This season us FPL addicts face the bleakest summer ever. There are no Euros. No World Cup. No Copa America. No Asia Cup. I guess we do have the Confederations Cup, but honestly, is that going to scratch your FPL itch on the beach while the kids pour sand on your head and bury you under a giant sand castle?
How about Fantasy MLS? FMLS is the second biggest non-premiership Fantasy Football game in the world, and the season opens on the 4th March (3rd March in US of A, 4th March in all points East). Yes, not long to go! It is the perfect way to us busy this summer.
Yet FMLS is slightly more complicated than FPL. But we are here to hold your hand and make it easy. You can trust us because we have won Fantasy MLS Blog of the year for two years running. And it’s all thanks to Ivan. Our maveric site regular who thankfully has returned this year with this three part introduction to Fantasy MLS. In this first article he will wet your appetite with an MLS entrée. Part Two will be aimed purely at first time managers, think of it as MLS for the beans on toast chef. Part Three will be aimed at those of us who have played before, Michelin starred MLS. So, over to Ivan…
How did we get into MLS?
Two years ago Zorro and Midnight suggested a few of us regulars try Fantasy MLS. I refused at first, not knowing much about it. However, after looking into the crystal ball and seeing a long lonely summer of no price change worries, no transfer concerns, no blank game week frustrations, I thought “Yeah, why not. Could be fun”.
It turned out to be great fun, I fell in love and started writing articles about it. With a lot of hard work, research, and excellent debate and shared intelligence from all FF1st members, we went on to win the best MLS blog of the year consecutively in 2015 and 2016. A huge team achievement.
Debunk the myths
I guess we need to debunk a few myths first.
MLS has been named the geriatric home for all players on their old leg. Partly I agree but mostly disagree. We had world famous stars like Beckham, Villa, Drogba, Kaka, Lampard, Gerrard, and perhaps some not-quite-as-famous stars like Bradley Wright Phillips and Dom Dyer. However, the teams are limited in the number of international players they can have. In 2016 there were a maximum of 160 international player “slots” in the MLS. These were divided between the 20 clubs, with clubs trading slots so some had more and some had less. This means the teams are packed full of domestic talent, for example, Giovinco, Kljestan, Piatti, Diaz, Badji, Feilhaber and many more.
The second myth is that this is for America only. There are teams from Canada in the MLS too! Indeed this season there are 22 teams from the two geographically huge countries.
The Competition
The geography of North America poses problems for the teams, fans and schedule. In the UK we complain when Newcastle have to travel to Plymouth for an FA Cup game, yet in North America the scale is so much bigger. Therefore, the teams are divided into two “leagues” called Conferences. There is the Eastern Conference and the Western Conference. Each Conference has eleven teams. Even then the distances can be huge. Vancouver fans following their team, the Whitecaps, playing away at Houston Dynamo will face a 4,888 mile 78 hour round trip.
There are 33 rounds in the regular season. Yet there are 11 teams! The mathematically astute will have worked out that with home and away fixtures that is only 20 games. So what gives! Well the teams will play cross-conference games too. For example, Portland Timbers entertain the New York Red Bulls on the 20th August this year.
They also have a brilliant thing ran twice a year called the “Heineken Rivalry Week” where local rivals square up to each other, and a “California Clasico”. Be prepared for razzmatazz.
Have a go
Our upcoming articles will help you with your team, but if you can’t wait then try building a FMLS team today. Post it here and get help from the MLS regulars. Also join our mini-leagues. The code for the league is 557-398 and the code for the head-to-head is 557-399. Lastly, we will soon bring you news of our My Rules game too.
Best of luck.
Authors
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ChorleyRocks
Site founder, first used stats to try to win his work mini-league. Now helps other managers win theirs.- Bio
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Auto complete gives me this. I expect 15 changes by tomorrow night.
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@ChorleyRocks I like mine better
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@SecretZorro Dos Santos and Villa. Nice
@ChorleyRocks Changed team a little: GW1 is the ‘Weekend Challenge’ which foreigners will never win with The Donald in charge, so for us it’s a dry run for GW2. GW1, all my starters except Villa will start; GW2 all 11 starters should start, and Saied & Opara should start too
If anyone doesn’t start GW1, we have unlimited transfers anyway, so can’t lose ;-)
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@IvanTheTerrible @ChorleyRocks @SecretZorro, Great opening article. can,t wait to read Ivan’s weekly words of wisdom.
The banter is way more entertaining in the FMLS blog too. 
A first go at a team, not expecting to much from the FWD’s GW1.
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@Coquis60 Looks Ok to me, but there’s all the pre-season blah blah blah. Like you say, it’s just a bit of fun :-)
@ChorleyRocks
Thanks for the excellent editing
That was the team I did in 10 minutes on the first day of the site opening. I can see since then Polster had a knee injury and is out for seven weeks
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Cool its back!
