By ALAN LEDBETTER With most of the playoff spots spoken for, the final week of MLS is sure to be unpredictable. Coaches are more likely to rest key players, which makes picking a fantasy team very difficult. Since lineups lock for MFLS on Wednesday, you will have to set your lineup with some uncertainty this week. Portland and D.C. United play in a mid-week game, with both having an outside shot at taking New York Red Bulls' spot in the playoffs. Portland is three points back and D.C. is five points back, both with a game in hand. With this... Continue reading

Photo by Nick Turchiaro/ISIphotos.com By ALAN LEDBETTER There are two weeks left in MLS with a full slate of games each week to earn enough fantasy points to finish at the top spot in SBI’s fantasy division. The playoff picture is starting to clear up as many teams are beginning to clinch spots, while others have dropped out. Picking up players from teams still in the hunt for the final playoff spots may be the best bet to get points in the final weeks because they still have something to play for. Teams that have clinched have a tendency to... Continue reading

By ALAN LEDBETTER This week in MLS, which was originally intended to be an international calendar break, was created due to games that were rescheduled throughout the year. There are three games this week, and with only three weeks left in the MFLS schedule, it is important that you don’t lose ground due to players not playing. It is important this week to know which players will be out with international absences. See this link for a list of MLS players that were called up this week. Nick Rimando will join the United States in camp after the RSL game... Continue reading

Photo by Jose L. Argueta/ISIphotos.com By ALAN LEDBETTER Dwayne De Rosario has been on a hot streak that every fantasy MLS owner should riding. After a disappointing first half of the season, he has become the highest-scoring field player in MFLS and had one of the most impressive weeks of the season this past week. This week a kind of odd week in the MFLS schedule, with next Tuesday's Los Angeles vs. New York game being included in this week's set of games. Also, many teams play two games this week, and with only four weeks left in the season,... Continue reading

Photo by Stephen Brashear/ISIphotos.com By ALAN LEDBETTER With only five weeks left, now is the time to use your remaining transfers and prepare for a strong ending to the fantasy season. With six teams playing two games this week, there are plenty of fantasy points up for grabs. Los Angeles continued its strong form last week, putting together a very strong performance against Vancouver. Most of their players are at the top of the standings in fantasy points and are great players to play week-in and week-out considering the amount of wins and goals L.A. puts up. Here are a... Continue reading

Photo by Michael Janosz/ISIphotos.com By ALAN LEDBETTER A high scoring week in MLS left many fantasy points up for grabs last week. One of the more surprising fantasy performers was Charlie Davies, who notched a hat trick on the road vs. Chivas. His value will be on the rise if he can regain the form he showed at the beginning of the season and could be a good pickup for the remaining weeks of the season. If you still have transfers left for this season, be sure to pick up someone that will have value for the remaining of the... Continue reading

By ALAN LEDBETTER DC United continued their strong form this week as they trounced Vancouver at home. DC has continued to turn thing around since their acquisition of Dwayne DeRosario and are now likely to make the playoffs if they continue their strong form. Meanwhile, the New York Red Bulls, arguably the most talented team in MLS at the beginning of the season, continue to struggle. They will need to turn things around quickly to be in the playoff race later in the season. This will be a big week to rack up points with six different teams playing multiple... Continue reading

Photo by Jose L. Argueta/ISIphotos.com By ALAN LEDBETTER Dwayne De Rosario seems to have finally found his home in DC. De Rosario was a threat to the attack in Toronto and New York but looks to be a different, more influential player since coming to D.C. He has scored two or more goals in his past two games and will have another great chance to keep his scoring streak alive with a home game against expansion side Vancouver. With more than two-thirds of the season in the books, it's time to start using some of your extra transfers to get... Continue reading

Photo by Tracy Allen/ISIphotos.com By ALAN LEDBETTER A high-scoring week of MLS action is just what fantasy owners needed after three 0-0 draws in the previous week. For this season, it has appeared that the best fantasy strategy is to play players that have a game against Toronto. Their new lineup has showed a bit of promise on the offensive end, but the team has allowed a league-high 41 goals and is still working new defensive pieces into the mix. It will be interesting to see if a struggling Portland side will be able to take advantage of this team... Continue reading

