The Under-20 World Cup and various international friendlies have stripped down many of MLS teams' rosters for Week 15, but DraftKings action for Saturday's slate is still ripe with options destined for big outings.

While players absent on international duty will leave holes across many lineups and throw a wrench into the sometimes predictable nature of who's going to start, it can also allow others to have more of the ball and produce fantasy points. With seven matches on tap, let's break down a few lineup picks for each position.

F: Jack McInerney, Montreal Impact ($6,100) and Luke Moore, Toronto FC ($4,900)

It feels weird to say, but the Montreal Impact have scored double-digit goals in three of their last four contests following Wednesday's win over Vancouver. Jack McInerney has netted goals in two of them. Expect him and Montreal to continue pressuring the target against Columbus Crew, who conceded three goals in a midweek loss to Philadelphia Union.

Somebody has to aid Sebastian Giovinco in generating Toronto FC's offense with Michael Bradley and Jonathan Osorio, among others, absent. Luke Moore appears to have got the nod up top in the club's projected starting lineup and is coming off a goal-and-assist performance for 20 DK points last time out. 

M: Mehdi Ballouchy, NYC FC ($6,400) and Baggio Husidic, L.A. Galaxy ($6,200)

Veteran New York City FC midfielder Mehdi Ballouchy has struggled with just six DK points in his last 150-plus minutes, but he preceded that with goals in two of three outings. That included an 18-point performance against Philadelphia, which happens to be NYC's opponent on Saturday. The Union's porous defence will see Ballouchy and others push up for attacking chances.

The Galaxy continue to be depleted up top, with Gyasi Zardes on international duty and Robbie Keane still hobbled, but Baggio Husidic and company look poised to take on the scoring load from midfield. Husidic normally stays at home in the central midfield, but he'll likely be asked to attack like he did during the recent visit to New England—where he notched an assist.

D: Jalil Anibaba, Sporting K.C. ($5,100) and Laurent Ciman, Montreal Impact ($4,100)

Sporting Kansas City defender Jalil Anibaba has been generating offense over his last couple of starts, notching assists in two of his last three matches. A nine-point average is more than you can ask for on the back line, and he has decent value, even in a tough matchup with Seattle.

Much less of an attacking threat, Montreal's Laurent Ciman can perform above his value if the Impact are able to keep the score down against Columbus. It doesn't hurt that he averages more than a shot per contest.

GK: Bill Hamid, D.C. United ($5,700)

After picking up another Team of the Week honor in Week 13, D.C. United goalkeeper Bill Hamid got his third rest of the season on Wednesday against Chicago. He's gone from being among the best-value 'keepers into one of the highest-priced goalies, but it will pay off to select him for Saturday, as he will be facing a Toronto FC unit without Jozy Altidore, Michael Bradley, Jonathan Osorio and Ashtone Morgan. 

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Toronto FC's star forward Sebastian Giovinco was named MLS Player of the Week after a fantastic performance against the San Jose Earthquakes last Saturday. The ex-Juventus man has been excellent since arriving to North America, but it's still premature to refer to him as the league's best player.

Giovinco has scored five goals and has recorded six assists in 11 games this season. He's also taken a high amount of shots. The 28-year-old has mustered 54 attempts, which is tied for the league lead, per the official MLS website.

Giovinco's reported $7 million salary plus bonuses, according to the Toronto Sun's Kurtis Larson, and European credentials magnify his accomplishments and diminish his failures. Some media members have suggested that Giovinco could be MLS' best player. Sportsnet's Michael Grange is one reporter who is making this claim:

An argument can be made that it is the case. Giovinco has been toying with MLS defenses since his debut on March 7 against the Vancouver Whitecaps. He made one of the league's top defensive midfielders, Matias Laba, look average before assisting Jozy Altidore's first goal.

He followed up that performance with a dud against the Columbus Crew and a decent showing against Real Salt Lake. The Italian finally started to dominate on April 4 in a 3-2 loss to the Chicago Fire. Giovinco recorded a goal and an assist in that match.

Within this dominant run, he made a poor showing in the 2-1 defeat in TFC's home opener against the Houston Dynamo on May 10. 

This hot streak has led to Giovinco's MLS Player of the Month nomination. He was undoubtedly one of the best players in May, but there are others who are deserving of more plaudits than the TFC star.

