Fresh Faces Round 1

In a record breaking 36 goal opening weekend, many players achieved those shining moments often only realized in their dreams. While it is not surprising that names like Wondo and Higuain contributed to this number, you might be taken aback by a few that did. Luckily, I’m here to shed some light on these potential game changers, and hopefully this persuades you to buy them while they’re cheap.

Diego Fagundez          Price: $8.2          Club: New England Revolution

This 21 year old Uruguayan made quite the statement after tallying two assists, and a spectacular goal, in the Rev’s 3-3 draw against the Houston Dynamos.  Fagundez made his professional debut in 2011 against DC during the US Open Cup. Since then, he has gone on to become the youngest player to achieve 100 appearances in the MLS and has made 119 appearances for the Revs to date.

Many fans were uncertain whether they would see Fagundez in New England colors come the start of this season due to talk that he might make a move to Europe.  However, he’s still here and this could very likely end up being his best season yet. Expect plenty more points to flow through him – he will not only be racking them in through direct goals and assists, but also shots, passes, and chances created.

Nuno Coelho          Price: $7.7          Club: Sporting Kansas City

This 6’3 Portuguese centre back, signed by SKC in January, made quite the MLS debut by scoring a long-distance goal and keeping a clean sheet in his first MLS appearance. Coelho is quickly becoming a name amongst MLS fans because of the strong opening performance and quite possibly will be one of those players you just have to take on because of the points he picks up.

Coelho will be a rock alongside US international, Matt Besler this season, as well as two other solid defenders, Chance Myers and Amadou Dia. If you need a consistent defender, Coelho is your guy not only for clean-sheet probability, but also for his goal scoring capabilities.

Khiry Shelton          Price: $6.1          Club: New York City FC

NYCFC’s first ever draft-pick proved to be a budding MLS star in his team’s inaugural season.  As a 21 year old he made 17 appearances and scored one goal. This was enough to grant him a spot in Jürgen Klinsmann’s January camp, although he didn’t see any game time with his national team. Shelton’s expectations and drive for his sophomore year will undoubtedly be high and he could be an inexpensive asset because of this.

On opening Sunday, Shelton bagged a goal and the first assist of the MLS season, after starting at right wing alongside striker, David Villa. He overwhelmed the highly regarded Brandon Vincent multiple times out wide, and was keen to also challenge Chicago’s centre backs after runs into the middle. Get ready to hear Shelton’s name a lot more, he’s likely to become a staple for NYC’s attack.