This article is part of our Sorare series.
What a weekend! MLS showed why it's the most entertaining league in the world. There was an insane seven-goal thriller to start the day in the Windy City with the wind aiding a Kellyn Acosta late winner for Chicago. Every match had a goal and there were a total of 42 goals over 12 matches (3.5 average per game). Chicago, NYCFC, Houston and Sporting KC all secured their first victories of the season. As for this article, I managed to stay away from almost all the DNPs except Andreu Fontas, who was a late addition on the injury report.
Last Week's Results
Elite Options
GK: Matt Freese (35.00), Andre Blake (28.40), Jonathan Sirois (10.90 - Error)
DF: Andreu Fontas (DNP), Jackson Ragen (17.94 - PK), Brooks Lennon (80.68 - A)
MF: Santiago Rodriguez (67.70 - G), Riqui Puig (25.40 - Error), Thiago Almada (37.40)
FW: Daniel Salloi (33.90), Jesus Ferreira (71.80 - A), Giorgos Giakoumakis (79.00 - G/A)
Value Options
GK: Andrew Thomas (70.50 - PKS), Tim Melia (61.80), Steve Clark (77.80 - CS)
DF: Nouhou Tolo (56.58), Thiago Martins (64.94), Alexander Roldan (50.62)
MF: Cristian Roldan (38.30), Adalberto Carrasquilla (38.10), Nemanja Radoja (65.50)
FW: Johnny Russell (73.40 - A), Jordan Morris (41.30) , Alan Pulido (68.60 - G)
Sorare GW 461 // MLS Week 5
Following weeks of CONCACAF Champions League competition, now it's the international break to worry about which MLS likes to play through. This creates a nightmare for Sorare managers to follow the breadcrumbs of who is leaving and who is available. Luckily, the RotoWire availability reports allow you to see exactly who is out for each gameweek.
This Sorare Gameweek is a special one for MLS, as the Special Weekly competition starts for cash rewards. With three new season cards (depending on the rarity) and up to two old season cards, you can enter the competition to compete for a really nice all-cash prize pool.
Let's start this game week by using the RotoWire Cheatsheets to see the best matchups.
- LAFC 61.89% vs. Nashville
- Orlando City 56.35% vs. Austin
- Vancouver Whitecaps 51.98% vs. Real Salt Lake
- Sporting Kansas City 49.66% vs. LA Galaxy
- New England Revolution 48.87% vs. Chicago Fire
Expect another insane week with so many absences, as some teams like Philadelphia are missing 10-plus players. This will open up some value, as guys who normally don't get minutes will be forced into starting roles.
Note: Prices are for limited cards as of Thursday, March 21. The scarcities are Limited (/1000), Rare (/100), Super Rare (/10), and Unique (1/1).
Elite Options
Goalkeepers
- Roman Celentano (CIN) $55.27 vs. NYCFC
With a decent chunk of the league's goalkeepers on international duty, Celentano is the clear-cut best option this weekend. He faces an NYCFC team coming off a victory but one that has struggled mightily away from home. Celentano can also double down as a U23 option during the international window when there aren't a ton of usable goalkeepers.
- Hugo Lloris (LAFC) $38.25 vs. Nashville
LAFC are in rough form to start the season, not scoring in their last three matches. Lloris kept a clean sheet in one of the matches, but he allowed two and three goals in the other two. Nashville's offense doesn't scare you too much, but a healthy Hany Mukhtar can always do damage by himself. I like LAFC this weekend as they weren't hit nearly as hard as some of the other clubs with international duty commitments.
Honorable Mention: Yohei Takaoka (VAN) $21.25 vs. RSL
Defenders
- Rodrigues (SJ) $10.60 vs. Seattle
In the past 365 days, Rodrigues has only had eight scores of 40 points or less. In the first four matches of the 2024 season, he scored 40 or less in each match. Don't get me wrong; San Jose have been really poor to start the season, but I still believe in Rodrigues. Over the last third of the 2023 season, he was among the best defender scorers in MLS. With his price sliding, one good performance could cause a price spike and this matchup seems to be it.
- Miki Yamane (LAG) $9.89 at Sporting KC
You love to see a guy be a great scorer in a different league and pick up right where he left off in a new team. That's exactly what has happened for Yamane, as he was a great scorer at Kawasaki Frontale and has been impressive for the Galaxy. Yamane is averaging 53.2 SO5 points with the Galaxy and surprisingly, his best two scores came on the road. The most impressive part is that even when the team concedes three goals, Yamane still scores well. He'll have to deal with Daniel Salloi coming down the wing in this matchup, but that should lead to more interceptions and duels, and I wouldn't be surprised to see Yamane end up with a triple-double.
Honorable Mention: Brooks Lennon (ATL) $12.36 at Toronto
Midfielders
- Ryan Gauld (VAN) $23.03 vs. Real Salt Lake
Gauld is another MLS player who has had a disappointing start to the campaign. He hasn't had a decisive action yet, but he's had double-digit AA in three matches. Last season, Gauld was a decisive machine, scoring 11 goals and tacking on 15 assists. In a home matchup against Real Salt Lake, I love his chances to get on the board for the first time this season. His upside is among the best on this slate, as shown by his nine scores of 80-plus in the last 365 days.
- Carles Gil (NE) $65.91 vs. Chicago
Another team that has been disappointing to start the season, the Revolution, have lost all four matches in league play. It hasn't been because of Gil's efforts, as he's the same elite scorer of past seasons. A home matchup against Chicago with backup Spencer Richey in net could provide an upside performance from Gil.
