This is a quickie soccer fantasy update, because I have been slacking the last couple of weeks, but without further ado here it is.

Man City defenders-  Manchester city gave up 3 goals to Fulham, which was totally unexpected.  Those 3 goals scored, are more than Man City has let in all season.  Man City also hasn't conceded a goal at home, so look for them to have a big game against Newcastle, along with Schmeichel in net.  Plus no Michael Owen facing them.

Charles N'Zogbia- Kinda goes against my pick of Man City Defense, but this is more of a long term pick, maybe the week after.  Currently has 3 goals and 2 assists, and is playing great.

Anelka vs Derby Defense- Anelka is in fine form, and look for him to have a field day against the team that has allowed the most goals (20)

Adebayor- He has looked awesome this season, and not just on easy goals, I think every goal I have seen him score, other than the PK have all been of the highest calibre.  I had Van Persie, but with his current form, and Van Persie's current lack of minutes I would go with the Adebayor.  He is also relatively cheap at this point.

Kanu - I had him last year, and the forward gave me some great points in the first half of hte season.  I expect more of the same, if you pick him up, be wary of his performance after December.  He is also facing a weak Reading side at home, and Portsmouth are a very good home team.

Dead weight

Ronaldo has failed to recreate the form that saw him single handidly win my fantasy season last year.  I wouldn't say drop him just yet if you have him, because he could catch fire at any time.  But if he continues the way he is you might as well put that money to better use on a forward, or midfielder.

Gerrard - When he becomes healthy again I would pick him up, but at this point I think it will take a couple of weeks, if you have him keep him.  If you want him hold out a little longer if you can.

Arteta - Was my darkhorse last year.  No one really knew who he was, but he in my opinion single handidly brought Everton up to a UEFA Cup spot.  He is also struggling with injury at the moment.

Some good like for like replacements

Gerrard, Ronaldo pick up Fabregas (When did he learn how to shoot?), or possibly Elano, who has yet to score, but has produced a lot of assists so far.

Arteta- Elano, or Petrov of Man City.  Petrov has looked good all season, his only downside I have seen so far is that his crossing needs work, and he forgot his shooting boots in spain, maybe that will all change after the Fulham game.

The picks I am using are based on the EPL fantasy game, which I know is significantly different than say Channel fours.  I have no real knowledge of the fox soccer one, but hopefully these picks can help people out some.  I will also for the most part try and shy away from the obvious picks such as John Terry, or Ronaldo, because everyone knows about those players, I want to help people find them gems in the league that are cheap and allow you to make room to load up your team.

So I will begin by starting with Goalkeepers

Prior to the season beginning I was quick to pick up Isakson of Man City.  I was impressed with how he did at the world cup last year, and I also knew that Man City were a decent defensive side before Sven became the manager, but add him to the fold and you can see how they have done.  Unforfunatley Isakson got injured and Schmiechal took over.  I at first was unsure because he was such an unknown as well as being so young, but his stats speak for themselves, having one pk save, and only allowing one goal.  It will be interesting to see who starts once Isakson becomes healthy.

Hahneman, Keller, Friedel, and Keller, three US keepers who will all be relatively cheap, and help you get alot of points for your team.  I suggest staying away from any of the keepers from the top four, they are usually pretty expensive, and don' t have to make as many saves as a mid table team, so they don't get as many points.

Defenders

What I said about  Man City's keepers also to a degree applies to the defenders, Dunne and Micah Richards are huge, and have helped me immensley.  Garrido and Corluka are also top defenders playing for Man City you can pick up for relatively cheap.  The Reading defense has also played well, and Bikey, or Ingimarson would be a good addition.

Midfielders

I My fantasy team took quite a blow with the toe injury of Steven Gerrad and the suspension of Ronaldo.  Right now Sibierski is proving many doubters wrong who said Wigan would be relageted and currently has the most points of any midfielder.  But at 33 you wonder how long he can keep this up.  Arteta is a good bet to have another season like the one he had last year, and his teammate Osman is also a good player to have.  Smertin right now is someone to keep an eye on, he is also very cheap and has racked up the points, question is can he keep it up.  Charles N'Zogbia also looks to be living up to his potential this season.

Forwards

Last year Berbatov was the forward to get, fairly cheap, and really came on the second half of last season.  This season he is struggling with injuries, but I would say keep an eye on him to regain his form.  Mido has looked impressive so far at Boro, and I would suggest placing him on the watchlist.  I suggest avoiding any forwards from Liverpool because of Rafa's rotation policy, you just never know whom is going to start.  Right now the best #### for your buck is Forseel of Birmingham, who is very cheap, and doing very well to start off his season.  I would also add David Nugent to your watchlist to see if he can bring his scoring touch from the championsihp to the EPL.

That is it for now, good luck picking

So I have put off writing my blog for a long time because, didn't really feel like I had enough time, or energy, and that may still be true, but I will at least try and get 1 post a week up, maybe Sunday night after the week of action. 

I will talk about any soccer anyone wants to bring up, but will most likely focus on US national team, EPL, La Liga, and a little MLS as I try to get inolved in our domestic league, and help support it.

I also might do a fantasy soccer article so I can help out all my friends who seem to need some help competing with me. (Atleti looking at you)

Edit

So to give my blog a little substance and hopefully get a conversation going, lets talk about two recent transfers that I think are awesome.

Yakubu to Everton

To me this is an awesome signing for Everton.  Only Theiry Henry has been more prolific in the same time span since about 2002 I believe in the EPL.  This helps add depth to Everton's frontline, gives them to excellent forwards who I feel will compliment each other.  This depth will no doubt help them compete in the UEFA Cup, and FA cup as well as the EPL.  I think this gives them a great option to maybe win the FA Cup, but I don't see them winning the UEFA Cup, mainly due to Bayern's presence, along with some very strong Spanish sides.

The other signing that got me very excited was Denilson joing FC Dallas.  I am actually more excited for this signing than I am for Beckham.  Denilson has had an interesting career, he showed great promise in the 98 World Cup, and was bought by Real Betis by a then record 37 million.  He never quite lived up to his price tag, and eventually found his way at Bordeaux.  He did ok at Bordeaux, but they weren't able to pay his hefty wage, so he moved on to Saudi Arabia.

In Denilson FC Dallas gets a play capable of some dazzling one on one moves, which is something the MLS sorely lacks, along with some Brazilian flair.  He has somewhat of a reputation as a ball hog, but I really don't think that is a bad thing right now for the MLS.

I am very excited for September 15th, when FC Dallas heads to New England.  What a week that will be the 12th I get to watch Brasil vs Mexico, a few days later see how Denilson is in the US!