Fantasy
Statistics are often overlooked in soccer, and we here at MLSsoccer.com think that's too bad.
So each Monday, we'll be bringing you five of the most telling stats following the previous weekend's round of games. They might be about the individual game itself, a team's recent run of results or an individual player lighting it up. This week, we've got all three.
Here's five key stats from Week 11:
-
25 players have scored 3 or more goals in MLS 2013 so far. Five of the 25 – exactly one-fifth – are Portland Timbers players. [Mike Donovan, @TheMikeDonovan]
The five players are Ryan Johnson, Will Johnson, Diego Valeri, Rodney Wallace and Darlington Nagbe. The New York Red Bulls come in a close second with four players (Thierry Henry, Tim Cahill, Fabián Espíndola and Jámison Olave). To make up for those two hogging all the three-goal scorers, Chivas USA, Seattle, Vancouver, Colorado, D.C. United, Chicago and New England have a combined zero. Ouch.
- With Sunday night's victory against the Houston Dynamo, Sporting Kansas City have now handed MLS opponents their first loss at a new stadium at six different stadiums: BBVA Compass Stadium, BMO Field, Qwest Field, Rio Tinto Stadium, Robertson Stadium (Houston Dynamo) and Spartan Stadium (San Jose Earthquakes). [Sporting Kansas City]
Quite rude of them to crash house parties in such a manner, really.
- Jack McInerney's game-winning goal against the Chicago Fire on Saturday was his 15th goal in 30 appearances since John Hackworth took over as Philadelphia Union head coach for Peter Nowak last June. [Philadelphia Union]
Jack Mac has done everything in his power to earn a US national team call-up for this summer's Gold Cup. It would be more than a mild shock if his early season form doesn't translate to his first senior team cap. Are you paying attention, Jurgen?
-
Following their 3-2 road loss to the Montreal Impact on Saturday, Real Salt Lake have yet to win in Canada in the club's history, moving to 0-6-4 in 10 matches across all competitions north of the border. [Real Salt Lake]
The math is in their favor, though; only one Canadian team resides in the Western Conference, so they'll avoid Toronto FC and Montreal for a second (and/or third) time in the regular season as well as the playoffs, barring an MLS Cup meeting.
- The San Jose Earthquakes have won just one of their past eight games, a stretch that includes three losses. During their Supporters' Shield-winning 2012 campaign, the fewest games they won during an eight-game stretch was four, and that run was without a loss.
For context's sake, the 2012 stretch came during the final eight games of the season with the Supporters' Shield already won and San Jose resting starters for the playoffs. Granted, it's still early in the season, but the Earthquakes are well behind their 2012 pace of 1.94 ppg (1.17 so far in 2013), which is a difference of 26 points over a 34-game season.
Did we miss something? Let us know in the comments below.
Round 6 in MLS Fantasy Soccer: Manager was capped off by a 13-point performance from Dan Paladini. The Chicago Fire midfielder is currently owned by just 0.7 percent of owners, which just goes to show that in any given round you should expect the unexpected. Here's how the rest of the Dream Team looks with regards to percentage owned, price and total score.
Sporting KC are the only team with a bye in Round 7. If you look at the numbers, a lot of managers are going to face several questions this week. Who to add? Who to drop? WIll Sporting KC players rise in price even though they're off? Should I pick up New York players in anticipation for Round 8?
Well, you're in luck. Jason Saghini and Andrew Wiebe will be back on Thursday for another episode of Starting Lineup, our fantasy series dedicated specifically to helping you with your weekly concerns. So go ahead, ask away -- we're here to help..
Post your questions in the comments section below or tweet them to @MLSFantasy, the official MLS twitter account for all things FS:M related. And if for some reason you missed last week's episode of the Starting Lineup, check it out below.
We're one month into the 2013 MLS Fantasy Soccer: Manager season. But have you been able to break the 60-point mark yet? Are you successfully planning ahead for bye weeks? Is your captain failing to produce for you?
If your team is letting you down and you're looking for solutions, Jason Saghini and Andrew Wiebe will be back again this Thursday with another episode of “Starting Lineup,” your ultimate FS:M resource. There's plenty to talk about this week, so get your questions in early.
