MLS Fantasy Challenge: Week 32 results

So at last we come to the end. This week was a pretty good one for me, I got 191 points for a total of 4741 points. I jumped up a surprising nine spots all the way up to fourth place! I will be looking forward to recieving my autographed MLS All-Star Jersey in the mail shortly.

The cap-less team didn't do so hot with only 120 points.

I want to thank everybody for reading this year and enjoy the playoffs (even if you are still bitter about your team getting eliminated in the final minutes of stoppage time).

MLS Fantasy Challenge: Week 32 line-up

So this is the last week, the last chance to move up in the standings. I'm currently sitting in 12th place, and if I have a good week and some other people struggle, then it is entirely possible to crack into the ten (and maybe higher). Here is my last team.

Every team plays this week, and Chivas USA plays twice this week. I think the best match up is LA at home vs. San Jose, I'd make sure I had three LA guys on my team. I think the best combination would be Ricketts, Donovan, and Beckham, but I also like Gonzalez, Lewis or any of the other starting defenders. I definitely pick up Arena as my coach as well, unless you think that Preki can lead his team to two victories this week. I also like Toronto at New York for Toronto's offensive players (mostly De Rosario). I went with both Montero and Ljungberg, I think that is a little bit risky because Seattle is already in and FC Dallas is fighting to get in, I just hope they play their best team and actually come to play.

Changes:
In: Fredy Montero, Freddie Ljungberg, Bruce Arena
Out: Sigi Schmid, Shalrie Joseph, Preston Burpo

Goalkeeper:
Nick Rimando- I'd prefer Ricketts, but i don't really have strong feeling about 'keepers for the other matches, so I am going to stick with Rimando. Real Salt Lake is playing at home, but Rimando will face two very capable forwards, Omar Cumming and Conor Casey.

Defenders:
Eddie Lewis - At home against San Jose. I got robbed of points last game when Lewis came out early (so he didn't get shut-out points), but I am hoping that he can contribute offensively this game since he is actually playing midfield and not defense.

Omar Gonzalez - He should play the whole game. He has started 29 games so far and has only missed a total of 28 minutes over that entire span. I'm expecting a shut-out.

Kevin Alston - Away at Columbus, tough match up. Only positive is that Columbus has already qualified for the playoff and New England will be playing to get in.

Midfielders:
Dwayne De Rosario - Away at New York, who have been terrible this season. Toronto also has to win to get into the playoffs, so that should provide extra incentive to score goals.

Sacha Kljestan - Two games this week, both against tough opponents. First they go away to Chicago and then they host Houston. If Chivas USA want the Supporter's Shield, then they are going to have to win both games. Kljestan has been great recently after being terrible for most of the season. Hopefully he can keep it up. He'll have to play a big part if Chivas are going to win both games.

Brad Davis - Away at Chivas USA, who should be a little tired from having played mid-week, (although the Dynamo had a game too). I'm not sold on this pick, but I think he is generally solid. It was a coin toss between Stuart Holden and him.

Freddie Ljungberg - At home against FC Dallas. I think this is kind of a gamble because Seattle is already into the playoff and FC Dallas will be coming out hard in order to try and qualify. I hope that Seattle plays their starters and that they really go out there to win the game.

Forwards:
Justin Braun - He's served well recently so I'm going to stick with him. It is also nice that Chivas USA have two games. Hopefully he will be able to score in one of them, even though he's facing tough competition.

Fredy Montero - Like with Ljungberg above, it is a bit of a gamble. I have him in instead of Conor Casey and Jeffrey Cunningham, who will be battling it out for the Golden Boot. They are both obvious choices, so I hope I will be able to pass some people in the standings with some of my unorthodox picks.

Landon Donovan - Great goal scorer at home against a weak team, this pick was a no brainer. He's my captain.

Coach:
Bruce Arena - Has done an awesome job transforming a dysfunctional team into a serious MLS Cup contender. They should be able to take care of San Jose at home.

Bench: Stuart Holden, Jeffrey Cunningham. Conor Casey

Make sure you check out the injury list: http://web.mlsnet.com/stats/injuries (on Friday too), and the discipline list: http://web.mlsnet.com/stats/discipline.jsp.

Now here is, in my opinion, the best line-up this week starting from scratch and with no salary limits:

GK- Donovan Ricketts (LA)

Defense-
Eddie Lewis (LA)
Jim Brennan (TOR)
Jonathan Bornstein (CHV)

Midfield-
Sacha Kljestan (CHV)
Dwayne De Rosario (TOR)
Freddie Ljungberg (SEA)
Amado Guevara (TOR)

Forward-
Maykel Galindo (CHV)
Landon Donovan (LA)
Fredy Montero (SEA)

Coach- Bruce Arena (LA)

Comments, questions, suggestions? I have $10K in cap space still. Thoughts, ideas anyone? As this is the last week, I would greatly appreciate any ideas that anyone has. I am really nervous about my picks, so please any suggestions would be awesome. Thanks!

