Pure speculation in real life. It's reality in the fantasy world of Football Manager 2013 (demo version).

FM always begins MLS play in the previous January. ie. the 2013 edition begins in January 2012. I didn't get FM2012, but previous editions always started DCU off with the actual "January" roster. This edition, however, has the season starting with the current roster. (Pontius starts the season with 4-8 more weeks recovery time from the broken leg.)

There's a major wrinkle. Player ability ratings -- always a curious exercise in the world of fantasy football -- are reflective of the preseason valuations rather than how the players actually performed during this season. Korb, for example, is rated at 2 stars. Chabala is given 2.5. Kitchen gets 2. Saragosa has 2.5. The fans of Boskovic and Salihi will be happy. They, along with DeRo, are the teams highest rated at 4 stars. Bosko is listed as a left mid.

The defense has the biggest holes. Hamid is rated only 2 stars. The left fullbacks get 2.5 each. Dudar and Jacko are 3.5; McDonald is 3. The right side is the real hole: Korb and Russell at 2 stars each. Najar is shown able to play at right back, but not with the 2.5 stars he gets as a middie. Who knows whether the fantasy Najar is programmed to develop into a very good wide defender.

My first task as manager is to upgrade the right fullback slot. Korb is not projected to develop beyond 2 stars. (Hamid grows to 3.5.) There is a highly rated Mexican, Eugenio Arochi, available for a cheap transfer. Arochi -- a real player or an FM creation? -- is rated 2.5 with a 4-star potential. The problem is that DCU is at its foreign player limit. The obvious move is to dump one of these guys, and the obvious choice is Long Tan (who seems to have lived up to his 1.5 stars). So, right now, I'm waiting to see if any clubs want to take him on a free. Wish me luck.