Gameweek 4: Injury and suspension report

Gameweek 4: Injury and Suspension Report

Injuries can have a big impact on a fantasy lineup. Not only can they impact your score by providing under the radar options, but replacements often come in at a lower price point and can make it easier to field a full roster. Each week I’ll review key injuries and help you find replacements that can give you an edge over your fantasy opponents.

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Atlanta United FC (On a bye)

Player	Position	Status	Potential return
Franco Escobar	Defender	Questionable: Fractured right clavicle	Gameweek 5 Vs Columbus Crew
Patrick Okonkwo	Forward	Loaned to Atlanta United II	2020 season
Jose Hernandez	Defender	Loaned to Atlanta United II	2020 season

Chicago Fire (On a bye)

Player	Position	Status	Potential return
Andre Reynolds II	Defender	Questionable: Thigh injury	N/A
Aleksandar Katai	Midfielder	Questionable: Groin injury	N/A

FC Cincinnati

Gameweek 4 fixture: New England Revolution (A)

Players on international duty: Kendall Watson (Costa Rica), Allan Cruz (Costa Rica), Darren Mattocks (Jamaica), Alvas Powell (Jamaica), Frankie Amaya (US u-20)

Cincinnati has a key set of starters missing the game against New England this week. Kekutah Manneh (5.9M) is expected to lead the Cincinnati attack along with Roland Lamah (7.5M) after the injury to Fanendo Adi and the departure of Mattocks for international duty. Greg Garza (5.0M) and Kenneth Saief (7.6M) look set to finally make their full debuts for Cincinnati against New England.

Player	Position	Status	Potential return
Przemysław Tytoń	Goalkeeper	Questionable: Hamstring tendinitis	Gameweek 4 Vs New England Revolution
Jimmy McLaughlin	Midfielder	Out: Right ACL injury	N/A
Fanendo Adi	Forward	Out: Ankle injury	N/A
Emery Welshman	Midfielder	Loaned to Canadian Premier League side Forge FC	2020 season
Ben Lundt	Goalkeeper	Loaned to USL side Louisville City	2020 season
Rashawn Dally	Forward	Loaned to USL side Memphis 901 FC for remainder of 2019 season	2020 season

Colorado Rapids

Gameweek 4 fixture: FC Dallas (A)

Players on international duty: Diego Rubio (Chile)

Rubio is the only Rapids player who received a international call up this time and his absence could see rookie Andre Shinyashiki (4.7M) making his full debut against FC Dallas this week.

Player	Position	Status	Potential return
Benny Feilhaber	Midfielder	Questionable: Flu	N/A
Johan Blomberg	Midfielder	Suspended: Red card Vs SKC	Gameweek 5 Vs Houston Dynamo
Kortne Ford	Defender	Out: Knee injury	N/A
Matt Hundley	Forward	Loaned to USL side Colorado Springs	2020 season
Andre Rawls	Goalkeeper	Loaned to USL side Colorado Springs	2020 season

Columbus Crew SC

Gameweek 4 fixture: Philadelphia Union (A)

Players on international duty: Gyasi Zardes (USMNT), Will Trapp (USMNT), Justin Meram (Iraq), Waylon Francis (Costa Rica), Aboubacar Keita (US u-20)

The crew will try to get a result at Philadelphia despite missing many starters this week. Forward Patrick Mullins (5.5M) and Josh Williams (4.5M) are expected to replace Zardes and Francis who are both missing due to international duty. Midfielder Robinho (5.3M) could start for the second game in a row at left wing. Star goalkeeper Zack Steffen was called up to the USMNT for friendlies against Ecuador and Chile but has returned since then because of a injury to his right knee and should be replaced by Joe Bendik (4.5M) who will make his Columbus Crew debut in the next game.