MLS Fantasy Challenge: Week 31 results

So I didn't do that well, it was about an average week with 109 points, but I guess everyone else didn't do well either, because I moved up to 13th overall with 4550 points. I got points from Schmid as my coach, Justin Braun got a goal (I did a nice job with him, two goals in two games), Kljestan got an assist. I got shut-outs from Alston, Gonzalez, and Rimando. I would have got points from Lewis too, if he had stayed in the game.

The cap-less team did slightly better with 125 points.

The last week is upon us; I'd be nice if I could get into the top ten.

MLS Fantasy Challenge: Week 31 line-up

So here we are, only two more weeks left. Every team plays this week and next week, with Real Salt Lake playing twice this week and Chivas USA playing twice next week.

I think that there are two match-ups this week that I would focus on taking advantage of: Real Salt Lake vs. New York and Chivas USA vs. San Jose. I think both Real Salt Lake and Chivas USA should be able to win at home against opponents who struggle on the road (Real Salt Lake also has a second game this week, but it will be a much tougher match up away at Toronto).

I would have kept Thorton as my 'keeper, but he is listed as questionable. If he is listed as probable when I check back on Thursday, I may switch back to him. I don't especially like people on offense for RSL, but I would recommend Rimando and their defenders. RSL's offensive guys have not been as impressive this year as they have been in years past. If you really wanted to, you could go with Morales, Findley, or Mathis, but I'm not going to strongly recommend them. For Chivas USA, I would recommend any of their defenders, but especially Jonathan Bornstein, Sacha Kljestan, and either Justin Braun or Maykel Galindo.

I think that Houston should do well at home against Los Angeles and that Seattle should do okay away against Kansas City. I'm going with both Holden and Davis in the midfield. I would have liked to have Montero on the team, but I couldn't work it out. I'm going with Schmid as my coach, even though I think that both Preki and Kreis have better matches this week. I think that Schmid is the most likely to win both this week and next week.

I added Landon Donovan on the bench, because LA plays San Jose next week at home.

Changes:
In: Nick Rimando, Sigi Schmid, Landon Donovan
Out: Zach Thorton, Frank Yallop, Ryan Johnson

Goalkeeper:
Nick Rimando- I like Thorton better if he is healthy, mostly because it means I can make another change somewhere else. Rimando should have a good chance at a shut-out at home against New York. New York has Juan Pablo Angel and Jorege Rojas, two of their offensive weapons, listed as questionable. Also one of the main forward replacements, John Wolyniec, is out.

Defenders:
Eddie Lewis - Away at Houston. Not a good match up, but they do play at home against San Jose next week.

Omar Gonzalez - Away at Houston. Not a good match up, but they do play at home against San Jose next week.

Kevin Alston - Home against the Fire, who play well on the road. Once again, not a great match up.

Midfielders:
Dwayne De Rosario - At home against Real Salt Lake. Hopefully RSL having played earlier in the week will help his chances of scoring. Although if he and no one else on the team scores, than at least I'll get shut-out point for Rimando (unlikely). It was between De Rosario and Kljestan for captain, and I think I'll stick with De Rosario. (Captain)

Sacha Kljestan - Home against San Jose. Should be able to continue his recent impressive form. He has five goals in the last eight games. Also he plays twice next week.

Brad Davis - At home against LA. LA is no push-over, but i think Houston should be able to take care of them at home.

Stuart Holden - It should be an interesting midfield battle, who will be more impressive, Holden and Davis or Donovan and Beckham. LA might have the advantage there, but Houston is a more talented team as a whole.

Forwards:
Justin Braun - Scored last week, hopefully he can do it again. Should be possible against a not so strong San Jose side at home.

Jeffrey Cunningham - He rewarded me last week, let's see if he keeps up the super impressive form. Colorado should prove a challenge, even though FC Dallas is at home.

Conor Casey - What I'm really hoping for is a goal fest, maybe a 4-4 match or something like that, where Cunningham and Casey both score hat-tricks. I don't think I'll be that fortunate. I'd really liek to be playing Montero, or maybe Galindo here, but I couldn't work it out.

Coach:
Sigi Schmid - I think he has the best chance to win both this week and next week, Kreis and Preki are probably better picks for just this week.


Bench: Landon Donovan, Preston Burpo, Sharlie Joseph

Make sure you check out the injury list: http://web.mlsnet.com/stats/injuries (on Friday too), and the discipline list: http://web.mlsnet.com/stats/discipline.jsp.

