Week 7: Chris Pontius vs Dominic Oduro - Who was better?

Chris Pontius stole the show in Sunday's match against the New York Red Bulls - winning Player of the Week honors - but did he really have that good of a game? He did great to finish his opportunities, but the Red Bulls were responsible for all three goals to some extent. Pontius had 37 touches (less than 6% of DC’s total touches) in 87 minutes. 16 of the 37 touches were passes, of which he completed just 70% (14/20). He gave up possession of the ball 12 times (11 in the oppositions half) and his only touch in DC’s own half was a pass lost. He did however have 2 key passes to go along with his 5 shots. -  Pontius Heat map and total touches breakdown

Dominic Oduro capitalized on a Toronto FC mistake (combined with the hustle of Patrick Nyarko), scoring just 25 seconds into the game. He then returned the favor with a nice feed from midfield, setting Nyarko up for the game-winner. Oduro played 84 minutes and had 33 total touches. He completed 91% of his passes and only lost possession 5 times. He also won 4 fouls – 3 in the oppositions’ half. Oduro had the more complete game between the two, but was it good enough? You decide. -  Oduro Heat map and total touches breakdown

MLS Week 7: Statistical Breakdown

	Chris Pontius	Dominic Oduro
Touches	37	33
Passes	20	21
Passing %	70%	91%
Goals	3	1
Assists	0	1
Shots	5	4
Fouls Won	0	4
Possession Lost	12	5
Ball Recoveries	3	6

So, who do you think had the better game? Do the goals outweigh everything else?

My Friends Think I Work For Castrol...

If you think your forwards are slacking (or your whole team for that matter), and you’ve already used your free transfer the week, consider using your wildcard. With the wildcard you can reset your entire roster without losing a single point. But use it wisely because you only get one all season.

And if you need a mentor, check out my front line. When you compare it to the Castrol Index released last week you might think I had something to do with it. I promise I didn’t. Don’t be fooled though, managing a team this stacked does take some effort.

Adding Estrada to your squad will free up money for you to use on other key players.  He’s on a team full of talented playmakers and they’re going to score goals. He might not score every week, but he has the potential to score. Play around with your roster and if you have a fantasy related questions, just ask. You can find me on Twitter @Ben_Jata