This article is part of our Sorare series.
It was another great weekend of MLS action! Djordje Mihailovic knocked LAFC back down to Earth as Colorado won 3-2 late. Philadelphia, LA Galaxy, Houston, RSL, Austin, Vancouver and Atlanta all picked up home victories, while Sporting KC were the only team to win on the road. Regarding this column, it was one of the biggest weeks to date, with Aaron Herrera and Franco Escobar putting up 100s in the value section.
Last Week's Results
Elite Options
GK: Steve Clark (39.50), Andre Blake (76.30 - CS), Drake Callender (41.90)
DF: Kai Wagner (67.94), Brooks Lennon (92.06 - A), Miki Yamane (46.94)
MF: Thiago Almada, Mateusz Klich (68.70), Riqui Puig (50.80)
FW: Cristian Arango (90.70 - 3G), Julian Carranza (66.30 - G), Joseph Paintsil (66.10 - A)
Value Options
GK: Alex Bono (68.30 - CS), Maarten Paes (34.90), Brad Guzan (75.80 - CS)
DF: Franco Escobar (100 - G), Aaron Herrera (100 - GLC), Tim Leibold (34.70)
MF: Pedro Vite (45.40), Ivan Angulo (43.50), Alonso Coello (53.50)
FW: Xande Silva (43.20), Mikael Uhre (37.40), Kerwin Vargas (38.90)
Sorare GW 465 // MLS Week 7
Only Columbus, Inter Miami and New England had midweek fixtures for the quarter-finals of the CONCACAF Champions Cup. Be careful with those teams as they could rotate this weekend if the tie is close for the second leg next midweek.
Let's start this gameweek by using the RotoWire Cheatsheets to see the best matchups.
- Columbus Crew 58.51% vs. DC United
- Vancouver Whitecaps 57.42% vs. Toronto FC
- LAFC 57.23% vs. LA Galaxy
- Seattle Sounders 54.55% vs. CF Montreal
- St. Louis City SC 53.32% vs. FC Dallas
I'm surprised to see Columbus at the top of the list since they are coming off of a midweek match. Vancouver and LAFC are relatively big favorites (by MLS standards) in rivalry matches is interesting, as well. The last shocker is Seattle being a big favorite again as they search for their first victory of the season.
Note: Prices are for limited cards as of Thursday, April 4. The scarcities are Limited (/1000), Rare (/100), Super Rare (/10), and Unique (1/1).
Elite Options
Goalkeepers
- Yohei Takaoka (VAN) $19.60 vs. Toronto FC
Takaoka has just one clean sheet this season but three of seven scores have been at least 50 points. The upside hasn't been there, but it could happen in a matchup with Toronto. Takaoka has the highest clean sheet odds on the slate at nearly 40 percent, which puts him squarely in contention for top scorer this weekend.
- Brad Stuver (ATX) $19.35 vs. San Jose
Austin picked up their first victory of the season and will look for back-to-back wins against a fragile San Jose team. Stuver has been elite this season, allowing nine goals on 10.8 Post-Shot Expected Goals with an 81.6% save percentage. On Sorare, Stuver hasn't had a single score under 50 while only having one clean sheet.
Honorable Mention: Patrick Schulte (CLB) $36.41 vs. DC United
Defenders
- Ryan Hollingshead (LAFC) $5.35 vs. LA Galaxy
Hollingshead is getting back into the form from last season with AA scores of 40.38 and 26.72 over the last two matches. It always seems like Hollingshead comes to play in El Trafico, scoring in two of the last three derbies. He has a ton of upside with his mix of AA and goal opportunities when he gets forward.
- Miles Robinson (CIN) $11.48 vs. RBNY
El Trafico has a lot of hype behind it, but this FC Cincinnati/RBNY matchup might challenge for the match of the weekend. This isn't an easy matchup for Robinson, but he's going to rack up a ton of defensive actions boosting his AA score. If Cincinnati can keep a clean sheet, Robinson could score in the 70-plus range.
Honorable Mention: Rodrigues (SJ) $3.67 at Austin
Midfielders
- Aidan Morris (CLB) $44.66 vs. DC United
Morris received a red card in the first leg of the midweek CONCACAF Champions Cup. Since he will miss next week's match, he's a lock to start against DC. Morris has 32.6, 39.6, and 46.9 AA in his last three starts, with a goal and an assist. His motor in the midfield allows him to rack up points in all categories.
- Ryan Gauld (VAN) $20.13 vs. Toronto FC
Gauld has been underwhelming by his standards to start the season. Even so, he's averaging 54.62 points in MLS play. The upside performances haven't been there, as his highest output has been 67.30. This matchup at home against Toronto could see that upside from last season return.
