Tuesday, March 31, 2009

POWER RANKINGS: Week 2

ATTACHMENT
With the second week of the BIGTIME season in the books, what we have learned is that it is still too early to judge which teams are contenders and which teams are pretenders.
So far only two teams have put together back to back quality games and that is Capital District and Montgomery County.
The Gunners are the only perfect team left and have yet to recieve any kind of offense from Juan Pablo Angel.
Montgomery overcame its game one loss by scoring another 4 points to claim its first victory. Also the team has gotten the most out of its Goal Keeper so far. While most keepers have failed to add anything to the score sheet so far, Keller has put together 2 clean sheets already.
Game 3 begins on Thursday with most of the USMNT call-ups back in action hopefully.

Sunday, March 29, 2009

GAME 2: What a difference a week can make

BOXSCORES
It was a complete reversal of fortunes for D.C. Forever between games one and two. After being the only team without an offensive player to score last week, this time more than half the team contributed when an impressive five different players had a goal or an assist.

D.C. Forever was game two's league leader in points scored and in goal differential. The team cruised to a 5-0 win over Gaithersburg City.

Tuesday, March 24, 2009

POWER RANKINGS: Week 1

ATTACHMENT
The first power rankings are out! Incase you are not familiar with the concept here is what you need to know. These rankings focus on the current strengths and weaknesses of each team. It also highlights any current trends.
A teams record in the standings is not the main criteria but how the team has been performing as of late. As the weeks go by you will see how teams will be judged.

Sunday, March 22, 2009

GAME 1: Gunners top the league offensively for the opener

BOXSCORES From the very first kick, the Capital District Gunners were ready. On Thursday, the team got 2 goals and an assist from Fredy Montero. Then on Saturday, more scoring came as three more players contributed on route to a 7 point game and a BIGTIME league high for game one.

Montgomery County put up a good fight and should not be discouraged with its effort, but the teams 4 points would not be enough this time.

Wednesday, March 18, 2009

OPENING KICK 2009: Let the games begin.....

Game 1 of 2009 is here! Its the one time in the year where every team is in first place.

Which team will come out blazing and strike worry amongst the other team operators? Which team will be the last to lose a game or the last to win a game? Which 3 teams will make the playoffs? Which 4 teams will qualify for the Majors Cup? Which team or teams will collect the hardware?

The inaugural season starts Thursday night!

Saturday, March 14, 2009

Majors Cup adds more excitement to the regular season

The BIGTIME rulebook keeps growing. Added to it are a few topics that have come up during the course of the draft. Also introduced is the Majors Cup. A tournament that not only gives us the chance to have our fantasy teams play against MLS squads, but also gives the unfortunate team operators some hope in the later parts of the regular season.

The new additions are:
Draft time limits, Free Agent waiver period, standings tiebreakers, Designated Player trades, and the Majors Cup.

Take a look at the pages below to have any of your questions answered.
6 PAGES




DRAFT: Final rounds make way for opening kick

After a week of signing players, all the BIGTIME teams are now complete.
The question as to which team will have the "winning eleven" will be determined at the conclusion of an exciting 20 game season. It will be hard to predict just how the upcoming games will turn out. For example injuries may come and force teams to make unwanted maneuvers. Also possible is an unknown player could burst into the scene and take the league by storm. In the end someone will have the bragging rights for being the leagues first champion and possibly the league first winner of the "BIGTIME Double", winning both the Honors Trophy and the BSL Cup.

Friday, March 13, 2009

DRAFT: Rosters almost ready for action

The leagues rosters are almost complete. For many of the teams they have finished their starting nine and now only need to fill a few substitute players. Ofcourse, team operators can always opt to change their line-up's around and start whoever they want before any new BIGTIME game is started.

To make changes to your roster it is important that you let the rest of the league know your updated player placement. The best way to do this is to post your line-up changes in the most recent comments posted article. This way your gameday opponent will be able to know which players will be counted against his own. If you are making no changes, the team operator needs to do nothing. Trades and free agent signings during the season will be displayed in the TRANSACTIONS section on the website. but, be warned, if you do not specify where you want your new player to be listed in your line-up, then that new player will fill the exact same spot your released player had.

Thursday, March 12, 2009

DRAFT: Next rounds show the Goal Keeper some respect

It took the midway point in the draft, but the first team to sign a Goal Keeper was Garden State when Danny Cepero was drafted as the 46th pick.

In the next round, Montgomery County decided to go with a GK with more professional experience by adding Kasey Keller (#51) to the teams line-up.

The very next pick (#52), Gaithersburg City took Kevin Hartman as its team keeper. The BIGTIME draft is now over half way complete and first kick is only one week from beginning.

