By AVI CREDITOR
With the Major League Soccer season thankfully getting started as scheduled, another Fantasy MLS campaign begins. Drafting your team is the most important step at ensuring fantasy success. Yes, making the right transfers can buoy your team to new heights, but the initial selection is crucial.
For our drafting primer, we'll separate the players you should target into three distinct categories: The Sure Things (expensive, but productive); The Bargains (not as expensive, should produce at a high level); and The Cost-Effective Sleepers (not expensive, but could surprisingly produce).
Remember, transfers are free until Thursday night's first kick, so if you've already picked your team and want to change things up it won't cost you a dime.
Here's who you should consider drafting (prices listed next to player; Salary cap is 2,750 on mfls.com):
THE SURE THINGS (160 or more)
FORWARD
- Landon Donovan, Los Angeles (300) – Face of the league coming off great Everton loan stint
- Juan Pablo Angel, New York (300) – Health an issue, but team's attack is vastly improved
- Fredy Montero, Seattle (270) – Second-year star relied on to produce for Sounders
- Jeff Cunningham, Dallas (240) – 2009 Golden Boot winner had 17 goals, eight assists a year ago
- Brian Ching, Houston (206) – World Cup motivation should fuel hot start
- Omar Cummings, Colorado (180) – Half of one of league's top striker tandems; 12 assists last year
- Robbie Findley, Salt Lake (180) – Speedster still trying to impress Bob Bradley
- Brian McBride, Chicago (175) – Attacking vet as reliable as they come
- Conor Casey, Colorado (160) – 16 goals last year; still fighting for USMNT spot this summer
MIDFIELD
- Freddie Ljungberg, Seattle (300) – Productive DP had great first MLS season
- Guillermo Barros Schelotto, Columbus (275) – Ultimate playmaker runs Crew offense
- Dwayne De Rosario, Toronto F.C. (222) – 11 goals, six assists in first season with Toronto
- Sacha Kljestan, Chivas USA (200) – Make or break year for USMNT prospect
- Shalrie Joseph, New England (190) – Offensive production should continue to grow in '10
- Brad Davis, Houston (160) – Winger must take on even bigger role with departures of Holden, Clark
DEFENSE
- Jhon Kennedy Hurtado, Seattle (200) – Anchor of Sounders sound D unit
- Wilman Conde, Chicago (180) – 2009 All-Star is Fire's top defender
- Chad Marshall, Columbus (173) – Two-time reigning league Defender of the Year
- Jimmy Conrad, Kansas City (165) – Veteran centerback keys Wizards' defense
- Jonathan Bornstein, Chivas USA (160) – Eyes positive momentum heading into World Cup
- Heath Pearce, Dallas (160) – Possible USMNT selection gets first full season in MLS
GOALKEEPER
- Kasey Keller, Seattle (218) – Ageless wonder still gets it done at a high level
- Troy Perkins, D.C. (190) – Brought in to be hands-down No. 1; should perform like it
- Will Hesmer, Columbus (186) – Staunch defense in front of him should make life a bit simpler
- Pat Onstad, Houston (180) – See: Keller, Kasey
- Nick Rimando, Salt Lake (174) – Playoff hero is at the top of his game
- Donovan Ricketts, Los Angeles (164) – Solid keeper has rock-solid D in front of him
THE BARGAINS (101-159)
FORWARD
- Alejandro Moreno, Philadelphia (150) – Best bet for Philly to score
- Ryan Johnson, San Jose (140) – 11 goals a season ago, could benefit from midfield acquisitions
- Chris Pontius, D.C. (140) – Big sophomore season in store for potential future national teamer
- Nate Jaqua, Seattle (130) – Capable No. 2 option next to Montero until Nkufo arrives.
- Josh Wolff, Kansas City (125) – Like Johnson, 11 goals last year and team improved offensively
- Mac Kandji, New York (120) – Dangerous in tandem with Angel
- Kei Kamara, Kansas City (120) – High-upside attacker had strong preseason
- Steven Lenhart, Columbus (120) – Champions League performances displayed his finishing ability
- Mike Magee, Los Angeles (120) – High-potential forward benefits by Donovan's presence
- Dominic Oduro, Houston (120) – Will get his chances if Landin fails to deliver
MIDFIELD
- Kyle Beckerman, Salt Lake (155) – Heartbeat of MLS Cup holders
- Santino Quaranta, D.C. (150) – New role as creative central midfielder boosts fantasy value
- Marco Pappa, Chicago (150) – Looked upon to pick up scoring load with absences of Blanco, Rolfe
- David Ferreira, Dallas (150) – Eight goals, eight assists a year ago
- Steve Zakuani, Seattle (130) – Big things expected from last year's No. 1 pick
- Joel Lindpere, New York (120) – Estonian's strong preseason shows loads of potential
- Javier Robles, San Jose (120) – Argentine spark-plug showed preseason promise
- Osael Romero, Chivas USA (120) – New signing brought in to boost Chivas' attack
DEFENSE
- Frankie Hejduk, Columbus (150) – Helps anchor top D unit with Marshall
- Danny Califf, Philadelphia (150) – Top dog of impressive unit for expansion Union
- Omar Gonzalez, Los Angeles (140) – Defensive Rookie of the Year in '09 only getting better
- Jamison Olave, Salt Lake (130) – Physical centerback provides protection for Rimando
- Geoff Cameron, Houston (120) – Will feature more in MF, meaning more offensive chances
- Kevin Alston, New England (110) – Up-and-coming right back is a star if healthy
- James Riley, Seattle (110) – Right back a constant for Sounders
GOALKEEPER
- Zach Thornton, Chivas USA (150) – 2009 Goalkeeper of the Year led league in clean sheets (12)
- Stefan Frei, Toronto F.C. (150) – Looks to build on stellar rookie campaign
- Joe Cannon, San Jose (140) – Steady in goal, has improved defensive unit to help out
- Matt Pickens, Colorado (129) – Entrenched starter had seven clean sheets last season
- Jimmy Nielsen, Kansas City (110) – Dutch keeper tabbed to fill Hartman's shoes
THE COST-EFFECTIVE SLEEPERS (100 or less)
FORWARD
- Danny Mwanga, Philadelphia (90) – First pick in SuperDraft will get opportunities in rookie campaign
- O'Brian White, Toronto (90) – Considering team's forward situation, former college star should get a chance to start
- Zack Schilawski, New England (80) – Revs could turn to rookie after hot preseason
- Andre Akpan (70) – If Casey gets the call to South Africa, the Harvard product will be asked to step in
MIDFIELD
- Juninho, Los Angeles (100) – Brazilian attacking midfielder could play huge role early
- Ryan Smith, Kansas City (100) – Big things expected from player who began senior career with Arsenal
- Michael Stephens, Los Angeles (80) – Galaxy rookie drawing rave reviews
- Toni Stahl, Philadelphia (65) – Ready to contribute most out of team's rookie class
DEFENSE
- Ike Opara, San Jose (85) – Rookie centerback is MLS-ready and could be opening-day starter.
