Fantasy Soccer Bootroom - Week 6

The results in Major League Soccer this week were a dream from a New England Revolution standpoint. However, that didn't prevent my fantasy side from looking foolish. Chowda United may have produced an OK 18 points and held respectively in the top ten of the RevsMFLS division, but some of my logic turned out to be incorrect and could have cost me much more than it did. (click title to enter the bootroom) (click title to enter the bootroom)



As you can see, losses by Chicago, New York, and (to a lesser extent) Kansas City squelched any hope of a big week. In fact, it took a big night from Taylor Twellman in LA from making it my first single digit tally. The biggest hit I took was with Chicago's loss to Toronto. I banked heavily on that game, and lost out big time. The Fire weren't ready for the game, and it showed. New York appeared to be nothing without Claudio Reyna. His fantasy stats leave a lot to be desired, but he distributes the ball as well as anyone who has ever player in MLS. I'll need to keep an eye on his injury status.

Looking ahead to this week, I'm definitely sticking with Perkins in goal. Chicago will make the necessary adjustments. The real question is whether or not those adjustments will keep Kenny Cooper off the scoring sheet. Chad Barrett will be dropped from my starting XI, but I have Emilio and Brian Ching waiting in the wings.

In fact, forward may be my biggest dilemma. I'm actually seriously pondering sitting Taylor Twellman, whose been the top point getter the last two weeks. Success breads attention, after all. Brian Ching is a lock up top with two matches, one against Toronto. No, I haven't abandoned the "beat on the canucks" philosophy. They won't have the rested legs on Wednesday to repeat their effort last Saturday. The caveat to this is Brian Ching did not start in New York because of the fieldturf. I have to wonder if the same will be repeated in Toronto? That's something I'll need to know in two day's time. Emilio may not even be a first choice starter anymore. He came on in the 66th minute of their only win of the season a week ago. Granted, he played the full 90 against the Revs on Thursday. If Twellman does get the start, it will most likely be in favor of Kenny Cooper, who will be on the road in Chicago.

At midfield, Andy Dorman is all but assured to reenter the lineup, especially if I sit Twellman. I may not want to rely too heavily on the Revs for another road win, so I'm probably not going with the two players at the same time. Landon Donovan should continue his dominance over Chivas, so he's a lock. I'll also be keeping Justin Mapp, because I have a hunch about Chicago bouncing back on Thursday night. Dane Richards will be going back into mothballs, so that leaves one spot open. Ironically, Kyle Beckerman and Davy Arnaud will be squaring off this week. I haven't decided who I'm going with yet. Right now, it's Beckerman because his team is at home and I already have Michel Harrington on my team. The game will test KC's ability to bounce back and Colorado's capacity to handle success. Right now, it's a toss up.

I'll be swapping Wade Barrett for Alex Yi in the back for similar reasons I'm going with Brian Ching. Harrington's a keeper because he's actually an offensive-minded midfielder. Seth Stammler will also be staying due to him being a midfielder (albeit a defensive one) and Arena's "defense by ball control" system.

One thing's for certain, I do need some big weeks if I'm to close the gap with PSC United at the top of the table. Their reliance on New York players should have cost them huge. However, they racked up 23 points and gained distance from most teams. Seeing that the top overall tally in MFLS was 36 points, that amount was very respectable.

As for RevsMLS Cup, I managed to beat my opponent, Plantsville Saints 18-10. That win assures my place in the next stage, so I won't need to worry about gearing my lineup towards that competition for another few weeks. The win also brought a smile to my face as my opponent didn't field any Revolution players, which is a little worrisome in a division comprising of fans of the team with the most points in the league. My next opponent is Puddlemere United, who seems to be a bit more loyal than the last one.

My team seems to be doing fairly well in my first serious attempt at fantasy soccer. However, I do need a new angle if I am going to get ahead. I'm keeping an eye on how well the new foreign players are doing with their respective clubs. The lesser knowns of that group may become good value pickups in the future. Players I'm specifically looking at are:

Carlos Marinelli: Injured right now, but should rack up assists with KC.
Guillermo Schelotto: A tad expensive, but looks a class above most MLS players.
Maykel Galindo: Not exactly foreign, but new on the scene and could be a good bench forward at his price.
Pascal Bedrossian: When all things are settled after Blanco arrives, he could be a starter and a playmaker.


That's it for this week. I hope the next round of games goes better than the last. No teams are off this week, but get those squads fixed by Wednesday ahead of the game in Toronto. Peace.