The Earthquakes finished off week 25 of the MLS Season hot. They dominated the Vancouver Whitecaps all over the pitch and in almost every statistic. The 3-1 scoreline doesn’t actually do justice to how dominant the Quakes were on the night. Before you begin to fill out your fantasy lineup, you need to look at the stats and take them into consideration when making your selections.
Possession was on a whole other level for this match. Just in the first half, the Quakes had 81% of the possession. They finished off the match with 75% possession. If that doesn’t blow you mind, then how about the Quakes out-passing Vancouver 713 to 236 with a 90.5% pass completion rate! When’s the last time you heard of a team completing that many passes? That’s not all though. The Quakes also shattered a few MLS records while they were at it. They set the record for most shots in a single half (25), most shots in a match (43), and most shots on target (19). To put that into perspective, Vancouver only had five shots in the whole match and only two on target. Furthermore, Judson and Andy Rios both tallied their first career MLS goals and Chris Wondolowski added to his all-time goal scoring record.
With these statistics in mind, consider that the Quakes are playing host to an Orlando side who sits 9th in the East and has a 9-7-12 record. If the Quakes can have a similar performance against Orlando, it’s a no-brainer to include three Quakes players in your lineup.
Now, who do you include?
Florian Jungwirth earned seven points in the match vs. Vancouver with several interceptions, blocks, clearances, and a chance created. At only $6.8 million, Jungwirth could solidify your backline if you need a budget defender. At $5.9 million, Marcos Lopez is another alternative for your back line. He had a productive match against Vancouver and could prove to be a good source of points against Orlando.
Moving into the midfield, Magnus Eriksson ($10.8m) showed that he was too much to handle for Vancouver. He earned a pair of assists and a Team of the Week honor. Odds are he’ll have another good performance against Orlando. Cristian Espinoza ($10.3m) tallied another assist and earned a total of nine points from the Vancouver match (14 total in week 25). Assists are his thing and he’ll be hoping to notch a few more this weekend. Vako ($9.7m) hasn’t scored in a few matches, but that doesn’t mean he’s not dangerous. At the moment, Vako would be a good option if you want a crafty player in the midfield, but don’t have it in the budget to splash $10m+ on a player.
The Quakes offer good affordable forwards to your fantasy lineup. Chris Wondolowski earned 12 points against Vancouver from a goal and assist. At $7.4 million, he’s a viable option if you need to fill in the squad. The other option up top is Andy Rios ($7.1m). Rios has been active up top for the Quakes and even tallied his first goal in a Quakes shirt.
Heading into this matchweek, there are several options available to you. The Quakes finding their form again is good news and allows a little more flexibility when you are making your selections. Orlando will be vulnerable, and the Quakes will be ready to pounce should they put in a shift similar to last week. Good luck!