Post them in the comments section below or tweet them to @MLSFantasy, the official MLS twitter account for all things FS:M related. And if for some reason you missed last week's episode of the Starting Lineup, check it out below.
After nearly a month of action in the 2013 MLS Fantasy Soccer: Manager season, four teams in the ExtraTime Experts League still remain undefeated. Heading into the final weekend in March, the overall leader, Taylor Twellman (ThinkTaylor), ranks No. 103 overall with 266 total points. I dropped to seventh place in the latest standings after Twellman handed me my first loss of the season.
Here’s how the top four (undefeated) teams made it to this point:
Round 4 – Results
- ThinkTaylor (Taylor Twellman) 63, Jatinho (Ben Jata) 42
- Newborn FC (Jason Saghini) 63, Williams’ Wobblers (Callum Williams) 61
- Bad Idea Jeans (Marc Connolly) 64, Great White North (Luke Wileman) 60
- Mass Confrontation (Grant Wahl) 55, OptaJoy (Ian Joy) 50
MLS ExtraTime Experts League: Standings, results and fixtures - CLICK HERE
Round 5 – Fixtures
This weekend will be especially tough for two of the four remaining undefeated teams. No.2 and MLSsoccer.com’s, Jason Saghini (Newborn FC) will face off against Theshinguardian.com’s Matthew Tomaszewicz (FC Fuzzy Bunny), who’s currently ranked No. 5 overall. And No.4, ESPN’s Grant Wahl (Mass Confrontation) will clash with the Columbus Crew’s Ashleigh Ignelzi (Iggy FC), who’s currently ranked No. 6 overall.
Here’s how the ExtraTime Experts League complete standings look as of today.
Due to CONCACAF Champions League semifinal second-leg games against Monterrey and Santos Laguna, Round 6 fixtures in Fantasy Soccer: Manager for both the Seattle Sounders and LA Galaxy have been rescheduled. With that in mind, we've added an extra transfer (three total) to that round to accommodate your potential losses. One additional transfer will carry over to Round 6 (for a total of four) if you don't use them all up this week.
Injuries are starting to become a growing concern (i.e. Chance Meyers in Sporting KC) and USMNT absences could mean less playing time when some starters return to their team (e.g. Graham Zusi, Omar Gonzalez, Eddie Johnson, etc.). With that being said, MLS Experts Jason Saghini and Andrew Wiebe will be back again on Thursday for another episode of “Starting Lineup." This new MLS Fantasy Soccer: Manager series is specifically designed to help you field your Best XI possible. If you're having trouble figuring out who to start, who to pick up, who to drop or just a general question about the game let us know. We're here to talk fantasy soccer, that's it!
Post your questions in the comments section or tweet them to @MLSFantasy, the offical MLS twitter account for FS:M. And if for some reason you missed the most recent episode of Starting Lineup last week, check it out below.
MLS Experts Jason Saghini and Andrew Wiebe will be back again on Thursday for another episode of “Starting Lineup,” our new MLS Fantasy Soccer: Manager series dedicated strictly to helping you field your Best XI possible. So if you're having trouble figuring out who to start, who to pick up, who to drop or just a general question about the game let us know. We're here to talk fantasy soccer, that's it!
Post your questions in the comments section below or tweet them to @MLSFantasy, the offical MLS twitter account for everything FS:M related. And if for some reason you missed the second episode of Starting Lineup last week, check it out below.
Round 2 of the 2013 MLS Fantasy Soccer: Manager season brought most of the teams feeling somewhat invincible after Week 1 back down to reality. Six games were decided by two points or less in the ExtraTime Experts League this round and the No. 1 spot now belongs to someone else; a guy who knows a thing or two about scoring in MLS.
TheCrew.com's Ashleigh Ignelzi (Iggy FC) was the top scorer after Round 1, but was on upset alert in Round 2 when she matched up against beIN Sport’s Ian Joy (Optajoy). The match came down to the final game of the week, with Chris Wondolowski (captain) temporarily sealing the deal for Joy by the narrowest of margins 41-40. Ignelzi would’ve dropped further but a stat correction earned her a draw; 40-40. Either way, Roy Miller is partially at fault for this.
