There was a little bit of everything this past weekend in the MLS with a handful of memorable performances, a couple of key upsets and plenty of scoring across the league. With the playoffs right around the corner, it’s safe to say there were certainly a handful of surprises with a number of players stepping up with standout performances in key situations. Here is a look at the top individual MLS fantasy performances by position from this past weekend.
GK: Steve Clark, Columbus
Columbus handed New England a major upset loss with a 2-0 win thanks in big part to Clark’s performance in goal on Sunday. Clark stopped all five shots he faced to help the Crew register their second win in a row and edge out the other three goalkeepers that recorded clean sheets as the top MLS fantasy goalkeeper from this past weekend. It’s not often that Columbus has been included in the MLS fantasy highlights this season as they are in ninth place in the Eastern Conference standings. They have allowed 46 goals through 29 games.
Honorable Mention: Luis Robles, New York Red Bulls; Chris Seitz, FC Dallas; Nick Rimando, Real Salt Lake
D: Chris Duvall, New York Red Bulls
Duvall made his mark with an assist on Daniel Royer’s lone goal in a 1-0 win over the Montreal Impact. Royer was all of the field in the clean sheet win, picking up a bonus for helping to blank the Impact while also contributing at the offense end with a point as New York maintained its position at the top of the Eastern Conference tied with Toronto FC and New York City FC. They have been one of the most reliable sources when it comes to offense in MLS fantasy. They have managed to score 53 goals so far this season, which is the second-most in the Eastern Conference.
Honorable Mention: Jefferson Mena, New York City FC; Julian Buscher, DC United; Justin Morrow, Toronto FC
M: Mauro Manotas, Houston
Houston was another team that picked up an upset win over the weekend, knocking off a Portland team that is barely holding on to a playoff spot in the Western Conference with a 3-1 win. Manotas was the star in the midfield for the Dynamo with all three goals and five shots in total to easily edge out the competition as the top MLS fantasy midfielder for the weekend. Houston has rarely been a team we look to for MLS fantasy as they are currently in last place in the Western Conference standings. However, one area where they have been reliable is on the defensive end where their 38 goals allowed are tied for the second-fewest in the conference.
M: Jordan Morris, Seattle
Morris fell one goal shy of matching Manotas’ performance in the midfield as he finished with two goals and five shots in total in a 4-2 win over the LA Galaxy. It was a big victory for the Sounders as they climbed to within three points of Portland for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference thanks to a little help from the Dynamo. Seattle has scored just 38 goals so far this season, which is the fourth-fewest in the conference.
Honorable Mention: Patrick Nyarko, DC United; Pedro Morales, Vancouver; Diego Valeri, Portland
F: David Villa, New York City FC
On a weekend when there was no shortage of high scoring forward options, Villa was clearly the best of them once again with three points in New York City FC’s 4-1 win over the Chicago Fire. Villa scored two goals with an assist and had five shots in total to produce the best fantasy score in the MLS regardless of position over the weekend.
F: Ola Kamara, Columbus
Kamara was another one of several MLS forwards to deliver strong performances over the weekend, narrowly edging out Robbie Keane of the LA Galaxy and Patrick Mullins of DC United for the final spot on this list. Kamara scored twice in the Crew’s 2-0 win over New England including the game-winning goal and finished with five shots in the win.
Honorable Mention: Robbie Keane, LA Galaxy; Patrick Mullins, DC United; Shkelzen Gashi, Colorado
