This article is part of our Sorare series.
MLS returned with a bang after a league record 46 goals were scored on opening weekend, with eight coming from newcomers. San Diego's inaugural match was a road 2-0 victory with Anders Dreyer scoring a brace. Emmanuel Latte Lath (two) and Kevin Denkey (one) scored after joining MLS for massive transfer fees. Jayden Nelson went off for a goal and three assists against a 10-man Portland Timbers side.
Bruce Arena's first match in charge of San Jose was a 4-0 beatdown of Real Salt Lake, who were also eliminated from the CONCACAF Champions Cup at home in the midweek to Herediano. Philadelphia shocked everyone (including myself as a fan) by defeating Orlando City 4-2 on the road.
It's easy to overreact after one match, but weird stuff happens every single week in Major League Soccer.
Philadelphia scored on all four of its shots on target (xG favored Orlando City 2.4-1.8). Sure, Jayden Nelson had a phenomenal match, but he did it against an injury-depleted Portland side down to 10 men after just 11 minutes. Relax. It's one match. The Union aren't going to score on every shot on target and Nelson isn't going to be the best player in the league (probably).
Note: Player recommendations are not financial advice; I may or may not own these players in my Sorare gallery. I play under the username "SorareDeke" on Sorare.
Sorare GW 58 // MLS Week 2
Let's kick off this game week using the RotoWire Cheatsheets to check out the top matchups with win odds highlighted below.
- Minnesota United 62.92% vs. CF Montreal
- Orlando City SC 60.41% vs. Toronto FC
- New York Red Bulls 57.76% vs. Nashville SC
- LAFC 53.45% vs. NYCFC
- Chicago Fire 47.19% vs. D.C. United
Note: Prices are for in-season limited cards as of Thursday, February 27. The scarcities are Limited (/1000), Rare (/100), Super Rare (/10), and Unique (1/1).
Optimal Plays
GOALKEEPERS
- Carlos Coronel (RBNY) $40.85 vs. Nashville SC
Coronel faces a Nashville SC team that is battling some injuries to the midfield. In the last match, Matthew Corcoran and Wyatt Meyer started centrally, with Patrick Yazbek, Gaston Brugman, and Bryan Acosta missing due to injury. Corcoran performed well and has a good chance to start again, but it's not the same as having a guy like Brugman's progressive passing to create opportunities. While Pedro Gallese is a close second, Coronel grades out as my most likely goalie to keep a clean sheet this gameweek.
- Dayne St. Clair (MIN) $44.35 vs. CF Montreal
Montreal were highly competitive on the road against Atlanta, losing 3-2, while xG favored Montreal 2.5-1.5. I'm high on Minnesota this gameweek as the largest favorite (what could go wrong?). There's a realistic chance that Montreal could be missing Samuel Piette and George Campbell, as they haven't been training the last few days. Add in Jalen Neal and Giacomo Vrioni, and that's four starters missing. St. Clair has a good opportunity to score well in front of a home crowd that should be singing "Wonderwall" after the victory.
Other Options: Pedro Gallese (ORL) $58.40 vs. TOR; Chris Brady (CHI) $31.87 vs. DC; Hugo Lloris (LAFC) $76.21 vs. NYC; Daniel (SJ) $49.85 at SKC; CJ Dos Santos (SD) $46.93 vs. STL
DEFENDERS
- Rafael Santos (ORL) $25.01 vs. Toronto FC
Orlando let everyone down outside of Martin Ojeda and Marco Pasalic against Philadelphia. Four goals conceded is a killer for a defender, as you lose 16 points. On the positive side, Santos created one big chance and had 11 penalty area entries. I'm returning to the well with Orlando in another good matchup on paper. Like I said last week, Santos was one of the top defender options at the end of the 2024 season. If you don't own him already, you can get him for around $15 cheaper than last week.
- Anthony Markanich (MIN) $0.69 vs. CF Montreal
How about a little dumpster diving for diamonds in this week's article? This recommendation has some risk, but he's worth the gamble if you're in a pinch. LWB Joseph Rosales is out two-to-three weeks after coming off at halftime against LAFC. Markanich filled in for 45 minutes and is my projected starter for this weekend. The other option would be Devin Padelford, but most of his time was at LCB last season.