Benny Feilhaber has been excellent in midfield for Sporting Kansas City, recording four goals and a league-high seven assists this season. Feilhaber was also named MLS Player of the Month for April. He's been one of the consistently best playmakers in the league and gets little recognition for it.

Clint Dempsey has also been exceptional for the Seattle Sounders, scoring seven goals to go with six assists this year.

FC Dallas' Fabian Castillo has been brilliant with his electric pace, technique and improved finishing. The Colombian has similar attributes to Giovinco as well, although Castillo plays out wide. Producing four goals and five assists as a winger is not too shabby, either.

The Vancouver Whitecaps' Pedro Morales is a clever creator and one of the team's main attackers. His two goals and four assists are lower than the Italian's numbers, but Morales is a more intelligent player who can change the pace of a game at will. 

Kaka can compete with Giovinco in terms of passing, vision and overall technique. The 2007 Ballon d'Or winner has six goals and two assists, which is impressive for a player who is past his prime. 

L.A. Galaxy striker Robbie Keane is a complete forward who, when healthy, is one of the league's most clinical goalscorers. He has an MVP award to back up that claim, and he's also scored 55 goals in 90 career MLS matches.

Lee Nguyen and Obafemi Martins were candidates for the award in 2014. The former has struggled with injuries, but he's less than a year removed from scoring 18 goals. Meanwhile, Martins has been ever-present for the Sounders with six goals from just 19 shots this campaign, per the official MLS website.

Also something to keep in mind is Giovinco's fitness. He was already in midseason form by the time he arrived in January after his preseason in the summer with Juve.

Giovinco only appeared in 12 games for club and country from August 30 to January 25, but he was still training every day and ready to play whenever he was called upon. Any player arriving from Europe in the middle of its domestic season is going to have a head start on the rest of MLS.

The Turin native could still claim the 2015 MVP award, but he won't truly be tested until the summer when games are more frequent, the travel becomes grueling and fatigue starts to set in. It won't be any easier when Altidore and Michael Bradley are away on international duty.

There's no doubt that Giovinco is a terrific addition to MLS, but he's not the undisputed best player in the league as some have claimed. There are several others who are better.

Peter Galindo covers MLS and U.S. soccer for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter @GalindoPW.

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Week 13 of the 2015 MLS season featured some highlight-reel goals and a few outstanding individual performances. There were also some incredible matches that dramatically altered the power rankings.

Sporting Kansas City dominated FC Dallas at home, and Toronto FC confidently defeated the San Jose Earthquakes. Last week's No. 1 team, the Seattle Sounders, also recorded wins on Sunday and Wednesday. 

These three teams impressed this weekend, but how did they compare with the rest of the league?

Here are the MLS power rankings for Week 13.

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The competition for the top spot in our weekly MLS Player Rankings heated up in Week 13, as a pair of stars staked their claim to be named the top player in the league. 

Kei Kamara continued his ridiculous run of scoring with a goal against Orlando City, while Sebastian Giovinco carved up another opposing defense in the Toronto FC attack. 

Further down the list of the top 20 players in MLS is a new arrival who is beginning to catch headlines on a weekly basis for one of the top clubs in the league. 

Continue reading on to see who landed where in the Week 13 edition of the MLS Player Rankings. 

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In his first three months on the Major League Soccer circuit, Sebastian Giovinco has left a lasting impression with fans across the league. 

Giovinco, who was the top player in Week 13, has entered the discussion of best player in the league alongside the likes of Obafemi Martins and Robbie Keane. If he continues to dazzle in Toronto red, he could end up as the favorite for Most Valuable Player. 

Elsewhere across MLS this week, we saw a few dominant performances and some contests affected by red cards. 

After the dust settled on play in the final week of May, we ended up selecting two players from Vancouver and D.C. as well as one of Giovinco's teammates for our MLS Team of the Week. Since no position group stood out a ton over the last five days, we opted to mold our team in a traditional 4-4-2 formation.

Continue reading on to see who featured in the Week 13 edition of the MLS Team of the Week.

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Week 12 in MLS produced several dramatic upsets this past weekend which drastically altered the league standings.

