There was no shortage of goal scoring around the MLS this past week with eight different teams scoring three goals or more highlighted by New York City FC scoring five goals in their win over Orlando City SC. It’s a rare occasion when Toronto FC’s Sebastian Giovinco is limited to an honorable mention but that was the case after a Canadian rookie broke through with a hat trick in a losing cause. Here is a look at the top individual fantasy performances from this past week in the MLS.
G: Tyler Deric, Houston
The Houston Dynamo recorded one of only two clean sheets on the board from this past week in the MLS and considering Montreal’s Evan Bush didn’t have to make a save in a 1-0 win over the Seattle Sounders, there is no doubt Deric is the obvious choice as the best fantasy goalkeeper from this past week. Deric stopped all three shots he faced in a 3-0 win over the LA Galaxy to earn top honors. Honorable Mention: Evan Bush, Montreal; Jeff Attinella, Real Salt Lake
D: Laurent Ciman, Montreal
It’s a rare situation when the lone goal in an MLS game comes from a defender in the 88th minute but that was the case when Ciman headed home a cross from Marco Donadel off a set piece late in a 1-0 win over Seattle. The Impact’s scoring struggles led to the acquisition of veteran striker Didier Drogba to try and help provide a spark but it was Ciman that stepped up with the big goal for Montreal this past week.
D: Kendall Waston, Vancouver
Whitecaps FC was all over the San Jose Earthquakes from the opening whistle with Mauro Rosales scoring the opening goal only five minutes in. It wasn’t long after that the defender Waston stepped up to make it 2-0 in the 32nd minute. Waston was all over the field for Vancouver and his first-half goal stood as the eventual game winner in a 3-1 win over San Jose. Honorable Mention: Angelino, New York City FC; Chris Korb, DC United
M: Kwadwo Poku, New York City FC
NYCFC has emerged as one of the most explosive offensive teams in the MLS and they delivered their second performance in three weeks when they scored at least four goals. This time they racked up five in their 5-3 win over Orlando City SC on Sunday. David Villa is the obvious star up front but Poku really stepped up in the midfield over the weekend with three assists.
[related_post_one]
M: Michael Barrios, FC Dallas
FC Dallas was all over the Portland Timbers from the outset in a 4-1 win with Barrios in particular stepping up big time in the midfield with a pair of goals in the first 22 minutes of action. Dallas will need Barrios to be more consistent moving forward but this win was another example of how dangerous he can be. Honourable Mention: Ethan Finlay, Columbus; Collen Warner, Toronto FC; Kellyn Acosta, FC Dallas
F: Cyle Larin, Orlando City SC
Orlando might not have won the game but there is no doubt that Larin was the biggest fantasy star of the week with a hat trick in a losing effort versus NYCFC. Larin scored three goals on as many shots and while his performance was somewhat overshadowed in the loss, the rookie Canadian is worth keeping a close eye on moving forward after a breakout fantasy week with nine goals on the year.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1tFEl4LShEk
F: David Villa, New York City FC
Villa continued his dominance with a pair of goals on as many shots on target in the 5-3 win over Orlando as he continued to pace NYCFC up front with six total shots. Villa is one of the truly elite strikers in the MLS and it’s no surprise that he consistently finds his way on to this list. Honourable Mention: Brad Davis, Houston; Joao Plata, Real Salt Lake; Sebastian Giovinco, Toronto FC
