Reid, Mike, Jason are joined by their special guest, Tim Shaw from Soccer Captains to break down the LAST round of the 2017 Fantasy season. They give a complete review of Round 32 and touch on all the teams that could be benching players as they rest for the playoffs. They also take some time to reminisce about the old background of the MLS Digital Studio and listen to Tim drop some serious Red Bull names. It’s a must listen before Decision Day!
After 32 rounds of exciting MLS Fantasy action, we’ve finally come to the end of the regular season. Decision Day presented by AT&T is set to kickoff at 4 pm ET on Sunday, with all 22 clubs playing at the same time. Don’t expect this to be a boring day of soccer though because many teams are still jockeying for a higher position in the Audi 2017 MLS Cup Playoffs or that last spot in the West. To help celebrate this great day, all of the fantasy writers and I voted on who we thought deserved to be on the 2017 MLS Fantasy MVP team.
I asked each author to pick two keepers, five defenders, five midfielders, and three forwards. I then tallied up the results and put together a game legal formation. Price and budget were not factors and there was no set criteria for how MVP players were selected. Reasons ranged from simple total points to the ability to shift money from your bench to the field. It was wide open. Below is the final MVP team and the individual selections from each author.
2017 MLS Fantasy MVP Team
Keepers
While not the highest scoring players, both Tim Melia (SKC, $5.8) and Alex Bono (TOR, $5.7) have racked up an impressive 10 clean sheets so far this season and have come up with numerous saves when their teams needed them the most. It was a tough call to give Bono the backup spot, but the amazing year Toronto has had was the deciding factor.
Defenders
It’s great to see this mix of players as it reflects both strategies defenders offer to fantasy managers. Justin Morrow (TOR, $7.5) and Joevin Jones (SEA, $6.1) represent the offensively minded players who excel at enhancing the attacking potential of a team and earning extra offensive points. Ike Opara (SKC, $6.5) and Leandro Gonzalez Pirez (ATL, $7.7), on the other hand, are the steadfast center backs who rack up defensive bonus points every time they step on the field. All four represent the best of each category.
On the bench we have Jimmy Medranda (SKC, $6.0). He was a reliable source for clean sheet points even when his team gave up a goal which going forward will be known as #TheMedranda.
Midfielders
Beyond one name, I had no idea who would be selected for this position because there were so many quality midfielders all season, but this mix is excellent. We have the front runner for league MVP, the most reliable player from the best team of 2017, the player with the second-best double-game week score in recent history, and the player who singlehandedly carried LA for most of the season. The battle for the bench spot was no easier, but Lee Nguyen’s (NE, $11.2) reliable home form was what made the difference.
Forwards
When justifying his selections Andrew said “How lucky are we to be able to see David Villa (NYC, $12.3) play every week?” That’s true, and I think many of us will remember his long distance goal for some time to come, but I’d go one step further. Let’s not forget Nemanja Nikolic ($10.8) helping Chicago turn their season around and earn the Golden Boot in the process or the feeling we all get when we wonder how many goals Josef Martinez (ATL, $9.8) could score if healthy for a full season.
How lucky were we, as Fantasy Managers, to have the change to take advantage of all the pints these players produced.
- Unanimous Picks: Melia, Opara, Gonzalez Pirez, Valeri, Allessandrini, and Villa
- Most Contested Spot: A six way tie for backup keeper
- Most Nominations: Defender and Midfielder with Nine
- Total Team Value = $134.1
Author Nominations
Reid Connelly
GK: Melia, Cropper
DEF: Jones, Yotun, Gonzalez Pirez, Opara, Medranda
MID: Valeri, Alessandrini, Asad, Piatti, Vazquez
FWD: Villa, Nikolic, Martinez
Travis Luscombe
GK: Melia, Bono
DEF: Opara, Gonzalez Pirez, Morrow, Callens, Medranda
MID: Valeri, Alessandrini, Nguyen, Vazquez, Piatti
FWD: Villa, Nikolic, O. Kamara
Schuyler Redpath
GK: Melia, Blake
DEF: Gonzalez Pirez, Morrow, Opara, Jones, Yotun
MID: Valeri, Lodeiro, Alessandrini, Piatti, Nguyen
FWD: Villa, Martinez, Giovinco
Blayne Riffle
GK: Melia, Robles
DEF: Opara, Callens, Morrow, Gonzalez Pirez, Jones
MID: Valeri, Piatti, Vazquez, Nguyen, Alessandrini
FWD: Villa, Nikolic, Sapong
Andrew Winner
GK: Melia, Guzan
DEF: Medranda, Morrow, Gonzalez Pirez, Kappelhof, Jones
MID: Valeri, Vazquez, Alessandrini, Piatti, Tabla
FWD: Villa, Martinez, Nikolic
Jason Wiscovitch
GK: Melia, Frei
DEF: Jones, Opara, Gonzalez Pirez, Morrow, Jungwirth
MID: Valeri, Rusnak, Vazquez, Alessandrini, Lodeiro
FWD: Villa, Nikolic, O. Kamara
WHICH PLAYERS would you include in your MLS Fantasy MVP team? Post them in the comments below and let us know what you think about our choices.
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