Challenge Kicks off Saturday
Published on February 28, 2003 under Major League Soccer (MLS) News Release
NEW YORK (Friday, February 28, 2003) - Registration for the "2003 MLS Fantasy Challenge," the Official Fantasy Game of MLS (powered by The Sporting News), begins tomorrow at fantasy.MLSnet.com. The upgraded 30-week competition begins in conjunction with the April 5 kickoff of Major League Soccer's eighth season, featuring the defending MLS Cup Champion Los Angeles Galaxy against the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Champion Columbus Crew live on ABC Sports at 4:00 p.m. ET.
While prizes are based on overall standings, fans can create their own divisions with the opportunity to compete against family, friends, co-workers as well as MLS fans across the globe. Several upgrades have been made to the 2002 version of the game, including:
Multiple Formations - Participants will have the opportunity to choose between 3-5-2, 4-4-2, and 4-3-3 formations.
Daily Player Value Updates - Based on demand, an MLS player's value will fluctuate daily in 2003, requiring die-hard managers to monitor the game regularly.
MLSFC Manager of the Week Highlight - Each weekly winner will be profiled on fantasy.MLSnet.com
MLSFC Espanol - MLSFC rules and game instructions will now be offered in Spanish.
MLSGear.com Weekly Promotion - Each week, MLSGear.com, the Official Online Store for MLS products, will provide a special promotion exclusively for MLSFC participants.
Trade Cap - In order to even the playing field while not hindering managerial flexibility, the number of trades allowed throughout the season is limited.
Game Scoring - A more detailed and involved scoring system, provided by the Elias Sports Bureau, provides a deeper level of data for each player, not just scorers and goalkeepers.
Fans who register for the free game via MLSnet.com have the opportunity to win more than 400 MLS prizes, including all-expense paid trips for two to the 2003 Pepsi MLS All-Star Game on August 2 and MLS Cup 2003 on November 23, both at the state-of-the-art Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif. Prizes include the chance to distribute t-shirts on the field to the Cup-winning team, autographed All-Star jerseys, official autographed and game-worn MLS memorabilia, and several other exclusive MLS items.
"MLS is again proud to partner with the fantasy experts at The Sporting News to offer an even more competitive, detailed and authentic online fantasy game than last year's, which was the most successful in League history," said MLS Executive Vice President Mark Noonan. "Our fans demand the best, and with great weekly, season and Grand Prizes, we now offer fantasy aficionados another great way to connect with our League, teams and players."
As the owner, general manager, and coach of their very own MLS fantasy team, fans have the opportunity to put their favorite players on the same side. The 2003 MLS Fantasy Challenge rewards goalscorers and defenders alike, making a balanced team a necessity to win. Fantasy owners must examine team vs. team matchups to pick their starting 11 each week, while taking into consideration player trends, salary budget, the potential of budding young players or international stars, national team duty, injuries and unproductive performers, all with the goal of producing a championship team.
"The Sporting News is pleased to once again power Major League Soccer's Official Fantasy Soccer Game," said Erik Barmack, GM of Fantasy Games for SportingNews.com. "Through this game, fans have a great opportunity to stimulate and supplement their interest in MLS players and teams and to prove their savvy as a Major League Soccer general manager."
Major League Soccer's Fantasy Challenge is a free weekly online fantasy game that allows soccer fans the opportunity to manage their own soccer team using real-life statistical results. Using a salary budget of 2,000,000 MLS dollars, team owners select 11-player squads, and can follow their team's weekly progress throughout the season. The better players perform on the MLS playing field, the more fantasy points they earn for their team.
Fantasy teams with the highest overall point total at the conclusion of the 2003 MLS regular season (October 26, 2003) will be eligible to win the Grand Prize, which includes a trip for two to MLS Cup 2003 on Sunday, November 23. The winner of this trip for two will be the lucky fan to distribute MLS Cup t-shirts and hats to the champions on the field after the game. A complete list of prizes follows:
GRAND PRIZE: One (1) trip to MLS Cup 2003 - Opportunity to distribute championship t-shirts on field
Prize 1-5: Five (5) autographed Pepsi MLS All-Star Jerseys
Prize 6-15: Ten (10) autographed Official Puma MLS Match Balls
Prize 16-30 Fifteen (15) Official Puma MLS Match Balls
Prize 31-50: Twenty (20) EA FIFA 2003 video games
Prize 51-100: Fifty (50) Official MLS t-shirts
Prize 101-200: One-hundred (100) Official Puma MLS mini-balls
Prize 201 - 400: Two-hundred (200) MLS Soccer Nation posters
Mid-Season Prizes
GRAND PRIZE: One (1) trip to Pepsi MLS All-Star Game
Prize 1-10: Ten (10) $50 MLSGear.com gift certificates
The MLS Fantasy Challenge is supplemented by MLSnet.com's gameday coverage, including live data feeds from each stadium powered by Elias Sports Bureau, and up-to-the-minute information, including results, schedules, standings, game recaps, quote sheets, statistics, player biography pages, predictions, capsules and analysis.
Major League Soccer's eighth campaign kicks off on Saturday, April 5 on ABC Sports, featuring the defending MLS Cup Champion Los Angeles Galaxy at the Columbus Crew at 4:00 p.m. ET. The 10 teams that comprise MLS are: the Chicago Fire, Colorado Rapids, Columbus Crew, Dallas Burn, D.C. United, Kansas City Wizards, Los Angeles Galaxy, MetroStars, New England Revolution and the San Jose Earthquakes.
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
Major League Soccer Stories from February 28, 2003