Player	Position	Status	Potential return
Zack Steffen	Goalkeeper	Out: Right knee injury	N/A
Artur	Midfielder	Questionable: Thigh injury	N/A
Milton Valenzuela	Defender	Out: Torn ACL	9-12 months and is expected to miss the entire 2019 season.
Niko Hansen	Midfielder	Out: Right thigh injury	N/A

FC Dallas

Gameweek 4 fixture: Colorado Rapids (H)

Players on international duty: Jesse Gonzalez (USMNT), Carlos Gruezo (Ecuador), Bryan Acosta (Honduras)

Midfield duo Carlos Gruezo and Bryan Acosta will miss the game against Colorado. There has been a lot of talk about young players Brandon Servania (5.0M), Edwin Cerillo (4.0M) and Thomas Roberts (4.0M) possibly filling in for them. The FCD midfield could also receive a injury boost with Jacori Hayes (4.7M) returning to training and he could possibly participate in the game against Colorado. Another big name missing the game against Colorado is goalkeeper Jesse Gonzalez who has been called up in place of injured keeper Zack Steffen in the USMNT. He is expected to be replaced by Jimmy Maurer (4.5M) in the team. Defender Reggie Cannon (5.5M) has also returned to training after his ankle injury and has expressed his desire to start in the game on Saturday.

Update: Jacori Hayes has been ruled out for the game against Colorado and Jesse Gonzalez has joined FCD for this week’s game but will rejoin USMNT next week.

Player	Position	Status	Potential return
Reggie Cannon	Defender	Probable: Right ankle injury	Gameweek 4 Vs Colorado
Jacori Hayes	Midfielder	Out: Hamstring injury	Gameweek 4 Vs Colorado
Cristian Colman	Forward	Out: Left ACL tear	N/A
Ema Twumasi	Forward	Questionable: Back problem	N/A
Francis Atuahene	Forward	Out: Left ruptured pectoral muscle	Mid August 2019
Moises Hernandez	Defender	Loaned to USL side San Antonio FC	2020 season

D.C. United (On a bye)

Player	Position	Status	Potential return
Oniel Fisher	Defender	Out: Knee surgery	N/A
Chris Odoi-Atsem	Defender	Out: Hodgkin’s Lymphoma	N/A
Earl Edwards Jr.	Goalkeeper	Out: Groin injury	N/A

Houston Dynamo (On a bye)

Player	Position	Status	Potential return
Romell Quioto	Forward	Out: Undisclosed injury	N/A
Juan Cabezas	Midfielder	Out: Right thigh injury	N/A
Eric Bird	Midfielder	Out: Left ankle injury	N/A
Erik McCue	Defender	Out: Left foot injury	N/A
Micheal Nelson	Goalkeeper	Out: Right thigh injury	N/A
DaMarcus Beasley	Defender	Out: Arthroscopic surgery on left knee	4-6 weeks
Maynor Figueroa	Defender	Questionable: Right ankle injury	N/A

Los Angeles FC

Gameweek 4 fixture: Real Salt Lake (H)

Players on international duty: Christian Ramirez (USMNT), Mark-Anthony Kaye (Canada), Mohamed El-Munir (Libya), Peter-Lee Vassell (Jamaica), Joshua Perez (US u-23)

Adama Diomande (9.6M) told reporters after the match against SKC that he didn’t expect to be in contention for the first several matches as he continues to recover from his off-season surgery but he could possible start against RSL this week with Ramirez on international duty. Andre Horta (7.5M) could finally return to the starting XI and replace Mark-Anthony Kaye in the process. 

Update: Beitashour has been cleared and is available for selection. Bob Bradley also confirmed that Diomande will start against RSL and Nguyen might not be in the 18 this week.

Player	Position	Status	Potential return
Lee Nguyen	Midfielder	Questionable: Right hamstring strain	Gameweek 4 Vs RSL
Andre Horta	Midfielder	Probable: Right quad strain	Gameweek 4 Vs RSL
Steven Beitashour	Defender	Probable: Head injury	Gameweek 4 Vs RSL
Rodolfo Zelaya	Forward	Out: Right thigh strain	N/A
Philip Ejmadu	Goalkeeper	Out: Lower back injury	N/A
Alejandro Guido	Midfielder	Out: Right quad strain	N/A

LA Galaxy (On a bye)

