This article is part of our Sorare series.
It's another quick turnaround with a full slate of MLS matches Wednesday. Combined with Euros and Copa America, Sorare has thrown a wrench into planning and changed the gameweeks. This pushes GW 486 to start on June 19 (Wednesday) and conclude June 23 (Sunday). Now, what does this mean for MLS? It's a double gameweek for most teams and the highest score will be counted in your lineups.
This is going to make it extremely competitive, with some crazy high scores needed to get a reward. The smart thing (or at least my strategy) is to prioritize Cap 240 and go for the middle or upper threshold with two shots at a good score. Instead of trying to beat all the other players, it makes sense to try and "beat the house" while that's still an option.
This week's article will provide "cap-friendly" recommendations to help make room for your stud captains. Keep in mind some of the dumpster dives are suggested with the hope they get around 50 and allow you to roster an extra stud.
Last Week's Results
Elite Options
GK: Kristijan Kahlina (60 - CS), Maarten Paes (94.30 - CS), Zack Steffen (62.10 - CS)
DF: Miki Yamane (32.78), Kai Wagner (66.68), Julian Aude (34.14)
MF: Riqui Puig (DNP), Djordje Mihailovic (47.70)
FW: Lorenzo Insigne (81.6 - G), Cristian Arango (55.60), Jesus Ferreira (74.3 - G), Denis Bouanga (89.70 - 2G/A)
Value Options
GK: Stefan Frei (62 - CS), Aljaz Ivacic (49.7), John McCarthy (33.6)
DF: Brooks Lennon (61.58), Adilson Malanda (100 - GLC), Yeimar Gomez (61.36)
MF: Joao Paulo (86.2), Hector Herrera (60.8), Connor Ronan (46.7)
FW: Dejan Joveljic (70 - G/A), Petar Musa (42.2), Kerwin Vargas (75.6 - G)
Sorare GW 486 // MLS Week 18
Let's start this gameweek by using the RotoWire Cheatsheets to find the best matchups.
- LAFC 79.37% vs. San Jose
- Columbus Crew 74.63% vs. Sporting KC
- FC Cincinnati 69.93% vs. New England
- New York Red Bulls 66.23% vs. Toronto
- Seattle Sounders 59.88% vs. Dallas
Since it's a double gameweek, I made a graphic showing who has the best matchups.
Note: Prices are for limited cards as of Tuesday, June 18. The scarcities are Limited (/1000), Rare (/100), Super Rare (/10), and Unique (1/1).
Cap-Friendly Options
Goalkeepers
- Patrick Schulte (CLB) $29.78 - L/15: 43
- Game 1: Inter Miami (A) - 40.65 Win%, 23.70 CS%
- Game 2: Sporting KC (H) - 74.63 Win%, 51.28 CS%
Schulte has been pretty shaky in his last few performances for Columbus and the United States Olympic squad. The mix of the matchups and a nice cap hit of 43 make Schulte a great capped mode goalkeeper this gameweek. Columbus are the second biggest favorite on the slate against Sporting KC and will face the Messi-less Inter Miami squad on the road. Schulte should be more active in the first match and could have a nice AA game, with the upside of a clean sheet in the second match.
Honorable Mention:
Roman Celentano (CIN) $36.56 - L/15: 52 - Philadelphia(H)/New England(H)
Hugo Lloris (LAFC) $35.15 - L/15: 51 - Austin(A)/San Jose(H)
Roman Burki (STL) $17.74 - L/15: 45 - Colorado(H)/Atlanta(H)
Stefan Frei (SEA) $17.71 - L/15: 44 - Houston(A)/Dallas(H)
Zack Steffen (COL) $18.81 - L/15: 44 - St. Louis(A)/Montreal(H)
Alex Bono (DC) $11.40 - L/15: 40 - Atlanta(H)/Houston(H)
William Yarbrough (SJ) $4.89 - L/15: 30 - Portland(H)/LAFC(A)
Defenders
- Ian Murphy $1.02 - L/15: 42
- Game 1: Philadelphia (A) - 57.14 Win% - 35.97 CS%
- Game 2: New England (H) - 69.93 Win% - 48.78 CS%
With Miles Robinson (Copa America) and Matt Miazga (injured last match) out, Murphy will have to step up on FC Cincinnati's backline. Cincinnati have the second-best combined matchups of the slate, and getting a defender with a cap of 42 makes a lot of sense. Since joining the starting lineup for the majority of the recent stretch, Murphy has had some peaks and valleys, which is exactly what you're looking for with two bullets this gameweek.