- Tim Ream, New York (70) – Rookie centerback in Defensive ROY discussion before season starts
- Tony Beltran, Salt Lake (70) – A steal at that price if he wins the starting job
- Darrius Barnes, New England (62) – Second-year centerback played every game for Revs in '09
GOALKEEPER
- Chris Seitz, Philadelphia (100) – USMNT prospect finally given chance to start
- Preston Burpo, New England (80) – Should be steady while Matt Reis misses time
- Andrew Dykstra, Chicago (43) – Surprise starter should be universally owned at that price
COACH
I'm personally taking Sigi Schmid, because Seattle's schedule is favorable in the early going, and the team is the trendy pick to make it out of the Western Conference. Columbus, another favorite, has two bye weeks in the first four weeks of the season, making Robert Warzycha a less-attractive option. F.C. Dallas, Kansas City, San Jose, Toronto F.C. and Philadelphia are all also off in Week 2.
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Who did you select for your team? Who do you think will be the top fantasy performer this season? Who do you think will be the biggest surprises?
Share your thoughts below.
My starting XI
Keller- SEA
Gonzalez- LAG, Hurtado- SEA, Orozco- PHI
Pappa -CHI, De Rosario- TOR, Schelotto-CMB, Flores -CHV
Wolff- KCW, Donovan- LAG, Montero-SEA
Also, if you donate to MFLS, you get flexible formations (3-5-2, 4-5-1, etc.) Donation is not required, but you are otherwise stuck with a 3-4-3 …
So Nate Jaqua busted his Pubic Syphysis. Who starts in his place?
Btw, the deadline for roster moves is one hour before kickoff of the weeks first match. So, you have until 8:30 p.m. Eastern to get your week 1 moves done …
http://www.mfls.com
Instructions will be on the splash page …
Ives had a post with all the info on Tuesday: http://www.soccerbyives.net/soccer_by_ives/2010/03/sbi-fantasy-mls-season-ready-to-kick-off.html
so where do you sign up at?
MFLS allows sign ups until about Mid September or so …
Espn Fantasy?…uh no.
ESPN MLS Fantasy is the way to go people.
can people still join
I’ve got four sounders starting tonight, hoping Union get’s demolished tonight.
Transfer fees (separate from salary) are a big part of this set-up. You want to select players that will have a good fee to start, as it means more flexibility going forward.
Whatever transfer fee you don’t have for incoming player will be deducted from your overall salary. You won’t get it back either.
Also. . . negative points are a big part of the scoring system as well, unlike most other games. Not talking typical deductions like yellow/red cards here, more like goals against or team not scoring at all in a game.
Just make sure you don’t use salary cap to fund transfers.
Wow! With that list, imagine what a bargain Osvaldo Alonso would be!
Zakuani is gonna light it up tonight
Indeed. Looks like something you’d do with a big rock. The fact that he’s jumping makes it look extra brutal.
This is my first year along with several others. How much should you leave available at the beginning of the year for transfers? I have about $150 left right now with my full team, but see several others with 0-50 available cash.
From others who have played in this league before, how much would you recommend leaving available at the start of the season for transfers?
Is Opara available for selection to start the season? I thought he was finishing up at Wake?
does it really make sense to draft an expensive defender given the point system? I chose to draft cheaper defenders from good defensive teams..but not the team’s best defender (marshall for example)
Is it just me, or does Zach Thornton look like he is about to murder Nate Jacqua with the ball in the lower left picture above?
I sold all my players and brought in Christiano Ronaldo for 50 million and automatic US citizenship. I’ve got a one man team now… literally.
MFLS looks horrible, but I don’t know anything better.
I have a pic for you: Tim Ward, D chicago. Came out of nowhere last year as Chicago turned a Colorado bench rider into a top 10 defender fantasy-wise.
What about Chettri, “The Indian Landon Donovan”?
First time playing for me….let’s go!!!
I want to have a rooting interest in tonights game… is Mwanga worth starting?
i refuse to play fntasy this year becuz i was so used to playing the fantasy league on mlsnet. It looked like an actual fantasy league game. this one still looks all cookie cutter. but gl to those participating