This article is part of our Sorare series.
This week, a specialist competition for MLS players will give the Deke's Diamonds article a different look. Based on the constraints, I'll provide my favorite plays and secondary plays for each roster-building stipulation.
This is the breakdown of what rosters need to look like to compete for a $800 first-place prize and a prize pool of $7,650 in the limited division.
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 60 // MLS Week 3
CONCACAF Champions Cup rotation will undoubtedly rear its ugly head, as this gameweek falls before the second legs for Columbus, LAFC, Inter Miami, Vancouver, Seattle, Cincinnati and the LA Galaxy.
Let's start this game week by using the RotoWire Cheatsheets to see the best matchups with win odds highlighted below.
- Inter Miami 65.31% vs. Charlotte FC
- Vancouver Whitecaps 64.95% vs. CF Montreal
- LA Galaxy 57.76% vs. St. Louis City SC
- FC Cincinnati 56.35% vs. Toronto FC
- Austin FC 54.67% vs. Colorado Rapids
Note: Prices are for in-season limited cards as of Thursday, March 6. The scarcities are Limited (/1000), Rare (/100), Super Rare (/10), and Unique (1/1).
*Sorare Data provided the L/15 data in one place, making this article much easier to write!
L/15: 50 or less
GOALKEEPERS
- Patrick Schulte (CLB) $56.01 vs. Houston Dynamo
I really like Schulte's profile for the Sorare scoring matrix. He's active and generates solid AA from save opportunities. The clean sheets might not always be there, but you can live with him scoring 50 points from saves alone. He's coming off a 3-0 loss in which he made five saves inside the box for 15.4 AA (since he allowed three goals, he only scored 30.4 SO5 points). As long as he doesn't give up three-plus goals, the floor volume is there for Schulte to have a 50-plus score.
When he does keep a clean sheet, you likely will have a 75-to-80-point performance. A matchup at home against Houston should be an excellent recipe for success, as they have lost both matches at home and only scored a goal in each. We'll see how this Houston team translates on the road, but Schulte should be one of the top options on the slate.
Other Options: Roman Celentano (CIN) $47.16 vs. Toronto; Hugo Lloris (LAFC) $63.65 at Seattle; Yohei Takaoka (VAN) $40.63 vs. Montreal; Maarten Paes (DAL) $22.55 vs. Chicago; Andre Blake (PHI) $47.72 at New England; Pedro Gallese (ORL) $36.05 at NYCFC; Roman Burki (STL) $44.06 at LA Galaxy; Joon-Hong Kim (DC) $26.86 vs. Sporting KC; Joe Willis (NSH) $32.09 vs. Portland; Matt Freese (NYC) $33.57 vs. Orlando;
High Risk/High Reward Options: Jonathan Sirois (MTL) $32.52 at Vancouver; Carlos Coronel (RBNY) $39.28 at Atlanta; Rafael Cabral (RSL) $24.86 vs. San Diego; Novak Micovic* (LAG) $19.41 vs. St. Louis City; Aljaz Ivacic (NE) $25.07 vs. Philadelphia; John Pulskamp (SKC) $19.97 at DC; Chris Brady (CHI) $29.12 at Dallas
*Could be a DNP risk
DEFENDERS
- Lukas Engel (CIN) $19.34 vs. Toronto FC
With FC Cincinnati traveling to face Tigres for the second leg of the CONCACAF Champions Cup next midweek, there's some rotation risk. This is an elite spot for Engel to pick up a decisive if he's in the starting lineup. While it would be a bummer to have a DNP in the specialist contest, if there are any DNP risks for my players, I'd rather roster them here instead of risking relegation in the In-Season competitions. Engel will likely be in my top specialist lineup, possibly with Lionel Messi, to mitigate both risks.
