Seven weeks of MLS are officially in the books, and the only thing I can say for certain is that everything I know is wrong. The 2015 Supporters' Shield-winning New York Red Bulls are at the bottom of the standings, the 2015 MLS Cup champion Portland Timbers are in seventh place in the Western Conference, and the MLS Cup runners-up Columbus Crew SC are only two points from the bottom.
So… what’s the moral of the story? Let go of the expectations you had of teams coming into the 2016 season. Now that we have several rounds of data for the new season, we have a better baseline for what to expect from teams over the next few weeks.
I’ve broken down the average points scored per 90 minutes by each of the teams on defense and offense:
(Data limited to appearances of 60 minutes or more)
Sporting Kansas City, Montreal Impact, Real Salt Lake, and the Chicago Fire lead the pack in defensive points so far. Each of the top six defensive teams have collected at least two clean sheets and Sporting KC has not given up more than two goals to any team this season, with Nuno Coelho ($7.9m) leading the pack at 48 points over seven matches. The averages for the Red Bulls and Portland are bad enough where I’d recommend staying away from them altogether, even for a double-game week, especially now that Portland 'keeper Adam Kwarasey ($5.6m) is out with a hand injury.
On the attacking half of the spectrum, Montreal finds itself again in the top two, just under the Houston Dynamo’s 6.3 points per 90 minutes. Houston had a great run of goals early this season, but their poor road form should keep them off your radar until at least Round 9. As for Montreal -- if you don’t have Ignacio Piatti ($10.6m) in your lineup yet, now’s the time to do it. The Impact have a double-game week in Round 8, and Piatti leads all players with 56 points in six matches.
What teams have exceeded or not lived up to your fantasy expectations? Let us know in the comments below, and best of luck this week!