Player	Position	Status	Potential return
Zlatan Ibrahimovic	Forward	Questionable: Sore Achilles tendon	Gameweek 5 Vs Portland Timbers
Romain Alessandrini	Midfielder	Questionable: Right hamstring injury	Week to week
Perry Kitchen	Midfielder	Out: Undisclosed injury	N/A
Juninho	Midfielder	Questionable: Knee injury	Gameweek 5 Vs Portland Timbers
Bradford Jamieson IV	Forward	Loaned to USL side San Antonio	2020 season

Minnesota United (On a bye)

Player	Position	Status	Potential return
Kevin Molino	Midfielder	Out: Left knee injury	Week to week. Molino has returned to training

Montreal Impact (On a bye)

Player	Position	Status	Potential return
Zakaria Diallo	Defender	Suspended: Red card Vs Orlando City	Gameweek 5 Vs SKC
Ken Krolicki	Midfielder	Out: Dislocated right elbow	4-5 weeks (Mid April – May)
Jason Beaulieu	Goalkeeper	Out: Cyst on left knee	Late July 2019
Jeisson Vargas	Forward	Loaned to Chilean side Universidad Catolica	2020 season
Thomas Meilleur-Giguère	Defender	Loaned to USL side Ottawa Fury FC	2020 season
James Pantemis	Goalkeeper	Loaned to USL side Ottawa Fury FC	2020 season

New England Revolution

Gameweek 4 fixture: FC Cincinnati (H)

Players on international duty: Gabriel Somi (Syria), Zachary Herivaux (Haiti), Justin Rennicks (US u-20)

None of the starters for New England are on international duty this week. Another positive news is that Andrew Farrell has returned to training and expected to return to the team within the next 4 weeks. New England might field the same XI as last week in the loss against Toronto and they will hope that the same team gets a different result this time.

Player	Position	Status	Potential return
Andrew Farrell	Defender	Probable: Eye injury	Gameweek 4 Vs Cincinnati
Tajon Buchanan	Forward	Out: Stress fracture in leg	N/A
Isaac Angking	Midfielder	Out: Left knee injury	N/A

New York City FC (On a bye)

Player	Position	Status	Potential return
Ismael Tajouri-Shradi	Forward	Questionable: Ankle injury	Gameweek 5 Vs Toronto FC
Jeff Caldwell	Goalkeeper	Loaned to USL side Memphis 901 FC	2020 season

 

New York Red Bulls

Gameweek 4 fixture: Orlando City SC (H)

Players on international duty: Kemar Lawrence (Jamaica), Aaron Long (USMNT), Kaku (Paraguay), Micheal Murillo (Panama)

Kyle Duncan (5.2M) is guaranteed to start again and defenders Amro Tarek (4.8M) and Connor Lade (4.5M) are expected to fill in as defensive replacements. With the season ending injury to Florian Valot, Alex Muyl (6.7M) should start in place. There has also been talk about homegrown player Omir Fernandez (5.5M) possibly making his debut for the red bulls and latest signing forward Mathias Jorgensen (6.7M) getting more minutes.

 

Player	Position	Status	Potential return
Florian Valot	Midfielder	Out: Torn ACL in right knee	Out for the entire 2019 season.
Brian White	Forward	Probable: Hamstring injury	Gameweek 4 Vs Orlando City SC

Orlando City SC

Gameweek 4 fixture: New York Red Bulls (A)

Players on international duty: Jhegson Méndez (Ecuador), Cameron Lindley (US u-23)

Player	Position	Status	Potential return
Lamine Sane	Defender	Doubtful: Calf injury	Day to day
Will Johnson	Midfielder	Out: Concussion	N/A
Tesho Akindele	Forward	Out: Hamstring injury	N/A
Pierre Da Silva	Forward	Loaned to Atletico Paranaense	2020 season
Mason Stajduhar/span>	Goalkeeper	Loaned to USL side Tulsa Roughnecks	2020 season

Philadelphia Union

Gameweek 4 fixture: Columbus Crew (H)

Players on international duty: Andre Blake (Jamaica), Corey Burke (Jamaica), Warren Creavalle (Guyana), Matthew Real (US u-20), Derrick Jones (US u23)

Philadelphia return home after a tough result against Atlanta United and will be missing key players against Columbus. One positive news that all this absenteeism brings is that homegrown player Brenden Aaronson (5.5M) who scored the opening goal against Atlanta, might start again. Homegrown player Matt Freese (4.0M) is expected to make his Philadelphia Union debut and replace Andre Blake. Mark McKenzie could finally make his season debut after returning from concussion injury.  Will you take a chance on this young Philadelphia Union squad?

