This article is part of our Sorare series.
It felt like MLS was actually back this past weekend as the craziness and unpredictability came to fruition after the first week kind of went as expected. There was a snow game in Utah between RSL and LAFC that was downright hilarious to watch. Minnesota United scored in the dying seconds to draw with MLS Cup Champions Columbus. Inter Miami established their dominance with Luis Suarez and Lionel Messi carving up rival Orlando City 5-0. There were so many great matches and there was even some transfer drama with Carlos Vela back in the mix to return to LAFC and Liel Abada reportedly joining Charlotte FC.
Last Week's Results
Elite Options
GK: Joe Willis (38.90), Drake Callender (74.50 - CS), Roman Burki (65.30 - CS)
DF: Jackson Ragen (48.40), Andreu Fontas (49.36), Rodrigues (34.12)
MF: Carles Gil (70.30), Ryan Gauld (47.10), Riqui Puig (79.60 - G)
FW: Lionel Messi (86.60 - 2G), Daniel Salloi (53.80), Cucho Hernandez (75.40 - G)
Value Options
GK: Maarten Paes (50.80), Andrew Thomas (66.70 - CS), Yohei Takaoka (54.00)
DF: Nouhou Tolo (54.38), Dave Romney (58.08), Alexander Roldan (83.78)
MF: Cristian Roldan (60.50), Jackson Yueill (43.00), Paul Arriola (34.70)
FW: Jeremy Ebobisse (36.90), Brian White (35.50), Alan Pulido (36.80)
Sorare GW 457 // MLS Week 3
On to this gameweek where you can use the RotoWire Cheatsheets to see who the biggest favorites are. As will be the case many times this season, there isn't a single away favorite and the top two favorites could have rotated lineups due to Concacaf Champions Cup in the midweek.
- Inter Miami CF 62.34% vs. CF Montreal
- Columbus Crew 60.84% vs. Chicago Fire
- LAFC 58.74% vs. Sporting KC
- New York Red Bulls 57.59% vs. FC Dallas
- Real Salt Lake 55.54% vs. Colorado Rapids
Note: Prices are for limited cards as of Thursday, March 7. The scarcities are Limited (/1000), Rare (/100), Super Rare (/10), and Unique (1/1).
Elite Options
Goalkeepers
- Patrick Schulte (CLB) $45.60 vs. Chicago Fire
Columbus had to travel to Houston on Wednesday for Concacaf Champions Cup action but has a favorable matchup at home against the Fire. With better than a 60-percent implied win probability and 38-percent clean sheet odds, Schulte should flirt with keeping a clean sheet. To start the season, Schulte has had double-digit all-around performances in all three matches (CONCACAF included) and should see enough action to make it a fourth.
- Roman Celentano (CIN) $56.33 vs. DC United
DC United have been really impressive to start the season. In two matches, they already have five goals and expected goals back up the early success as they have an xG of 6.5. Christian Benteke is in doubt and there's a huge drop off in the attack if he can't go. Cristian Dajome started at striker last match and doesn't have the attacking prowess that Benteke can bring. Cincinnati are coming off a Champions Cup match in the mi-week and may have some tired legs. I think the early success of new DC coach Troy Lesesne will come to an end at TQL Stadium.
Honorable Mention: Drake Callender (MIA) $42.02 vs. CF Montreal
Defenders
- Malte Amundsen (CLB) $34.07 vs. Chicago Fire
Amundsen makes the column for the second time and is my preferred defensive stack with Schulte. Amundsen will have fresh legs in this matchup as he was an unused substitute in the midweek CONCACAF match. Those fresh legs should lead to Amundsen being all over the pitch racking up tackles, interceptions, and duels won. Over the last six matches, Amundsen has had 60-plus points five times. His AA has been solid and he should be near a peak performance in this A-plus matchup.