Honorable Mention: Luciano Acosta (CIN) $48.72 vs. RBNY
Forwards
- Denis Bouanga (LAFC) $42.56 vs. LA Galaxy
Give me Bouanga in El Trafico every time. Bouanga has scored a brace in both of his home games against the Galaxy. After the breakout match against Nashville, Bouanga was kept off the scoresheet in Colorado but still scored 50.3 points. Against an iffy backline at best, he should be locked in for at least a goal (almost 55-percent chance and top implied odds on the slate).
- Diego Rossi (CLB) $26.04 vs. DC United
Rossi got off to a poor start but is starting to round back into form. Even though the scores were low, he's still been basically on all set pieces and the goal contributions were bound to come. There is a slight risk with the second leg in Mexico against Tigres awaiting Columbus next midweek, but with several attacking players unavailable, it's unlikely Rossi will rotate, in my opinion. If Rossi plays 70-plus minutes, I see him adding a decisive action to make it three straight matches.
Honorable Mention: Cristian Arango (RSL) $31.41 at Minnesota
Value Options
Goalkeepers
- Brad Guzan (ATL) $15.09 at NYCFC
Guzan has found the fountain of youth this season. Atlanta bringing in Josh Cohen has been the best thing they could have done, as it has pushed Guzan to his best form in years. His worst score of the season is 53.5, with an average score of 65.1. While Atlanta are on the road, NYCFC have the worst xG in the Eastern Conference at 5.3.
- Roman Burki (STL) $15.75 vs. FC Dallas
St. Louis City have been conceding like crazy over the past four matches (10 total goals, with three of four matches on the road). This feels like a bounce-back spot at CITYPARK against a Dallas team that has been one of the worst in MLS this season. Burki is tied for the second-best clean-sheet odds on the slate and St. Louis City have the fifth-highest implied odds to win.
Honorable Mention: Kristijan Kahlina (CLT) $16.07 at New England
Defenders
- Ranko Veselinovic (VAN) $2.34 vs. Toronto FC
Veselinovic is a safe play to score 50 plus, but he can show his peak potential of an 80-plus performance. With a solid matchup hosting Toronto, Veselinovic has a safe floor for cap modes as he hasn't scored less than 50 points in MLS play.
- Jackson Ragen (SEA) $2.34 vs. CF Montreal
Ragen doesn't have Hollingshead's upside, but he's in a good spot to score 60-to-70 points. Seattle take on Montreal, who are nearing the end of the tough road trip to start the season. A 2,300-mile flight will be the toughest trip of the stretch. Seattle are still dealing with a ton of injuries, but the back line (including Frei) is all back and healthy. This continuity will set Seattle up for better results as they await reinforcements in the midfield.
Honorable Mention: Alexander Roldan (SEA) $1.19 vs. CF Montreal
Midfielders
- Santiago Rodriguez (NYC) $5.30 vs. Atlanta United
The only attacking piece from NYCFC that I feel comfortable playing is Rodriguez. He's on roughly 60 percent of set pieces and that rises above 80 percent when Julian Fernandez isn't on the field. While Atlanta's defense has been solid this season, the attack will be significantly weaker with both Giorgos Giakoumakis and Xande Silva both out for this match. That should result in NYCFC dictating the pace of the match and not having to worry as much through the middle (although Jamal Thiare scored two goals in the last match). If NYCFC score a goal or two, it's hard to imagine Rodriguez not playing a part in it.
- Cristian Roldan (SEA) $2.10 vs. CF Montreal
This is just way too cheap for Roldan in this spot. Yes, Seattle haven't won a match, but they have a great chance here, as I touched on before. With all the injuries, Roldan slid into the central midfield last match but should move back outside. He's only had one performance of 60-plus points this season, but I'm calling for a second via either a good AA game or finally getting a decisive.
Honorable Mention: Erik Thommy (SKC) $2.32 vs. Portland
Forwards
- Daniel Salloi (SKC) $12.83 vs. Portland
With no Johnny Russell or possibly Alan Pulido again, Salloi is the focal point of the Sporting Kansas City attack. He splits sets with Remi Walter and has a huge usage rate in the attack. The upside performances of last year's playoff run haven't quite been there, but I like him to have a nice AA game with the possibility of adding an assist against Portland.
- Diego Rubio (ATX) $5.70 vs. San Jose
Rubio now has two goals in three matches as Austin seem to be turning things around. Add in a tremendous matchup against San Jose at home and it could very well be another this weekend (roughly 35-percent implied odds to win). While Rubio hasn't been putting up the ridiculous scores he was before his injury issues in Colorado, he's a dangerous player when he gets hot. Keep an eye on the Sebastian Driussi-Rubio combo as Austin try to climb back into the playoff picture.
Honorable Mention: Raul Ruidiaz (SEA) $3.04 vs. CF Montreal
