We're baaaaaaack!
MLSsoccer.com's new fantasy game, Salary Cap Challenge, is here — and we’ve come back to give you as much expertise as possible.
Who are we?
We're Dave and Jimmy Bowers. You might remember us from before: We’re the father (Dave) and son (Jimmy) team that won MLS Fantasy Challenge prizes four years in a row. In 2004 and 2005 we won the Midseason Challenge, and in 2006 and 2007 we won the overall grand prize. For two years we shared our experiences which helped many of you enjoy the game more and get higher scores for your teams.
We have joined together again with MLS this year to bring you our expertise in choosing players for each week of the regular season. There will also be other experts giving their opinions, which should give you even more options to pick from.
Not only will there be two different games to choose from but also three different seasons in which you can win prizes that include trips, gear, subscriptions and cash. Yep, we said cash. Our hope is that we can give you a little more insight on how to be more successful in this great fantasy game.
Our first report will be to let you know what to look for before the season even starts, and what to look for after the season begins. Here's what we do in preseason: PLAN, PLAN, PLAN.
1. Print out a copy of the MLS season schedule.
For each week, highlight which teams have byes and which teams play twice. You don't want players on your team who won't be playing that week, and players who play twice have a better chance of accumulating more points.
2. Have a passion for MLS
Read up on as many Internet sites as you can. The best sites for us are MLSsoccer.com (naturally!), Soccer Insider, Soccer By Ives and Big Soccer, to name a few. You can get a lot of useful information from these sites, such as who might be hurt or who may be new in the starting lineup for that week. And watch as many games as possible: We subscribe to both MLS Direct Kick and Matchday Live (coming soon!). Be sure to tune in to all the national broadcasts, too.
3. Plan ahead.
With limited trades, you will need to plan out weeks in advance to get the most bang for your buck. If there are teams that will be playing more than one game in a few weeks, you might need 3-4 weeks in advance to start getting some of those players into your team now.
It's not always best to have players that play twice that week, but most of the time it helps. Also, it is a big advantage to go with players from the home team. Look to trade for players that have two consecutive home games or more, so that you can maximize your trades. But if your player is on a hot streak, don’t take them out just because they don’t play at home.
So, the new MLS Salary Cap Challenge season is upon us, now what? Read our weekly article. During the season, we will update you on who’s hot and who’s not, players to watch, developments to keep an eye on (injuries, lineup changes, discipline) and our Tips of the Week.
Meanwhile, here are some players to monitor as the season begins to see if they will “step up” to the hype:
Charlie Davies (DC), Omar Bravo (KC), Thierry Henry (NY), Juan Pablo Ángel (LA), Carlos Ruiz (PHI), Blaise Nkufo (SEA), Javier Morales (RSL), Kenny Cooper (POR), and Victor Estupian (CHV).
You can also follow us on Facebook. In this week's upcoming feature we will post our projected starting lineups for all MLS teams.
Questions? Comments? Like to see something on the next article? Contact us at mlsfantasygurus@comcast.net
