Apologies for the brief hiatus of the article lately – you can blame the weird MLS schedule (especially so for Fantasy purposes), a vacation out to the coast, and some work obligations. We should be getting back in rhythm now, especially with Leagues Cup all done (for important teams, at least).
Speaking of which, pay attention to the teams that went for it in Leagues Cup match three and the ones that rotated and rested their guys in anticipation of this weekend. Fortunately, I believe all the remaining Leagues Cup squads are playing other Leagues Cup squads this weekend, with the ones who sat out facing other rested teams.
Week 19 Quick Rankings
Goalkeepers
Lloris, Takaoka, Defreitas-Hansen (COL), Bond
Defenders
Porteous, Laborda, Wagner, Williams (COL), Halter
Midfielders
Evander, De Paul, Gil, Zinckernagel (M/F), Guilherme (M/F), Biel, McGlynn, Almiron, Aaronson, Mihailovic
Forwards
Messi, Son/Bouanga, Griezmann, Iloski, Lewandowski, Navarro
Week 19 schedule
This weekend we are back to a schedule of regular 7:30 pm local matches along with four Sunday games.
The Good
New England plays in Toronto to start the week. Toronto has not won an MLS match since April 4th. They do have a lot of draws, including an away draw at New England, but I think you have to favor the Revs in this one.
Colorado is the lucky beneficiary of playing SKC this week.
LAFC hosts San Diego, who are struggling. SD did earn two wins in Leagues Cup, but LAFC will still be the heavy favorites at home.
The Battles
Nashville hosts Miami this week. They're forming an intriguing rivalry as each has had some success against the other the past year. It remains to be seen how much Messi will play after taking some time off for his father's death, but there will still be a ton of firepower in this game.
San Jose gets St. Louis this week, two teams headed in opposite directions. SJ has struggled without Tsakiris on the field, while St. Louis has surged up the table with a string of wins. Of course, a huge wrench is thrown into their setup with Marcel Hartel now gone, but it should be a fun game.
Chicago plays Portland on Sunday, an intriguing game as Portland has shown signs of a turnaround now that they are freed from Phil Neville, while Chicago managed to be the sole MLS team to go unbeaten in the Leagues Cup group stage.
Thoughts and Players
Defenses
LAFC - One of the best defenses at 1 GA per game, they are facing a struggling San Diego squad that will need some time to sort themselves out. Their defensive rotations are a mystery to me, but I expect Porteous to be the man again.
Vancouver - Seattle is on a massive losing streak where they have struggled to score goals with a heavily injured lineup. The Sounders are getting marginally more healthy, but there are no major reinforcements on the horizon for the attack. Vancouver has allowed the second-fewest goals in the league. I go with Laborda but any of their starters are viable.
Wagner - Meriting his own section, he's just that good no matter who Philadelphia is playing.
Colorado - They're facing SKC at altitude. Herrington moving on is a massive loss but they seem as good a bet as any for a CS. The guy you want now is probably Williams (and note the correct keeper is Defreitas-Hansen).
Houston - They've been great on defense and come up against a Galaxy team that sold Pec, still hasn't integrated their new signings, and are missing Reus this weekend. Think you want Halter though Resch also a reasonable pick depending on your budget.
Midfielders
Evander - Unless I am missing something obvious, he's probably the first one to pick.
De Paul - He's consistently at the center of the good things Miami does. On Kickbase, he has not scored less than 100 besides Week 1 when he had 89 pts. Very consistent high-level performances.
Gil - He's been turning in MVP-level performances lately as the Revs are firmly established among the league's elites this year.
Zinckernagel (M/F) - Remains to be seen just how well he scores in fantasy alongside Lewandowski, but I wouldn't worry much about him.
Biel - I am less trusting of Biel than other options but he is a consistent performer at a high level, and has a home game this week.
McGlynn - He's delivering for Houston and is playing a very rough Galaxy squad today.
Almiron - Why not have a little fun with it?
Aaronson - Going up against SKC? Sign me up.
Mihailovic - Very curious to see how he'll be doing healthy with Sargent also healthy.
Forwards
Messi - I'm assuming he plays the full match.
Guilherme (M/F) - Every week top tier option.
Son/Bouanga - It’s hard to go wrong with this pair, especially now that Son has come out of the World Cup break with his hair on fire.
Griezmann - Instant impact for Orlando, who are unfortunately a little banged up. Still, I am liking him against Cincy's defense.
Iloski - He's on a tear. Still can't believe San Diego decided he wasn't worth the price.
Lewandowski - He's still incredible, though we'll see how long he can maintain his form.
Navarro - Oh yeah, the obligatory forward facing SKC. He's had a rough set of games this year but still has elite outings.
Captain considerations
Messi - The only concern here is minutes, though I imagine he'll be fine.
Evander - The only real alternative option in my mind.
Guilherme - He does have a high floor, perhaps not as explosive as the others.
Lewandowski - I am interested in seeing him against Portland's defense.
