Well, if you were planning on getting two games out of Eddie Lewis, David Beckham and Tyrone Marshall this week, think again. They are all out with red cards this week for their first game of the week. Even the best laid plans sometimes don't work out, so you have to learn to be flexible. At least you can still get one game out of them this week, and with the burden of having to play two games in one week taken off of them, maybe they will actually accumulate more points for you this week. We guess we'll have to wait and see.
This week's Fire and Ice:
On Fire:
Chad Marshall (CLB): 3 goals, 1 assist in last 4 games
Dwayne De Rosario (TOR): 4-game goal scoring streak
Nate Jaqua (SEA): 2 goals, 3 assists in last 6 games
Cold as Ice:
Josh Wolff (KC): 0 goals in last 8 games; 4 goals in previous 3 games
Omar Cummings (COL): 0 goals in last 5 games; 4 goals in previous 3 games
Paulo Nagamura (CHV): 0 goals in last 5 games; 2 goals in previous 4 games
Things to keep an eye out for this week:
Injuries. The following link is updated by the league on Tuesdays and Fridays: http://web.mlsnet.com/stats/injuries (you must copy and paste into your browser)
Lineup changes. John DiRaimondo (DC); O'Brian White (TOR); Chukwudi Chijindu (CHV); Ryan Cochrane, Wade Barrett (HOU); Patrick Ianni (SEA); Austin Washington, Dasan Robinson (CHI); Adam Cristman (KC).
Discipline: Andrew Hainault (HOU), Clint Mathis (RSL), David Beckham, Eddie Lewis (LA); Tyrone Marshall (SEA) and Zoltan Hercegfalvi (KC) are all out due to red cards. Jamison Olave (RSL), Jim Brennan (TOR) and Danny O'Rourke (CLB) are out due to yellow card accumulation.
Tip(s) of the week: Los Angeles, New England, Chicago, and Seattle all play two games this week, with Chicago having two home games. Columbus is idle. Next week, Real Salt Lake and Chivas USA play twice and FC Dallas will be idle.
This week's Top XI for points:
Goalkeeper: Jon Busch (CHI). The 2008 MLS Goalkeeper of the Year has two home games this week at Toyota Park. The first game is against the Los Angeles Galaxy, who will be without David Beckham and Eddie Lewis, and the second game is against the Colorado Rapids. Busch has only allowed eight goals in nine home games. With those facts in mind, expect at least one clean sheet by Busch this week.
Defender: Jhon Kennedy Hurtado (SEA). The former A.C. Milan trialist has taken the role as the leader of Seattle Sounders FC's defense. Hurtado and Seattle Sounders FC have two games this week. The first game is at Qwest Field, against the New England Revolution, who have scored only seven goals in nine away games. The second game is at Robertson Stadium, against the Houston Dynamo. Look for Hurtado and his Seattle Sounders FC backline to get their eighth shutout of the season.
Defender: Gonzalo Segares (CHI). The first team All-American and Hermann Trophy finalist while attending Virginia Commonwealth University has been a big help to the Fire's eight shutouts this season. As previously mentioned, Segares and the Chicago Fire have two games this week. Expect Segares and the Chicago Fire to get their ninth shutout of the season this week.
Defender: Jay Heaps (NE). The former point guard for the Duke University basketball team has been playing great this season, tallying one goal and three assists. The New England Revolution also have two games this week. The first game is at Seattle Sounders FC and the second game is at Gillette Stadium against Real Salt Lake. Real Salt Lake has only scored five goals in 10 games away from Rio Tinto Stadium. Expect Heaps and the New England Revolution to get their sixth shutout of the season.
Midfielder: Shalrie Joseph (NE). The New England Revolution's captain since 2005 is having his best season ever, taking on more of an offensive role, tallying five goals and six assists. With two games this week against Seattle Sounders FC and Real Salt Lake, look for Joseph to add on to his stellar statistics.
Midfielder: Steve Ralston (NE). When there isn't Shalrie Joseph doing the damage, there's the one and only Steve Ralston. The 18th overall pick in the 1996 MLS College Draft by the Tampa Bay Mutiny has scored four goals and four assists in his last eight games. With two games this week and Ralston averaging at least a goal or an assist in his last eight games, expect him to add more to his six goals and five assists of the season.
Midfielder: Cuauhtemoc Blanco (CHI). Known for his goal celebrations by acting like the pre-hispanic Tlatoani Aztec emperor Cuauhtemoc, Blanco has been playing terrific once again this season for the Chicago Fire, registering four goals and eight assists this season. With two home games this week against the Los Angeles Galaxy and the Colorado Rapids, expect Blanco to perform his Cuauhtemoc at least once this week.
Midfielder: Marco Pappa (CHI). Finally getting back into his groove by adding an assist last week, the 21-year-old Guatemalan international, just like teammates Blanco, Segares and Busch, has two games this week. With Chicago being tied for fourth for most goals scored this season and Pappa having five of those goals, expect Pappa to add on to his goalscoring and three assists on the season.
Forward: Landon Donovan (LA). After making headlines after contracting the "Swine Flu" last week, Donovan only played 45 minutes last week in a 2-0 loss against Seattle Sounders FC. But then again, what more do you want from a guy who gets Swine Flu, plays one of the most important games of the year for the U.S. national team on that Wednesday and has a league game three days later? Anyhow, with two games this week, both away, against the Chicago Fire and D.C. United, expect Donovan to increase his nine goals and five assists of the season.
Forward: Fredy Montero (SEA). One of the front runners for this year's MLS MVP award is coming off of a huge 2-0 win against the Los Angeles Galaxy, adding his 10th goal of the season. Montero has two games this week. he first game is at home against the Revolution who have allowed 16 goals in nine away games. The second game will be a challenge, going up against the Houston Dynamo, who are at home, where the Dynamo have only allowed 9 goals in 11 games. But then again, we're talking about Fredy Montero. He can do anything! Montero will no doubt add to his 10 goals and 6 assists of the season this week.
Forward: Patrick Nyarko (CHI) - the 7th overall pick in the 2008 MLS SuperDraft by the Chicago Fire has been a great offensive partner up top with teammates Chris Rolfe and Cuauhtemoc Blanco. With these upcoming two home games week, expect Nyarko to add on to his 4 goals and 2 assists of the season.
Coach: Denis Hamlett (CHI). Hamlett made headlines last week for his role in a lockerroom fight with his own defender, Bakary Soumare. Hopefully, Hamlett and the Fire have put this aside and won't let it affect their play this week as they have two home games. Expect Hamlett to at least get his 10th win of the season this week.
Here are our official teams for Week 23:
Dave:
GK Jon Busch; DF Eddie Lewis; DF Jhon Kennedy Hurtado; DF Jordan Harvey; MF Marco Pappa; MF Steve Ralston; MF Shalrie Joseph; MF Brad Davis; FW Landon Donovan; FW Fredy Montero; FW Patrick Nyarko. Coach: Denis Hamlett. Bench: Jamison Olave, Javier Morales, Conor Casey. Captain: Patrick Nyarko.
Jimmy:
GK Jon Busch; DF Jordan Harvey; DF Adrian Serioux; DF Omar Gonzalez; MF Brad Davis; MF Steve Ralston; MF Cuauhtemoc Blanco; MF Marco Pappa; FW Nate Jaqua; FW Landon Donovan; FW Fredy Montero. Coach: Denis Hamlett. Bench: Dwayne De Rosario, Chris Pontius, Pat Onstad. Captain: Cuauhtemoc Blanco.
Questions? Comments? Contact us at mlsfantasygurus@comcast.net.
