Series One is the first of three eMLS tournaments taking place in 2023. The season will feature a $100,000 prize pool and will be headlined by the eMLS Cup presented by Coca-Cola on March 12th.
League Series One will be the first of three live-streamed tournaments that each occur over two days and comprise the eMLS season. The season will continue on February 11th and 12th with eMLS Series Two and will conclude on March 12th with the eMLS Cup.
Each club will be represented by a professional FIFA player in all eMLS competitions, each seeking to be crowned the best FIFA 23 player in North America. Some clubs are retaining their FIFA player from last season, while other clubs are signing new players to their rosters. The full 2023 eMLS roster can be found here.
In this article, we'll be meeting the 26 players chosen by their respective clubs to participate in the tournament, as well as seeing the squads they've assembled to adhere to the competitions' MLS-based squad restrictions and requirements. You can view the squad requirements at the bottom of this article.
Meet The Players & Their Squads
With 26 clubs taking part in the 2023 eMLS season, each club has strived to find the best North American talent to play in the EA SPORTS FIFA 23 Global Series Playoffs and in FIFAe World Cup.
As mentioned previously, the squad requirements mean the teams will be MLS-themed, but each team has a few interesting differences which could prove decisive when the competition begins.
Paulo Neto - Atlanta United
Paulo Neto is the defending champion for the eMLS after winning the competition for Atlanta United last year and will be looking to become the first participant to win the competition twice.
Atlanta's representative has gone for a frontline of Ronaldo and Ginola, with Gullit and Yaya Touré in the midfield. As we'll see as we go through the squads, most players have opted to stack their forward line with some of the most expensive players in FUT. His squad is one of the most expensive assembled for Series One.
xVerde - Austin FC
Verde is an experienced eMLS player, looking to do Austin FC proud in his latest campaign.
Austin's representative has gone for a very similar team to Paulo Neto, however, Verde has opted for Chiellini to boost the physical element of his midfield.
Khaled Ali - Charlotte FC
Charlotte will be relying on Khaled Ali to do the club proud as they look to improve on their debut campaign.
Khaled Ali has gone with the exact same team as xVerde, which includes Jones as his LB, a common choice. It'll be interesting to see how both competitors fare with identical teams.
Cissé - FC Cincinnati
Cisse will be bringing all his experience to try and look to rediscover his 2021 eMLS form for Cincinnati.
The Cincinnati man has gone with a different route with his team, opting for Centurions Neymar over Ginola in his attack, and has gone with the Base Lucio over his World Cup version at the back.
GODFATHER - Columbus Crew
As a former finalist, Godfather will be hoping to find the form that took him there once again for the 2020 MLS Cup Champions Columbus Crew.
Godfather has gone for the familiar Ronaldo-Ginola frontline and Gullit-Chiellini midfield, but switches things up at LB with the inclusion of Oviedo instead of Jones. It'll be interesting to see which LB will prove to be most effective and whether Godfather has made the right choice.
KingCJ0 - D.C. United
After last season's eMLS runner-up, can KingCJ0 go one better and lift the trophy for the first time for DC United?
KingCJ0 has gone with Saudi Arabian Hero Al Owairan to partner Ronaldo at ST, which is an intriguing choice given the options available. It'll be interesting to see how KingCJ0 performs with him upfront.
AlanAvi - FC Dallas
AlanAvi has finished twice in the top 4, can he make himself the champion at last for FC Dallas?
Avila has gone with Al Owairan up front too, but makes a bold move by putting FUT-favourite Centurions Kimpembe at CB instead of the everpresentDegenek. Was this a good decision, or were his opponents right to choose Degenek?
JordyReyes - Houston Dynamo FC
JordyReyes will be looking to improve on his 2021 eMLS campaign, Houston Dynamo certainly have high hopes after qualified for the eClub FIFA Series.
Dynamo's man will be opting for a very similar line-up to many of his competitors this weekend. He'll be hoping his gameplay separates him from the rest of the field.
MaXe - Sporting Kansas City
MaXe will look to bring the trophy home to Sporting KC in his third eMLS campaign.
Popov has opted for Donovan, alongside Ginola, Ronaldo and Mbappe. Considering the prevalence of Bale throughout these squads, the former MLS star may offer an element of attacking surprise.
VillaMore3 - LA Galaxy
VillaMore3 begins their debut campaign for LA Galaxy, he'll have the Godfather's experienced shoes to fill.
The rookie opts for another familiar line-up, choosing Yedlin over the slightly more popular Hakimi. Understandably unwilling to sacrifice the midfield quality for a better fullback.
Pabs - Los Angeles Football Club
Pabs is an experienced eMLS player, looking to do LAFC proud in his third campaign.
Georgakopoulos has initially started Mbappe on 0 chemistry as a CM, he'll probably be looking to move him forward in-game. While this would have been detrimental in last years game, in FIFA 23 he'll be playing with his regular stats rather than any kind of stat reduction being inflicted.
IMCF DonBorrello - Inter Miami CF
IMCF DonBorrello is another who is in their debut campaign for Inter Miami FC.
Borello has a familiar team, Dynamic Duo Carlos Coronel looks particularly familiar having been selected by almost every contender. He might not have the most outstanding stats compared to someone like Courtois or Neuer, but at least the playing field will be level.
Lamps - Minnesota United
Lamps finished in the top 4 last year, can he make himself the champion for 2023 for Minnesota?
The Minnesota player has opted for Donovan over Bale at RM, clearly the market agrees with this choice with Donovan costing 250,000 coins more than the Welshman.