- John Tolkin (RBNY) $19.71 vs. FC Dallas
Tolkin returned from a groin issue and played 90 minutes in RBNY's 2-1 victory in Houston. He only scored 29.32 points which is slightly concerning but understandable given he missed the entire preseason. It will be interesting to see how he and Emil Forsberg link up on the left side and if Tolkin's role changes this season. One positive from the last match was that Tolkin had five penalty area entries showing he's getting into the box with the ball again this season. He gets a home matchup against a struggling FC Dallas team that will eventually start to find its form, but I don't see it happening this gameweek.
Honorable Mention: Rodrigues (SJ) $11.37 vs. Vancouver Whitecaps
Midfielders
- Luciano Acosta (CIN) $53.05 vs. DC United
Even though DC have looked good in two matches, this is a great matchup for the reigning MLS MVP. Keep an eye out Thursday night to make sure Acosta is fit for the weekend, as FC Cincinnati take on Monterey in CONCACAF at home. Both matches being at home makes me believe that he'll start again if fit against DC. In the last 365 days, Acosta has 35 goal contributions in just 36 starts and I expect him to get a decisive again this weekend.
- Diego Luna (RSL) $18.57 vs. Colorado Rapids
I was high on Luna to start the season as Jefferson Savarino's departure opened up a bigger role for the 20-year-old. That role just got bigger as Pablo Ruiz is out for the year with a knee injury. It's bad news for Ruiz owners and you hate to see it happen again after he missed significant time last season, as well. This thrusts Luna into basically all set pieces. When Ruiz was on the field, he was the set-piece taker. The only other player who has taken a set piece is Fidel Barajas, but he's away with the Mexico U20 camp. Expect Luna's 35-percent set piece share to take a huge increase through the rest of the season. This is a great matchup against Colorado, but he's also a player to keep tabs on for the rest of the season.
Honorable Mention: Thiago Almada (ATL) $45.39 vs. New England Revolution
Forwards
- Lionel Messi (MIA) $130 & Luis Suarez (MIA) $62.39 vs. CF Montreal
Chalky, I know, but you can't mention the best matchups on the slate without touching on Inter Miami hosting CF Montreal. Suarez was back to his old self, dominating the rivalry against Orlando City. Messi did Messi things and even chested a goal into the net while shielding off a defender to add insult to injury in the 5-0 win. The only downside is a short turnaround from the CONCACAF match in the midweek, but it's not a ton of travel to Nashville and back. Keep an eye on Suarez's minutes, as Leonardo Campana could get his first start of the season at some point soon.
- Denis Bouanga (LAFC) $48.02 vs. Sporting KC
Bouanga had a tough outing in the snow globe against RSL last weekend. I think you can just throw that result away and have to agree with coach Steve Cerundolo and his $10,000 fine-worthy comments. Going back to last season courtesy of SorareData, Bouanga has had a decisive action in 11 of 14 home matches, which included 15 goals and seven assists. The RotoWire Cheatsheet has Bouanga as tied for the most likely goal scorer on the slate at +110 to score and I like his chances to get on the board against Sporting Kansas City.
Honorable Mention: Cucho Hernandez (CLB) $113 vs. Chicago Fire & Cristian Arango (RSL) $27.54 vs. Colorado Rapids
Value Options
Goalkeepers
- Zac MacMath (RSL) $13.03 vs. Colorado Rapids
Price aside, MacMath is my favorite keeper for the weekend slate. Matchup is everything in MLS and this matchup couldn't be better. Real Salt Lake are at home playing a Colorado team that has struggled to generate goal-scoring opportunities. The Rapids are ranked in the bottom third of the league in SCA90 (shot-creating actions) and is struggling to gel with so many new players being integrated into the team. MacMath is coming off of a perfect 100 in the snow (44.90 AA) that boosted his price a tad, but he's still a solid value.
- Brad Stuver (ATX) $11.50 vs. St. Louis City
Austin are winless in their first two matches, but it hasn't been because of Stuver. In the opener, Stuver had eight saves with five coming inside the box. Last weekend, he held Seattle scoreless but his teammates couldn't find the back of the net. Austin have been really bad and will continue to provide Stuver with plenty of save opportunities. The matchup at home against St. Louis City is pretty neutral as Austin are slight favorites with an implied win percentage just north of 40. As long as he can allow two or fewer goals, Stuver will be a great play week in and week out.
