Fresh Faces Round 4

The first DGW of the 2016 MLS season resulted in some fairly high point returns even though 9 of 12 games failed to generate more than two goals. The attacking production, however, wasn’t all that bad. Kaka returned, with a fire in his eyes, as Orlando thrashed Portland and Dallas’s Diaz and Barrios produced a convincing 3-0 win at DC. More than anything, this week proved once again that wisely choosing defensive players is as important as finding the right attack.

 

Fraser Aird     Club: Vancouver Whitecaps     $6.5

Vancouver’s 21 year old Canadian loan player, Fraser Aird, has started the season off strong at right back. His lust to push forward on counterattacks is where he stands out while still being a consistent and extremely effective defender. At Rangers he often switched between wide midfield, and outside back positions, however, he seems to have settled into a defensive position at Vancouver.

This was a double game week for Aird and he, and the rest of Vancouver’s defense, made the most of it point wise. With two straight clean sheets, he, Tierney and Ousted all made the team of the week in fantasy MLS. The first came in a 1-0 win against Houston and the second came in a 0-0 draw against LA. After this GW it seems Vancouver might be at the start of a nice streak with Aird being just one of the key figures in the conceivable run.

Why not seven goals from the now Vancouver defender, from 2013-14:

 

Kevin Molino     Club: Orlando City SC     Price: $8.1

Orlando is hitting their stride and Molino is keeping in pace…. much to his relief. Molino became the all-time leading single season scorer in 2014, with Orlando’s USL side. He proceeded to become the club’s first MLS signing while heading into their inaugural season, but regrettably tore his ACL during a mid-season friendly against Ponte Preta.  This injury resulted in Molino missing the rest of the 2015 season. Ahead of this season he expressed his determination to rebound and become a crucial talent to both Orlando and his national team, Trinidad and Tobago.

This weekend, Orlando’s highest point scoring midfielder notched his first goal of the season during a 4-1 demolition of Portland featuring the return of Kaka. While he might not retain the title of most valuable fantasy midfielder’ for Orlando, with the return of the feather cleated Kaka, Molino will most certainly continue to produce, barring any injuries.

Molino slotting home his first goal this season against Portland:

 

Jack McInerny     Club: Portland Timbers     Price: $7.0

McInerny began his professional career six years ago with Philly in their inaugural season. Since then he has bounced between three additional MLS teams (MTL, CLB, and POR). Although he is only 23, it almost seems as if he has been in the league forever. While at Philadelphia, McInerny was one of their main offensive threats. Since the trend began, of hopping around clubs at the closure of each season, he has found it hard to break into starting XIs and accumulate significant starting time, including this season as a backup to Adi.

The question then might be, if it has been such a poor run for him why is he then featured in this article? Here’s the take,  McInerny’s efficiency rate this season has been phenomenal thus far. MLS has him down as having played exactly 90min this season. That means that within one game’s worth of playtime, McInerny has scored two goals, the second of which was the sole bright spot during Portland’s game this weekend. McInerny might be on the ticket to gain more playing time soon and if he can continue to do perform as well as he has to date, he will be a great option up top.

Jack Mac’s stunner in 2014 against the Dynamo: