagha guy will start. Go for Cannon (DAL) or Herrera (RSL).
I’ve finally gone for a bench of Willis , Kroilicki , Herrera and Sunny (18.0m). Rotowire reports them all likely to start
Then BWP, JMartinez, Urruti, Modina, Blanco, Gruezo & Robles leaves me 24m to get four defenders from DAL and NYC
Otieno, we need to figure out who is going to go up in price. Time to start increasing that bank balance. It’s not going to be be Auntie Sussie this time 😉
I did some analysis for about the first ten weeks until the TV became unimportant. It seemed to be roughly based on 40% of the score for the week plus 30%,20%,10% of previous week’s divided by current price. Then compared to the average of this over all players in that position
Otieno, message me on twitter for the code of the new H2H.
I’ve tried hope you got the msg. Twitter isn’t something I use a lot
OK, Otieno. Give me your twitter handle and I will try or email the admin team from contacts and Init or Mito will help you.
Twitter is @kinvadave
Done mate 🙂
Ok Thanks I’m registered in H2H
I’m in now, cheers amigo
Heads up, bro. Blanco suspended for Saturday’s match.
https://twitter.com/MLSInjuryNews/status/1024743501521735680
Maybe Chara could be good instead.
Hey Gene, get me on twitter for the new league code.
Thanks for the heads up Gene. No way I would be awake Sunday morning to check Portland line up
That’s good but I trust no roto or whoever. Best is to keep an eye on the real lineups when they come up if you can.
No GK switcheroo this time….I made a mess last few weeks as did not check the game times and picked up from overlapping games.
Best policy this week is to have a scrub GK and keep a little in the bank. You’ll have plenty of time to put Robles in if your bench GK fails