The Chicago Fire recovered from a 2-0 deficit to draw 2-2 versus the Columbus Crew, the Montreal Impact squeezed out a 2-1 win over FC Dallas and the Colorado Rapids edged the Vancouver Whitecaps.

A few of the top sides in MLS failed to win, including last week's No. 1, the Seattle Sounders. Did they manage to keep hold of the top spot?

Here are the MLS power rankings after Week 12.

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(Note: Rankings of the wealthiest soccer clubs are courtesy of Forbes.)

There is little doubt that Major League Soccer is growing in popularity. Paul Kennedy of SoccerAmerica.com reported in April that through the first seven weeks of the season, attendance was up 16 percent across the league compared to last season. After nine weeks of the season, Kennedy reported that viewership of ESPN broadcasts of MLS matches is up 18 percent compared to 2014. Viewership of Fox Sports 1 matches is up 58 percent compared to matches on NBC Sports Network last season.

Clearly then, MLS is moving in the right direction.

This comes as a result of several factors. The expansion of the league into new markets desperate for soccer certainly plays a role in the above numbers. Increased and improved television coverage has made it easier and more enjoyable to watch the MLS from home. The quality of play in the league is constantly on the rise, as made apparent by the Montreal Impact's run to the CONCACAF Champions League Final, among other things. 

But, as the 2015 MLS season continues, it is becoming more and more clear that one of the biggest factors in the success, excitement and growth of North America's premier soccer league is its sheer unpredictability, something that simply does not exist in European soccer.

A look at what this week's soccer was like in the United States and overseas makes this abundantly clear. MLS play opened on Wednesday with a 4-2 victory for struggling, injury-riddled Sporting KC over last season's Eastern Conference Champions, New England Revolution. On Friday, Columbus Crew, a trendy pick to be this year's Eastern Conference Champion, conceded a late equalizer at home against the Chicago Fire, a club currently outside of the playoff picture. The match ended in a 2-2 draw.

On Saturday, the madness continued. D.C. United, currently atop the Eastern Conference, only managed a point against New England, despite the Revolution being forced to play with nine men for over 30 minutes. Montreal, which entered the day as the worst team in the league, beat FC Dallas, the club atop the Western Conference. Colorado Rapids, the club at the bottom of the table in the west, beat Vancouver Whitecaps, who started the season as one of the hottest teams in MLS.

MLS had one more surprise in store on Sunday. The New York Red Bulls, third in the east, hosted the Philadelphia Union, who had only nine points through 12 matches. The Union had never won at Red Bull Arena, but pulled out a deserved 2-0 victory over the hosts, bringing the curtain down on a hectic and unpredictable week in MLS.

As Matthew Doyle of MLSSoccer.com pointed out:

In Europe, it was a different story. This weekend was the final weekend of the domestic seasons in most of the major European leagues—the English Premier League, Spain's La Liga, Italy's Serie A, Germany's Bundesliga and France's Ligue 1.

The title in each of these leagues was already clinched coming into the week, with each league's winner being one of the giants of European soccer. In England, Chelsea clinched the title three weeks ago, as the early-season favorite and sixth-most valuable soccer club in world ran away with the Premier League. In its final game, Chelsea won 3-1 over Sunderland in a meaningless encounter.

In Spain, Barcelona had already clinched the La Liga title, doing just enough to beat out fellow superclub Real Madrid. Though Atletico Madrid won La Liga last year, one of Barcelona or Real Madrid have won the Spanish title in each other season since 2003-04. Barcelona and Real Madrid are the second and first-most valuable soccer clubs in the world, respectively.

Italy's Serie A still has another week to play, but the title race was essentially over before it started. Juventus currently leads second-place Roma by a staggering 19 points. Juventus is the ninth-most valuable soccer club in the world and the most valuable in Italy. On the pitch, a Juventus side made up largely of second-string players beat fourth-place Napoli 3-1.

In Germany, Bayern Munchen also had the domestic title wrapped up for weeks. The Bavarian giants celebrated their already clinched title with a 2-0 victory over mid-table FSV Mainz. Bayern is the fourth-most valuable soccer club in the world and most valuable in Germany.

Finally, in France, Paris Saint Germain closed out its season already knowing that it had won its domestic title as well. With a 3-2 victory over Reims, PSG stretched its final margin of victory to eight points over second-place Lyon. PSG is the 12th-most valuable club in the world and the most valuable in France.

