Sorare MLS: Deke's Diamonds GW29

This article is part of our Sorare series.

Wow, what a first round! Minnesota pulled off the big upset in the West, defeating #3 seed Real Salt Lake. In the East, Orlando City was the only favorite to advance after #1 Inter Miami, #2 Columbus, and #3 Cincinnati all lost. We are down to a proper knockout tournament the rest of the way, with only eight teams remaining.

With the limited MLS options, I highly suggest looking elsewhere for goalkeeper and defender positions.

Sorare GW 29 // MLS Conference Semifinals

Here are the implied odds for each matchup.

1. LA Galaxy 59.88% vs. Minnesota United 22.12%
2. Orlando City 59.52% vs. Atlanta United 22.17%
3. LAFC 52.36% vs. Seattle Sounders 26.04%
4. NYCFC 45.45% vs. New York Red Bulls 32.36%

Top Goalkeeper Option

• John McCarthy (LAG) $3.65 vs. Minnesota United

While Minnesota United has been one of the best road teams this season, they will face stiff competition when they travel to Dignity Health Sports Park. McCarthy has the second-highest clean sheet implied odds of the slate at 36.1% (Lloris top at 36.63%). I slightly prefer McCarthy over Lloris, as I rate the Seattle attack higher and don't see them staying off the board. McCarthy has only scored 60+ in one of his last nine matches, but on a slate filled with tough matchups, the Galaxy enjoy the path of least resistance.

This could be a slate to target away keepers with high floors due to sheer volume instead of attacking clean sheets. While the three-goal guillotine could crush some scores, you'll likely score 50+ if the road goalkeeper can concede two or fewer without making an error (especially the GOAT Brad Guzan).

GK Rankings:

1. John McCarthy (LAG) $3.65 vs. Minnesota United
2. Matt Freese (NYC) $3.12 vs. New York Red Bulls
3. Pedro Gallese (ORL) $4.68 vs. Atlanta United
4. Hugo Lloris (LAFC) $2.81 vs. Seattle Sounders
5. Carlos Coronel (RBNY) $2.14 at NYCFC
6. Brad Guzan (ATL) $0.94 at Orlando City
7. Stefan Frei (SEA) $2.18 at LAFC
8. Dayne St. Clair (MIN) $3.51 at LA Galaxy

Top Defender Option

• Rafael Santos (ORL) $1.55 vs. Atlanta United

Santos is on fire, exceeding 80 points in four of his last ten matches. This run came out of nowhere as he topped 60 points in just three of 30 matches before this ten-match stretch to finish the season. While Atlanta is on a roll, Orlando City does have a solid matchup at home - although Atlanta won 2-1 on Decision Day at Inter & Co Stadium.

DF Rankings:

1. Rafael Santos (ORL) $1.55 vs. Atlanta United
2. Miki Yamane (LAG) $0.93 vs. Minnesota United
3. Pedro Amador (ATL) $3.10 at Orlando City
4. Maya Yoshida (LAG) $0.62 vs. Minnesota United
5. Yeimar Gomez (SEA) $1.55 at LAFC
6. Thiago Martins (NYC) $0.62 vs. New York Red Bulls
7. Robin Jansson (ORL) $0.62 vs. Atlanta United
8. John Tolkin (RBNY) $1.20 at NYCFC
9. Aaron Long (LAFC) $0.62 vs. Seattle
10. Jackson Ragen (SEA) $1.24 at LAFC

Top Midfielder Option

• Riqui Puig (LAG) $23.36 vs. Minnesota United

While several elite MLS midfield options are eliminated, Puig brings his L/5 of 90 and L/15 of 85 into the Western Conference Semifinals. If you're still reading this column after a long MLS season, you'll know my love for Puig. He's far and away the best MLS play of the slate and can help you compete against the PSV midfield options like Malik Tillman.

MF Rankings:

1. Riqui Puig (LAG) $23.36 vs. Minnesota United
2. Facundo Torres (ORL) $2.80 vs. Atlanta United
3. Santiago Rodriguez (NYC) $2.36 vs. New York Red Bulls
4. Martin Ojeda (ORL) $0.93 vs. Atlanta United
5. Mateusz Bogusz (LAFC) $4.98 vs. Seattle Sounders
6. Albert Rusnak (SEA) $1.87 at LAFC
7. Aleksey Miranchuk (ATL) $4.05 at Orlando City
8. Timothy Tillman (LAFC) $0.93 vs. Seattle Sounders
9. Emil Forsberg (RBNY) $1.25 at NYCFC
10. Maximiliano Moralez (NYC) 0.62 vs. New York Red Bulls
11. Cristian Roldan (SEA) $0.93 at LAFC

Top Forward Option

• Gabriel Pec (LAG) $28.65 vs. Minnesota United

When the Galaxy splashed $10,000,000 + incentives for Pec, the move raised some eyebrows. The transfer couldn't have worked out better for both parties. It's tough to say how long Pec will stay in MLS, so we have to enjoy this LA Galaxy attack while it lasts. The Puig/Pec combo continues to be one of the best in the business and should again put up excellent scores against Minnesota United.

FW Rankings:

1. Gabriel Pec (LAG) $28.65 vs. Minnesota United
2. Denis Bouanga (LAFC) $6.54 vs. Seattle Sounders
3. Joseph Paintsil (LAG) $2.18 vs. Minnesota United
4. Dejan Joveljic (LAG) $1.25 vs. Minnesota United
5. Alonso Martinez (NYC) $1.71 vs. New York Red Bulls
6. Ramiro Enrique (ORL) $1.22 vs. Atlanta United
7. Kelvin Yeboah (MIN) $4.67 at LA Galaxy
8. Jordan Morris (SEA) $0.94 at LAFC
9. Dante Vanzeir (RBNY) $0.93 at NYCFC
10. Jamal Thiare (ATL) $0.62 at Orlando City

Favorite Lineup

Courtesy of the SorareData Concept Builder