Honorable Mention: Evander (POR) $15.59 vs. Philadelphia
Forwards
- Denis Bouanga (LAFC) $34.85 vs. Nashville
The reigning MLS Golden Boot Winner has yet to find the net this season. He has accumulated 2.0 expected goals and it will be just a matter of time before he finds his scoring boots. Nashville are stout defensively, but LAFC are the biggest favorite on the slate. If you look at Bouanga's FB Ref scouting report, he is elite in almost every key scoring category. Bouanga is too good of a player not to start scoring goals. I like this as a potential buy-low opportunity on his stock.
- Lorenzo Insigne (TOR) $35.21 vs. Atlanta United
This is an absolute smash spot for Insigne and company. Atlanta could be without their top three center-backs as Stian Gregersen and Derrick Williams have injury concerns, while Luis Abram is on international duty with Peru. Left-back Caleb Wiley is also away on international duty, so it'll be a makeshift backline. Insigne should expose this group and I'm bullish on him to score. There seems to be a lot of value at an implied line of +180 (35.71%) to score, as well.
Honorable Mention: Tomas Chancalay (NE) $19.49 vs. Chicago
Value Options
Goalkeepers
- Daniel (SJ) $13.46 vs. Seattle
This feels like a buy-low opportunity for Daniel and San Jose. They've lost four straight to start the season and conceded two goals in three matches and three in the other. They now host a Seattle team that has struggled to score and are still without several key players. Even if San Jose can't keep a clean sheet, Daniel should see some save opportunities to establish a solid floor.
- James Pantemis (POR) $4.96 vs. Philadelphia
Pantemis is the backup goalkeeper for Portland but will get the start with Maxime Crepeau on international duty for Canada. He faces a Philadelphia team that will be without 11 players, mainly due to international duty. While attackers Mikael Uhre and Julian Carranza will be available, key distributors Jack McGlynn and Daniel Gazdag won't be in the squad. It's hard to imagine the link-up play will be the same with so many holes for the Union.
Honorable Mention: Earl Edwards Jr. (NE) $3.90 vs. Chicago
Defenders
- Ryan Hollingshead (LAFC) $5.65 vs. Nashville
LAFC are the slate's biggest favorite and Hollingshead is in a great spot to get back into some form. Hollingshead scored eight goals last season from defense and will always have that built-in upside in the right matchup. He has started off the season poor, but this seems like a get-right match for LAFC. Hollingshead and Lloris are my favorite defensive stack for the weekend.
- Ali Ahmed (VAN) $1.06 vs. RSL
Note: 2023 cards are defender & 2024 cards are midfielder
Ahmed has been working his way back from injury and should finally be fit for this match. Andres Cubas is out on international duty, so there's a chance Ahmed could slot in at central midfield or play in a right wing-back role. When Ahmed starts at home, he's been unbelievable, averaging 67.9 points over the past 365 days. He racks up all-around scores and faces a Real Salt Lake team that is missing Diego Luna and a few others. There is a little risk that he might not start (I give him a 70-percent chance), but for the price, there aren't many better plays this gameweek.
Honorable Mention: Sergi Palencia (LAFC) $0.71 vs. Nashville
Midfielders
- Cristian Espinoza (SJ) $6.38 vs. Seattle
An old season card for under $10 for Espinoza seems like an absolute steal. Again, San Jose have been terrible, but Espinoza's usage rate is there. He still has a monopoly on set pieces and will have some positive regression on his SO5 scores. He got an assist in the last match, which should give him some confidence moving forward.
- Cole Bassett (COL) $5.67 vs. Houston
With Connor Ronan sidelined for six-to-eight weeks, Bassett should play a more defensive role in the midfield. This allows him to rack up more defensive actions contributing to more AA. He also has the ability to get forward, giving Bassett the best of both worlds as he could threaten for decisive actions, as well. When Bassett has played in this role, he's averaged 60.7 SO5 points over five matches. The matchup at home against Houston missing a couple of key pieces isn't too scary, and it could be another nice score for Bassett.
Honorable Mention: Nicolas Lodeiro (ORL) $1.06 vs. Austin
Forwards
- Daniel Salloi (SKC) $12.32 vs. LA Galaxy
I know this price doesn't scream value, but compared to other MLS forwards, I really like Salloi at this price point. There are going to be goals in this matchup with the Galaxy still being leaky on the backline, especially with Martin Caceres being replaced by Eriq Zavaleta due to a red card. As mentioned before, he has a tricky test with Miki Yamane, but there's a ton of set-piece upside with Salloi. Johnny Russell is a major injury doubt and I don't have him starting this weekend. With Russell out, Salloi would take the majority of set pieces outside of Memo Rodriguez possibly taking one or two.
- Alan Pulido (SKC) $7.75 vs. LA Galaxy
It's back to the well with Pulido after he scored last match. In a game that should have at least three goals, Pulido is a great candidate to be on the end of one. With a considerable discount, Pulido has the fourth-best chance to score at 40 percent, according to the odds. I could see this being a 2-2 or 3-3 game, similar to last weekend's St. Louis City/LA Galaxy match. Salloi and Pulido are a sneaky offensive stack that could see a double decisive.
Honorable Mention: Brian White (VAN) $9.21 vs. Real Salt Lake
