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 absences to pinpoint favorable matchups. Let’s dive into the round 22 slate:

LAFC vs Portland Timbers (Fri, 9:30pm CT)

LAFC are coming into this one pretty hot, unbeaten in their last four. Even with multiple absences in the backline, LAFC should have the firepower to get the job done at home against the Timbers, who haven’t won any of their last five road matches. I don’t know if I’d bet on LAFC to keep a clean sheet, but it is worth noting that Da Costa is listed as questionable on the injury report going into Friday. If he ends up out of the starting XI, I’ll definitely be plugging in a couple LAFC defenders. Bouanga is a lock, and Dilrosun is also worth a look with this potentially being his final match for LAFC with his loan expiring soon.

PLAYER TARGETS:

• Denis Bouanga (FWD, LAFC)
• Javairo Dilrosun (MID, LAFC)
• Nkosi Tafari (DEF, LAFC)

Inter Miami vs FC Cincinnati (Sat, 6:15pm CT)

Messi revenge game in a high-stakes Eastern Conference clash? Sounds like fantasy points to me. There has been some backlash against Messi and Alba after skipping out on the All-Star game, so tensions could be a bit higher on both sides here. Miami will be firing from the kick off especially with their previous result in mind, and I’m sure Pat Noonan will have his boys hyped up as well. There’s a ton of great fantasy options in this game and I expect goals to come early and often.

PLAYER TARGETS:

• Lionel Messi (FWD, MIA) (UPDATE)
• Evander (MID, CIN)
• Luca Orellano (DEF, CIN)
• Telasco Segovia (MID, MIA)

Chicago Fire FC vs New York Red Bulls (Sat, 7:30pm CT)

Both of these teams have been involved in their fair share of shootouts this season, and I think we could be in for another one! Four of the Fire’s last five matches have gone over 2.5 goals, and the last two matches for the Red Bulls have seen 14 goals between both sides. The numbers are there, both of these teams have been finding the back of the net at a high-level, but they’ve also had trouble keeping the ball out of their own. With plenty of attacking options on each side, this game has all the makings of a high-scoring, end-to-end Eastern Conference matchup.

PLAYER TARGETS:

• Philip Zinckernagel (MID, CHI)
• Hugo Cuypers (FWD, CHI)
• Emil Forsberg (MID, NYRB)
• Eric Choupo-Moting (FWD, NYRB)

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Contributor: Eli Redpath, @vurkes on Discord