With all apologies to T.S. Eliot, August is the cruelest month, soccer-wise. Heat waves all over the country, water breaks in MLS matches. Kickoffs while temperature are in the 80s and 90s is enough to give fantasy managers pause before transferring in players who find themselves on the road.
Since summer came upon our scene, FC Dallas has been incredible at home. A goal differential of +9 over their last four home matches while only allowing two goals is impressive, and with the weather conditions making an inhospitable environment in a key conference matchup Saturday against LA Galaxy (9 pm ET; MLS LIVE) they’re my lock of the week.
So who looks good to burn the Galaxy? Kellyn Acosta ($6.2) is only selected by 2.1 percent of fantasy managers, but despite just a 1 score his last time out, his form has been great piling up the goals and clean sheets. Want a budget-friendly midfielder? Michael Barrios ($7.7) has only shown a glimpse of his potential, but a recent two-goal performance at home against Portland is a great sign of things to come.
Another question this week is which D.C. United team shows up in the cozy confines of Yankee Stadium. Will it be the team that beat the Impact with only one shot, like that famous lizard Rango, or the team that exchanged goals with RSL in a 10-goal affair?
Getting to play in the former parking lot of the House that Ruth Built does something to teams, with 21 goals combined in the last three outings. D.C. bringing their shooting boots is my shoe-in of the week.
Chris Rolfe ($9.5) is the known commodity, with point contribution already in triple digits this season. Managers on a budget might want to go with Nick DeLeon ($6.5), who has scored twice in the last three United games.
Will this advice help this week’s patient? Mike van den Bold submitted his question via Twitter, looking for some transfer issue help as a handful of teams take a bye week.
Dear MLS Fantasy Doctor,
I just need to find a transfer for [Ignacio] Piatti. Giovani Dos Santos? Rolfe? Other? What's your advice? My issues are LAG on the road in TX heat (GDS) vs DCU anemic offence on the road at NYC (Rolfe). Others?
Thanks for your help
I’m more confident in Rolfe finding the back of the net this week than I am Dos Santos. If we’re playing which of these road trips is tougher than the other, the winner is Dallas by a landslide. On both the NYC and D.C. roster, I looked for players who scored in the games where their team was locked in high scoring affairs.
That floats options like DeLeon and Tommy McNamara ($7.0) to the surface. I’m not expecting a multi-goal performance out of any of these picks, but if it’s the wild affair that NYC is known for I do expect them to be on the score sheet.
Hope this helps!
MLS Fantasy Doctor
