This past week Denver played host to the Sierra Mist MLS All-Star Game. The atmosphere at Dick's Sporting Goods Park was electrifying, with a star-studded atmosphere and full of exciting activities. At every event, MLS stars past and present participated. At Soccer Jam, MLS players and celebrities competed in a 4-team 4v4 soccer tennis tournament, where fans got to see the All-Stars compete up close. During halftime of the All-Star Game, David Beckham made an appearance that ignited the crowd. And then there was the actual All-Star game, which showcased the talent of MLS All-Stars against Celtic FC, one of the most storied football clubs in the world.
Kent Kille of Wooster, Ohio was one of the lucky individuals who had the chance to witness the festivities firsthand. As the winner of the MLS Fantasy Challenge Mid-Season winner, Kent earned a trip to Colorado. Kent bested the entire field of MLSFC competitors by expertly crafting and managing his fantasy team. Prior to the game, Kent sat down to relate how he was able to win the mid-season prize.
How long have you been playing MLSFC?
Kent: I've been playing the MLS fantasy game since 1999 when it was hosted on the Yahoo! Website. I definitely enjoy the changes that the game has made since then. This year's game has a good balance in the restriction of roster moves, so there's more of a challenge each week to make your team consistent.
How would you describe your success thus far in MLSFC?
Kent: It's been exciting! All year I've been near the top of the standings, but it was only in the past few weeks that I was able to reach the top. It's definitely gratifying to see my team perform well recently after all of the hard work I've put it. I've had some experience with MLSFC success in my 8 years of playing, which gave me the confidence that I could win the Mid-Season prize. In "real-life" I'm a professor, and I think skills like analytical tools and strategic thinking are things that I can use in my job and in my fantasy team.
Can you give any tips or advice - without giving away any of your top-secret strategies, of course - to those of us who are looking up at you in the MLSFC standings?
Kent: One thing I do every week is look at the matchups, because they are the most important. Just because a player has been performing well in previous weeks doesn't mean that he'll be a good fantasy player in the current week. Another thing that has worked well for me is trying to out-maneuver the other top teams. Since just about every team at the top has a player like Michael Harrington - a fantasy god thanks to his price and ability to score goals as a defender - I try to find the players who can make the difference between my team and the other top teams. My goal each week is to have a balanced team where everyone contributes, instead of a team with just one or two superstars.
How does MLSFC help you follow MLS better, and increase your knowledge of the league overall?
Kent: Spending each week with my team definitely helps me know the league better. I watch the games every Thursday night, and then as many as I can on the weekends. One of the things I enjoy about playing MLSFC is that I get to learn about some of the lower-profile players. It's exciting to follow the teams each week to learn who will be in the starting line-up, who might be injured and who might have a breakout performance.
What is your proudest transaction so far this season?
Kent: My proudest move this season was dropping Juan Pablo Angel before New York played Columbus. This came at a time when Angel was the hottest player in MLS and everyone probably had him in their fantasy team. To try and gain an advantage, I decided to drop him and picked up the Columbus goalkeeper and defender. It turned out that Columbus won 1-0 and I picked up a lot of points while all of the people who had Angel didn't get any points. What made it even better is that Columbus is my favorite team, so both my fantasy team and the Crew had a good weekend.
How hard is for you to balance your rooting interest in the Crew with your fantasy team?
Kent: It's always hard to pick players for my team who will be playing against Columbus, and it's also hard to pick players who are on the Crew. I have to hope that my heart isn't making my decisions for me. But it is true that it's never fun to watch a game the Crew are playing when a guy on the other team is also going to help my fantasy team.
What do you think your chances are for the rest of the MLSFC campaign?
Kent: I feel pretty confident about my team. My strategy has worked out so far, and the best part is that my team is still in first place this week after I won the Mid-Season prize last week. So I guess that means that I've validated my success a little bit.
What has been the best part of the All-Star Game festivities so far?
Kent: The best part has been seeing the All-Stars up close and personal throughout the week. At Soccer Jam, it was really fun to see the players competing in a fun event (soccer-tennis tournament) so close to the fans. We're also staying in the same hotel as the players, and it's been exciting to see the players just walking around the hotel. I've had the chance to meet John Spencer (now an assistant coach with Houston), see Bob Bradley and Steve Nicol walking around the hotel, and the cherry on top was sharing an elevator with Commissioner Don Garber.
Who is your favorite MLS All-Star?
Kent: I'm actually annoyed that none of my Columbus Crew players made it into the All-Star Game. I thought that Guillermo Barros-Schelotto deserved to be in this game, but I guess that's what happens when your team isn't so successful on the field. Aside from that, I'm excited about the two goalkeepers on the team, Matt Reis and Kevin Hartman. I enjoyed watching those two compete for the starting position when they were both in Los Angeles, so it's nice to see both of them on the All-Star team.
How much time do you spend adjusting your roster for each week's games?
Kent: I'd say that I spend about 2 hours per week focusing on my team, looking at the matchups and deciding who will be in my team for that week. That's in addition to the time that I spend watching and reading about the games. Although, in the week before the All-Star Game, I spent probably 8 hours on my team, trying to secure the trip to the All-Star Game. Fortunately, it worked out and here I am!
Now that the All-Star game is over, it's time to look forward to MLS Cup to find out who will be the Grand Prize winner of MLSFC. Can Kent use his strategy to stay at the top of the MLSFC standings, or will another fantasy manager develop his own secret sauce over the second half of the MLS season and win MLSFC? Either way, it will be an entertaining few months.
