Fantasy MLS 2015 Round 10 Review (Part 1)

Houston Dynamo 0 vs. San Jose Earthquakes 1

Highlights

It ended low scoring the way a lot of people expected it to go. Wondolowski seems to have become a non-factor and the only goal came off of a MPG free kick to a towering Adam Jahn who was only in the game because of Innocent’s absence.  The DGW wasn’t in favor of Giles Barnes and his owners, because he missed a penalty kick early on that would cost him another one in the second game as well. The only bright spot to be taken away was David Bingham

Fantasy Standouts/Letdowns

• San Jose Defense: Not too many people had faith in San Jose coming into this week, especially with red-hot Giles Barnes and Houston coming to town. However the defense held up with the leadership of newcomer David Bingham, who has now moved into second for points accumulated among MLS goalkeepers.
• Offense: Nothing much was expected from San Jose’s offense given a lack of production, and nothing really happened except for the free kick, but what was surprising was the Dynamo’s inability to get on the score sheet. Check the weekend game reviews to see where these players’ are at in terms of form.

Real Salt Lake 0 vs. LA Galaxy 0

Highlights

LA continued to be unable find an answer for Keane’s absence and Real Salt Lake faced the same challenge with Javier Morales. Luis Gil is the ideal option for that position, but just can’t seem to get the offense going. The player who looked the best was actually 19-year-old Jordan Allen, who seemed to be full of energy throughout the game. Despite some chances on both sides of the ball the game ended a stalemate with the defenses being the star of the show.

Fantasy Standouts/Letdowns

• Omar Gonzalez proved why he is Best XI material and you couldn’t really go wrong with any defenders given the double clean sheet. Apart from Omar, Jordan Allen was the standout on the night. His owners gladly took the wide midfielders clean sheet that he receives for being labeled as a defender. To see if it pans out for either Omar or Jordan check the weekend reviews.

Orlando City SC 2 vs. New England Revolution 2

Highlights

A tale of two halves. New England poured it on in a game that seemed to be unwinnable for Orlando City, but Orlando found something in the locker room during half to help motivate them to the comeback they made after being down 2. Kaka and Brek Shea continued to look more comfortable with each other, while Cyle Larin showed the potential Orlando saw in him during the draft. A very poor mistake by Ramos cost Orlando, but the second half was very positive for Orlando going forward, especially against a team as good as New England.

Fantasy Standouts

• Cyle Larin ($5.7): Not many people are big on the Orlando DGW coming up, but that could mean a cheap forward option like Cyle could prove a great differential. Also if you were thinking about Espindola and are worried he won’t get 180 minutes, trying out Larin might not be a bad idea.
• Aurelien Collin ($8.1): Orlando’s defense could be a good option against a potentially Espindola-less DC United and Keane-less LA Galaxy. Aurelien showed he was back to his old ways of scoring on set pieces and being a force defensively, picking up bonus points.

Charlie Davies ($8.9): Davies continued his crazy hot run of form with another goal and probably could’ve had a second one.

Luke Boden ($5.4): With Molino’s absence, Brek Shea’s move to left midfield is looking like a permanent one (and a must have if he starts racking up assists or goals). This means Orlando now have to very cheap outside backs who both like to get into the attack. Boden showed well in his first game in MLS with an assist and 2 attacking bonuses.

Fantasy Letdowns

• Kaka ($11.3): Orlando scored 2 goals and Kaka ended up with 1 point. The week before this week it was 2 points and before that 3 points. That being said, I do think Kaka is going to come out of his shell eventually, but he didn’t do it this week and his production hasn’t exactly given good reason for his high price tag.
• New England Defense: The defense has been looking good all season, but Woodberry and Tierney weren’t as effective this game and the defense conceded 2 late goals to an Orlando team that had been struggling. The draw still has New England atop the Eastern Conference, but some things need to be worked out before the next game.

