MLSsoccer.com will be tracking the progress of all eMLS gamers around each eMLS event throughout the year. Ahead of League Series Two presented by Coca Cola and PlayStation on Friday and Saturday (live stream on MLSsoccer.com at 7 pm ET Saturday), we re-visit the Power Rankings as they were voted on after January's League Series One.
There's a new No. 1 looking to defend his title, while old guard will look to bounce back after some surprising results. Rankings are voted on by eMLS staff, reflecting gamers' performance both in eMLS events and on the wider pro FIFA circuit, with blurbs written by MLSsoccer.com's eMLS correspondent, Jake Barford.
1. FCC Fiddle (Gordon Thornsberry)
Last Week: #4 (up 3)
Fiddle skyrocketed to the top of the eMLS Power Rankings with a win in eMLS League Series One. The Cincinnati native finally broke through in an eMLS competition and rightfully takes the place at the No. 1 spot. Fiddle has been one of the most consistent players in the league the past two seasons, so expect to see more of him in the live streams moving forward.
2. NYC_Chris (Christopher Holly)
Last Week: #3 (up 1)
One of the top FIFA players in the world has yet to break through in eMLS and win a tournament. Even with a good draw in the knockout stages, Holly was unable to advance to the final and lost a New York Derby match. Expect to see him more down the road as he tries to win his first eMLS trophy.
3. exraa (Alex Gonzalez-Aldana)
Last Week: #11 (up 8)
One of the newest and youngest eMLS competitors took one of the biggest leaps forward in the Power Rankings. With big shoes to fill in replacing Skill Shack in Vancouver, exraa put on a show. Blowing a two-goal lead and losing on a penalty shootout against Fiddle cost him a shot at the final. Going into LS2 in Portland, expect him to play with a chip on his shoulder.
4. GAdamou (George Adamou)
Last Week: #6 (up 2)
Adamou came into League Series One as one of the top 20 PS4 players in the world [Editor's Note: He is No. 42 as of Feb. 10], and he didn't disappoint. Making it to the final in his very first eMLS competition and taking out Doolsta and NYCChris along the way, Adamou asserted himself as a force to be reckoned with moving forward.
5. Doolsta (Cormac Dooley)
Last Week: #1 (down 4)
Returning to Philadelphia for LS1 after transferring to Nashville SC, doolsta was the clear favorite to win the first competition of the year. Unfortunately, things didn’t go as planned for the former eMLS champion, as he had an early exit in the quarterfinals. The Ireland native will look to rebound in Portland and reclaim his crown.
6. Paulo Neto
Last Week: #2 (down 4)
Paulo Neto was one of the marquee eMLS signings, and many expected him to be a lock for the final. After an early exit against exraa of the Vancouver Whitecaps in the knockout stage, the No. 4 player in the world [No. 11 as of Feb. 10] should be a regular in the live streams. It’ll only be a matter of time before he breaks through.
7. Remi Martinn (Martin Oregel)
Last Week: #10 (up 3)
LAFC, one of the newest eMLS teams, had high hopes when signing one of the top PS4 players in Remi Martinn. Making it through as the No. 7 seed, Martin saw his tournament end earlier than he hoped with a quarterfinal loss to exraa. With so many tough players just outside the top eight, he’ll need to rebound if he wants to further compete in the live streams.
8. Godfather (Giuseppe Guastella)
Last Week: #8 (no change)
With a few too many draws in the regular season, Godfather missed out on the knockout stage by only three points. The former eSports USA national team representative, who's also one of the oldest players in the eMLS field, will return to the West Coast looking for revenge in LS2.
9. PhilB94 (Phil Balke)
Last Week: #9 (no change)
Usually a regular in the knockout stages of eMLS tournaments, LS1 was a different story for PhilB. Finishing in the top eight would've been good enough to advance in earlier years, but with the new rules giving the host player an auto-bid, PhilB was left to watch. Only four points outside the top five, the season is far from over for the Canadian product.
10. Alekzandur (Alexander Betancourt)
Last Week: #5 (down 5)
A returning face in eMLS this season and another former FIFA eWorld Cup qualifier, Alekzandur returned to his hometown club and finished below expectations in Philadelphia. With so many great competitors in eMLS this season, he’ll need to elevate his game if he wants to make a run at eMLS Cup.
