MLS Fantasy 101 is your entry-level course to becoming a fantasy soccer manager extraordinaire.
« Part 1: How to set up your team
Part 3: The scoring system »
So you've registered and created your fantasy team. That's the first step. But it's a baby step, because Fantasy Soccer Manager is a real competition. (Isn't everything these days?) So now it's time to join a league and start competing against other managers.
GLOBAL LEAGUES & SUPPORTERS LEAGUES
For starters, you are automatically entered into a number of "Global Leagues" just by registering a team. You are automatically included in the Overall league, which pits you against every other FSM player in the game. You'll also be entered into a league automatically with all players starting the same round as you.
Finally, if you select a favorite MLS team while registering your account, you'll be entered into that club's official Supporters League.
The game has 21 Supporters Leagues (19 MLS clubs, plus NYC FC and Orlando City SC) and the winner of each league is eligible for a $200 gift card.
It's the Overall league that rewards the Top 10 managers with some sweet prizes, while the 21 supporters league winners receive prizes as well.
Oh, and build or join a league with more than 750 players and you're eligible to win even more prizes.
CLASSIC VS. HEAD-TO-HEAD LEAGUES
The overall league is a Classic league. That means that the standings are based purely on the total number of points your team has accumulated throughout the season. Points earned each round are simply added to the total, and at the end of Round 33 a winner is crowned.
In Head-to-Head leagues, teams face off against each other every round. The team with the most points in the round earns a win. The standings are then determined by the teams' W-L-D record rather than total points. So, at the end of the season, the winner of the league is the team with the best record, which isn't necessarily be the team with the most total points.
KNOCKOUT ROUNDS
Each league, Classic or Head-to-Head, has the option to end the year with a tournament – or playoff bracket. The length of the tournament is determined by the number of knockout rounds selected by the creator of the league. Each league administrator can select between one to four knockout rounds. The more rounds you select, the more teams qualify for the tournament.
- 1 knockout round – 2 teams
- 2 knockout rounds – 4 teams
- 3 knockout rounds – 8 teams
- 4 knockout rounds – 16 teams
PUBLIC LEAGUES
The overall and supporters leagues are, by nature, very large. They aren't always ideal for the interaction, camaraderie, rivalry, and, of course, trash talk that make fantasy sports so entertaining. For that, a smaller league is better.
It's easy to join a public league made up of 20 teams. They are leagues composed of your squad and 19 randomly assigned players, and both Classic and Head-to-Head public leagues are available.
You can enter up to three different public leagues.
How to join a public league:
- After logging into your team, click the "Leagues" tab at the top of the page
- Click the "Join a league" tab
- Choose "Public league" and click Next
- Choose either "Classic" or "Head-to-Head" and click Next
- Click "Join public league" button.
PRIVATE LEAGUES
Now, here's the good stuff.
The best part of fantasy games is battling it out with your friends, family, and colleagues. And we've given you a blank slate on which to do just that.
You can either join a league that someone else has created, or you can create your own league and invite others to join you. Or both – you can join up to 15 private leagues.
How to join a private league:
- Sign into your account and select the "Leagues" tab at the top of the page
- Click the "Join a league" tab
- Choose "Private league" and click Next
- Enter the private league code provided by whoever made the league. Click "Join private league" button
- You can also join private leagues by clicking on an auto-join link shareable via Twtter or Facebook
- To join the ExtraTime Radio league you can enter the code 2301-987.
How to create a private league:
- Sign into your account and select the "Leagues" tab at the top of the page
- Click the "Create a league" tab
- Choose either "Classic" or "Head-to-Head" and click Next
- Enter a name for your league and click "Create league"
- On the next page, you will have a chance to email invitations to friends join the league. This email will include the league code required for them to join. You will also see the code, so you can provide it to your friends at another time. As a new feature, you can share the code via Facebook and Twitter with an auto-join link attached that will allow players to join with one simple click.
And it's as simple as that.
If you're like me and enjoy playing for prizes, be sure to seek out additional leagues to join that award prizes to the league winners. Pay attention to MLSsoccer.com for updates on which leagues to join in the near future. You can join my private head-to-head league by entering the code 2-30. Feel free to share your league codes in the comments below.