I like the MLS, often been a good springboard for my fantasy football!
@kumakier
You did very well last year even starting much later
Any plans for my rules fmls edition.
@Silenssi
Yes, that is coming soon.
@Silenssi Just make sure that you have the same list as Ivan this time, or you’ll have less players! You’ve been warned!
@SecretZorro
After running the original My Rules for the last three seasons could you give us any ideas? You know I will go with newbies as usual.
@IvanTheTerrible I think the Scud had the right idea last year; everyone plays newbies. Firstly there’s 2 new franchises and there’s some ‘arrangement’ (don’t ask me to explain it), where existing franchises have to ‘trade’ them the odd player(s).
So to summarise, there’ll be lots more newbies than last year.
@SecretZorro
You are right, we should stick with this
@IvanTheTerrible Just my 2 cents, it’s up to Wanton to decide, it’s his game. You can only have 1 making the final decision or the whole thing descends into farce.
@SecretZorro
We’ll sort it out but I still think Newbies only sounds right. Let’s see what other regulars think.
@IvanTheTerrible You should ask Wanton first, if it’s newbies then he’ll be making the list.
@SecretZorro
Will do, thanks.
@IvanTheTerrible Replied.gif)
@Wanton
Just answered.
Probably going with rules here as well, likely to be bluish team if I decide to play….
@Zaid
Please do and thank you for editing the article
I am already working on GW1 Preview. The numbers of players moved to new teams and the new arrivals are just astonishing
@IvanTheTerrible Good Luck
@Zaid
Thanks mate
My rules newbies sounds good. I would like to join please. Newbies only would be very manageable.
@Coquis60 You are welcome, mate. We’ll stick with the newbies only league. Ivan will publish the code in his next article and I’ll make a list of players and update it regularly. All who join will get the list.
@Coquis60
Your initial team looks good but I know it will change few times in the next two weeks. The same with me, I started with the well known players from the last seson but there are so many new ones arriving it will not stay the same.
@IvanTheTerrible with Unlimited picks every week my first draft used as many home team players. I think GW 1 they have the best odds of winning, max points and CS. I sure I’ll be making a few more changes.
Keep up the good work, Amigo
Looking forward to your articles, mate
@Wanton.gif)
It will all get in shape soon. Chorley is on the case
Latest predicted lineups by team, it’ll be updated again later: http://www.mlssoccer.com/post/2016/12/25/armchair-analyst-roster-build-status-all-22-mls-teams-ahead-2017
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@Zaid Go on then, explain the oops.
@SecretZorro I’m not sure how that team is, so oops!
@Zaid Well it’s a weird looking team for opening team. Look at the link I gave, Anibaba probably doesn’t start and you have him playing Jones anyway? If you’re going with only 1 striker, Larin?? I wouldn’t. Why not downgrade Ngyuen & get Wondo as sole striker?
@SecretZorro Anibaba did well last year, what a waste…
Its Joevin Jones.
Considering team is only for 1-week, I dont really find any striker worth picking. Maybe Dos Santos.
Any cheap mid with attacking potential around?
@Zaid Cheap attacking mid? No idea yet mate. I’ve been reading stuff & that team-by-team guide that I linked. You know I’m no expert at Socca Socca, I just love playing FMLS. On opening day why not attack against the newbies maybe, MIN will have no DP, no proven defenders, apparenty so that’s tempting, I keep looking at that. I’m going attack for a couple of weeks, Wondo & DoS are at home 1st game, them & Villa are at home 2nd game.
Blind leading the blind as per usual. 
@SecretZorro Looks like we have to start with proven players and switch later….
@Zaid I’d say yes, but there seems to be some support for Alleassandrini (LAG), next Gio etc. I have no bloody idea, but what the hell. I might even cpt him if he looks like a goer!
@SecretZorro Have heard that name somewhere, probably in one of the FUT games
Adi looking good in preseason as well
@Zaid You already have Valeri, if MIN don’t buy a defence then Adi could be a clever call… Why not double up???
@SecretZorro Yeah… From what I have seen on Twitter and couple of Ivan’s drafts, Gio not popular?
@Zaid I’m sure that by kick off time that he’ll be 30 or 40 % ownership, I won’t have him, too expensive.
@SecretZorro I can try to fit him somehow (as a differential) but if he has that much ownership, I’ll avoid…
@Zaid Gio’s now at 41.9%
@SecretZorro Makes him a boring pick… :|
Would probably go with Adi or that Vancouver fella
@Zaid Adi’s playing MIN at home, go for it
@SecretZorro And only 8% owned!
@SecretZorro
@IvanTheTerrible What are you talking about Ivan? Zaid & I are the only two chewing the fat in this thread. Your comment looks like it should be emailed & not live on site b
@SecretZorro
He mentioned Ivan’s draft and I just explained how it was done and it was just the first one.
I’ll give this another go.