Loux11 - CF Montréal
Loux11 will be looking to improve on his 2022 eMLS campaign which saw him just miss out on the knockouts, see what the 2023 campaign can bring him for Montreal.
Like many others, Largerie has a very familiar team, it'll be interesting to see whether Lucio will need to carry the lower-rated Degenek in central defence.
Joksan - Nashville SC
Joksan brings a wealth of experience and recent form in the EA Sports Cup and will be looking to bring the trophy home for Nashville.
The Nashville has opted for the Base Lucio not the World Cup version, which while seemingly a downgrade, likely won't have a huge impact considering the minimal statistical difference.
YoungggCarter - New England Revolution
YoungggCarter will be looking to improve on his debut 2022 eMLS campaign, see what the 2023 campaign can bring him for New England Revolution.
Theogene has opted for Yashin as his GK, it's not something we've seen often here, but it certainly could pay off he manages some of the saves you'd expect from a Goalkeeper of his calibre.
doolsta - New York Red Bulls
The 2019 eMLS Champion, will be looking to be the first 2 time champion in the eMLS, this time for New York Red Bulls.
Doolsta has opted for the lesser-spotted Nouhou at LB, and Eusebio over the ever present Ronaldo. This makes his squad one of the cheapest of any of the competitors at 14,000,000 coins.
NYC Gustavo - New York City FC
Gustavo is an experienced FUT player, looking to do NYCFC proud in his latest campaign and reach the knockouts.
With his Brazilian roots he's opted for as many as four from Brazil; Neymar, Ronaldo, Lucio and Carlos Coronel.
RemiMartinn - Orlando City
RemiMartinn finished in the top 4 in the 2020 eMLS Campaign, can he make himself the champion at last for Orlando City?
Remi has gone with Pele as one of their Strikers, not a player we've seen often, but that could well give him the element of surprise.
ThiagoCapo - Philadelphia Union,
Thiago is another debutant, with them got the potential to showcase what they can do for Philadelphia Union.
Thiago has been different and opted for Neymar and Mbappe in different positions compared to others, which is a change to keep an eye on.
CPTBruno - Portland Timbers
Bruno is another debutant, this time for Portland Timbers, eMLS will be an opportunity to showcase his talent.
Bruno has opted for Okello which is an unusual choice, but he's got outstanding stats and physicality. It also allows him to use World Cup Capdevila at LB and a midfield trio, rather than a duo.
BENR - San Jose Earthquakes
BENR will be looking to improve on his 2022 eMLS campaign for San Jose Earthquakes, see what the 2023 campaign can bring him.
Another very familiar lineup, it'll be interesting to see if Jones can hold his own as an 82 Rated Left Back against the calibre of attacking players he'll be up against.
GAdamou10 - Seattle Sounders FC
The 2020 eMLS Champion, will be looking to be the first 2 time champion in the eMLS for Seattle Sounders.
GAdamou has opted for Oviedo as his LB in joining only a few others who have done the same. The Costa Rican definitely looks better going forward than the popular Jones.
NR7 - St. Louis City SC
Raseck may be new to the eMLS but brings a wealth of experience and will be looking to bring the trophy home for St Louis City.
Another familiar lineup from Raseck here, Donovan the only more unusual selection. That said he could well prove to be more effective than the more popular Gareth Bale.
Goal Machine - Toronto FC
The 2022 3rd place player, can he make himself the champion this time round for Toronto?
Goal Machine is another player in the minority, choosing Nouhou. That said, the pace and strength on the World Cup version of the Seattle Sounders Left Back makes him a formidable defender.
Fiddle - Vancouver Whitecaps FC
Fiddle returns to Vancouver Whitecaps after not being in the 2022 campaign, can they bring their 2020 Round Robin form to this campaign?
Thornsberry has also gone for Oviedo at LB, it looks like he may try and attack with his fullbacks, with both Hakimi and Oviedo being strong on the ball.
How does eMLS Series 1 Work?
The 2023 season kicks off on January 24-25, with remote qualifiers to determine the lineups. The Group Stage will take place on January 28th. The final series of bracket games will be played on January 29th.
Squad restrictions for eMLS League Series One and Two are as follows:
Starting XI Restriction:
- Up to 2 ICON/TOTY players
- Up to 2 non-ICON players with an OVR rating of 90 or higher
- All other players must have an OVR rating of 89 or below
- 4 Current MLS players - MLS Card eligibility will be determined by FUT, if a player has an existing card from an MLS Team then they can be used.
The following conditions also apply:
- MLS Retired players cannot count toward your limit of 4
- 1 MLS Retired player must be used
- Goalie: Your Goalkeeper has no restrictions and CAN count towards the MLS limits
Substitute Restrictions
- Up to 7 non-ICON players with an OVR rating of up to 89
- 5 MLS players must be on the field at all times
How is the 2023 eMLS Winner Decided?
There are 2 eMLS League series. Series 1 kicks off on January 24-25, with remote qualifiers with the Group Stage on January 28th. The final series of bracket games will be played on January 29th, as previously mentioned.
Series 2 will continue on February 7th and 8th with remote qualifiers, then the Group Stage will be on February 11th, and the final series bracket matches will come on February 12.
The eMLS Cup season will conclude in Austin at SXSW, with the Last Chance Qualifier held on March 11th, which will determine the final “Cinderella” participant spot for the eMLS Cup on March 12.
How do I watch and follow along?
The entirety of the 2023 competitive eMLS season will be streamed online. Fans can watch League Series One on January 28th and January 29th on the official MLS Twitch and Twitter pages.
The full schedule for the League Series One qualifying matches and final tournament can be found here.
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