A 4-4 draw between Houston and Sporting Kansas City provided the most fireworks from this past week in the MLS with Giles Barnes and Benny Feilhaber standing out for their dominant performances in the middle of the pitch. However, only one of those two was able to register a top-two fantasy performance of the week among midfielders with the top fantasy midfielder of the week emerging in a losing cause. On that note, let’s take a quick look back at the best MLS fantasy performers from this past week.
GK: Joe Bendik, Toronto FC
Bendik was the top fantasy goalkeeper from this past weekend when he made four saves to record a clean sheet in a 2-0 win over Orlando City SC. It was a strong rebound performance after giving up three goals in the loss to Dallas FC the week before and he should provide a substantial boost for the club heading in to next weeks’ clash with the Philadelphia Union.
Honorable Mention: Sean Johnson, Chicago; Bobby Shuttleworth, New England
D: Chris Tierney, New England
After a couple of quiet weeks, Tierney broke through with the best fantasy stat line of any MLS defender thanks in big part to his goal in a 4-0 win over Real Salt Lake. The Revolution were relentless in their win over RSL with Tierney in particular registering a ridiculous six shots on goal in addition to his goal, tackles won and a clean sheet bonus. Tierney will continue to step up and join the New England attack when the opportunities present themselves. However, it would be unreasonable to expect him to put up dominant stat lines every week like what he did against an RSL team that is ahead of only Colorado at the bottom of the Western Conference standings.
Honorable Mention: Bobby Boswell, DC United; Matt Polster, Chicago
M: Pedro Morales, Vancouver
Morales did everything he could for the Whitecaps with the best fantasy stat line of the week for MLS midfielders. Still, it wasn’t enough to get the job done in a 2-1 loss to DC United. Morales scored Vancouver’s lone goal as one of his three shots on target and finished the game with six crosses in to the box. Despite the fact the Whitecaps lost the game, it was still Morales who posted the best fantasy stat line for MLS midfielders.
M: Giles Barnes, Houston
Houston and Sporting Kansas City put on an absolute show when they combined for eight goals in their 4-4 draw with Barnes shining through as the biggest star in the midfield with two goals on as many shots on goal while filling out a number of other key categories. Benny Feilhaber wasn’t far behind him in terms of fantasy production but Barnes had the slight edge with the second-best fantasy stat line of the week among MLS midfielders.
Honorable Mention: Benny Feilhaber, Sporting KC; Felipe, New York Red Bulls
F: Ethan Finlay, Columbus
Finlay was the star of the MLS week for Columbus as he scored twice in their 4-1 win over Philadelphia. Finlay scored on each of his two shots on goal and added an assist to complete the strongest fantasy performance among all MLS forwards for the week. The Crew will need Finlay to show the same form he did in 2014 and his performance in the victory over the Union was a strong step in the right direction.
F: David Accam, Chicago
The Fire managed to score just one goal against New York City FC but Accam was the lone goal scorer. He was all over the pitch with five shots on target as well as a handful of winning tackles and corner kicks won. Chicago looked rejuvenated in their win and Accam in particular looked very dangerous up front creating for both himself and his teammates throughout the win.
Honorable Mention: Juan Aguedelo, New England; Jozy Altidore, Toronto
