Matt Vecchio 
Welcome to my soccer DFS breakdown for the CONCACAF Gold Cup 2021!
Saturday night starts the quarterfinals of the Gold Cup with two very intriguing matchups. First, unbeaten Qatar takes on El Salvador who went 2-0-1 in their three games conceding just once in their loss to Mexico. In the late game, Mexico takes on Honduras, whose only loss was to aforementioned Qatar. Both of these games feature teams with high-scoring offenses, but also stout defenses.
Soccer DFS:
Qatar vs El Salvador
Qatar scored 9 goals in their three games, meanwhile El Salvador only scored four goals. Qatar tended to get things going early, scoring the majority of their goals in the first hour of play. In contrast, El Salvador scored all but one of their goals in the last 15 minutes of play. I am trying to say that this game could come down to the wire.
Qatar:
Qatar is my pick to win this game and potentially keep a clean sheet as well. El Salvador is not a high-powered offense and as I mentioned tends to sit back and wait for their chance to strike late on a tired defensive backline.
One player who is going to be a lock for my builds will be Akram Afif ($11,800, cpt: $17,700). Afif has been the best fantasy option when it comes to Qatar and should be the highest-scoring player in this game. I know he is expensive, but playing him at the captain’s spot will be a contrarian play and the difference-maker. Some value options in this game will make getting Afif at the captain’s spot doable. Abdelaziz Hatim ($6,800) is one of the better plays from Qatar in this matchup. Hatim has been great for Qatar as a wing and has been very involved in their offense. In the group stage, Hatim scored twice, had 8 total shots and two shots on goal. One of the best parts about him is that Hatim is listed as a defenseman but plays the midfield, so if Qatar gets the clean sheet, he picks up an additional 3 points for this. If you think like I do and that Qatar keeps a third straight clean sheet, then playing their keeper, Meeshal Barsham ($7,200), will be a key player in your builds. We need to see the lineup first, but both Boualem Khoukhi ($3,600) and Karim Boudiaf ($3,200) could be vital in getting Afif in as captain.
El Salvador:
Bryan Tamacas ($5,800) is El Salvador’s highest-scoring fantasy player this tournament so far but did not get into their final game, coincidentally their only loss. I think we see Tamacas back in the lineup for El Salvador on Saturday. El Salvador has only conceded one goal in this tournament and in GPP’s I like using their keeper, Mario Gonzalez ($5,200). There is a chance that El Salvador keeps this game close and Gonzalez make 3-4 saves while only letting 1 goal in which make him great value at probably very low ownership. Darwin Ceren ($4,400) is another inexpensive player that has a small upside. If you are looking to play 1-2 cheap players from this side, then you are banking on big production from your higher end Qatar players so you aren’t expecting a huge day out of someone like Ceren anyway. If you do have salary to spend and want to pay up, which I think will be contrarian, then my favorite play is Joshua Perez ($8,000). Perez hasn’t netted a goal or assist yet, he is involved in the offense some. Perez has taken or assisted on good amount of El Salvador’s shots, and since he plays up top there is always a chance he gets one in.
Mexico vs Honduras
Both teams have a lot of fire power and scored plent of goals in their group stage games. Mexico scored four goals in their final two games after getting shutout in their first games. As for Honduras, they scored seven goals in their first two games before being shutout by Qatar in game three.
Mexico:
After not showing up in the game against Trinidad, Orbelin Pineda ($9,000, cpt: 13,500) has been a monster for Mexico. Pineda can both score and get points without getting on the score sheet as well. In the last two games Pineda has drawn 9 fouls, taken 8 shots, and landed 4 on goal. Luis Rodriguez ($8,600, cpt: $12,900) has been the most consistent player in DFS for Mexico and another player I want to make sure I roster on Saturday. Like Pineda, Rodriguez gets his points either by getting a goal or assist or sending 8 crosses in. Both Hector Herrera ($9,400) and Jesus Corona ($10,800) are great high priced plays as well Saturda. As for some cheap options, my favorite is probably Edson Alvarez ($4,600). Another really cheap play is Nelson Araujo ($3,400), but I would reserve him as a last resort for savings.
Honduras:
Romell Quioto ($7,000, cpt: 10,500) is an option I like for the captains spot to be different since I think most will flock to the Mexican side of this game. Quioto has scored three goals so far this tournament, but did pick up an injury in their loss to Qatar, so wee need to see the lineup first. If Quioto is out, Jerry Bengston ($6,000) would be a good cheaper option who can score. Alexander Lopez ($8,200) is the best fantasy option for Honduras, a little more expensive than I’d like to make him the captain, but I plan on rostering him on Saturday. Deybi Flores ($3,800) is a great cheap option from Honduras. He doesn’t do a lot, but he’s played every minute for this team and does manage to get up the field and be involved in the offense.
Thank you for reading my breakdown for the two different showdown slates for tonight’s Gold Cup games! Make sure to be in discord tonight after lineups release (approximately 1 hour before kickoff) to see if any changes are needed to your lineups! Make sure to follow both, @mvecchio81, and @windailysports on Twitter!