11. RCTID_Thiago (Edgar Guerrero)
Last Week: #12 (up 1)
A tough finish for Thiago in LS1 saw him win only five games. Some bad luck in his regular-season games and new faces shining were the reasons he missed out on the knockout stages. As we head to his home city of Portland for LS2, he will be guaranteed a spot in the top eight and will be competing for the trophy.
12. KingCJ0 (Mohamed Diop)
Last Week: #14 (up 2)
New to the states and new to eMLS, Diop nearly signed to play professional soccer for a South African club, but instead focused on school and moved to America. He may not have made the final stage during LS1, but he’s only nine points outside the top eight.
13. Kid M3mito (Guillermo Trevino)
Last Week: #7 (down 6)
The first ever eMLS champion had a tough regular season and failed to qualify in Philadelphia. With so many incredible new players to eMLS this season, M3mito isn’t going to run through the competition like he used to.
14. Gonzo (Brandan Gonzales)
Last Week: #17 (up 3)
Born in Colorado and now playing for the Rapids, Gonzales replaces BuckArmy as the their newest eMLS competitor. The substitute teacher will need to make some big moves in Portland, like so many others, should he want to sneak into the top eight come eMLS Cup time.
15. FIFA Abe (Abe Valbuena)
Last Week: #13 (down 2)
As the reigning eMLS All-Star Challenge champion, Abe was ready to shine in Philly. As an experienced player, more was expected of him going into this season. With only three wins in LS1, it’s back to the drawing board for Abe.
16. BITW18 II (Enrique Espinoza)
Last Week: #15 (down 1)
Returning to eMLS for yet another season, Espinoza took to the sticks in Philly only to leave with a disappointing three wins. He's another case of an eMLS veteran who fell short against the newbies in LS1.
17. JKO (John Oliveira)
Last Week: #20 (up 3)
With some of the most swag in eMLS, Oliveira took to the stage for another season with the New England Revolution. Looking to improve on last season, things didn’t go as planned for the Massachusetts native. Finishing on 12 points, there's ample room for improvement going into LS2.
18. TheMarsBars (Nick Mars)
Last Week: #18 (no change)
A 14th-place finish for Mars probably wasn’t what he would’ve hoped for, but it exceeded our expectations. Beating out some great players such as Kid M3mito and FIFA Abe, Mars should look ahead and aim to jump up several more spots in the next competition.
19. CaliSCG (Alan Ortega)
Last Week: #16 (down 3)
The California native struggled in LS1 with a 2-4-6 record and has a lot of work to do in preparation for LS2 in Portland. The Twitch streamer-turned-pro will most likely be battling it out for one of the final seeds for eMLS Cup.
20. Crew96Skamzz (Graham Ellix)
Last Week: #19 (down 1)
Ellix has been playing FIFA professionally since 2008, but was unable to hang with the young guns in Philly. Finishing in 20th has him landing right in the 20th spot of our Power Rankings.
21. Young - H (Hector Valenzuela)
Last Week: #22 (up 1)
New to eMLS this season and MLS next season, Valenzuela joins Austin FC as their first gamer. He’s fairly new to the FIFA competitive scene and gained some great experience in LS1. As for next steps, look for him to turn some of those draws into wins ahead of LS2.
22. mehdibob3 (Mehdi Benghalem)
Last Week: #21 (down 1)
A familiar face on the FIFA scene as a qualifier for the FIFA eWorld Cup in 2017, expectations facing mehdibob weren't reached in Philadelphia. He’ll hope to shake off his first eMLS performance and move forward with better results in the next competition.
23. i9ibbs (Ihab Abualneel)
Last Week: #23 (no change)
The City of Brotherly Love was anything but lovely to the newest FC Dallas eMLS player. Filling the shoes of former eMLS standout AlanAvi is proving to be a difficult task for Abualneel. He’ll look to turn matters around in Portland.
24. Jay Adams
Last Week: #24 (no change)
Adams has yet to break through in eMLS during his first two seasons with Minnesota. Two wins were all he could come away with in Philadelphia. It’s going to take a lot for him to make a run at eMLS Cup, but anything is possible in this unpredictable league.
25. Jay Ajayi
Last Week: #25 (no change)
It was a rough start to the eMLS season for former Super Bowl champion Jay Ajayi. Playing in front of his hometown fans in Philadelphia didn’t help much, as he lost every game he played. With a month to prepare for LS2, Ajayi needs as much practice as possible to try and turn his season around.
