The MLS fantasy season continued with a wild weekend that featured eight games on the schedule from Friday through Sunday. Orlando City SC was the biggest winner thanks in big part to their star midfielder who finished with the best fantasy score of any player regardless of position. Here is a look at the top individual performances by position from this past week in the MLS.
GK: Bobby Shuttleworth, FC Dallas
New England earned its first win of the season thanks in big part to Shuttleworth’s incredible performance in goal. Shuttleworth made five saves to preserve the clean sheet in a 1-0 win over the New York Red Bulls. Seattle’s Stefan Frei, Chicago’s Matt Lampson and Colorado’s Zac MacMath were the other goalkeepers that registered clean sheet victories this past week but Shuttleworth’s save total was enough to put him over the top and earn top fantasy honors among MLS netminders.
Honorable Mention: Stefan Frei, Seattle; Matt Lampson, Chicago; Zac MacMath, Colorado
D: Chris Tierney, New England
Shuttleworth was excellent in New England’s 1-0 win over the New York Red Bulls but it was the defender Chris Tierney that earned top honors among their defenders. Tierney was a rock at the defensive end of the field and a big reason why the Revolution hung on for the clean sheet victory.
Honorable Mention: Fraser Aird, Vancouver; Jordan Harvey, Vancouver
M: Kaka, Orlando City SC
Kaka was the brightest star of the week from a fantasy perspective as he was absolutely outstanding in Orlando City SC’s lopsided win over the Portland Timbers. Kaka finished with a goal, two assists and two shots on target in the 4-1 win to finish with the best fantasy score among MLS players regardless of position.
M: Lamar Neagle, DC United
Neagle helped DC United pull out a 1-1 draw with the San Jose Earthquakes when he assisted on their lone goal by Patrik Nyarko. It likely would have been Nyarko who earned this spot behind Kaka but a yellow card hurt his overall fantasy score and left Neagle as the top performer for DC United. DC United still hasn’t registered a single win this season as their main issue has been their defense. They’ve given up nine goals in their five contests this season. Those nine goals allowed are tied for the most in the Eastern Conference.
Honorable Mention: Fabian Castillo, FC Dallas; Mauro Diaz, FC Dallas; Patrick Nyarko, DC United
F: Kennedy Igboananike, Chicago
It was Igboananike that scored the goal that made the difference in Chicago’s 1-0 win over the Philadelphia Union on Saturday and that was enough for him to earn top fantasy honors in a relatively quiet week for MLS forwards. It was the second goal in four games for Igboananike with nine shots on target over that span. Chicago now sits in sixth place in the Eastern Conference standings with five points, although they are only three points out of first place. They have scored and allowed five goals in their four games so far this season.
F: Clint Dempsey, Seattle
Dempsey delivered the game-winning goal for the Sounders in their 1-0 win over the Montreal Impact on Saturday. It was his first goal in four games this season although he should have no problem adding to that total as long as he continues to fire shots on target. Dempsey already has 16 shots on target this season so the fact that he hasn’t scored certainly isn’t for a lack of trying. Seattle has had a really rough go of things to start the season. Over the past few seasons, they have been contenders but after four weeks of action, they are currently in last place in the Western Conference as the win this week was their first of the season. As for their goal scoring, it has been virtually non-existent as they have tallied just three goals in four games.
Honorable Mention: Luis Solignac, Colorado; Joao Plata, Real Salt Lake
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