That is a lot of information, so here are the main takeaways:

Ultimately, all of these statistics and facts point to one simple truth—European soccer is pretty predictable. 

Now, I have included each club's ranking in the list of the most wealthy soccer clubs in the world because ultimately the difference between MLS and European leagues comes down to money. While there is no doubt that the money in top European leagues leads to better players and therefore better quality on the pitch, that quality is far from evenly distributed.

The disparity between the wealth of clubs in most European leagues is simply too great for middle-tier teams to overcome. Even the two biggest "surprises" in terms of league-winners in recent years came from relatively rich teams. Atletico Madrid, which beat out Barcelona and Real Madrid for the La Liga title last season, is the 16th-richest club in the world. Borussia Dortmund, which beat out Bayern Munchen in 2010-11 and 2011-12 for the Bundesliga title, is the 11th-richest club in the world.

The institution of Financial Fair Play rules may level the playing field to an extent, but if this season is anything to judge by, these rules simply will not have much of an effect. MLS, of course, has a salary cap, which is not used in European soccer.

This is not to say that the structure of the salary cap, designated-player rules or the discovery process, are perfect in MLS. For too long, the rules were shrouded in secrecy until this year MLS finally made public the rules for acquiring players and the salary cap.

These rules may well slow progress in the league, deterring players from coming to MLS because they may not have control over what team they end up with or may not be paid what they think they are worth. Similarly, a team may be hesitant to sign a player with a high price tags unless the team is absolutely positive the player fits, because the team cannot afford to sink cap space into the wrong player.

At the very least, the structure put in place by MLS limits the amount of depth teams can have, particularly when playing against teams from other countries during the CONCACAF Champions League. Though MLS teams can pay designated players essentially any amount they wish, the combined salary of the rest of an MLS team's players must come in under the salary cap. So, though MLS teams may have better star power than many clubs in Mexico or Costa Rica, many of the teams from Liga MX or the Costa Rican Primera Division are better from top to bottom, as the results from CONCACAF Champions League matches have shown.

But, there is little doubt that week-to-week in MLS matches, the structure of the league makes for some of the most interesting and unpredictable soccer in the world. The idea that a Supporters' Shield (MLS' award for most regular-season points) race would ever be over weeks before the season is simply unheard of.

Since 2009, the highest number of points separating the Supporters' Shield winner and runner-up was four. The reality is that those races are tight because there are weekly surprises in MLS—unpredictable results during the long weeks of the regular season are what give birth to unexpected and exciting title races.

In Europe, such results just do not happen frequently enough for there to be multi-team races for the title on a regular basis. Even when such races occur, they are between teams that were always going to be title favorites because they have the most money, as is usual the case in Spain between Real Madrid and Barcelona. Conversely, MLS' most accomplished team, Los Angeles Galaxy, has not won a Supporters' Shield since 2011. 

So, while Europe clearly has the best players and the highest-quality soccer, Major League Soccer has something that none of the top European leagues can claim—genuine unpredictable action week in and week out.

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With 12 weeks of play in Major League Soccer in the books, it is becoming clearer who the top stars of the 2015 season are going to be. 

During the 12th week of action across North America this weekend, players such as Kei Kamara, Sebastian Giovinco and Benny Feilhaber continued to star for their respective sides. 

Due to their tremendous efforts on the field, the trio occupy three of the top four spots in the MLS Player Rankings. The other one is reserved for an attacker who had a rare off week. 

Continue reading on to see which order these stars were aligned in on the list of the top 20 players in MLS.

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The bizarre results we witnessed across Major League Soccer last weekend continued in Week 12, as parity reigned supreme across North America. 

The Philadelphia Union and Montreal Impact both earned impressive victories against two of the top sides in the league, while the Colorado Rapids pulled out a much-needed home victory against the Vancouver Whitecaps. 

One team that is used to being represented at least once in our MLS Team of the Week also stood out in Week 12, as Sporting Kansas City took four points from a tough two-game stretch. 

Two players from Philadelphia, Montreal and Sporting KC earned top marks after Week 12 as well as one standout midfielder from Colorado. 

Due to a few extra-strong showings up top, we opted to use a 4-3-3 formation this week. 

Continue reading to see which players qualified for our latest MLS Team of the Week. 

