MLS Fantasy has landed on Sofascore – and it’s a brand new way to test your knowledge of the league.
Built around Sofascore’s detailed player ratings and match data, the game offers a different twist on traditional Fantasy formats. But before you start building your squad, it’s important to understand how it all works.
In this guide, our expert @dmpwright walks you through the fundamentals of MLS Fantasy on Sofascore, explaining the scoring system, key rules and the strategic angles that could give you an edge. Whether you’re completely new or just looking to sharpen up, he breaks down everything you need to know.
SQUAD SELECTION
You start with a €100 million budget to build a 15-man squad. That includes two goalkeepers, five defenders, five midfielders and three forwards. You can select a maximum of three players from any one team.
Each week, you get five free transfers. Any additional moves cost five points. That’s a major shift from the old MLS Fantasy format, where managers had unlimited weekly transfers. You now need a plan. You can’t roll unused transfers into the next Gameweek, so use them wisely.
On top of the weekly transfers, you receive two Rebuild Squad tokens – one for each half of the season – plus a Quick Fix token and a Triple Captain token. These will prove valuable, especially early in the campaign when rotation becomes an issue due to Champions Cup fixtures. International absences, which regularly disrupt MLS squads, also make chip strategy important.
MATCHDAY SQUAD MANAGEMENT
The Sofascore version keeps rolling lockouts, but changes how you manage your team during a Gameweek.
You can start players from earlier kick-offs and replace them with bench players from later matches if they underperform. That flexibility removes the old “keeperoo”, “autoroo” and “switcheroo” mechanics and replaces them with a cleaner system.
You can also move the captaincy from a player who has already played to one who has not yet locked. That’s a significant upgrade compared to the previous format and adds another layer of in-game strategy. This means you can change captain every match.
SCORING SYSTEM
Sofascore ratings sit at the heart of the scoring system. Players gain up to three points – or lose up to two – based on their match rating. That sliding scale introduces another dimension beyond traditional returns.
Outside of that, the structure resembles the earlier era of MLS Fantasy scoring. Clean sheets, goals and assists remain central, but players also earn points for defensive actions such as clearances, blocks, tackles, interceptions and duels won. Passing accuracy, key passes and successful dribbles also contribute.
Goalkeepers have more routes to points as well. In addition to saves and clean sheets, they score for punches, high claims and successful runs off their line.
The format also brings back what managers used to call the “Medranda”. If a player leaves the pitch with a clean sheet intact, they keep those clean-sheet points even if their team concedes later.
For a deep dive into the points system head over to Sofascore, but here is a snippet of that:
MORE ON THE CHIPS/TOKENS
TRIPLE CAPTAIN
The Triple Captain token does exactly what it says. Instead of doubling your captain’s score, it triples it for that Gameweek.
You must activate it before the transfer deadline. Once the round starts, you can still move the armband to another player in your squad as long as that player hasn’t locked. That flexibility mirrors the standard captaincy rules and gives you room to react during the Gameweek.
You can also activate it when making substitutions.
You get one Triple Captain token per season. Pick your moment carefully. Target strong fixtures, doubles or standout matchups where the upside justifies the risk.
QUICK FIX
When injuries, rotation or international duty tear your squad apart, the Quick Fix token steps in.
Activate it and you can make unlimited transfers for that single Gameweek. Build the best possible team for the fixtures ahead. Once the Gameweek ends, your squad resets to how it looked before you used the token. None of those temporary changes carries over.
You activate Quick Fix on the transfer confirmation screen.
You get one Quick Fix per season. Save it for chaos – heavy rotation weeks, international breaks or fixture swings where short-term gains outweigh long-term planning.
REBUILD SQUAD
If your season drifts off course and you need a full reset, use Rebuild Squad.
This chip allows unlimited transfers during the Gameweek, but unlike Quick Fix, the changes stick. You reshape your squad completely and carry that new team forward for the rest of the season.
Activate it on the transfer confirmation screen.
You can use Rebuild Squad twice per season – once in each half. That makes timing crucial. Use it to attack fixture runs, respond to major form shifts or recover from early missteps.
PRICE CHANGES
Player pricing works differently here. In the old MLS Fantasy game, performance alone dictated price movement. In the Sofascore version, performance still matters, but form and market demand also influence changes.
Prices update after the transfer deadline and again at the end of each Gameweek. When you sell a player, you keep 100% of their value.
You must complete transfers at least 30 minutes before the first match of the Gameweek. Once a team kicks off, their players lock. That timing rule is another key difference from the previous version and one managers will need to factor into their planning.
