The Comprehensive Guide to Fantasy Soccer on The Bent Musket and SB Nation Soccer

Fantasy soccer is something I've dabbled in here and there as it's developed over the years. I've participated in EPL leagues and MLS leagues, but every year I tend to fade in my interest and dedication as the season wears on, until it gets to a point where I can't even tell you what league position I'm in anymore. Not this year, though. Oh no, not this year.

This season there are no less than three leagues to which we should all be paying incredibly close attention. Two of them are The Bent Musket leagues, and one is for all of SB Nation Soccer. More importantly, all three feature prizes for the winners and runners-up.

First in line is the official TBM Classic league. IMPORTANT: You need to read the rules for participating in this contest! Otherwise you may not be eligible for the prizes. Specifically, first place wins a $100 gift certificate to MLS Gear, while second and third place will win free subscriptions to MLS Live. This league features a classic set-up, where your scores are totaled each week and league standings are determined by highest cumulative score.

We should note right away that while myself and any author here at TBM is free to participate in this league, not a single one of us will accept a prize. I'm actually precluded by my contract with SBN, but Corey, Brendan, Matty, Abram, and Devin are also foregoing their right to win in the interest of propriety. In the event that one or more of us wins the league or places in the top 3, prizes will simply move down the line until they reach someone eligible.

League code: 97-329

Second among the leagues is the official SBN Soccer league. Once again, read those rules of participation. The same rules apply to the SBN league as they do to the TBM league, but with different prizes. The winner of this league earns two Category 1 tickets to the 2014 match of his or her choice ($75 value apiece), while the next five places win free MLS Live subscriptions. This is also a classic league.

Like with the TBM classic league, I am precluded from winning a prize. However, the rest of the TBM authors are not, so you'll be mixing it up with them on equal footing. Scoring for this league begins with week 2.

League code: 15011-2593

Finally, our other official TBM league is the MLS Fantasyland League, the brainchild of our resident Couch Captain and Fantasy guru, Matty Jollie. This contest is NOT governed by the rules linked above, because Matty provided the prizes on his account. Those prizes are $75 to MLS Gear for the winner, $50 to MLS Gear for second place, and $25 to MLS Gear for third. Please note, however, that this is a head-to-head league, meaning you will be matched up against another player each week, and your place in the league will be based on your win-loss record, not your cumulative score.

We're all eligible to win those prizes, so get your game up.

League code: 11498-2401

UPDATE: APPARENTLY HEAD-TO-HEAD LEAGUES HAVE A TEAM CAP, AND THE MLS FANTASYLAND LEAGUE HAS REACHED IT. WE'RE SORRY :(

Hope to see you all playing this year!