Four MLS sides have recently announced their eMLS rosters for the 2019 campaign.
Columbus Crew SChave re-signed Nenad Stojkovic to be their eMLS player, and have also re-signed their esports representatives Graham Ellix and Hasib Zulfic. Stojkovic and Ellix are Ohio natives, while Zulfic resides in St. Louis.
Stojkovic, who is ranked an Elite 1 Player in FIFA Ultimate Team Champions, is the former 2010 FIFA Interactive World Champion and is the only U.S. FIFA eWorld Champion in history. In 2018, the 30-year-old qualified for the EA Global Playoff Series in Amsterdam, and in July, competed at the 2018 eMLS All-Star Challenge in Atlanta, Georgia.
Ellix, who has been playing FIFA professionally since 2008, is also ranked an Elite 1 Player and is ranked among the Top 100 FIFA players worldwide and Top 25 in the Americas’ Region.
Zulfic is ranked an Elite 1 Player in addition to being a Top 10 player in the America’s Region and a Top 100 Worldwide Player. He placed Top 8 in the 2018 European Esports Gaming Online 1 Tournament and most recently qualified for the 2018 esports World Convention Sao Paulo PS4 Qualifiers.
Meanwhile, Minnesota United FChave re-signed Jay Adams to their eMLS team, while bringing aboard a newcomer, Alex Tsobanakis, who finished first in a recent MNUTD esports tournament.
Adams returns to the club after featuring heavily in local tournaments and online on the MNUFC Twitch channel in 2018. He will be competing alongside Tsobanakis for a place in the eMLS series this season, and helping to build content around the game and in the community.
"It means a lot to me [returning to MNUFC], I love the club in general so it's fun to be part of it all," said Adams in a team statement. "I like the direction we're going – the league itself is getting bigger and the eMLS side is getting bigger. I just want to keep improving at FIFA, reach potential fans and continue to be inclusive and out there more."
"My friends told me about the tournament and I said, 'Why not? Might as well give it a go,’ and it went pretty well," said Tsobanakis. "I'm really looking forward to the season, I love the club – I've been supporting since I was seven – and I want to be part of this as it grows bigger. Qualifying for a big event is probably my main goal – meeting my friends out there on the big stage, that's where I want to be."
The Portland Timbershave re-signed Edgar Guerrero for the 2019 eMLS season. The Oregon native will look to build on his 2018 campaign. He also participated in a special MLS Cup competition against Atlanta United's eMLS player during the festivities for the league final.
In 2018, Guerrero peaked at No. 15 in North America for FIFA Ultimate Team rankings. An accomplished 11v11 Pro Clubs player as well, Guerrero has previously captained an esports team for Mexico’s Club América and, while there, won four first-division titles, two Copa Pro titles, two SuperCopa Pro titles as well as a Mexican Cup championship title and two Continental Cup titles playing FIFA.
In addition, the Seattle Soundersunveiled their new eMLS player, Nick Mars. The Tacoma native won the 2017 MLS March to Soccer event in New York. He won the Sounders' open esports tournament, the club's first-ever, earlier this month.