Colorado Rapids 1 vs. San Jose Earthquakes 1

Highlights

San Jose was lucky to come away with a point from this game even with the Rapids waiting till late to score. David Bingham kept San Jose in the game with some crucial saves while Powers continued to pound on the front door. Wondolowski did what he does best and somehow managed to put the ball in the back of the net during a messy situation. The Rapids controlled 65% of possession and looked dangerous offensively but just couldn’t slide it past Bingham.

Fantasy Standouts

• David Bingham ($5.2): He’s the reason San Jose were able to get the results they got and is looking like a great decision by Dominic Kinnear. Oh and he grabbed 18 points from this DGW.
• Dillon Powers ($7.9): He’s been proving his importance to the team and showed in this game he doesn’t need to score to get points, putting up a Feilhaber-like 3 bonus attacking points.

Fantasy Letdowns

• San Jose Offense: MPG seems to be the only person I would want to consistently rely on from the Earthquakes, but he was rested during this game, only getting 18 minutes. Meanwhile Wondolowski managed to find himself with another goal out of the midfield. I don’t want you to be fooled by his goal. A person of his price should have you expecting more. If this weren’t a DGW then his midweek score would have his owners disappointed. You can pick him up, but MPG is the man to play and he only just started to get going in the midweek game.

Chicago Fire 1 vs. Real Salt Lake 2

Highlights

Jordan Allen is the man. I was one of the many proud owners who picked him up for the DGW and boy did he pay off. Jordan Allen grabbed 2 assists to put RSL up 2-1 and give RSL the win. Outside of the 2 goals RSL had no shots on target and only 5 shots. Chicago had the majority of possession and shots, but only managed 3 shots on target. Accam’s presence was sorely missed and will hopefully help the Fire show their goal scoring ways next week, but without him they looked a bit lost. Also the Fire defense had 5 shots and a goal to the offense’s 4 shots and 0 goals.

Fantasy Standouts

• Jordan Allen ($5.2): Jordan Allen is looking more and more like the offensive spark RSL need. If that’s not enough to give this bargain player a look, he’s listed as a defender and will earn clean sheets for your team as well. What may be even nicer is that he can get subbed off before his clean sheets disappear and RSL collapse late. If you don’t have faith, but have an extra transfer he’s a must have on your bench. Although he will be going to the U20 world cup soon so be make sure to have a replacement.

Fantasy Letdowns

• Harry Shipp ($7.9): Shaun Maloney is causing a real problem for Shipp. Maloney hasn’t really come in and done anything all that different. He just started taking free kick and corner kicks that Shipp was already perfectly capable of doing. Basically Shipp has lost his fantasy value to me that he had before.

Montreal Impact 1 vs. Portland Timbers 2

Highlights

Diego Valeri. The Timbers may become fantasy relevant again. The Montreal Impact didn’t look as bad as a lot of people expected. I wasn’t sure how they would handle coming back to MLS, but they certainly weren’t lacking in chances on the day, but they do need to work on finishing still. The goals should start coming through the likes of McInerney and Piatti. Valeri’s return for the Timbers means the offense now has a focal point. Nagbe couldn’t provide it and wasn’t meant to provide it, which we saw in his missed PK, but Valeri may have a positive impact on all aspects.

Fantasy Standouts

• Diego Valeri ($10.1): Valeri is easily worth $11 mill when he’s in form so keep an eye to see how the rest of his transition back into the first team goes and consider scooping him up, unless you’re a Sounders fan.

Fantasy Letdowns

• Montreal Impact: It’s really too early to tell anything about Montreal’s fate in MLS. They didn’t look horrible, but they definitely didn’t warrant a look on your team just yet so wait it out and act when you see fit if you are interested in getting some Montreal players.

That’s the breakdown for the first half of Round 10. What do you think? Did any players jump out at you who you think deserve to be highlighted? Mention them in the comments below, or send me or Tyler a Tweet and let us know. Also, don’t forget to get involved with the get community her at MLS Fantasy Boss and over at /r/FantasyMLS.