This article is part of our Sorare series.
Seattle exercised their demons in a 5-0 demolition of CF Montreal to pick up their first win. New England also won their first match of the season defeating Charlotte 1-0. RBNY kept up their terrific form and went into TQL Stadium to defeat FC Cincinnati. LAFC won El Trafico 2-1 over the Galaxy. Toronto continued to struggle without Lorenzo Insigne, this time losing 4-0 in Vancouver. Chicago upended the in-form Dynamo 2-1, and Austin made it two straight wins with a wild 4-3 victory over San Jose.
It was yet another MLS weekend full of goals and exciting matches. My column had its best weekend to date with 15 positive decisive actions. The value section had eight of 12 players score 60-plus points, topping the elite, which was six of 12. Let's hope there are still more decisives left for this week's Diamonds.
Last Week's Results
Elite Options
GK: Yohei Takaoka (84.60 - CS), Brad Stuver (34.60), Patrick Schulte (42.20)
DF: Ryan Hollingshead (56.40), Miles Robinson (34.26), Rodrigues (20.48 - Error)
MF: Aidan Morris (81.50 - G), Ryan Gauld (60.00 - G), Luciano Acosta (64.40 - A)
FW: Denis Bouanga (67.80 - G), Diego Rossi (29.60), Cristian Arango (69.10 - G)
Value Options
GK: Brad Guzan (39.50), Roman Burki (84.60 - CS), Kristijan Kahlina (48.40)
DF: Ranko Veselinovic (86.26 - G), Jackson Ragen (74.56 - A), Alexander Roldan (100 - G)
MF: Santiago Rodriguez (86.70 - G), Cristian Roldan (69.80 - A), Erik Thommy (33.70)
FW: Daniel Salloi (48.00), Diego Rubio (67.80 - PK Won), Raul Ruidiaz (85.10 - 2G)
Sorare GW 467 // MLS Week 8
Columbus played 120 minutes during the midweek, while New England completely rotated in their CONCACAF Champions League second leg. Inter Miami also played in Mexico during the midweek, so there could be some rotation in MLS.
Let's start this gameweek by using the RotoWire Cheatsheets to see the best matchups.
- New York Red Bulls 59.57% vs. Chicago
- Charlotte FC 57.47% vs. Toronto FC
- NYCFC 55.54% vs. New England
- St. Louis City 54.73% vs. Austin
- Atlanta United 48.45% vs. Philadelphia
The RBNY freight train is projected to keep rolling, meaning it should be another big weekend for Emil Forsberg, Lewis Morgan and Dante Vanzeir. Only four teams have an implied-win percentage above 50, so it should be another wild MLS weekend.
Note: Sorare prices are for limited cards as of Thursday, April 11. The scarcities are Limited (/1000), Rare (/100), Super Rare (/10), and Unique (1/1).
Elite Options
Goalkeepers
- Kristijan Kahlina (CLT) $17.43 vs. Toronto FC
I have Kahlina as my highest projected goalkeeper this weekend, facing a fragile Toronto team at home. Charlotte are the second biggest favorite on the slate and have 42-percent clean sheet odds. Charlotte are elite at home at Bank of America Stadium and have only conceded one goal in three home matches this season.
- Matt Freese (NYC) $19.45 vs. New England
While I'm not quite as bullish on NYCFC being the third-biggest favorite on the slate, I do love Freese in this spot. New England rotated during the midweek match in Mexico, so they should be at full strength. It's hard to imagine Carles Gil and company staying off the stat sheet, but Freese doesn't need a clean sheet to score well. NYCFC don't have a single clean sheet this season, yet Freese has already posted scores of 70.8 and 76.3. The upside is there, as he should still be busy with New England's rested attack.
Honorable Mention: Roman Burki (STL) $17.43 vs. Austin
Defenders
- Brooks Lennon (ATL) $19.40 vs. Philadelphia
With Kai Wagner questionable, there aren't many elite MLS options for this gameweek. Look no further than the other side of this matchup and the unstoppable Brooks Lennon, whose worst score was in the opener against Columbus with 53.8 SO5 points. Lennon is averaging 71.3 points to start the season and is the clear best option at defense again this weekend. Although the matchup with Philadelphia isn't the best, Atlanta should dominate possession and I project a floor of around 60 on AA alone for Lennon.
- John Tolkin (RBNY) $9.52 vs. Chicago
While Tolkin has been a huge disappointment to start the season, he showed signs of life last weekend, scoring 50.66 in just 67 minutes. With the acquisition of Emil Forsberg, Tolkin's offensive role has diminished, as Forsberg now plays on the left flank. Missing the entire preseason didn't help Tolkin's case, as he expected a move away from RBNY that never came to fruition. Tolkin will be pushing to get into good form for the summer window to try and get a move to Europe. RBNY have played some stingy defenses to start the season, but Chicago is not that. I like Tolkin to pick up his first assist of the season as he gets back into the form he ended last season with.
Honorable Mention: Yeimar Gomez (SEA) $6.00 at Dallas
Midfielders
- Lewis Morgan (RBNY) $9.50 vs. Chicago
With all eyes on Forsberg joining RBNY, Morgan has caught the league's attention to start the season. Returning from an injury-plagued campaign, Morgan has been on a roll, scoring in four of seven matches with six goals. In a great matchup against Chicago, Morgan has the third-best odds to score at +125 and I slightly prefer him to Forsberg this weekend.
