by Matt Rooney
The league has finalized its plans for 2022 - five teams of five led by captains (who are not players). The player pool is still being decided, but the five captains have been selected and they are beginning to prepare for the vaunted NSL draft, set to take place some time in March.
There were many former players and fans who wanted to be captain, but the league has decided on five who they thought would be best, along with one assistant GM. Sources say that Nour Chahboun, Michael Greenstein, Corey Wong and Ernesto Perez were among those who were turned away.
Let's meet the captains and their teams...
The Roses
The Roses will be captained by NSL Legend and recent retiree, Sam Thayer. Sam has had success in building superteams in the past, so it will be interesting to see if he can replicate that success this year. He is very well liked among NSL players, and multiple players - such as Kenny Brown and David Speidel - have already stated that they want to be on his team. Out of all of the captains, Sam has the most pull with the league office and Commissioner Matt Rooney, so look for him to use that to his advantage. Sam will have an open mind during the draft but has Arik Avramovich on his do not draft list because he is "one injury away from retiring".
The Bears
Zach Goldman will be running the charge for the Bears this season. Zach is very competitive, and has told the league that has begun conducting pre-draft interviews with every confirmed player in the pool. In 2020, the last year Zach was captain, he was able to pair up two players who have won the last 3 MVPs in Matt Rooney and Henri Rousseau, which would have been an incredible duo. In California this summer to due to some classes and an internship, Zach will look to make his mark on the league in a different way than usual. However, Zach apparently has not made the playoffs the last 5 years in fantasy football, which does not bode well for his success as an NSL General Manager.
The Tropics
The Tropics will be captained by NSL all-star, Aidan Nugent. Aidan doesn't have much captain experience but one of the few time he was a captain, he absolutely nailed the draft, picking Josh Davis, Greg Baron and Jon Hammer. He is a smart basketball mind and his team will be incredibly loose and laid back. Nugent is going to be in Chi City during the season, but will be attending the game streams, zooming in to the GM meetings, and will be a regular on the podcast and in postgame press conferences.
The Monarchs
The Monarchs will be captained by former NSL sharpshooter, Jack Whalen. Jack may be the smartest and sneakiest captain of the bunch, and there are no boundaries he wouldn't cross to improve his team. He has a high basketball IQ and is a long time NSL veteran who has had some success as a captain in the past. Look for his team to contend for the championship and for his name to be in the running for executive of the year and the 100$ cash prize awarded to the champion GM. Jack has beef with a few players in NSL - specifically Kenny Brown, Andrew Dorval, and Nathan Greenstein - so look for him to steer away from these three come draft time.
The Goodfellas
After officially announcing his retirement yesterday, Yagev Levi will be taking the reins of the Goodfellas as their General Manager. Yagev is qualified for the job and is my pick for executive of the year. However, Yagev might be the most hated player in NSL history, so many think his reign as captain will either be incredibly successful or a total flop. Also, Yagev Levi has informed the league that he will be hiring Jon Hammer as his assistant GM. While Jon brings little in terms of team building, he is a calming presence and is absolutely hilarious, which is something Team Yagev definitely will need. Yagev works for the Boston Celtics, so that experience may very well help him out here. Sources say that one single player is on Yagev's do not draft list: Kenny Brown.
Comments