Rivalry week provided some mixed results across the board in terms of fantasy as it brought out the best in some teams while leaving a lot to be desired from others. The San Jose Earthquakes provided the most notable performance in their 3-1 win over the Los Angeles Galaxy but on the other side of the coin, the fans of the defending MLS champions had to be extremely disappointed with their team’s effort. Here is a look at the top individual fantasy performances from this past week in the MLS.
GK: Dan Kennedy, FC Dallas
Kennedy was the best of the winning goalkeepers that also managed to earn the clean sheet this past weekend as his three saves were enough to hold on for the 2-0 win over the Houston Dynamo. Tim Melia was also solid for Sporting KC with a pair of saves in a shutout win over Colorado while Bill Hamid and Chris Konopka made three saves each for the clean sheet but missed out on the win bonus as Toronto FC tied DC United 0-0. Honorable Mention: Tim Melia, Sporting KC; Chris Konopka, Toronto FC; Bill Hamid, DC United
D: Maurice Edu, Philadelphia
Edu was instrumental in helping the Philadelphia Union escape with an important point in an ugly game against the Montreal Impact as he scored in the 76th minute to tie the game at 2-2. The Union held on for the draw and Edu finished with a goal, a shot on target and a couple of winning challenges.
D: Chance Myers, Sporting KC
Myers was instrumental in Sporting KC’s 2-0 win over the Rapids as he recorded an assist and was very active at the defensive end of the pitch where he picked up a couple of winning tackles. The entire Sporting KC back line was solid but Myers was the only one among them to register a point at the offensive end. Honorable Mention: Maurice Edu, Philadelphia; Hector Jimenez, Columbus
M: Matias Perez Garcia, San Jose
For the second week in a row Garcia came through with a monster performance for San Jose as he assisted on two of the Earthquakes’ three goals in a 3-1 win over the LA Galaxy. It was a statement win for a San Jose team currently fighting for a playoff spot in the Western Conference and Garcia was once again a stud in the middle. The Earthquakes now have 25 points on the season, which is only three shy of the fourth-place Galaxy.
M: Ignacio Piatti, Montreal
Another player that has made a major impact in the middle for his club over the last two weeks is Piatti, who had a goal and two shots on target in the 2-2 tie with Philadelphia. Piatti has capitalized on the opportunity given to him in the middle of the pitch and rewarded the Impact handsomely for their trust in him. The Impact now have five wins, three losses and a draw in their last eight. Honorable Mention: Ethan Finlay, Columbus; Fabian Castillo, FC Dallas
F: Octavio Rivero, Vancouver
Rivero’s penalty kick goal in the 31st minute for Vancouver was the difference in a 2-1 win over the New England Revolution as they continued to show off their championship form by maintaining their lead atop the Western Conference standings. Rivero was all over the place for the Whitecaps once again and it’s no surprised that he earned this top spot among the MLS forwards for this week.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6-w7V4-8Brs
F: Chris Wondolowski, San Jose
A San Jose win usually means a strong performance for their best striker and that was once again the case this past week as Wondolowski scored the Earthquakes first goal and nearly had another later in the game. Wondolowski has earned his reputation as one of the top striker’s in the MLS and he proved it again versus San Jose’s biggest rival. Honorable Mention: Krisztian Nemeth, Sporting KC; Sebastian Jaime, Real Salt Lake
