Group B of the inaugural FC Pro Open gets underway on Monday, December 4. But before the exciting action gets going, there is the not-so-small matter of the FC Pro Draft selections.
Match Week 2 is a Latin American special, with Brazilian duo PHzin and Young, Argentines Bonanno and FacuCowen, and Mexican rising star Happy all competing in Group B.
Each has selected a squad for the FC Pro Open, having to adhere to several rules and requirements as they did so.
But for those of you who are still new to the FC Pro Draft, here's everything you need to know.
What is the FC Pro Draft?
With FC Pro Draft, competitors will be set a budget in coins that they must adhere to. For the FC Pro Open Global Qualifier earlier this month, the budget was set at 8 million coins. Competitors need to build a full squad – their starting XI and subs – that stays within this budget and submit it before the deadline.
The budget has now been shrunk down for the FC Pro Open, making the job of building a competitive squad even tougher.
The cost of each player item will be set based on the in-game transfer market price of the item. The prices will be locked at a certain time each week and players will use those to build their squads.
Over the course of the FC Pro Open, we’ll see a variety of draft requirements that will allow competitors to flex their squad-building muscles.
FC Pro Open Draft Requirements - Match Week 2
Where players had 8 million coins to spend on assembling their squads for the FC Pro Open Global Qualifier, the final stage of the competition sees them get just 5 million.
Naturally, this means squad building becomes even trickier, and will require some big decisions and sacrifices to be made.
However, they do have some bonus items at their disposal to enhance their squads, with each of the 20 FC Pro Open players getting one free 'Radioactive' item.
Radioactive Items
The free Radioactive items have the potential to be game-changers for each of the players.
Each Radioactive player automatically gets two Chemistry points when starting in their preferred positions without needing any links from other players.
They also give two links for their League, Club, and Nation to other players in their squad, doubling the effect their base version would have on your squad’s Chemistry.
The top-rated Radioactive items available for the Group B squads are: Lionel Messi (92), Karim Benzema (92), Sam Kerr (91), Federico Valverde (90) and N'Golo Kante (89).
Group B Squads
With all that in mind, here are the five Group B squads.
PHzin
Kicking off Group B is Brazil and Ajax star PHzin, whose squad is packed with talent.
Mbappe, one of the most popular items amongst the 20 FC Pro Open players so far, is his chosen striker, with In-Form Heung Min-Son and Caroline Graham Hansen flanking him on the wings.
PHzin deploys his side in a 4-3-3 system, and it is in the midfield where we see a couple of new items that didn't appear during last week's Group A squads.
For the first time, the 93-rated Champions League Live Luka Modric item is being used, which just so happens to be one of the highest-rated items available to FC Pro Open players. Next to him is another card which is new for Group B - that being the free 90-rated Radioactive Federico Valverde - which forges a nice club link centrally.
Virgil Van Dijk continues as the only item to feature in all Group A and B squads, while Trailblazer Joao Cancelo and Icon Peter Schmeichel add further quality to PHzin's backline.
The squad has a chemistry of 28, with the likes of Neymar Jr, Jude Bellingham and Rafael Leao all on the bench.
Bonanno
Bonanno's squad features many of the same items as South American rival PHzin, but the 2023 eLaLiga champion has opted for the bold 4-2-4 formation.
A striking duo of Mbappe and In-Form Son are assisted by Brazilians Vinicius Jr and Neymar Jr out wide.
The Champions League Live Modric card and radioactive Valverde also combine in the Argentine's squad, with the familiar back five of Ferland Mendy, Van Dijk, Eder Militao, Achraf Hakimi and Alisson featuring.
Bonanno's squad has a chemistry of 27, with In-Form Jude Bellingham (87) a deadly weapon off the bench for the Manchester City Esports player.
FacuCowen
Fellow Argentine FacuCowen, who flew through the FC Pro Open Global Qualifiers with the best record of anyone - going unbeaten throughout - has his side lined-up in a tried and tested 4-4-2 system.
Once again we see Mbappe and In-Form Son get selected up front, with Neymar and Hansen playing somewhat deeper than we are accustomed to seeing them, as wide midfielders.
One notable inclusion for the Tuzzy Esports player is that of Thunderstruck Raphael Varane (89-rated). Paired alongside Van Dijk in the heart of the defence, they make for a formidable Premier League duo.
In terms of chemistry, FacuCowen does have the lowest in Group B, with 25 out of 33.
Happy
Mexican star Happy had the most dramatic route to the FC Pro Open of any player, needing a penalty shootout to advance from the Global Qualifier.
His squad for the competition includes many of the same items we have previously seen, although like PHzin, he also opts for a 4-3-3 formation.
Happy doesn't follow the Brazilian's lead in terms of attacking options, however, choosing to play Vinicius Jr over IF Son.
The Tuzzy Esports player is also the only competitor in Group B to play Jules Kounde at Centre-back next to Van Dijk, although his selections of Ferland Mendy and Trailblazer Joao Cancelo do mirror his rivals.
Off the bench, Happy has IF Bellingham (87) to come off the bench and make an impact if needed.
Young
Young's squad and formation is almost identical to that of Happy, as both players are utilising a 4-3-3. The major differences are that Young has opted for a Centre-back partnership of Militao and Van Dijk, with Icon Schmeichel in goal over Alisson.
There are plenty of club links throughout, with Mendy, Champions League Live Modric, Radioactive Valverde and Vinicius Jr joining Militao.
The Brazilian's squad chemistry is 28, while he can call upon the likes of Son, Leao, Bellingham and Hakimi off the bench.