Nine of the 24 teams are still undefeated with six teams sitting at a perfect 2-0-0. Grant Wahl (Mass Confrontation), formerly known as Danny Szetela's Afro, and ESPN's Marc Connolly (Bad Idea Jeans) each won their key matchups and remain undefeated at 2-0-0 heading into Round 3.
Taylor Twellman (ThinkTaylor) and Jason Saghini (Newborn FC) won their matches and improve to 2-0-0 as well. Twellman’s 139 total points makes him the overall leader going into his Round 3 matchup against Americansoccernow.com's Jon Godfrey. But when asked for a comment regarding his performance so far, the former MLS striker had very little to say;
"No Comment…I don’t want to ruin my fantasy mojo with words."
Foxsoccer.com’s Kyle McCarthy (Undisclosed Terms) almost got his first win but The Shinguardian, Matthew Tomaszewicz (FC Fuzzy Bunny) left him with yet another loss; 43-42. MLS pundit Jonathan Yardley (Fort Nonsense SC) got a one-point win over ESPN's Max Bretos (COLOTERORITA) 53-52. Unfortunately for MLSsoccer.com's Greg Lalas (Tesla’s Revenge) and Simon Borg (Borgussia Borgmund), as well as Soccer By Ives' Ives Galarcep (SBI United), they all fell to 0-2-0, along with my opponent, MLSsoccer.com’s Dan Haiek (DanBROse Earthquakes). Simon Borg commented on the current situation of his team;
"After a really productive Week 1 (71 points), I decided to bite the bullet in Week 2 with both the LA Galaxy and Houston Dynamo having Champions League byes. Although I have five players from those two clubs, I refused to use the Wild Card this early and suffered the consequences (34 points). But no one's running away with anything after Week 2, so Borgussia Borgmund is still feeling good.”
For all the latest news and advice regarding MLS Fantasy Soccer: Manager follow @MLSFantasy.
Key Matchups in Round 3
- American Soccer Now (2-0-0) vs ThinkTaylor (2-0-0)
Upset Alert in Round 3
- Danny Szetela's Afro (2-0-0) vs SBI United (0-2-0)
Last Thursday our new weekly MLS Fantasy Soccer: Manager show "Starting Lineup" kicked off. We'll be back again to give you another episode this week and every week from here on out. MLS Experts Jason Saghini and Andrew Wiebe will be answering some of your questions, so if you're having trouble figuring out who to start, who to pick up, who to drop or just a general question about the game let us know. We're here to talk fantasy soccer, plain and simple!
As the season picks up, you'll want to get as much insight as possible so that you can field your optimal team each round. Who will be sitting out due to suspensions? What will happen with this player now that he has been traded? And the popular question this week -- Will Obafemi Martins be available to pick up before the rosters lock for Round 3? And if so, how much will he cost? We'll be answering that and several others, so tune in and check it out this Thursday on MLSsoccer.com.
Post your questions in the comments section below or tweet them to @MLSFantasy, the offical MLS twitter account for all things FS:M related. And if for some reason you missed the first episode of the Starting Lineup last week check it out above.
Based on this tweet, we know two things about Chicago Fire striker Quincy Amarikwa.
First, he's a multitab iPhone browser. Second, he's probably better than you at MLS Fantasy Soccer: Manager.
If you're in public League 3005 or 2975, it looks like you'll be fighting for table position with a current MLS player – and probably ending up on the wrong end of that deal.
Having trouble picking the right players? Need some expert advice? Well, here’s your chance to be heard.
On Thursday, MLS Fantasy Soccer: Manager experts Jason Saghini and Andrew Wiebe will be answering some of your questions on MLSsoccer.com. We want to hear from you so send us your concerns and we'll do our best to answer as many as we can. If you have a question about the scoring, who to start, who to pick up or whether or not you should use your wildcard, ask us. If it's fantasy-related, we're game. We're here to help, even if all of it didn't live up to our billing in Week 1.
And remember, for daily updates on injuries, suspensions, trades and insider information follow @MLSFantasy.
To have your questions answered on Thursday, tweet it to @MLSFantasy or feel free to post them in the comments section below.