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Major League Soccer has grown significantly since its first season in 1996. However, there's still one niggling problem. MLS' history is often insulted and disregarded by the newer generation of fans, the media and even by the league itself.

This must end if MLS wants to be taken seriously.

There were some peculiarities in the early days of MLS, such as the 35-yard shootouts it adopted from the North American Soccer League to determine a winner. However, Alexi Lalas, Tab Ramos and a few of the league's former executives told Complex Sports' Doug Sibor that they liked how different MLS was at the time.

One of those rules was made fun of in a video produced by MLS (via World Soccer Talk). 30 Rock's Judah Friedlander told a story involving the New York MetroStars' Eddie Gaven and a goal he scored against D.C. United in 2003 after head coach Bob Bradley exposed a loophole.

MLS allowed for a fourth "goalkeeper only" substitution at the time, so in overtime, Bradley made Tim Howard an outfield player and made midfielder Mark Lisi the goalkeeper. Gaven came in as a substitute for Lisi, and then Howard went back in goal. 

Friedlander goes on to slam Bradley in the video for exploiting this rule and labeled the ex-New York coach "Cheatin' Bob" in the skit.

This was a video that was actually uploaded onto the official league website. One of the greatest coaches of all time is satirized, even though he didn't technically commit an infraction. It's this attitude that must change when it comes to MLS' history.

There also is a misconception about the league's "poor" attendance in the first decade of its existence. Cathal Kelly of the Globe and Mail claims MLS "had its cultists in the [United] States, but BMO Field was the first stadium in which everyone was up for it."

Kelly goes on to say, "most MLS teams played in three-quarter-empty football stadiums. The crowds were somnambulant. At best, it was minor league. In some cases, it was little league."

While Toronto FC's first season was a resounding success, the rest of these statements are not true. D.C. United's supporters group, the Screaming Eagles, have generated a fantastic atmosphere since the team began, despite playing at a worn down RFK Stadium for nearly 20 years.

Section 8 Chicago was just as fervent at Soldier Field for the Chicago Fire. The LA Galaxy also drew solid crowds at the Rose Bowl. The MetroStars drew 46,000 fans in their first-ever home match at Giants Stadium, as well.

The only accurate statement is that MLS teams did play in football stadiums, but to be frank, it was a new league. The owners didn't have the stability or finances to fund soccer-specific venues like they do now.

Judging by the 2014 average attendances, per Soccer America's Paul Kennedy, only the Seattle Sounders could draw a sellout crowd at a football stadium. However, it's unrealistic to expect teams built from scratch in a new league to attract 60,000 fans or more.

Kennedy also shows the attendance numbers have gradually improved over the years. The increased exposure of MLS and expansion to other markets have certainly helped boost popularity, but it's not groundbreaking.

Another aspect of MLS' early years that is often criticized is the quality of play on the pitch. However, the U.S. national team players and internationals are arguably better than the current crop.

Goalkeepers like Tony Meola and Kevin Hartman are two of the best Americans in their position in league history. Defenders like Jeff Agoos, Marcelo Balboa and Eddie Pope, who was woefully underrated, were all top-tier players and were all U.S. internationals.

Marco Etcheverry was a cornerstone for D.C., and Carlos Valderrama was integral to the Tampa Bay Mutiny's success, plus he helped attract other international players to the league. Additionally, Roy Lassiter's record for goals in a season (27) in 1996 has never been broken, just tied twice (Chris Wondolowski in 2012 and Bradley Wright-Phillips in 2014).

However, none of these players or teams are celebrated because the majority of fans are new to the league and the sport itself. To make matters worse, MLS does nothing to educate the younger generation about the league's rich history.

If the newer fans and casual supporters watched the D.C. teams from 1996 to 2004 or Meola's MVP performance in the 2000 MLS Cup, they'd be surprised how entertaining the league was back in the early days.

Most New York Yankees fans will know something about Babe Ruth or Joe DiMaggio. Followers of the Green Bay Packers can wax poetic about Vince Lombardi and Bart Starr and their success in the 1960s.

Maybe one day, D.C. fans can pass along a story to their kids about Pope's golden goal in 1996 to clinch D.C.'s first of four MLS Cups.

Peter Galindo covers MLS and U.S. soccer for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter @GalindoPW.

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