In his last start, Markanich generated 21.58 AA in just 58 minutes. If he had played two extra minutes, he would have been given the clean sheet bonus (+10) for a 66.6 SO5 score. I project him to play around 60 minutes this gameweek in a better matchup than his previous start.
Other Options: Kai Wagner (PHI) $86.42 vs. CIN; Noah Eile (RBNY) $3.82 vs. NSH; Ryan Hollingshead (LAFC) $15.73 vs. NYC; Rodrigo Schlegel (ORL) $3.52 vs. TOR; Miki Yamane (LAG) $25.50 at VAN; Sam Adekugbe (VAN) $5.07 vs. LAG; Sean Nealis (RBNY) $5.07 vs. NSH
MIDFIELDERS
- Emil Forsberg (RBNY) $26.87 vs. Nashville SC
Forsberg had a tough go of it in Cincinnati with an SO5 score of 44.90. TQL Stadium is a tough place to play, so I'll give RBNY a pass on last week. They play a stifling defense this week, but there are a lot of positives going for Forsberg. I expect a second-year bump, as he has a year of MLS experience under his belt. John Tolkin's departure is a negative for the team but a positive for Forsberg. Last season, Tolkin took 57 percent of corners and 61 percent of free-kick crosses. In the opener, Forsberg took all four set pieces in what should be a monopoly of sets this season. With the New York Red Bulls as the third-highest favorite on the slate, Forsberg should be in line for a great SO5 score.
- David Da Costa (POR) $10.32 vs. Austin FC
Portland were horrific in the opener, but the Kamal Miller red card after just 11 minutes was the main culprit. The Timbers have several injuries to key players and the offense will flow through Da Costa. In the last match, Da Costa came on at halftime with Portland down a man. He took all five set pieces when he was on the pitch and should have an Evander-esque monopoly in Portland. Coach Phil Neville said in a presser that Da Costa "will start," taking most of the risk out of playing him in your lineups. Austin have vastly improved, but I like Portland to bounce back with an entire 11-man side at Providence Park.
Other Options: Ryan Gauld (VAN) $74.99 vs. LAG; Djordje Mihailovic (COL) $38.05 vs. DAL; Joaquin Pereyra (MIN) $3.48 vs. MTL; Marco Pasalic (ORL) $21.79 vs. TOR; Jack McGlynn (HOU) $53.23 vs. MIA; Carles Gil (NE) $71.50 vs. CLB; Pablo Ruiz (RSL) $10.37 vs. SEA
FORWARDS
- Martin Ojeda (ORL) $40.82 vs. Toronto FC
Ojeda will be a problem for Sorare managers who don't own him this season. He took eight set pieces in the 4-2 opening loss and scored 85 SO5 points with 25 AA. With Facundo Torres gone, it's the Ojeda show and he's in another lucrative matchup. Like Ted Lasso said, "You know what the happiest animal on Earth is? It's a goldfish. It has a 10-second memory. Be a goldfish."
Be a goldfish and trust your Orlando City players this gameweek after last weekend's horror show.
- Kelvin Yeboah (MIN) $27.68 vs. CF Montreal
While his all-around score generally leaves something to be desired, Yeboah is in the best spot he will have all season. He has better than a 50-percent chance to score based on implied odds after barely missing out last weekend, hitting the inside of the post. He has a decisive in his last six home starts (six goals and two assists), and that trend will continue at Allianz Field against CF Montreal.
Other Options: Philip Zinckernagel (CHI) $12.89 vs. DC; Jonathan Bamba (CHI) $22.96 vs. DC; Denis Bouanga (LAFC) $71.77 vs. NYC; Jeremy Ebobisse (LAFC) $8.75 vs. NYC; Rafael Navarro (COL) $10.82 vs. DAL; Hirving Lozano (SD) $19.94 vs. STL; Tani Oluwaseyi (MIN) $2.32 vs. MTL; Lionel Messi (MIA) $217 at HOU; Ezequiel Ponce (HOU) $7.65 vs. MIA
