MLS Fantasy Boss A Fantasy MLS Community
Previous Year Recap
MLS is upon us and the Land of 10,000 lakes (11,842 to be exact) is showing a lot of promise for the 2021 fantasy season. After a pretty slow start in the off season, Minnesota United’s head coach Adrian Heath decided to make some big moves for the upcoming season. Some of these moves had fans smiling ear to ear and some moves had fans saying goodbye to some of the true Minnesota faithful (here’s to you Kevin Molino).
The success of Adrian Heath’s team continued to grow making it to the Western Conference final for the first time in their MLS campaign. Being “the team that nobody wanted” was 20 minutes away from making it to the MLS cup championship (we don’t need to speak of those final 20 minutes). But how did the Loons get here? It could have been the smooth first half of the season which was filled with a lot of well meshed chemistry within the team. The Loons brought in defender Bakaye Dibassy from French League 1 side Amiens. To add to the back half of the field the Loons called upon their young Canadian sensation Dayne St. Clair, who stepped in at starting keeper and shut down opponents (6 clean sheets in 13 regular season starts). A promising future for a kid who patiently waited behind Tyler Miller before Miller went down with injury. On the offensive side of things, Robin Lod stepped up. He found his calling on the attacking side of the ball which I will be first to say I ate crow on this one. But the biggest acquisition came midway through the season. Adrian Heath called upon his determined assistant coach Mark Watson to go snag our future number 10. Roughly 6-10 trips down to Argentina, many weeks/months of #ReynosoWatch, and tons of contract negotiations far and above my knowledge, the loons were able to bring back their dominate number 10 from Boca Juniors in Emanuel ‘Bebelo’ Reynoso. This sparked the Loons push for playoffs and beyond. The combination of Reynoso and Kevin Molino became a defenders worst nightmare. Mix in the ingredients of Robin Lod and a well meshed defense along with a goalie who is embracing every opportunity he gets at GK and you had a team that was bound for success.
Fantasy Players to Watch
Goalkeepers: Goalkeepers points don’t always hold the most value but it is worth watching how St. Clair starts his campaign. While the cost of the players will go up with good performance, it’s worth noting that getting St. Clair while he’s cheap will be worth it if he can continue getting a near 50% on clean sheets. Also note that Coach Heath has yet to say St. Clair is the starter with Miller returning from injury.
Defenders: Minnesota defenders are solid but there is not one standout player such as a Tinnerholm for NYCFC or Mensah for Columbus. When the Loons take the pitch at home, they are usually great to at least have as switcheroo options but on the road they will give up a goal or 2 so don’t expect any road clean sheet points.
Midfielders: This is the meat and potatoes of this team. I’ll start with our number 10 Reynoso. A true offensive playmaker and assist machine who is still hunting for the back of the net, but for now is okay with dishing it to teammates for goals. This man will get you some very solid points this year in fantasy and will be one to keep your eye on. Next is Robin Lod. The Finnish man who discovered last year that he can *prepare the boos for the terrible pun* finish. Lod is a very solid pick if you are hoping to get some goals this year out of some tier 3 fantasy players. Lastly an honorable mention goes to Gregus who is very capable of getting fantasy points but best as a switcheroo or a pick if you are conserving money.
Attackers: This position is a big question mark. Last year the Loons were somewhat non-existent at the Striker position. This year they brought in Juan Agudelo from Inter Miami but based on last year’s stats the wow factor isn’t quite there yet. Hopefully that will change. The intriguing player to watch for MNUFC at the ST position will be Ramon Abila. Another piece from Boca Junior’s and hailing from the same city as Reynoso, Abila looks to become a crucial part of the Loons down the stretch.
Fantasy Expectations
This team’s future looks like a freshly cooked hotdish on a chilly fall evening; very VERY solid. The Loons look to be one of the top dogs in the already strong western conference. For fantasy MLS expect Lod and Reynoso to be solid starts for your team. Pay attention to the GK situation with Dayne St. Clair and take advantage of switcheroos with MNUFC defenders playing at home.
Potential Starting XI
