Photo by David Bernal/ISIphotos.com

By ALAN LEDBETTER

Another week has gone by and another playmaking midfielder has gone down with a long-term injury. With Real Salt Lake’s Javier Morales out of commission for a while, many fantasy owners will yet again be looking for another midfielder to take his place.

Last week also saw some stars continue to shine. Thierry Henry and Landon Donovan traded goals in the face off between New York and Los Angeles. After a slow start, these stars are becoming worth the high salary you have to pay to own them.

We have a full slate of games in Week 10, with many teams playing twice, so there are great chances to make up for last week’s low scores.

Here are a few more items to consider before setting your fantasy lineup this week:

MULTIPLE GAMES

Philadelphia, Los Angeles, Dallas, Toronto, Vancouver, and San Jose all play two games this week. With two home games, Dallas players are great plays this week. Home-field advantage means a lot in MLS, and Dallas is likely to come out of these games with favorable results.

Also, with Donovan coming into form, I would look to play him and the rest of the Galaxy starters this week — except David Beckham, who is being left in Los Angeles for the team's mid-week game at PPL Park..

FANTASY-FRIENDLY MATCHUPS

Seattle Sounders vs. Portland Timbers

This rivalry match looks to be very exciting. Both teams are tied with the 2nd-most goals in the league with 12. I give the advantage in this matchup to Seattle. Portland has turned around its season, but is still winless in four attempts on the road.

So far, Seattle has dealt fairly well without their star midfielder Steve Zakuani. I look for the Sounders' attack to put up some big numbers against Portland’s defense this week. Fredy Montero is Seattle’s main scoring threat and is one of the best plays this week.

Los Angeles Galaxy vs Sporting Kansas City

Kansas City continues its long road trip with a stop in Los Angeles, who has been playing very well since Donovan's return to form. Kansas City has been known to leak goals, so this could very well be a high-scoring affair.

Juan Pablo Angel continued to struggle to find his scoring touch after a frustrating game vs. New York this past week. He is worth to keep on your team this week, but I would not pick him up until he proves that he can score the way he has in the past. All Los Angeles starters are worth a play for this game even though their game in Philadelphia is likely to be a low scoring encounter.

New York Red Bulls vs Chivas USA

New York boasts one of the more stout defenses in the league, only allowing three goals in eight games. Also, Henry and Luke Rodgers have connected well as strike partners as they have been scoring consistently the past few weeks. The Red Bulls seem to be clicking on all cylinders and are a force to be reckoned with against any competition.

Robin Fraiser’s Chivas squad has been playing solid defense as of late, but I believe New York is likely to get a big home win vs. Chivas. All of New York's healthy starters are good plays this week.

INJURY WATCH

Omar Cummings was injured in Colorado’s midweek game vs. Houston and is set to miss 2-4 weeks. The depleted Colorado attack will get a boost with the returns of Conor Casey and Sanna Nyassi for this weekend's battle with D.C. United.

For other injury news, check out the most-updated MLS injury report. Also, don’t forget to check out the latest disciplinary report for players serving suspensions.

The deadline for Week 10 is Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. ET. Be sure to change your lineups by then.

SBI League Standings (Top 10)
1. Hungate XI……………………………204 points
2. Disc Golf for Dynamo…………..193
T3. Syracuse Salty Dog……………184
T3. Hrycaldo…………………………….184
T3. Hangover City…………………….184
6. ArsenBulls…………………………..183
7. Poor Marking……………………….179
T8. NERDFACE……………………….175
T8. SPARTAK SD……………………..175
T10. birthsoccerdeath……………..172
T10. FC LC Reds…………………….172

LAST WEEK'S SBI LEAGUE TOP SCORER

Berkeley Chargers (30 points)

————————-Hartman(6)———————-
–Ream(1)————–Loyd(2)————–Olave(3)–
–Najar(7)–DeRosario–(0)–LeToux(-2)–Donovan(4)–
——Henry(4)——–Mwanga(-2)——–Davies(6)—

Coach: Backe(1)

SBI Prediction League Standings (Top 10)
1. Bogdanov FK …………………………154 points
2. Lancergolfer87……………………….153
3. 4evr Orange……………………………152
4. Driscoll’s Boys……………………….150
5. Cheeky BackHeel……………………149
6. Los Diabolitos…………………………146
T7. Sharpness FC………………………145
T7. SPARTAK SD…………………………145
9. HANDtoBALLS………………………..144
10. 30 Kilsyth B SC……………………..142

LAST WEEK'S SBI PREDICTION LEAGUE TOP SCORER

Pico Union FC (31 points: 2 exact, 3 correct margin, 1 tie)

———————–

Which teams do you think have the best matchups this week? Did you have all three injured stars on your fantasy team like me? Which players are you going to pick up this week?

Share your thoughts below.