Other Options: Jack Maher (NSH) $5.29 vs. Portland; Guilherme Biro (ATX) $7.39 vs. Colorado; Bruno Wilson (SJ) $4.91 vs. Minnesota; Tristan Blackmon (VAN) $9.07 vs. Montreal; Thiago Martins (NYC) $4.94 vs. Orlando; Ranko Veselinovic (VAN) $5.38 vs. Montreal; Noah Eile (RBNY) $5.91 at Atlanta; Alexander Hack (RBNY) $11.79 at Atlanta; Mathias Laborda (VAN) $4.70 vs. Montreal; Daniel Lovitz (NSH) $2.29 vs. Portland; Shaq Moore (DAL) $1.61 vs. Dallas
MIDFIELDERS
- Diogo Goncalves (RSL) $10.08 vs. San Diego
San Diego has looked lively in its first two matches, so this isn't a slam-dunk matchup by any means. RSL should field its best XI after being knocked out of CONCACAF Champions Cup play. This should equate to a healthy workload for Goncalves, who has 25-plus AA in all three starts. When Pablo Ruiz is off the pitch (not projected to start), Goncalves should be on most set-piece opportunities. If he can bag a decisive action, he's in line for an 80-plus SO5 point output.
Other Options: Sebastian Berhalter (VAN) $6.16 vs. Montreal; Saba Lobzhanidze (ATL) $5.70 vs. RBNY; Gabriel Pirani (DC) $7.10 vs. Sporting KC; Owen Wolff (ATX) $5.18 vs. Colorado; Joaquin Pereyra (MIN) $2.79 at San Jose; David Pereira da Costa (POR) $13.37 at Nashville; Ali Ahmed (VAN) $2.77 vs. Montreal; Hosei Kijima (DC) $1.96 vs. Sporting KC; Luca de la Torre (SD) $4.82 at Real Salt Lake; Diego Fagundez (LAG) $1.86 vs. St. Louis City
FORWARDS
- Wilfried Zaha (CLT) $11.00 at Inter Miami
Zaha made his debut and showed a little bit of rust against Atlanta, though he scored a goal on a defensive breakdown to salvage a 60-point outing. He went the full 90 minutes, so his fitness levels are up to par. On the surface, this is a tough matchup against Inter Miami, but Charlotte will be fully rested while Inter Miami has to play Thursday night in the CONCACAF Champions Cup. Zaha should put pressure on the defenders, and while Inter Miami's defense has looked better, they've allowed a higher xG at home compared to on the road. I like Zaha's chances of a decisive action this gameweek.
Other Options: Jacen Russell-Rowe (CLB) $11.39 vs. Houston; Osman Bukari (ATX) $5.05 vs. Colorado; Brian White (VAN) $14.91 vs. Montreal; Anderson Julio (DAL) $6.21 vs. Chicago; Hannes Wolf (NYC) $4.43 vs. Orlando; Hugo Cuypers (CHI) $13.88 at Dallas; Leonardo Campana (NE) $8.11 vs. Philadelphia; Brandon Vazquez (ATX) $20.54 vs. Colorado;
L/15: 51-59
GOALKEEPERS
- Brad Stuver (ATX) $43.69 vs. Colorado Rapids
I prefer to use one of the two L/15 of 50 or fewer spots on a GK, but I can't fault anyone who wants to play Stuver with implied clean sheet odds above 30 percent. With Austin having a better roster in 2025, Stuver might have fewer save opportunities. Last season, he was a lock for 10-plus AA, but in the first two matches, he hasn't eclipsed 7.1 AA.
Other Options: Daniel (SJ) $42.84 vs. Minnesota; Brad Guzan (ATL) $30.07 vs. RBNY; Stefan Frei (SEA) $42.98 vs. LAFC
High Risk/High Reward Option: Dayne St. Clair (MIN) $34.53 at San Jose
DEFENDERS
- Rodrigues (SJ) $29.24 vs. Minnesota United
The Bruce Arena era has started with a bang in San Jose. I don't think anyone would be shocked that the prolific attack is producing, but the real surprise is that one of the worst defensive units in MLS is turning into a great backline. With Rodrigues as the right center-back in Arena's back three, he's back to scoring like it's 2023. The San Jose defensive unit will be tasked with shutting down Kelvin Yeboah, but this Minnesota United team has just one goal in its first two matches. Rodrigues has 66.72(!) and 27.52 AA in his first two matches and is an excellent option for this L/15 range.
