MLS Fantasy 2018: Statistics heading into Gameweek 9
The dust has settled on MLS Week 8, with attention now drawing on this weekend's Week 9, which features 11 matches, and a first home match in LAFC's short history. We look at some of the statistics in MLS and MLS Fantasy ahead of Gameweek 9. All aboard.
MLS Fantasy: Gameweek Deadline
For the 2018 MLS Fantasy season there is a 'Rolling Lockout', which means you can make substitutions and transfers until the second a player's game kicks off, which means you can chop and change your lineup as any Gameweek progresses.
You can view the schedule and a real time Gameweek deadline countdown clock (in the London GMT timezone) on our dedicated MLS Fantasy page.
MLS Fantasy Statistics: Gameweek 9
With the season in full swing, now is probably the right time to try and dissect a largely unpredictable and goal-happy league. We'll be dividing up general MLS stats with MLS Fantasy stats for your reading pleasure.
General MLS Statistics
1 - The finalists for the 2017 MLS Cup are both bottom of their divisions after Week 8, with Toronto at the foot of the Eastern Conference with 3 points from 5 matches, and Seattle Sounders bottom of the Western Conference with 4 points from 5 matches.
2 - Toronto and Seattle Sounders have both played the least league games of any MLS clubs this season, only competing in 5 matches.
3 - Canadian teams have the worst defensive record in both divisions this season. Montreal Impact (eastern) have conceded 17 goals from 7 matches, whilst Vancouver Whitecaps (western) have conceded 17 goals from 8 matches.
4 - FC Dallas are the only undefeated side in MLS heading into Week 9, drawing 3 and winning 3 of their six matches. Dallas are currently 3rd in the Western Conference on 12 points.
5 - FC Dallas have the best defensive record of any MLS club, only conceding 3 goals from 6 matches.
6 - Philadelphia Union have scored the fewest goals in MLS this season, only finding the net 3 times. 2 of their 3 goals came during Week 1's 2-0 home win against the 10 men of New England Revolution.
7 - The average attendance for MLS matches this season is 20,577
8 - The highest MLS attendance for a single match was set during Week 2, with 72,035 attending Atlanta United's 3-1 home victory against D.C. United
9 - D.C. United are involved in the lowest attended game, which was during Week 3's 2-2 home draw against Houston Dynamo. 5,158 attended a fixture at a makeshift home for D.C.
10 - Atlanta's Josef Martinez is the leading scorer in MLS, scoring 6 goals in 7 league appearances.
11 - Roger Espinoza (Sporting KC), Jesús Medina (NYCFC), and Marco Ureña (LAFC) each have 5 assists this season, the joint-most in MLS this season.
12 - Atlanta United, NYCFC, FC Dallas, and Sporting KC have kept 3 clean sheets this season, the most of any clubs in MLS this season.
13 - 4 hat-tricks have been scored in MLS, with 2 managed during Week 8. Johnny Russell (Sporting) scored a treble in a 6-0 home victory against Vancouver Whitecaps, whilst Ignacio Piatti bagged himself a hat-trick in a 3-5 home defeat by LAFC.
14 - Ignacio Piatti's hat-trick during Week 8 is the only to be registered on the losing team.
15 - Sporting KC scored 40 regular season goals in MLS last season, and are halfway to their goal-tally from the 2017 season, scoring 20 goals in their opening 8 games.
16 - Western Conference side Sporting KC have scored the most regular season goals this season (20), whilst in the East, Atlanta's 17 goals is the best among the 11 teams in the division.
17 - After winning their opening 3 matches of the season, Columbus have gone 5 MLS matches without a victory (2 draws, 3 losses).
18 - 11 penalty kicks have been missed this season, with 5 of those misses occurring during Week 8. Martinez (Atlanta), Urena (LAFC), Ilie Sanchez (Sporting KC), Meram (Orlando), and Axetxe (Toronto) all failed to convert from the spot.
19 - Week 8's 11 matches yielded 46 goals, the most from any round of MLS fixtures this season.
Week 1 - 26 goals (10 matches)
Week 2 - 38 goals (9 matches)
Week 3 - 24 goals (9 matches)
Week 4 - 17 goals (6 matches)
Week 5 - 36 goals (11 matches)
Week 6 - 24 goals (8 matches)
Week 7 - 34 goals (12 matches)
Week 8 - 46 goals (11 matches)
20 - LAFC have played all 6 of their matches away from home, winning 4 matches and scoring 16 goals, which is more than any team on the road in MLS this season.
