Has this ever happened to you? You’re going into the weekend feeling happy about your MLS Fantasy squad, only to see something like this:
Or this:
Unfortunately, surprise scratches are a way of life in Major League Soccer. MLS coaches play their cards close to the vest to stymie their opponents’ preparations; often, that leaves us MLS Fantasy players scrambling to fill holes at the last minute.
However, there’s a way you can cushion yourself against the blow of an unexpected absence. The Auto-Sub feature will automatically swap a bench player into your starting XI, provided a few important conditions are met:
- The original starter can’t play any minutes. If he comes on in the 89th minute of a blowout game, then you’re stuck with him (and his score).
- The Auto-Sub must not break the formation rules. For example: Let’s say you’re using a 3-4-3 formation and one of your midfielders doesn’t play. The game won’t sub in another forward because – no matter what Patrick Vieira says – a 3-3-4 is an invalid formation. However, the game will sub in an extra defender from your bench (leaving you with a 4-3-3 formation) or a midfielder (which would preserve the original 3-4-3 formation).
- Goalkeepers won’t Auto-Sub in for field players, or vice versa.
- You can’t sub in a new captain. If your captain doesn’t play, the captain bonus is lost.
Those are the basics of the Auto-Sub feature. Before we proceed to strategy, though, there are a few more important things to mention.
First, there’s a ‘priority’ to your substitutes. The left-most field player on your bench will be the first to sub in, provided the formation is still valid. The Auto-Subbing continues from left to right if you have multiple absences in your starting lineup.
In this example from my team, the highest priority field player is Chicago’s Brandon Vincent. If one of my field players were to sit out, the game would try to sub in Vincent first. If Vincent didn’t play, then it would look to Aaron Guillen next, then Zach Steinberger, and finally Victor Mansaray.
You can adjust the priority of your substitutes by clicking on a player and switching his position with another bench player.
Second, you can’t take advantage of the Auto-Sub feature if you’ve done any manager substitutions. Learn more about Manager Substitutions.
Third, the game will Auto-Sub in negative points from your bench, so be wary of that!
That’s it for the rules of Auto-Subbing. Now let’s close out by taking a look at how a savvy manager can use this feature to his or her advantage:
- Maintain a strong bench: I generally advise managers to have two starting-caliber players on their bench to cover for unexpected absences.
- Roll the dice: Not sure if a star player is going to play? Put him in the lineup anyway; if he doesn’t see the field, he’ll Auto-Sub out.
- Mind your formation: Remember that, no matter what, you can’t play four forwards or six midfielders. Keep that in mind when you fill out your bench.
As you get more advanced, you can also play around with Manager Substitutions. They’re a little trickier in that you have to keep the start times of the games in mind, but they can help you make some last-minute adjustments in ways that Auto-Subs cannot.
That’s all for Auto-Subs. Best of luck this week in the first Double Game Week!
Any comments or questions about Auto-Subbing or any other MLS Fantasy rules? Any thoughts about my lineup? Let us know.
