MLS GAME WEEK 8 PICKS AND TEAM REVEAL
Gameweek 8 is upon us and gameweek 7 was another indication as to why the MLS is such an interesting league. DFS MLS is proving different to FPL but in a great way and we are here again this week with 14 games on the slate.
As always I will be breaking down game by game giving you my thoughts on who you can put into your line ups. FanTeam has again put up the main slate so you will need to pick 11 players to try and take down the slate.
THE CONTEST
The full round contest runs through 16-17 April
The full round game has 1 contest this week with an entry fee of €5 and a prizepool of €750.
The rules are simple to follow. You will be required to pick 11 players to fill out your squad whilst staying within a budget of 108.0m. For each team you enter, you must select a captain and a vice captain. Your captain will score 2x points. However, in the event that your captain does not play, your vice captain will then score 2x points.
You can select a maximum of 3 players from the same team. It is worth noting that if you select two or more defensive players from the same team (GK and DEF), and the team keeps a clean sheet, a stacking penalty will apply.
No bench required in this contest, folks. Instead, you have the innovative safety net feature to fall back on! This means if you have a player who does not start, your player will be replaced at the beginning of the match. This is dependent on a player being available from the same team, at the same price or less. The closest price to your player value will be automatically selected.
Standard scoring applies to this contest.
With the rules covered, let’s take a look at some of my picks from each game shall we?
THE GAMES
CF Montreal Vs Vancouver Whitecaps – 8pm BST
First thought when I look at these two teams is goals, Montreal have conceded 15 in 6 games, Vancouver have conceded 12 in 6 games. Montreal are unbeaten in their last four games with an impressive win last weekend away to the Red Bulls. Vancouver however just can’t seem to get a run together and Portland showed last week how to expose them. I feel like I will need some exposure to this game, Djordje Mihailovic ( 11.8M ) is the key man to this Montreal strikeforce and his three goals and an assist so far this season shows he has an eye for goal. Kei Kamara ( 11.3M ) is the man leading the line and has himself a goal and two assists and he will be wanting to add to this tally. Vancouver dont fill me with any confidence but Cristian Dajome ( 6.4M ) does have a goal and an assist to his name this season, and should have added to that last week if he didn’t miss his penalty.
San Jose Earthquakes Vs Nashville SC – 8.30pm BST
The worst team in the MLS in San Jose taking on Nashville who again are away from home but this doesn’t seem to be affecting them too much as they have won their last two games. They have this and one more game before making that debut at their new stadium. These two have yet to meet in the MLS. San Jose haven’t won yet this season and haven’t kept a clean sheet either. I don’t expect this to change this week. San Jose however do tend to find the back of the net, so potential here for both teams to score. Jan Gregus ( 6.8M ) is the creative spark in this San Jose side with 4 assists. Jeremy Ebobisse ( 8M ) got himself two goals last week in the defeat to Houston and has three for the season and is the one that leads the line for San Jose. Nashville have had an impact from all over the pitch with six different goalscorers this season. Their main man Hany Mukhtar ( 9.2M ) has two assists and should have got himself a goal last week but missed his penalty. I also like Joe Willis ( 7.1M ) who has kept two clean sheets this season and could be a nice option for goalkeeper this week.
Atlanta Utd Vs Cincinnati – 11pm BST
Atlanta currently sit 4th in the Eastern Conference with two wins, a draw and two defeats. However they are without star man Josef Martinez, with MLS veteran Dom Dwyer ( 11.9 M ) needed to spearhead the attack, however I do feel there is better value in the slate. With one of those being Brandon Vazquez ( 7.5M ) he’s currently the joint top goalscorer in the MLS with five goals, fun fact he has three headed goals which is currently the most in the MLS. Cincinnati had a week off last week and this could benefit them going into this game. Atlanta have only kept one clean sheet and cant see them keeping one here. Luciano Acosta ( 6.5M ) has 23 key passes this season which leads the MLS, he also has one goal and an assist and Cincinnati will need both here to take a result away from home. Cincinnati has yet to defeat Atlanta in eight games, could this weekend be the time?
Houston Dynamo Vs Portland Timbers – 11pm BST
Another game here that catches the eye when it comes to goals. Both have ten goals, Houston in six games and Portland in seven. Houston are unbeaten in their last four and have won two on the bounce. Portland have had a mixed start to the season but did grab the win away to Vancouver last weekend. Darwin Quintero ( 11M ) has four goals in the last four games and is in red hot form. Both Fabrice Picault ( 10.8M ) and Sebastian Ferreira ( 10.3M ) both have two goals to their names this season and these three are the key to Houston continuing their good run. For Portland Yimmi Chara ( 8.2M ) got a goal and an assist in last week’s victory and is sitting with three goals for the season. Jaroslaw Niezgoda ( 8.1M ) was also on the score sheet last week with a good finish to add to his tally for the season. Games between the two usually produce goals and Houston haven’t beaten Portland since 2018. So an intriguing game here indeed.