21 - LAFC have scored 5 goals in an away match twice this season. During Week 2, Bob Bradley's side beat Real Salt Lake 5-1 on the road, and then during Week 8, LAFC come back from 3-1 down at half-time to beat Montreal Impact 5-3.
22 - Sporting KC's 6-0 home victory against Vancouver Whitecaps during Week 8 is the biggest win of the season so far.
23 - FC Dallas duo, Mauro Diaz and Maxi Urruti, regulars in the starting lineup, both scored as substitutes in the 2-0 home win against Philadelphia Union during Week 8.
24 - Portland Timbers have won back-to-back home matches (Week's 7 and 8) this season to register their first wins of the season. The Timbers ended a 7 match unbeaten streak by NYCFC during a Week 8 3-0 home win.
25 - After losing their first away match of the season 4-0 at Houston Dynamo, Atlanta have kept successive clean sheets on the road. Atlanta beat Minnesota 1-0 away from home during Week 5 (also being reduced to 10-men), and beat LA Galaxy 2-0 on the road during Week 8.
26 - Since Zlatan Ibrahimovic's home debut, a 4-3 victory over LAFC during Week 5, LA Galaxy have lost back-to-back home matches 2-0, first against Sporting KC during Week 6, and then against Atlanta during Week 8.
MLS Fantasy Statistics
1 - Atlanta midfielder, Miguel Almiron is the most selected player in MLS Fantasy, with 7,887 owners (28.54% ownership).
2 - Most owned players by position after Week 8:
Goalkeeper - Tim Melia (Sporting KC): 4,380 (15.85%)
Defender - Graham Zusi (Sporting KC): 7,409 (26.81%)
Midfielder - Miguel Almiron (Atlanta): 7,887 (28.54%)
Forward - Josef Martinez (Atlanta): 4,734 (17.13%)
3 - Atlanta's Miguel Almiron is the top points-scoring MLS Fantasy player, managing 77 points from 7 appearances, which is a result of 4 goals and 4 assists so far this season.
4 - Top points-scoring player by position:
Goalkeeper - Evan Bush (Montreal): 48 points from 7 appearances
Defender - Graham Zusi (Sporting KC): 65 points from 8 appearances
Midfielder - Miguel Almiron (Atlanta): 77 points from 7 appearances
Forward - Carlos Vela (LAFC): 61 points from 6 appearances
5 - Atlanta's Miguel Almiron boasts the best points-per-game average, with 11 points on average from 7 MLS league appearances.
6 - Victor Cabrera (Montreal) registered the lowest points tallyo f the season during Week 8, managing -4 points in the 3-5 home defeat to LAFC.
7 - Of the top 15 top point-scorers during Week 8, 7 of them played for Sporting KC, with Johnny Russell managing 18 points as the most by a player from SKC.
8 - Romell Quioto (Houston) and Ignacio Piatti (Montreal) were the joint-top scorers last week, registering 19 Fantasy points.
9 - Dom Dwyer (Orlando) has scored 5 goals from 4 starts this season, tallying 39 Fantasy points from just 4 appearances.
10 - Carlos Vela (LAFC) has managed double-digit returns from 3 of his 6 appearances this season. Vela has managed 5 goals and 3 assists, and managed 10+ Fantasy points during Week's 2, 5, and 8.
11 - Bradley Wright-Phillips has scored 5 goals at home from 4 appearances, tallying 43 Fantasy points in home matches from 3 starts.
12 - Nicolas Lodeiro (Seattle) is averaging 9 Fantasy points a game, despite only assisting twice during his 4 league appearances this season.
13 - Zlatan Ibrahimovic only registered 2 Fantasy points during Gameweek 8's 2-0 home defeat to Atlanta United, and the Swede did not register a single shot during the most recent recent to Atlanta.
14 - Despite scoring and assisting in his last 2 MLS appearances, Alberth Elis (Houston) has found his price decease $0.7 million over the course of Week's 7 and 8.
15 - Sacha Kljestan (Orlando) has scored or assisted in his last 4 league appearances (2 goals, 2 assists), and has tallied 34 points over the course of a 4 game winning streak.
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