Photo by Stephen Brashear/ISIphotos.com By ALAN LEDBETTER When planning for each week of Fantasy MLS, there are many factors to consider. Then there are the things for which fantasy owners can't possibly prepare. Last week, Vancouver postponed its game vs. Real Salt Lake due to field conditions soon before the fantasy cutoff Saturday, which left many managers scrambling to find replacements for their players that suddenly weren't playing. This week should make up for the lack of games and output last week, as there are five MLS games on Wednesday and many teams playing twice. Look to use a few... Continue reading

By ALAN LEDBETTER A full week of MLS games made for a high scoring week last week. There is a much lighter schedule this week with no teams playing twice this week as many of them are engaged in the US Open Cup competition. Prepare a challenge to find the right starting lineup as most games are fairly even this week. The most favorable matchup this week seems to be the DC United at FC Dallas game. FC Dallas has looked very impressive since Brek Shea has proved to be one of the most valuable players in MLS. Dallas should... Continue reading

By ALAN LEDBETTER The Gold Cup is over and all players will be returning to their club teams this week from international duty. New York is especially glad to see their players return after being without their starting center backs for the duration of the tournament. However, Rafa Marquez was injured in the Gold Cup final and will not be able to play this week. It has not been determined how long the Mexican captain will be out for. Here are a few more items to consider before setting your fantasy lineup this week: FANTASY MLS WEEK 17 BEST XI... Continue reading

Photo by Howard C. Smith/ISIphotos.com By ALAN LEDBETTER Many teams will be happy to have their players come back as the Gold Cup winds down. Only Mexico, Honduras, United States, and Panama remain in the tournament, and two teams will be going home after the semifinals are played on Wednesday. While it'd be a risk to play any players from the potential semifinal losers, as they might not return to their clubs in time, players from teams that were eliminated over the weekend and before that should be fair game. In MLS, there are many teams with multiple games and... Continue reading

Photo by Brad Smith/ISIphotos.com By ALAN LEDBETTER So much for that league-wide scoring drought. Many players turned in big fantasy outputs last week as scoring picked back up in MLS. For some teams, it was even hard to tell that stars were missing. With San Jose's main attacking threat, Chris Wondolowski, out for the Gold Cup, Steven Lenhart continued to play well at forward. He took advantage of the situation by scoring a hat trick, along with adding an assist in the Earthquakes' game vs. D.C. United. Some players will be heading back to their club teams this week as... Continue reading

By ALAN LEDBETTER This past week in Major League Soccer was very low scoring, as many teams struggled to find the back of the net with their stars missing on international duty. With a couple of more games on the schedule than usual and some lopsided matchups, this week could provide a return to high-scoring ways. On of the headline matchups this week is Chicago at Sporting Kansas City. This is Sporting KC’s first home game, and it will finally show us how SKC players can perform when not on the road. If they end up performing well at home,... Continue reading

By ALAN LEDBETTER The Gold Cup is upon us as many Major League Soccer stars leave their club teams to represent their country in the tournament. With international call-ups affecting roster personnel for some MLS teams this weekend, it's important to know who won't be available for your roster selection. Look at the Gold Cup roster selections before selecting your team for this week. There have been a few changes throughout the week since the rosters were initially set. The New England Revolution lucked out as Shalrie Joseph will be staying with the club team instead of participating in the... Continue reading

By ALAN LEDBETTER This past fantasy week was filled with star players coming back strong from nagging injuries, and others getting injuries that will keep them out for quite a long time. Thierry Henry proved all doubters wrong again this week by scoring two goals and notching an assist in an away game vs. D.C. United. This was his second straight week of putting up big fantasy stats after a lackluster beginning of the season. Also, Landon Donovan returned from his injury with a stellar game vs. Portland, showing his 2010 form for the first time this year. Long-term injuries... Continue reading