Matchups are one of the most important factors to consider when crafting your fantasy lineup each week. In MLS, where home field provides a greater advantage than most leagues, players frequently deal with cross-country travel and multiple competitions, which can impact performance. It’s important to consider these factors, as well as performance metrics such as home/away form and player injuries to pinpoint favorable matchups. Each week I’ll focus on a few matchups to target to help your team collect those precious fantasy points. Here are some to keep an eye on in round two:

Orlando City vs Toronto FC

(Sat, 7:30pm ET)

Orlando suffered a disappointing 4-2 home loss against Philadelphia in week one, but the stats suggest the scoreline didn’t tell the full story. They put nine shots on target, scoring two of them, while Philadelphia converted each of their four shots on goal. With a tasty home matchup against Toronto this weekend, Orlando are in a great spot to bounce back and redeem themselves, setting up several players for big fantasy performances. 

PLAYER TARGETS:

• Marco Pasalic (MID, ORL)
• Martin Ojeda (MID, ORL)
• Rafael Santos (DEF, ORL)
• Federico Bernardeschi (MID, TOR)

Minnesota United vs CF Montreal

(Sat, 8:30pm ET)

We bet against Montreal last week, and after a 4-2 loss to Atlanta United, I’m willing to list them as a matchup to target again. Minnesota will be looking to make things right after a 1-0 loss on the road, and Allianz Field, hosting its first match of the season, is the perfect place to do it. Montreal lack a real threat in attack, and don’t defend well either, leaving them vulnerable against a hungry Minnesota side. I see the Loons performing on both ends of the pitch, making them a strong fantasy target this week. 

PLAYER TARGETS:

• Bongi Hlongwane (DEF, MIN)
• Kelvin Yeboah (FWD, MIN)
• Robin Lod (MID, MIN)
• Dayne St. Clair (GK, MIN)

Chicago Fire vs D.C. United

(Sat, 8:30pm ET)

Let’s be honest, both of these sides are looking rough, especially on defense. The Fire gave up 4 goals to a Cucho-less Crew side, and D.C. gave up 2 goals at home to Toronto, and both did so giving up over 2xG each. All that said, this matchup has one of the highest expected goal totals for the week and I expect there to be shaky defense on both sides. That’s gold for fantasy. The loss of Brian Gutierrez to suspension hurts Chicago a bit, but both of these teams are still worth targeting for your attacking players–even against each other.

PLAYER TARGETS:

• Jonathan Bamba (MID, CHI)
• Hugo Cuypers (FWD, CHI)
• Christian Benteke (FWD, DC)
• Gabriel Pirani (MID, DC)

San Diego FC vs St. Louis City

(Sat, 10:30pm ET)

San Diego put the whole league on notice in their inaugural match after a 2-0 win against reigning MLS Cup Champions, LA Galaxy. This was no fluke, either. The newcomers went on the road at Dignity Health Sports Park, where the Galaxy hadn’t lost since October 2023, and produced 1.97xG while holding their opponents to just 0.78xG. In week two, San Diego host St. Louis City in their home opener at Snapdragon Stadium, the largest soccer specific venue in the country (35,000). It’ll be an electric atmosphere, and with some of the highest odds for both teams to score, this matchup is on to target and has fantasy potential written all over it.

PLAYER TARGETS:

• Chucky Lozano (FWD, SD)
• Anders Dreyer (MID, SD)
• Paddy McNair (DEF, SD)
• Marcel Hartlel (MID, STL)

Contributor: Eli Redpath, @vurkes on Discord