In their iconic 2009 collab, Boys Like Girls and Taylor Swift argue that “two is better than one.” That’s probably true in most contexts, except maybe remote controls, but it’s especially true in FNWSL. Anytime you can get two matches in one round, it’s better than one match – and the good news is, that’s exactly what’s happening this week!

In Round 5, both Gotham and Portland will play twice: On Friday, Seattle hosts the Thorns in the latest edition of the Cascadia Rivalry while Gotham visits Angel City, then Gotham will head up the coast for a Tuesday night match in Portland. That means that any player on either of those teams will have twice as many chances to score FNWSL points, and their round score will be a sum total of both matches. So for this week’s Answers, we are going to take a look at preparing for what will be the FNWSL season’s only double round.

(Also, for your daily dose of hyperbole, Rolling Stone’s review of “Two Is Better Than One” states that “for some reason, they decided to delay (Swift’s) entrance until a minute into the song, arguably the worst decision in the history of decisions.”)

Remember that we have an unusual bottom-of-the-hour deadline this week, as Round 5 kicks off on Friday with Utah hosting Chicago at 9:30e/8:30c/7:30m/6:30p.

How should we handle the double round?

First of all, if you’ve been planning on bringing in anyone from Portland or Gotham, this is the time! It will be your only chance of the season to get two matches from one player in one round. It’s worth keeping in mind that Round 10 in late May will be a blank round for both Portland and Gotham while they contest the final of the CONCACAF W Champions Cup in Nuevo Leon, but the five-week interim should be enough to reset your roster without needing to immediately transfer anyone back out if you bring in multiple players from either team this week.

So which of the double round players should you focus on?

On the attacking side, Olivia Moultrie ($250k) is definitely the priority transfer this week and could be a potential captain as well. Not only does she play twice this week, as FNWSL’s third highest-scoring midfielder, she’s got significant value for the rest of the season. She’s racked up all those points with only one goal (and zero assists) because she consistently scores so many attacking points and plays every minute, which gives her a very high weekly floor. When the goals and assists come, she’ll have a high ceiling as well. Hina Sugita and Sam Coffey are also good candidates to add to your midfield this week. While I wouldn’t necessarily completely rearrange my team to bring them in, if I already have them, I’m definitely starting both in Round 5.

Gotham’s attack finally broke through last week with three goals against Carolina, highlighted by an Esther Gonzalez brace. Reilyn Turner also scored her second goal for Portland and is now third in the NWSL in npxG+xAG according to FBref. The issue is that both Gonzalez, Turner, and Ella Stevens are all classified as FWs, and if your roster is constructed around three premium FWs already, I’m not sure you want to miss a week of any of them to bring in one of the double round FWs. Again, if you already have Gonzalez or Stevens, you’re starting them this week, but if your front line is currently something like Chawinga, Banda, and Hatch, I’d stand pat.

On the defensive side, it’s officially time to get on the Lilly Reale Train. We mentioned last week that she’s already leading Gotham in most defensive metrics, and she added a goal in Round 4 as well! I’ll be starting her this week and beyond. Depending on your roster, the other two players I’d consider for a transfer this week are Sarah Schupansky ($75k) and Bruninha ($150k). I’m in the midst of a multi-week plan to bring in a third premium FW, and putting Schupansky in my midfield is part of that process.

Speaking of…

Who should be your third FW?

Though they each cost the FNWSL maximum of $500k, many managers have both Temwa Chawinga and Barbra Banda on their roster. The extraordinary consistency with which these two players find the back of the net makes it nearly imperative to have one on your roster, and carrying both is advisable.

Obviously, committing $1M to two forwards is aggressive, but with the number of high-value, mid-price MFs this season, it’s not unrealistic to spend $1.3 or $1.4M on three starting FWs. Let’s call this the “Fantastic For-ward” strategy for now until someone thinks of something better (I guess it works better if you carry a fourth forward, but that’s another topic).

Anyway, if you are taking this strategy, I think there are currently three primary contenders for the third FW slot: Alyssa Thompson ($350k), Ashley Hatch ($300k), and Michelle Cooper ($225k).

(Cooper left Sunday’s match with an ankle injury, but early reports from KC suggest it’s fortunately not too serious and she may even be able to return this weekend. In any case, have a backup plan for your front line!)

The KC attack is elite (the Current are on pace to break last season’s record of 57 goals), and anyone getting minutes up front is a great FNWSL option. The only issue is that there may simply not be enough minutes (and goals) to go around. Between Chawinga, Debinha, LaBonta, DiBernardo, Hutton, and Zaneratto, Cooper has a lot of competition for the fantasy points in Kansas City each week. She’s on my team (I can’t afford more money at FW at the moment), but if you are looking to go all-in on the Fantastic Forward strategy, Thompson or Hatch have higher floors.

Angel City has been perhaps the most positive surprise of the first month of the NWSL season, and Thompson is right in the thick of things with three goals and one assist so far. Statistically, she’s very similar to Hatch (four goals and zero assists) in terms of npxG+xGA: 1.7 and 1.8 respectively, and both of their teams have significantly higher GF than xG (meaning by one measure, both teams are overperforming on offense, scoring more goals than statistically expected). Also, they both have roughly similar touches in the attacking third: 67 and 65. For what it’s worth, they’ve also both played the exact same number of minutes through four matches.

The point is, both of these players are excellent forwards for your team. If I had to pick one, I’d go with Hatch for two reasons: the $50k price difference is huge if you’re already committing $1M to your front line, and Hatch is on significantly fewer FNWSL teams than Thompson. That being said, if you have Thompson, I wouldn’t worry about restructuring your team to bring in Hatch – you’re already in great shape!

Next week, we will talk about some differential options for your third FW!

What are your plans for the double round? Comment or Bluesky @MansersAnswers!