- Thiago Almada (ATL) $42.21 vs. Philadelphia
With Giorgos Giakoumakis, Jamal Thiare and Xande Silva all expected to be out this weekend, Almada will have to shoulder the load for Atlanta. Outside of a 91.2 performance against New England, Almada has been relatively quiet to start the season for a player of his caliber. Like Tolkin, Almada will be looking to showcase his talents for a move to Europe in the summer window.
Honorable Mention: Ryan Gauld (VAN) $23.21 vs. LA Galaxy
Forwards
- Christian Benteke (DC) $17.20 vs. Orlando
Orlando City have had two away league matches this season. They were smashed 5-0 by rival Inter Miami and lost 2-0 to Atlanta. Add in the trip to Mexico against Tigres in the CONCACAF Champions Cup, where Orlando lost 4-2, and they've allowed 11 goals in their last three away matches. There are goals to be had and Benteke is the man who scores them for DC. With five goals in five starts and tied for the best odds to score at +120, Benteke is in a nice spot.
- Cristian Arango (RSL) $33.28 vs. Columbus
Arango is tied with Benteke for the highest-implied goalscoring percentage on the slate. At face value, a home match against Columbus isn't quite ideal. However, Columbus just played 120 minutes Tuesday in Mexico and will be without Cucho Hernandez, who will be serving his red card suspension. Arango has four goals in his last two games and I think he'll add at least one more in this match.
Honorable Mention: Dante Vanzeir (RBNY) $17.09 vs. Chicago
Value Options
Goalkeepers
- Dayne St. Clair (MIN) $16.74 vs. Houston
Minnesota have allowed just two goals in three games at Allianz Stadium this season. The matchup with Houston is also positive, as the Dynamo have only scored multiple goals in one game this season. Houston are phenomenal at home but have struggled mightily on the road in recent history. With a 36-percent clean sheet chance, I like St. Clair to have a floor of 40-45 points with the upside of 70-plus in a clean sheet.
- William Yarbrough (SJ) $6.00 vs. Colorado
Can I interest you in some revenge? Yarbrough made 102 appearances for Colorado before the Rapids moved on from him last offseason. San Jose have been putrid to start the season and their defense has been leaking like a sieve (17 goals in seven matches). Major League Soccer is really unpredictable and when teams are on a high, they are usually quickly humbled. Colorado went into Miami and rescued a point after defeating LAFC the weekend prior. This feels like a letdown spot and sets Yarbrough up for a boom-or-bust spot at a cheap entry point.
Honorable Mention: Steve Clark (HOU) $13.95 at Minnesota
Defenders
- Adilson Malanda (CLT) $2.79 vs. Toronto
Malanda pairs well with Kahlina as a safe play at a cheap price point. Malanda has been consistent to start the season, rarely scoring less than 45 points. However, the upside hasn't been touched outside of a perfect 100 in the opener against NYCFC. While I don't see that crazy upside happening again, this is a great matchup for Malanda to flirt with a score in the 60-plus range.
- Jaylin Lindsey (CLT) $0.71 vs. Toronto
Lindsey is your guy if you are looking for a fill-in at a low cap. Lindsey started the last match for the injured Nathan Byrne, who was dealing with a thigh issue. Byrne should be out again this weekend as he is getting his green card on top of the thigh issue.
(Graphic from SorareData)
When Lindsey starts at home, he has been outstanding for Charlotte. In a great matchup and at a cheap price, it's worth streaming Lindsey in capped modes with an L/15 of just 37.
Honorable Mention: Matt Miazga (CIN) $1.40 at Montreal
Midfielders
- Cole Bassett (COL) $8.78 at San Jose
Bassett has topped 70 points in three of four games since moving back to a CDM role (while Connor Ronan is out). It's a decent matchup on the road against San Jose, but the road aspect should only boost his defensive output. Bassett has put up 36.5 and 43.7 AA scores en route to 70-plus SO5 scores in the two away matches since playing in the CDM role. I expect another big AA showing against San Jose with an upside of 70-plus points.
- Djibril Diani (CLT) $7.37 vs. Toronto
Since joining Charlotte's starting lineup, Diani has been a monster. He's in a great spot against Toronto and should see more of the same output. In his four starts, Diani's worst outing was 51.8 points and 16.8 AA in a 2-1 loss in Nashville. Along with racking up some great AA, Diani has a goal and an assist, as well. I know the price has risen, but it's still a decent value in this matchup.
Honorable Mention: Santiago Rodriguez (NYC) $9.48 vs. New England
Forwards
- Joao Klauss (STL) $6.45 vs. Austin
Klauss has had a slow start to the season with only one goal in nine appearances. In 12 starts at CITYPARK, Klauss has five goals and one assist. Although Austin have won back-to-back matches, the backline has been porous. I like Klauss' chances of getting several shots on target, but can he beat Brad Stuver?
- Bongokuhle Hlongwane (MIN) $8.54 vs. Houston
A dark cloud surrounds this Minnesota team, though they are off to a good start to the season. That cloud is Emanuel Reynoso. He's gone AWOL again, this time skipping out on his green card appointment. The good news for Minnesota is that Hlongwane was back in the starting lineup last weekend.
He missed the preseason dealing with green card paperwork and has been working to get back to full fitness. He went 64 minutes last match and I expect him to be able to go around 75 against Houston. Hlongwane provides a ton of upside, as when he gets a decisive action, it's usually an 80-plus point outing.
Honorable Mention: Brian White (VAN) $11.75 vs. LA Galaxy
