Sorare MLS: Deke's Diamonds GW5

This article is part of our Sorare series.

It felt good to have league action back with most teams fielding a close-to-best starting XI. Following Leagues Cup completion, it's the home stretch of the MLS season with almost every team still alive for a playoff spot. 

Only Columbus and Philadelphia played in the league during the midweek, while LAFC, Seattle, Sporting KC, Vancouver and Toronto played Cup matches. There are several big favorites this weekend, providing some good opportunities to battle the big boys in the Sorare Challenger division. Add in the Jupiler Pro League special weekly and the MLS boys should be able to bring some rewards this gameweek.

Sorare GW 5 // MLS Week 24

Let's start this game week by using the RotoWire Cheatsheets to attack the best matchups.

1. FC Cincinnati 71.94% vs. Montreal
2. Real Salt Lake 68.49% vs. New England
3. Orlando City 66.67% vs. Nashville
4. LAFC 61.73% vs. Houston
5. New York Red Bulls 58.82% vs. Philadelphia

Note: Prices are for limited cards as of Thursday, August 29. The scarcities are Limited (/1000), Rare (/100), Super Rare (/10), and Unique (1/1). 

Goalkeepers

• Pedro Gallese (ORL) vs. Nashville SC
  • Classic: $7.63
  • In-Season: $8.04

B.J. Callaghan's first MLS match with Nashville didn't go to plan, as they lost 2-0 at home to Austin, making it seven straight MLS losses. Gallese and Orlando are in for a good home matchup that could lead to a clean sheet. Gallese has the highest clean sheet implied odds at nearly 45 percent and is my favorite keeper this gameweek.

• Carlos Coronel (RBNY) vs. Philadelphia
  • Classic: $4.60
  • In-Season: $5.59

If you wasted time watching Philadelphia lose to Columbus' B team like me, you'll understand why I'm targeting Coronel this weekend. Philadelphia haven't had a break since their Leagues Cup run went all the way to the third-place game. A rescheduled match with Columbus took place Wednesday and it's back again Saturday for the Union. With the impending international break, Philadelphia will likely be fielding a fatigued starting lineup, which bodes well for Coronel and RBNY.

Honorable Mention: Roman Celentano (CIN) $13.11/$19.31 vs. Montreal; Hugo Lloris (LAFC) $19.15/$15.34

Defenders

• Jordi Alba (MIA) at Chicago
  • Classic: $6.39
  • In-Season: $10.28

Alba has been an elite defensive option in Lionel Messi's absence, scoring 75-plus points in six of his last nine starts. While Inter Miami hit the road, Chicago aren't a scary foe and has been conducive to good SO5 scores. Alba also has good matchups for the following two games, facing Philadelphia at home and Atlanta on the road.

• Adilson Malanda (CLT) vs. Atlanta
  • Classic: $1.51
  • In-Season: $1.75

Like I said in last week's article, Charlotte are in a great spot down the stretch with the weakest MLS schedule. Malanda fits the bill this weekend as a defender who should be almost locked for a 60-point outing. He's shown some upside with goal-line clearances, but at the end of the day, his all-around floor is the safety you want in a defender. In his last two matches, Malanda has 30-plus AA (the 4-2 Cruz Azul result was penalties, and Malanda's score included a plus-10 clean sheet bonus).

Honorable Mention: Sergi Palencia (LAFC) $2.53/$2.00 vs. Houston; Robin Jansson (ORL) $0.92/$0.51 vs. Nashville

Midfielders

• Marcel Hartel (STL) vs. LA Galaxy
  • Classic: $13.90
  • In-Season: $21.47

Hartel has been fantastic since being integrated into the St. Louis team. This weekend, he faces an LA Galaxy team that still gets exposed on the backend, albeit not as much as last season. Riqui Puig is suspended due to yellow card accumulation, which could be a negative as Puig actually hurts the Galaxy defensively. Hartel has a more significant share of set pieces than Eduard Lowen, taking 16 corners in the last five matches to Lowen's six. If you own a Hartel, you are locking him in with confidence this gameweek.

• Martin Ojeda (ORL) vs. Nashville SC
  • Classic: $2.06
  • In-Season: $2.93

Ojeda isn't in the best form with his last three matches providing outputs of 41.1, 51 and 43.7 SO5 points. The matchup against Nashville is an excellent get-right spot for Ojeda and other slumping Orlando players. Ojeda's monopoly of set pieces should set up several opportunities for a decisive action in a match in which Orlando are projected to score nearly two goals.

Honorable Mention: Evander (POR) $17.79/$23.02 vs. Seattle; Diego Luna (RSL) $3.09/$3.57 vs. New England

Forwards

• Luca Orellano (CIN) vs. Montreal
  • Classic: $11.04
  • In-Season: None

With Luciano Acosta suspended due to yellow card accumulation, Orellano will have a monopoly on set pieces in the weekend's best matchup. Although I'd prefer Orellano to play the right attacking midfield spot, he will be fine playing the right wing-back role for DeAndre Yedlin, who is also suspended. With a projected xG well above two, Orellano is the player I want from Cincinnati.

• Cucho Hernandez (CLB) vs. NYCFC
  • Classic: $39.53
  • In-Season: $46.88

Cucho is just not fair in Major League Soccer. When he starts, a goal is inevitable. Columbus were able to rotate in the midweek match and still beat Philadelphia 1-0. Cucho appeared as a sub but was able to get some much-needed rest. A full-strength Columbus side with Cucho up top will be scary for any team down the stretch and I'd be shocked if he doesn't have a decisive action against NYCFC.

Honorable Mention: Denis Bouanga (LAFC) $16.01/$21.95 vs. Houston; Santiago Moreno (POR) $6.96/$9.58 vs. Seattle

Favorite Lineup

Courtesy of the SorareData Concept Builder