Honorable Mention:
John Tolkin (RBNY) $10.92 - L/15: 53 - Montreal(A)/Toronto(H)
Yeimar Gomez (SEA) $3.41 - L/15: 49 - Houston(A)/Dallas(H)
Jackson Ragen (SEA) $3.54 - L/15: 49 - Houston(A)/Dallas(H)
Garrison Tubbs (DC) $1.02 - L/15: 38 - Atlanta(H)/Houston(H)
Lalas Abubakar (COL) $0.34 - L/15: 36 - St. Louis(A)/Montreal(H)
Nick Hagglund (CIN) $0.34 - L/15: 35 - Philadelphia(H)/New England(H)
Leo Vaisanen (ATX) $0.34 - L/15: 31 - LAFC(H)/Minnesota(A)
Midfielders
- Connor Ronan (COL) $1.80 - L/15: 39
- Game 1: St. Louis (A) - 29.41 Win%, 1.31 xG
- Game 2: Montreal (H) - 59.17 Win%, 1.89 xG
Ronan has slowly been ramping up in his return from injury. After four appearances off the bench, Ronan has started the last three matches. While his SO5 scores aren't anything special, his cap hit of only 39 is a nice perk. Even if he's rotated (more likely in the midweek in the worse matchup), he'll still start at least once. I can see Ronan scoring in the 55-plus range in the Montreal match. One negative on Ronan is that Djordje Mihailovic has taken over the set-piece responsibilities and that limits Ronan's upside seen the last few matches.
Honorable Mention:
Joao Paulo (SEA) $7.27 - L/15: 55 - Houston(A)/Dallas(H)
Hector Herrera (HOU) $9.57 - L/15: 52 - Seattle(H)/DC(A)
Luca Orellano (CIN) $8.51 - L/15: 51 - Philadelphia(H)/New England(H)
Daniel Edelman (RBNY) $1.65 - L/15: 43 - Montreal(A)/Toronto(H)
Niko Tsakiris (SJ) $0.70 - L/15: 35 - Portland(H)/LAFC(A)
Jesus Bueno (PHI) $0.42 - L/15: 24 - Cincinnati(A)/Charlotte(H)
Forwards
- Liel Abada (CLT) $7.55 - L/15: 40
- Game 1: Orlando (H) - 48.54 Win%, 1.51 xG
- Game 2: Philadelphia (A) - 26.88 Win%, 1.01 xG
Abada is still taking time to get into form, as he's finally getting regular playing time. There was a glimpse of his upside against Atlanta, scoring two goals en route to an 82.3 SO5 score. A home match against Orlando followed by an away trip to Philadelphia aren't the worst matchups in MLS at the moment. While his AA game isn't there, his chance to get a decisive action in one of those games is high.
Honorable Mention:
Cucho Hernandez (CLB) $55.93 - L/15: 56 - Inter Miami(A)/Sporting KC(H)
Rafael Navarro (COL) $19.53 - L/15: 55 - St. Louis(A)/Montreal(H)
Kerwin Vargas (CLT) $5.80 - L/15: 51 - Orlando(H)/Philadelphia(A)
Cameron Harper (RBNY) $1.69 - L/15: 44 - Montreal(A)/Toronto(H)
Dante Vanzeir (RBNY) $4.41 - L/15: 42 - Montreal(A)/Toronto(H)
Patrick Agyemang (CLT) $3.05 - L/15: 42 - Orlando(H)/Philadelphia(A)
Liel Abada (CLT) $7.55 - L/15: 40 - Orlando(H)/Philadelphia(A)
Elias Manoel (RBNY) $2.37 - L/15: 34 - Montreal(A)/Toronto(H)
Deke's Favorite Lineup
Last GW favorite lineup:
Kristijan Kahlina 60, Kai Wagner 66.68, Riqui Puig 0, Lorenzo Insigne 81.6, Jesus Ferreira 74.3
Raw Score: 282.58
GW 486 Cap 240 Favorite Lineup
Created via the Concept Builder on SorareData