New York Red Bulls Vs FC Dallas – 12am BST
New York will be wanting to bounce back from their surprise defeat to Montreal by getting back on track here at home to Dallas. However this won’t be an easy game. Dallas sit 5th in the Western Conference, are unbeaten in their last four games and have Jesus Ferreira ( 7.1M ) who has five goals this season to contend with. New York sit 3rd in the Eastern Conference but have not won at home yet this season, all of their three victories have come away from New York. So this makes for a fascinating game in prospect. Lewis Morgan ( 11.2M ) hasn’t been able to add to his hat trick but is still the Red Bulls top scorer. Omir Fernandez ( 10.2M ) did get on the scoresheet last week and will need to try and spark this New York team again this weekend. Dallas have only conceded four goals in six but are currently winless away from home. So which team is going to break their duck here? Maarten Paes ( 5.6M ) could be a great option to have in goal this week as it could then free up funds to use elsewhere.
Columbus Crew Vs Orlando City – 12.30am BST
This game for me is tough to call. Columbus got off to a great start scoring 10 in the first four games but have failed to score in their last two. Orlando sits second in the Eastern Conference but has played an extra game. They have been inconsistent but somehow still sit second. Three wins, two draws and two defeats is their record so far. So i can’t decide if this game will see goals or be a tight affair. Even the history between the two teams suggests the same. two games last season had five goals in them but the third was a 1-0 win for Orlando. Not sure how much exposure I’ll have from this game, however fade Lucas Zelarayan ( 11.6M ) if you dare. Orlando has Alexandre Pato ( 7.4M ) who has two goals this season who is always a danger.
DC United Vs Austin FC – 12.30am BST
Last week I said I needed to see if Austin could turn up vs the better teams, and at home they are certainly a solid outfit. They have however yet to win away from home. They do sit 4th in the Western Conference so I should probably start to consider them as a decent team. Maybe I need to see how they will perform this week against a DC team who have only played five games this season but have lost their last three games. DC started well with two wins but havent added to their points tally since. From a FanTeam contest point of view there is a lot of value here. Sebastian Driussi ( 7.9M ) has four goals and an assist this season and is currently the leading points scorer in the season long FanTeam contest. Diego Fagundez ( 7.7M ) has three assists and a goal and will be needed if Austin wants to continue their good run. I’m not too keen on much from a DC point of view, however Bill Hamid ( 8.7M ) has 22 saves in five games, two clean sheets, and is an option if you feel this game will be low scoring.
New England Revolution Vs Charlotte – 12.30am BST
Last year’s best team seemed to have a major hangover. New England have not won in their last five games in both competitions and were embarrassed last week by Inter Miami. They have no issue finding the back of the net but don’t seem to be able to keep a clean sheet with only one so far this season. Charlotte on the other hand were touted to be the worst team in the MLS, but currently sit 5th in the Eastern Conference but have played seven. These two met in gameweek 5 where Charlotte won 3-1 but they were the home team. Charlotte have made their home stadium a fortress but do seem to struggle away from home. I do expect goals here and New England will be hoping this is the game to kick start their season. Despite being so bad, the main man Carles Gil ( 12.7M ) is still producing for the FanTeam players and you would be silly not to include him this week also. Charlotte has Karol Swiderski ( 6.4M ) who has four goals this season, two of them were in the reverse game, so he knows what’s needed to add to that tally this weekend.
Toronto Vs Philadelphia Union – 12.30am BST
A tough game for the best team in the MLS, away to Toronto where the Union do tend to struggle. Toronto are starting to show they are a tough team and are unbeaten in their last three games after a poor start. They have scored in every game they have played this season, but do face the best defense in the league. If Philadelphia are serious contenders then this game will show us just how good they are. Five game winning streak puts Philly as the leading team in the MLS and only two goals conceded suggests a tough game ahead for Toronto. Games between the two usually produce goals with the two meetings last season producing seven goals. Toronto will need their best players on form here, Jesus Jimenez ( 8.8M ) Alejandro Pozuelo ( 8.6M ) and Jonathan Osorio ( 8.3M ) will all need to produce the goods. Daniel Gazdag ( 9.4M ) is the talisman for the Union, four goals and four clean sheets makes him a great target this week. Andre Blake ( 7.4M ) is the best goalkeeper in the FanTeam season long and is worth considering this week also.
