We are now looking at the second half of the season! How’s everyone feeling? The 4th of July is a busy day for most, but don’t forget that there is a full slate of soccer today!

BW League Standings after Week 18

Classic League

We had some movement in the top 10. Mastroeni Moustache jumped a spot thanks to the highest score in the league (116). He bet on Chicago Fire and New York City FC and that paid off. Holy Shipp extended his lead, and is now up 29 points on Bad and Badji. FPL Warrior put together a strong performance of 106 moving him into 7^th place.

Head-to-Head

There were some big games this round, and major shakeups in the top 10. IC Kickers dropped a game against Murphy and fell to 8^th. Mastroeni Moustache jumped to 5^th place, climbing the table in the head-to-head league as well. Blue Suede Sjoberg is back in winning form up to 6^th place, and with half of the season to go, can either finish on top?

The big matchup of the week was Bad and Badji vs Draftkicks—#1 vs #2— and it didn’t disappoint. The game didn’t have an overwhelmingly high score, but it was close. Draftkicks had a strong team with David Villa as the captain, but Sebastian Giovinco only putting up three points really hurt Draftkicks. His team only had three Dream Team players.

Bad and Badji also captained David Villa, and had Tim Howard in goal. Bad and Badji went with a 4-4-2 and had Josef Martinez up top with David Villa, but Martinez only brought in two points! Luckily, he had four players who were on the Dream Team, and it proved to be the difference in the match, as Bad and Badji won the game by a single point and took sole possession of the top spot.

Biggest Value Picks

Our very own Kevin Doyle, what can we say? He had two assists, one goal, and he worked his tail off all game. He is not the usual suspect on the Dream Team, but this week we saw something different in Kevin Doyle. Hopefully this form will continue.

Marlon Hairston had a brace and was a key cog in the offense this week. Hairston moved back into the midfield this week and did it pay off. With the offense looking cohesive, maybe their performances will be more consistent. The second half of the season will bring more goals for the Rapids, so look out.

Biggest Busts

Sebastian Giovinco has not been in top form this season and being the most expensive player out there, I have stayed away from him most of this year. His performance proved to be the difference in the key matchup between Draftkicks and Bad and Badji this week.

Federico Higuain didn’t play as well as he could have, and Columbus Crew SC lost to Atlanta United 2-0. Higuain was shut down most of the game, but going against Minnesota I’d bet on him this week.

With round 19 coming up quick, make sure to set the lineup today before 5 pm MDT. Keep in mind that 49 MLS players were called up for the Gold Cup. Check the injury report and follow us @burgundywave.

Good luck!