Boss’ Breakdown – Round 17

Round 17 is in the books and with a quick turnaround before the midweek Round 18, here are the talking points from last weekend’s matches!

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Orlando City SC (0) – (0) Houston Dynamo

MOTM – Luke Boden ($5.5) 10pts
Boden started at LB under a new coach (??) and amassed 2 attacking and 2 passing bonus. He certainly did nothing to lose his spot so add him to the list of cheap defenders to rotate in/out.

WATCHLIST – Jalil Alibaba ($5.9) 10pts
The well-traveled Alibaba has been earning starts at RB for Houston and has been earning both attacking and defensive bonus. His price tag and form as of late has me taking notice.

San Jose Earthquakes (0) – (1) FC Dallas

MOTM – Walker Zimmerman ($6.7) 10pts
Walker has continued his run of form and at nearly $3.0 cheaper than CB partner Hedges, he seems a no-brainer. Factor in his heading and set-piece ability, he’s almost a the only must-have defender.

WATCHLIST – Maxi Urruti ($8.5) 8pts
Maxi has found the form he had early on in the year. He’s playing off the dazzling passes of his midfield maestro Mauro Diaz and has the confidence to attempt/convert a stunning overhead kick.

Seattle Sounders FC (0) – (1) LA Galaxy

MOTM – Robbie Keane ($11.7) 7pts
Keane returned from the Euros and has been in great form. He seems to be playing off the new players very well and at the moment, is the only one who can find a way to put the ball in the net.

WATCHLIST – Brian Rowe ($5.0) 9pts
Rowe has been racking up the clean sheets and defensive bonus for weeks now. He’s off Round 18, but is certainly a cheap GK option to keep in mind for the upcoming wildcard.

Philadelphia Union (3) – (0) D.C. United

MOTM – Roland Alberg ($8.6) 11pts
Alberg has been on fire as of recent notching 6 goals in his last 5 matches when being played directly behind the striker. However, Philly has Round 18 off so if you’ve got him, you might try to stash him until their match against NYRB in Round 19.

WATCHLIST – Keegan Rosenberry ($5.7) 6pts
Rosenberry has been very solid in defense all year long and having just been selected into the fans All-Star 11, he backed it up with another clean sheet. He’s one of the many sub $6.0 defenders I’ve been rotating in and out all year long and will definitely continue with him in my team.

New England Revolution (3) – (1) Columbus Crew SC

MOTM – Kei Kamara ($11.2) 8pts
Kei’s first visit with Columbus after the midseason trade ended with a goal and a win. This is the type of form we’ve been expecting from Kei and with the love and confidence of the Revolution fans growing, I expect more heart-hands celebrations in the near future.

WATCHLIST – Ola Kamara ($8.6) 9pts
Ola continued his streak which is now at goals in his last 6 matches. I believe he is now a solid option to be considered, especially with his price tag.

Toronto FC (1) – (0) Chicago Fire

MOTM – Sebastian Giovinco ($13.0) 11pts
Gio is back in form and racking up the points, most notably the 3 points from his 13 shots. His price is only going to rise, the trouble is find the cash to bring him in (if you don’t already have him).

WATCHLIST – Chicago Fire (when playing away from home)
If you arent aware, Chicago haven’t won a match on the road in the last two years. Keep that in mind when looking for attackers, but defenders still have opportunities to rack up the defensive bonus points.

Real Salt Lake (1) – (1) Montreal Impact

MOTM – Yura Movsisyan ($9.0) 8pts
Yura is rolling, scoring 4 goals in his last 5 matches and also adding an assist. He’s averaging over 8 points a game over that time. His form has me rethinking my choice of Plata over him, and with the wildcard coming up, the extra $0.5 might come in handy.

WATCHLIST – Didier Drogba ($12.1) 0pts
Drogba once again missed out via a “thigh injury.” Montreal travels to Portland mid-week so I’m thinking he’ll be aiming for the match in New York at the weekend.

Vancouver Whitecaps (2) – (2) Colorado Rapids

MOTM – Axel Sjoberg ($6.1) 8pts
Good-Guy Axel knew he wasn’t going to get the clean sheet bonus so he helped out his faithful owners by scoring a goal at the death to earn a point for Colorado. Axel doesn’t have a match in Round 18, but they have two home games in 19 and 20.

WATCHLIST – Pedro Morales ($10.9) 5pts
Morales notched an assist early on and was subbed off before his chance at the PK which was his main source of points early on in the year. Vancouver hosts RSL in Round 18 so more attacking bonus points are in his future.

New York Red Bulls (0) – (0) Portland Timbers

MOTM – Dax McCarty ($9.3) 7pts
Dax was everywhere in the midfield racking up 4 defensive points and a 1pts clean sheet bonus. He consistently puts up those types of numbers and will chip in with an odd goal/assist too. He often gets overshadowed by Kjlestan but when the offense isn’t clicking, Dax has the higher floor of potential points.

WATCHLIST – Jake Gleeson ($4.7) 9pts
With Kwarsey still out injured, Gleeson has been solid between the sticks. If you need to free up some funds before the Round 19 wildcard, heres your answer!

Sporting Kansas City (3) – (1) New York City FC

MOTM – Ike Opara ($6.7) 10pts
Ike started his 6th straight match and has been more involved in the attack on set pieces. He is an excellent header of the ball and SKC is always looking for him in the box. Coelho recently returned from injury, but I believe Ike will keep his spot in the starting lineup.

WATCHLIST – Jimmy Medranda ($6.4) 8pts
Medranda has been deployed as a LB even though he is listed as a MID in FMLS. This has resulted in many defensive bonus points and now he’s added a goal threat going forward. If you’re looking for a cheap 4th mid if you’re running 3 FWD’s, Medranda is worth a look.