Update: Marco Fabian has been suspended for an additional game for his red card against SKC.

Player	Position	Status	Potential return
Marco Fabian	Midfielder	Suspended: Red card Vs SKC	Gameweek 5 Vs Cincinnati
Jamiro Monteiro	Midfielder	Questionable: Finalizing visa paperwork	Gameweek 4 Vs Columbus Crew
Sergio Santos	Forward	Out: Hip injury	2-3 weeks
Kacper Przybylko	Forward	Out: Fractured toe	N/A
Fabinho	Defender	Out: Left ankle sprain	N/A

Portland Timbers (On a bye)  

Player	Position	Status	Potential return
Larrys Mabiala	Defender	Suspended: Red card Vs Cincinnati	Gameweek 5 Vs LAG
Aljaz Ivacic	Goalkeeper	Out: Left tibial stress fracture	Mid April 2019
Kendall McIntosh	Goalkeeper	Out: Left thigh strain	N/A

Real Salt Lake

Gameweek 4 fixture: LAFC (A)

Players on international duty: Albert Rusnak (Slovakia), Sam Johnson (Liberia), Corey Baird (USMNT)

RSL will have to make a lot of changes to the team that got thrashed 5-0 by D.C. United. It won’t be like they have a choice because they will be forced to. Injuries, suspensions and international duty is a huge worry for RSL this week. They will be without star players Rusnak, Savarino, Glad, Baird and possibly Plata. Veteran Tony Beltran (4.5M) is expected to make his season debut for RSL and replace suspended defender Marcelo Silva. Nick Besler (4.0M) could also make the starting XI and move Brooks Lennon to the right wing in the process. Sebastian Saucedo (4.9M) could slot in at left wing and homegrown player Tate Schmitt (4.5M) at striker as replacements for Rusnak and Baird. You better make use of all 3 LAFC spots against this RSL team.

Update: Joao Plata has been ruled out for the game against LAFC.

Player	Position	Status	Potential return
Joao Plata	Midfielder	Out: Foot injury	N/A
Jefferson Savarino	Midfielder	Suspended: Red card Vs D.C. United	Gameweek 5 Vs FC Dallas
Marcelo Silva	Defender	Suspended: Red card Vs D.C. United	Gameweek 5 Vs FC Dallas
Justen Glad	Defender	Out: Broken toe	2-4 weeks
Tony Beltran	Defender	Doubtful: Knee injury	Gameweek 4 Vs LAFC
Luke Mulholland	Midfielder	Out: Undisclosed injury	N/A
Jordan Allen	Midfielder	Out: Knee injury	Out for 2019 season.

San Jose Earthquakes (On a bye)

 

Player	Position	Status	Potential return
Kevin Partida	Defender	Out: Torn ACL	Mid April 2019

Seattle Sounders (On a bye): None

 

Sporting Kansas City (On a bye)

Player	Position	Status	Potential return
Daniel Salloi	Forward	Out Ankle injury	3-6 weeks
Erik Hurtado	Forward	Out: Arthroscopic surgery on right knee	2-3 months
Jimmy Medranda	Midfielder	Out: Knee injury	N/A
Andreu Fontas	Defender	Questionable: Hip pointer	N/A

Toronto FC (On a bye)

Player	Position	Status	Potential return
Jon Bakero	Midfielder	Loaned to USL side Phoenix Rising	2020 season
Aidan Daniels	Midfielder	Loaned to USL side Ottawa Fury FC	2020 season
Ryan Telfer	Defender	Loaned to Canadian Premier league side York 9 FC	2020 season

Vancouver Whitecaps FC (On a bye)

 

Player	Position	Status	Potential return
Jasser Khmiri	Defender	Out: Left knee injury	N/A
Brett Levis	Defender	Out: Right hamstring strain	N/A
Michael Baldisimo	Midfielder	Out: Left ankle contusion	N/A