Honorable Mention: Matt Freese (NYC) $17.79 vs. Portland Timbers
Defenders
- Brooks Lennon (ATL) $4.54 vs. New England Revolution
Atlanta United come into this matchup fully rested, as they were on a bye last week. New England, on the other hand, are in the middle of a Concacaf Champions Cup run. Carles Gil (rest) and Giacomo Vrioni (suspension) will both be fresh, but there will likely be several rotated starters. Add on the poor early form in MLS play for New England and this turns into an above-average matchup for Atlanta. Lennon gets into advanced areas down the right wing and provides the upside of decisive actions. Last season, Lennon had 0.34 assists per 90 and averaged 2.66 corners per game. With a tired Revolution backline, Lennon is poised to have opportunities to set up Giorgos Giakoumakis and company for goals.
- Justen Glad (RSL) $3.03 vs. Colorado Rapids
My favorite value stack of the weekend is MacMath and Glad as you can get both for around $16 total. Glad has been super consistent to start the season posting scores of 66.58, 64.46 and 59.84 with only one of the matches having the clean sheet 10-point bonus. If RSL can stifle the Colorado attack, MacMath and Glad could be poised for a nice 35-point boost between the two on a clean sheet. Even if Colorado get a goal, Glad's work rate at center-back will have him churning AA.
Honorable Mention: Thiago Martins (NYC) $1.89 vs. Portland Timbers
Midfielders
- Cristian Espinoza (SJ) $6.44 vs. Vancouver Whitecaps
San Jose dropped their first two matches to open the campaign. After a howler in the first match with -8.8 AA and a score of 26.2, Espinoza had a positive game with a decent AA of 12.7. He's one of the top chance creators in MLS and over the last 365 days, he is in the 97th percentile in Expected Assisted Goals at 0.37 per 90. In a positive home matchup against the Whitecaps, I think he gets his first decisive action of the season, as he's too good of a player to not round into some form.
- Emeka Eneli (RSL) $2.15 vs. Colorado Rapids
Eneli is on the verge of having a breakout season as he's stamped his name in the team sheet for all three games to kick off 2024. Eneli's versatility is big for an RSL team that just lost Pablo Ruiz. I expect him to carve out his defensive midfielder role and be a key member of the squad for the rest of the season. He can also play right-back if needed, although his Sorare scores are better when he plays as a CDM. The upside might be capped as he's not likely to get a decisive action, but his work rate generates some nice AA scores (25.4 AA average over the first three matches). For just over two bucks and in a good matchup, you could do a lot worse than adding Eneli to your team.
Honorable Mention: Jonathan Osorio (TOR) $2.65 vs. Charlotte FC
Forwards
- Xande Silva (ATL) $9.08 vs. New England Revolution
Silva is a cheaper option compared to Giakoumakis to get exposure to an Atlanta United forward. Last season after coming over from Dijon, Silva was very decisive dependent and struggled to hit 60 points without a decisive action. In a one-game sample size in a tough matchup at Columbus, Silva had an AA score of 24.1 and scored 59.1 in a 1-0 defeat. If this is a trend that can continue, Silva should be able to score well at home against some tired legs for the Revolution.
- Jeremy Ebobisse (SJ) $6.81 vs. Vancouver Whitecaps
Like Espinoza, Ebobisse has come out of the gates slow in 2024. It's the situation as Espinoza in a positive matchup at home and Ebobisse can bounce back. He's tied for ninth with +200 odds to score and I wouldn't be surprised if Espinoza provided a service that Ebobisse put home. An RSL defensive stack with a San Jose offensive stack could be sneaky good this gameweek.
Honorable Mention: Kerwin Vargas (CLT) $9.45 at Toronto FC
