By CASEY CANNON

Hello and Welcome to the Soccer by Ives Fantasy Corner – now extra strength to ease pain and minimize swelling!  Every week I dig through statistics, news, and rumors to provide the reader with the kind of fantasy advice that only a professional kick boxer can provide.  I am writing this well before the official injury reports come out, so don't be grumpy if I tell you to pick a hurt player.  For information on MLS Fantasy Football go to http://fantasy.mlsnet.com/. 

Here are a couple of quick notes, before the recommendations for the week.  

• Deadline Wednesday!  Hurry, Hurry, Hurry!
  
• More international games this week!  Careful, Careful, Careful!  I don’t provide a list of absences because I have a bad habit of missing some player who has been called up by Borneo. I don’t want to poison the results of the SBI readers, so like injuries, its best to encourage everyone to do their own homework. 
  
• No way.  Chad Marshal did what?  No.  Really?  Dang. I wonder how defenders play him in the next couple games.

• Will Taylor Twellman suddenly have a new appreciation for life and soccer?  It seemed like he spent last season moping about transfers that never materialized.  A Motivated and healthy Twellman and Steve “Classy” Ralston should terrify the entire eastern conference.
  
• LA won on the road without Landon Donavan.  Not this year, but next year, that team may realistically be in the hunt for the championship.  That’s right, they will be better without Beckham. 
  
• No change in the top two SBI league. “Team angler23” is currently top dog with “Celtic1888” just behind.  They sit 2^rd and 22^nd overall.  For the week the top SBI player was “BrickDancers” 65^th overall. 

Team Picks 

Take Three – LA Galaxy.  This team is 4^th in total defense playing against a team that does not score on the road.     Bruce Arena has this team on a nice little run, and I don’t see why they would trip up now.  Yes, I know the other LA team has two games this week.  But the Galaxy have a winnable game this week and next. Chivas will have a hard week this week, has three players in yellow card jeopardy, and will be off the next week. Save your trades, take three from the Galaxy. 

Take Three – Houston.  Two games this week.  Really this is a take three players and a coach.  The Chivas game will be rough, followed by a trip north to play against Dallas. Three of the top five players this week are from the Dynamo.  Next week Houston hosts RSL. 

Avoid – San Jose.  The Earthquakes managed to pull out two goals in a neutral crowd North Texas stadium.  It seems unlikely they will have that kind of success in partisan Seattle.   

Two Up, Two Down

The up column features two of the more mature players in MLS. Guillermo Barros Schelotto in on a tear lately. He isn’t cheap, but he is up 5.4 points per game over the last four weeks. No surprise Classy Steve Ralston, is also up.  His points per game has improved by eight points over the last four weeks. 

Former American World Cup hero’s are down lately.  Brian McBride is off 4.2 points per game over the last four weeks. While Clint Mathis – who is always a nice story when he is playing well – is off 3 points per game over the last four weeks. 

Individual picks

Captain – Brad Davis. This week the top player on the spreadsheet over two games is expected to earn 32.5  points.   This is impressive stuff.  Of course, Classy Steve Ralston is expected to make 31 points over one game.  

Value –  Paulo Nagamura.  I don’t know why he is this cheap. $175,000 for a player expected to make 26 points this week.  That’s only $6,744 per point.  Even better, Nagamura isn’t one of the Goats who sits a yellow away from suspension.  

Overpriced – David Arturo Ferreira. This guy finally scored a goal to show up on the top fifty midfielders. Now that he is on the spreadsheet, I can see that he costs $93,453 per point. Honestly at 4 points per game, he wouldn’t be a bad defender.