Now here is, in my opinion, the best line-up this week starting from scratch and with no salary limits:

GK- Nick Rimando (RSL)

Defense-
Jamison Olave (RSL)
Chris Wingert (RSL)
Jonathan Bornstein (CHV)

Midfield-
Sacha Kljestan (CHV)
Dwayne De Rosario (C) (TOR)
Freddie Ljungberg (SEA)
Brad Davis (HOU)

Forward-
Maykel Galindo (CHV)
Fredy Montero (SEA)
Jeff Cunningham (FCD)

Coach- Preki (CHV)

Comments, questions, suggestions? I have $29K in cap space still. Thoughts, ideas anyone?

MLS Fantasy Challenge: Week 30 results

It turned out to be a pretty good week for me. I got big points from Cunningham, Braun, Kljestan, Thorton, and De Rosario. If I had picked a different captain, I might have been a little better off, but there is really no reason to complain. This week I got 178 points for a total of 4441, which sends me up to 18th in the overall standings.

So if I stay between 11-20, I get a home jersey of my choice as my prize, and if I drop to somewhere between 21-50, I get an official match ball (I won't consider the notion that I could drop any lower than that). As a prize, I think I'd like the match ball better than the jersey (and it actually costs more), but I want to finish as high as possible.

The cap-less team did really well with 233 points. It had Preki and Ferreira, but actually lost nine points among all of the defenders.

MLS Fantasy challenge: Week 30 line-up

Ok so here is the deal this week. San Jose plays twice this week and then there are a whole bunch of teams with bye weeks. Chicago, Colorado, D.C., Houston, L.A., New York, Real Salt Lake and Seattle all don't play this week. Next week everyone plays and Real Salt Lake plays twice. In addition to the teams with byes, you also have to remember that people are going to be away with national team duty. The name that comes to mind of teams who are still playing is Amado Guevara.

This week I added two guys from Chivas USA because they play Kansas City this week at home and San Jose next week at home. I think that those are pretty good match ups for them. I also added Jeff Cunningham because he has been on fire and FC Dallas is playing against San Jose who haven't been great this year (although I do have Johnson and Yallop, but San Jose does play twice this week). Unfortunately three guys in my line-up still aren't playing this week.

Changes:
In: Zach Thorton, Jeff Cunningham, Justin Braun
Out: Landon Donovan, Chris Cummings, Chris Pontius

Goalkeeper:
Zach Thorton- Chivas USA play at home against Kansas City this week and then at home against San Jose next week. I think that those are both potential shutouts.

Defenders:
Eddie Lewis - Not playing.

Omar Gonzalez - Not playing.

Kevin Alston - Tough game for the Rev's, they are hosting Columbus. I'm not counting on a shutout here, and I'm wondering if it wouldn't be better to have three defenders who weren't playing.

Midfielders:
Dwayne De Rosario - At home against San Jose. This should be a good match for Toronto, they are playing one of the weaker teams in the year, who should be tired from their mid-week match. I like De Rosario's chances for putting up points on the board. (Captain)

Sacha Kljestan - Like Thorton, I like Kljestan's match-ups over the next two weeks. He has really come alive after struggling through so much of the season. I think that Chivas USA should be able to crush Kansas City at home.

Brad Davis - Not playing.

Shalrie Joseph - Tough match, but if someone is going to lead the team to victory it is going to be him. They rely on him to do everything, create, score, and defend.

Forwards:
Justin Braun - I would have probably gone with Santos or Padilla, but both of them show up on the injury report this week. Like I said above, I like Chivas USA's upcoming match-ups.

Jeffrey Cunningham - I have finally ended the boycott and put an FC Dallas player on the team. He is the hottest player and has been on fire in the second half of the season. It just seemed foolish to leave him out any longer. I'm disappointed that I couldn't afford to put Ferriera in the midfield this week as well.

Ryan Johnson - Two games this week, although neither one of them is going to be easy. I certainly think he is capable of scoring in either.

Coach:
Frank Yallop - He was a good choice last week, I'm not so sure this week, but at least he gets two tries at it.

Bench: Stuart Holden, Preston Burpo, Conor Casey

Make sure you check out the injury list: http://web.mlsnet.com/stats/injuries (on Friday too), and the discipline list: http://web.mlsnet.com/stats/discipline.jsp.

Now here is, in my opinion, the best line-up this week starting from scratch and with no salary limits:

GK- Zach Thorton (CHV)

Defense-
Jim Brennan (TOR)
Adrian Serioux (TOR)
Ugo Ihemelu (FCD)

Midfield-
Sacha Kljestan (CHV)
Dwayne De Rosario (C) (TOR)
Shalrie Joseph (NE)
David Ferreira (FCD)

Forward-
Justin Braun (CHV)
Ryan Johnson (SJ)
Jeff Cunningham (FCD)

Coach- Preki (CHV)

Comments, questions, suggestions? I have $24K in cap space still. Thoughts, ideas anyone?

MLS Fantasy Challenge: Week 29 results

I'll keep this brief. I earned 152 points last week for a total of 4263 points. I currently sit 21st in the over-all standings. Forwards did well this week, both of my San Jose picks paid off. Not a whole lot of points anywhere else on the team.