Chicago Fire Vs LA Galaxy – 1am BST
Chicago are currently the most uninspiring team in the MLS. In six games they haven’t scored in four, but have kept clean sheets in four also. And will need to be solid at the back this week to overcome a Galaxy side who are coming off a derby win over LAFC last week. Gabriel Slonina ( 8.4M ) Mauricio Pineda ( 7.8M ) are the two best points scorers for Chicago in the FanTeam season long contest, and with Chicago being a solid team will need both to continue this. Games between the two are usually close games but Chicago have not beaten LA since 2010. From the Galaxy side of this game there is some value to be gotten here. Javier Hernandez ( 8.3M ) is joint top goalscorer with five and has three in his last two games. Without Douglas Costa, Raheem Edwards ( 7.5M ) seems to be the man to provide Hernandez with the assists and has three this season.
Minnesota Vs Colorado Rapids – 1am BST
Probably the game on the slate that I have very little interest in. Minnesota got off to a solid start going unbeaten in their first four games but have lost the last two. Colorado isn’t good away from home. Games between the two however do tend to produce goals. Minnesota will need Luis Amarilla ( 9.6M ) to get himself back on the scoresheet to kick start their season back into gear. Diego Rubio ( 8.3M ) has three goals and an assist this season and if Colorado are to turn around their away form they will need him to find the net again this weekend.
Seattle Sounders Vs Inter Miami – 3am BST
Seattle will be buzzing after reaching CONCACAF Final after a two leg aggregate win vs New York City. Seattle are unbeaten in their last seven games in both competitions and will be looking now to turn their MLS season around. They face a Miami team who got their first win of the season last week albeit vs a very poor New England team. I don’t rate Miami at all and defensively they are terrible. With this in mind and the return of Raul Ruidaz ( 12.3M ) I fancy a comfortable Seattle win here. Seattle also has Nicolas Lodeiro ( 11.9M ) back who missed three games this season. With both these two being back I also expect Albert Rusnak ( 12.5M ) to start coming to form. Despite Miami being so bad at the back, they do tend to score. Last week’s hat trick hero Leonardo Campana ( 6.4M ) will be needed to lead the line again if Gonzalo Higuain ( 6.5M ) misses out again.
New York City Vs Real Salt Lake – 6pm BST
Last season’s MLS Cup winners also seem to be struggling to come to terms with the new season and despite starting ok have now gone five games without a win in both competitions. They will also be wanting to bounce back from being
knocked out in the semi final of the CONCACAF cup by Seattle during the week. They take on a Real Salt Lake team who sit 3rd in the Western Conference but have played seven games. These two haven’t met since 2019 but games between the two usually produce goals and the home side taking the win. Real Salt Lake havent won in three either so this could be a close and tense affair. New York will need both Talles Magno ( 11.9M ) and Valentin Castellanos (12.2M) to find their form to be able to get their season back on track here. Zac MacMath ( 4.9M ) has 25 saves in seven games and is a very cheap option for a goalkeeper this week which again could open up so many options for your team. Tate Schmitt ( 5.8M ) is also another cheap option if you feel Real Salt Lake is to contend here this weekend.
Los Angeles FC Vs Sporting Kansas City – 9pm BST
LAFC will be looking to get back to winning ways after falling to defeat in the LA Derby last week and what way to do that then to face a Sporting Kansas team who are struggling. 5 defeats in seven games for Sporting Kansas doesn’t hold out much hope for them getting something here against LAFC. Games between the two usually produce a goal fest with their three games last season producing 12 goals. LAFC have the joint best attack in the league with 14 goals in six games. But it isn’t just their attackers I fancy this week. Mbacke ( 9.4M ) grabbed himself two goals the last time these two met and does have a goal to his name this season also. The obvious option is Carlos Vela ( 13.9M ) and is the most expensive player on the slate this week, but for good reason. Four goals and two assists makes the former Arsenal man almost a lock for your team this week. For Sporting to get something from this game they are gonna need their talisman Daniel Salloi ( 6.7M ) to be on form as well as Remi Walter ( 6.2M ) who was on the scoresheet last time out.
TEAM REVEAL
As this contest allows multi entries, I will likely be entering different line ups. Here’s an example of one of my line ups I will be entering using some of the players mentioned.
I hope this article has given you plenty of food for thought – especially for those of you that know very little about MLS, but are playing in Saturday’s Full Round contest.
MLS Full Round cash contests start at 8.00pm BST, so be sure to enter your lineups early to avoid missing out.
Please feel free to message me on Twitter @David_Bailey8 if you have any questions – all support queries should go to @FanTeamOfficial.
HOW TO GET INVOLVED
If you’re new to FanTeam then you’ll need to create a new account here – alternatively, head on over to fanteam.com and click the green ‘Register’ button in the top right corner.
Existing users can click the graphic below for direct access to the weekly monster or head on over to the Football lobby.
Best of luck to everyone entering – I look forward to seeing your usernames on the Leaderboard.
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