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Round 9 of MLS Fantasy Soccer: Manager brought us the most goals scored (27) in any round to date. Unfortunately, many fantasy owners were unable to capitalize. A defender from Sporting KC and a midfielder from the New York Red Bulls were the top scorers this week. They both netted a double, but only one helped secure a win for his team.
There’s a Thursday night game this week (Portland Timbers vs New England Revolution, 10:30 pm ET), so make sure you get all your transfers done by the deadline: May 2, 10:15 pm ET. Players are already starting to rise and drop in price. The sooner you handle your transfer business, the more you’ll be able to benefit down the road. Here’s a breakdown of the Dream Team formation for Round 9:
Round 9 Statistics
- Most captained player: (Graham Zusi – 4,655 people)
- Transfers made: 17,365
- Wildcards played: 200
- # teams that scored 0 goals: 4
- # teams that scored 1 goals: 3
- # teams that scored 2+ goals: 11
- # clean sheets per round: 7, 2, 5, 6, 3, 3, 6, 6, 4
- # goals scored per round: 24, 21, 17, 16, 22, 16, 14, 22, 27
Dream Team formation: (5-3-2)
Top Players: Tim Cahill, Chance Myers – 13 points
Defenders (5)
Last week, 25 backline players from nine different teams scored seven points or more. This round we only saw 18 defenders accomplish the same feat. José Gonçalves ($5.7m) and teammate Chris Tierney ($4.9m) helped the New England Revolution earn their fourth clean sheet of the season, while Josh Williams ($5.5m) and Rodney Wallace ($4.9m) each scored in their outings on Saturday.
Sporting KC’s Chance Myers ($5.3m) earned co-player-of-the-week honors for his brace, but Wallace had the last laugh, beating Myers to net the game-winning goal in Portland’s 3-2 victory at Sporting Park.
Tip: See which defenders are in top form. There’s a center back high on this list that’s priced at $4.7m. He could be a very solid play over the next few weeks.
Midfielders (3)
Last week, 14 midfielders scored seven points or more. As was the case with the defenders, this number dropped in Round 9, as only 10 reached the same threshold. This was also the first Dream Team appearance for all three players who made the cut.
Tim Cahill's ($8.0m) brace was crucial to the New York Red Bulls in their 2-1 victory against Toronto FC, a haul that included the game-winner in the 90th minute. His 13-point effort earned him co-player-of-the-week honors.
Shea Salinas ($7.8m) was involved in both of San Jose’s goals against Chivas USA, tallying his first two assists of the year. Hector Jimenez ($5.5m) also got on the board for the first time in a big way, notching an assist and multiple bonus points in his first start of the 2013 MLS season.
Tip: Portland’s Will Johnson, LA’s Mike Magee and Philadelphia’s Amobi Okugo have already increased in price since yesterday. Want to know who’s next on the list? Click here.
Forwards (2)
Only two forwards made the cut this week: Portland’s Ryan Johnson ($8.4m) and Columbus’ Federico Higuaín ($9.3m). This is Johnson’s second 12-point performance in four weeks, and after the Timbers shocking 3-2 over Sporting KC, one has to ask whether this Portland attack is the real deal?
Higuaín rebounded in a big way after logging just five points in his last three outings. The Argentine buried a set-piece goal(via penalty kick) and an assist in the Crew’s 3-0 rout over a visiting and injury-depleted D.C. United team. Will this be the start of a consistent stretch for the classy playmaker?
Tip: Johnson has two games in Round 11 and Higuaín has just one. Johnson’s bye week will come in Round 14, but Higuaín won’t see another break in action until Round 21.
Goalkeeper – Brian Rowe (10)
The 23-year-old helped an undermanned LA Galaxy squad go to Real Salt Lake and silence the home crowd at Rio Tinto Stadium, stealing a crucial away victory against a tough Western Conference opponent. Filling in for the team’s regular starter, Carlo Cudicini, Rowe earned a clean sheet and multiple bonus points in his MLS debut. Rowe had seven saves on the day, including a great diving save to clear away a booming effort from Joao Plata.
Congratulations to Straighter Yellow, who finished Round 9 with 99 points! It was a low-scoring week for everyone, but Straighter Yellow got goals from six different players and two had multiple tallies. He also got clean sheets from Troy Perkins and Omar Gonzalez. His captain was Portland's Johnson.
*Dream Team subject to change. All point totals are finalized Wednesday for Rounds ending on Sunday.