Wednesday, March 11, 2009

DRAFT: Rounds 4 and 5 in the books

Two more rounds were completed and now each team is half way done with their roster. While most of the big name talent was taken in the early going, not all was gone.

The C.D. Gunners were able to pick up Jaime Moreno as the 26th pick. Whenever there's a Penalty kick to be had and he's on the field, he usually puts it in the back of the net. Look for this pick to be a possible dark horse.

Freddie Ljungberg (Union S.C.) and Dave Van der bergh (Garden State Kickers) were also available as late as the 5th round. These international footballers should be able to score a few goals before the season is up.

Tuesday, March 10, 2009

DRAFT: Third round filled with gambles or greats?

When it comes to picking players, every team operator seems to have their own gameplan in building a quality roster. While some teams decided to go with veteran talent, others went way of the youth movement. One of the standout picks in this third round has to be by Montgomery County with the signing of Edson Buddle. His 15 goals and 3 assists in 2008 could make him the steal of this round. But, its not without risk, as the rest of the MLS is sure to challenge this youngster now that he's built a reputation.
Another great signing in this round was by the Kickers. With the signing of Chris Rolfe, the 22nd pick, the team added a steady points contributor. The only concern should be his health as Rolfe plays hard and has a habit of getting roughed up.
Union S.C. has put its faith in the new attacking forward of the Sounders. Sanna Nyassi has all the tools and talent to put up huge numbers. The gamble is will he prosper right away this season or will the talent pool in the Northwest take time to get the kinks out.
What about D.C. Forever and the signing of Terry Cooke? In a fine move, the team picked up a veteran player who had 12 assist last season. Goals are nice, but assists might be what wins a championship in the BIGTIME Cup.
All in all the league seems to be off to a grand start. There was the first Commissioners decision during this round involving team time limits, but all things considered everything seems to be running smoothly. While it will take time to form rivalries within this league, atleast for right now it appears that the team operators have a knowledge of the MLS and its players.

Sunday, March 8, 2009

DRAFT: Round two has more high profile players acquired

The second round of the BIGTIME draft concluded with some very high priced and high profile players acquired. It's to some surprise that some of these guys were not signed in the first round at all.

The first player taken in the second round was Taylor Twellman. If he can stay healthy he should be in store for another fine year.
The MLS' second highest paid player in Cuahutemoc Blanco was selected by the Gunners as the 10th pick.
While the first round was filled with plenty of USMNT players, this next round saw more foreign born talent picked up.
There are still nine rounds to go before any BIGTIME team will have a complete squad, but with every pick, the identity of each team is slowly becoming more apparent.
The third round of the draft is about to begin and not a moment too soon. Opening kick starts in less than 10 days. With only 20 games to determine the Honors Trophy, every game will surely have meaning.
So, who will be signed next. Also, how long before we see our first Goal Keeper selected? The answers are coming.......

Friday, March 6, 2009

DRAFT: First round of picks comes to a close

Closing out the first round of the draft, Motor City F.C. announced the teams first player will be Brian McBride. Coming into the league during the transfer window in 2008, McBride had
5 goals and 2 assists in only 11 games played.

Team operators will now have the task of giving their top choices some help on the field. There is plenty of decisions stil to be made.

Round two of the BIGTIME draft is coming up......

DRAFT: An "MVP" and a "Golden Boot" get picked up

The Garden State Kickers announced the signing of last seasons MLS most valuable player, Guillermo Schelotto. He posted impressive numbers last season with 7 goals and 19 assists. If he can duplicate those numbers again he just might be the MVP of BIGTIME as well.

D.C. Forever followed with picking a member of the black and red in Luciano Emilio. While this United striker had a down season in 2008 with 11 goals and 5 assists compared to his 20 goal season in 2007, anything close to either of those years would be solid numbers.

Thursday, March 5, 2009

DRAFT: Two USMNT players get grabbed

Checking in with their first round selection, Gaithersburg City selected Sacha Kljestan. This young gun is making a name for himself in both the MLS and with the USMNT. Kljestan had 5 goals and 7 assists in league play for 2008.

Meanwhile, with the fifth pick in the draft, Union S.C. announced the signing of Brian Ching. In 2008 he had 13 goals and 5 assists.

DRAFT: Montgomery chooses American striker

With the third pick in the BIGTIME draft, Montgomery County selected Kenny Cooper.

This powerful forward from Dallas, Texas provides the team with a bonafide goal scorer.

Cooper had 18 goals and 3 assists in 2008.

Wednesday, March 4, 2009

DRAFT: Gunners select their man

With the second pick in the BIGTIME draft, Capital District
selected Juan Pablo Angel as the teams first player.

Angel is a masterful player and no doubt will be on the radar of whoever plays against the Gunners.

Angel had 14 goals and 3 assist in just 23 games for the 2008 season.