Other Options: Yevgen Cheberko (CLB) $36.54 vs. Houston; Walker Zimmerman (NSH) $26.00 vs. Portland; Malte Amundsen (CLB) $14.70 vs. Houston; Aaron Herrera (DC) $13.35 vs. Sporting KC; Mohamed Farsi (CLB) $10.46 vs. Houston; Miles Robinson (CIN) $15.11 vs. Toronto
MIDFIELDERS
- Miguel Almiron (ATL)* vs. New York Red Bulls
- Newcastle In-Season card is a midfielder version
The New York Red Bulls are a good defensive side similar to Charlotte FC, who Atlanta just played last weekend. Even in the 2-0 away loss, Almiron scored 68.7 SO5 points without a decisive and had one big chance missed. Almiron dominated the possession stats, winning all nine of his duels. The decisives will come as Miggy continues to get himself into high-quality scoring chances. There was a slight scare as he was hobbled towards the end of the match, but Almiron has been fully training this week without restrictions.
Other Options: Ryan Gauld (VAN) $56.64 vs. Montreal; Pedro Vite (VAN) $17.57 vs. Montreal; Luciano Acosta (DAL) $58.05 vs. Chicago; Cristian Espinoza (SJ) $37.25 vs. Minnesota; Aleksey Miranchuk (ATL) $27.41 vs. RBNY; Dylan Chambost (CLB) $14.83 vs. HOU; Brian Gutierrez (CHI) $13.59 at Dallas; Daniel Pereira (ATX) $5.35 vs. Colorado
FORWARDS
- Petar Musa (DAL) $41.82 vs. Chicago
The moose is loose in Dallas. This is definitely a buy-high pick, but the matchup is too good to ignore. Musa already has a goal and an assist in both matches to start the season. He faces a depleted Chicago team, ripe for conceding goals. Through two matches, Chicago has conceded six goals, and it should have been more without some phenomenal saves from Chris Brady.
Other Options: Kevin Denkey (CIN) $25.42 vs. Toronto; Martin Ojeda (ORL) $33.12 at NYCFC; Luis Suarez (MIA) $39.23 vs. Charlotte; Alonso Martinez (NYC) $10.85 vs. Orlando; Max Arfsten (CLB) $7.29 vs. Houston; Diego Rossi (CLB) $37.44 vs. Houston; Emmanuel Latte Lath (ATL) $40.20 vs. RBNY; Tai Baribo (PHI) $25.97 at New England; Jonathan Bamba (CHI) $18.71 at Dallas;
L/15: 60+
GOALKEEPERS
It's very suboptimal to use this spot on a goalkeeper. The only projected starters with an L/15 greater than or equal to 60 are CJ Dos Santos (SD), Oscar Ustari (MIA), Kristijan Kahlina (CLT) and James Pantemis (POR). If you have these goalkeepers, I suggest playing them in the regular MLS In-Season competition.
DEFENDERS
- Kai Wagner (ORL) $101 at New England Revolution
Wagner is the only defender in contention to use a 60-plus spot for me. You could use other options, but Wagner would be a differential play instead of a 60-plus at midfield or forward. It's a road matchup against a sputtering New England side that hasn't scored this season. Coming off an uncapped score of 111.76, Wagner has shown why he's the elite defender option in MLS.
MIDFIELDERS
The options that are 60-plus all have had slow starts or aren't elite from gameweek to gameweek. All the players are playable, but you don't need to force a 60-plus in your lineup when the 51-59 range midfield options are much better.
Other Options: Marcel Hartel (STL) $49.94 at LA Galaxy; Edvard Sandvik Tagseth (NSH) $16.30 vs. Portland; Sergio Busquets (MIA) $20.88 vs. Charlotte; Carles Gil (NE) $45.55 vs. Philadelphia; Hany Mukhtar (NE) $37.02 vs. Portland
FORWARDS
- Christian Benteke (DC) $38.10 vs. Sporting KC
Those who did pre-season schedule scouting knew that DC had a soft first five matches. Benteke has goals in his first two matches, but the AA hasn't lined up (62.8 & 61.8 SO5 scores). In the last match, he skyed a penalty kick, which was a giant swing, adding a big chance missed instead of a goal. Still, the matchup hosting Sporting KC is elite, and I expect Benteke to score 60-plus once again. For those of you looking ahead, DC will host Montreal next weekend, so it's another two elite spots before the schedule gets significantly more challenging.
Other Option: Gabriel Pec (LAG) $73.74 vs. St. Louis City; Lionel Messi (MIA)* $176 vs. Charlotte
