Building the optimal fantasy MLS lineup requires the perfect blend of superstar talent and sleeper picks to produce and we certainly saw that this past week. The New York Red Bulls, Sporting Kansas City and New York City FC continued to score goals in bunches while the Portland Timbers climbed to fourth in the Western Conference standings thanks to their strong defensive play along with a keeper that always seems to end up on this list.
Here is a look at the top individual fantasy performers from this past week in the MLS.
GK: Adam Kwarasey, Portland
It seems as though almost every week we are talking about Kwarasey and how good he has been for Portland, so it’s no surprise that he earned top honors among MLS fantasy goalkeepers again this week. Kwarasey made five saves to help the Timbers secure a 1-0 win over Real Salt Lake and has now recorded a clean sheet in three straight games.
Luis Robles and Bobby Shuttleworth stood tall in clean sheet wins for the New York Red Bulls and the New England Revolution respectively. However, there was nobody better than Kwarasey from a fantasy perspective this week. Honorable Mention: Luis Robles, New York Red Bulls; Bobby Shuttleworth, New England
D: Clarence Goodson, San Jose
San Jose kept its playoff hopes alive thanks to an absolutely crucial goal from Goodson that ended up being the difference in a 1-0 win over the Colorado Rapids. The Earthquakes still have their work cut out for them as they try to close the gap in the Western Conference standings and Goodson stepped up in a major way as the top fantasy defender in the MLS this past week.
D: Jose Goncalves, New England
The Revolution took another step towards securing a playoff spot of their own thanks to a goal from their defender Goncalves, whose marker in the 69th minute stood as the game-winning goal in a 2-0 win over Houston. Anthony Wallace, Roman Torres and Robbie Rogers all earned honorable mention for their fantasy stat lines but the fact that Goncalves’ goal stood as the winner in a clean sheet win helped him separate from the pack. Honorable Mention: Fabinho, Philadelphia; Anthony Wallace, New York Red Bulls; Roman Torres, Seattle; Robbie Rogers, LA Galaxy
M: Paulo Nagamura, Sporting Kansas City
Nagamura was the star midfielder that made the difference in the highest scoring game of the week in the MLS with two goals – including the game-winner in a 4-3 win over the Vancouver Whitecaps. Nagamura has been fairly quiet for Sporting KC this season but he fired six shots including three on target in the win over Vancouver and his two goals –including the game-winner – was enough to put him over the top as the No. 1 fantasy midfielder in MLS from this past week.
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M: Kekuta Manneh, Vancouver
It isn’t often that two players from opposite teams end up finishing 1-2 in midfielder scoring for one week but that was the case with Manneh scoring twice in a losing cause for Vancouver over the weekend. Manneh had two goals on four shots and while it wasn’t enough to help the Whitecaps win over the weekend, it was enough to separate him from the pack as the second-best fantasy midfielder from this past week. Honorable Mention: Thomas McNamara, New York City FC; Kwadwo Poku, New York City FC; Soni Mustivar, Sporting Kansas City
F: Kennedy Igboananike, Chicago
Igboananike helped Chicago earn a hard-fought point with two goals and an assist including the tying goal in the second minute of second-half added time in a 3-3 tie with the Philadelphia Union. Inconsistency has been a major issue for the Fire all season and while the three points wasn’t enough to help Chicago secure three points in the standings, it pushed Igboananike to the top of the list as the best fantasy forward from this past week in the MLS.
F: Robbie Keane, LA Galaxy
Two goals from Keane were enough for the Galaxy to secure another important three points in a 2-1 win over FC Dallas on Saturday as the star striker fired five shots including three on target. Keane was all over the pitch for LA and the win was enough to push the Galaxy one point above Vancouver at the top of the Western Conference standings. Seattle’s Obafemi Martins and NYCFC’s David Villa both produced quality stat lines but Keane’s production was enough to separate him from the rest of the pack as one of the top fantasy strikers in the MLS this past week. Honorable Mention: Obafemi Martins, Seattle; David Villa, New York City FC; Quincy Amarikwa, San Jose
