A quick glance down at the Dream Team just about sums up Round 20 of MLS Fantasy.
Columbus Crew SC kicked the round off with a convincing midweek win at Chicago, and dominated the Fire again with a 3-1 home victory to close the weekend out on Sunday. Budweiser MLS Golden Boot frontrunnerKei Kamara and league-leading assist man Ethan Finlay did not disappoint, combining for three goals and an assist for a hefty 32-fantasy-point haul.
But it wasn’t just the Crew SC attackers that performed well in Round 20, with goalkeeper Steve Clark and three Columbus defenders allowing just one goal in two games to occupy all of the defensive slots on the Dream Team.
Fantasy points were also racked up aplenty in the Cali Clasico, which saw the LA Galaxy’s Steven Gerrard debut with a goal and an assist – good for 12 points and a spot on the Dream Team. Robbie Keane exploded for another hat trick against the Quakes, rewarding savvy managers who made it a point to pick him back up after the LA’s bye week. And how ironic is it to see Quincy Amarikwa on the Dream Team? With his former club Chicago Fire scoring just once in their Double Game Week, Amarikwa scored twice for his new club San Jose Earthquakes. #MLSFantasy!
Congratulations to fantasy manager Paul Ryan, who maxed out on Crew players to pile up 137 points with his squad Lletget jiggy wit it for the top score of Round 20.
With no teams playing twice this round, we have a full week to prepare for Round 21. Let’s take a look at some things to consider before locking your transfers in:
- The transfer deadline for Round 21 is Friday, July 24 at 11:00 pm ET.
- Review the MLS Injury Report and MLS Disciplinary Report as they are updated throughout the week. Reach out to me on Twitter (@FantasySoccerFC) with any player specific questions.
Gold Cup and US Open Cup factors: As the CONCACAF Gold Cup moves into its final stage, players from teams who have been eliminated are starting to report back to their MLS clubs. However, there are still numerous absences from the teams that are vying for the trophy – find the full list here.
The quarterfinals of the US Open Cup see six MLS teams in midweek action. One of those squads is Sporting Kansas City, who also play the first match of Round 21 on Friday at Real Salt Lake. In addition to making sure my fantasy players come away unscathed from the midweek contests, I’ll be watching for the Sporting KC starting lineup on Friday night prior to bringing in Benny Feilhaber.
Byes and DGWs: The Colorado Rapids and New York Red Bulls are both on an MLS bye this round. There are no teams on a DGW until Round 23, when four teams – the Red Bulls, Montreal Impact, Orlando City SC and Toronto FC – will play twice. Start stashing players for Round 23 now to ensure you have a squad littered with DGW players.
After being burned by a handful of Chicago Fire players that I suggested as differential plays last week, I’m going back to targeting players who I predict could have the best round:
Ignacio Piatti
– Montreal Impact – Midfielder
($10.1m)
– The Argentine has three goals and one assist in his last four games. He’s consistently hitting seven or more points per game, and is a fine addition leading up to a pair of home games in Round 23.
Fabian Espindola – D.C. United – Forward ($10.2m) – Espindola has been extremely frustrating to own as of late. He picked up a red card just over 20 minutes into his last outing, and hasn’t scored a goal since Round 10. Still, D.C. United has consecutive home games over the next two rounds, including one against Espindola’s former team – Real Salt Lake. With United desperate for goals, I’m pegging Espindola to snap out of his slump in a big way.
David Villa – New York City FC – Forward ($11m) – Prior to coming up empty-handed against the New England Revolution over the weekend, Villa had back-to-back two goal games. With three of NYCFC’s next four games at Yankee Stadium, a DGW coming in Round 25 and some talented midfielders set to soon make their NYCFC debuts, the Spanish hitman is my top target at forward.
How did you fare in Round 20? Did you benefit from rostering Columbus Crew SC players? Let us know in the comments below.
