Two or three players right away that are available on a free at the start of the game:
Sebastien Nayar- DM/MC. Argentinian that I train and utilize as a DC for TFC, as I'm already loaded in midfield.
Ale- DM/MC Brazilian, same use as Nayar.
Danilo Lins- ST. Brazilian that makes for a good MLS player. Hoping to attract him to joining the Canadian team in the future.
One that I purchase:
Amaral- D/W/M/AM R. Brazilian. Has 12 youth caps for Brazil, but can be purchased for $500,000 typically as he's a reserve player. Similary PA to Marvell Wynne according to my scouts.

Staff:
Nick Thesloff- Scout. 20 JCA and 20 JPA for sub-$50,000 a year? Hell, yes!
Tony Meola/J.J. Wozniak -GK coach. Typically have an 18 rating for GK, but DDM can often be 50+. Plus, they come cheap.

During my TFC Game I had

Ze Rodolpho WB L/DM/MC for free. he's great as DMC

Guess it depends on the level you play at....free signing Rene Peters (Luxembourg) has been a legend in my LLM Spain game.

Macnelly Torres
Position: AMC/MC
Transfer Fee: 200K
Salary: 74K a year
Comments: INCREDIBLE over 3 seasons. I play him just behind two strikers(Ching/Jaqua and Montero/Zakuani) and he scores 15+ a season with 10+ assists. Highly recommend him.

Henri Camara,
Position: ST
Transfer Fee: Free
Salary: 36K a year
Comments:He's great for 2 or 3 years, when his pace(his most dangerous attribute) really starts to drop off.

Chris Brown
Position: ST
Transfer Fee: Free
Salary: 40K a year
Comments: I've signed him about 10+ leagues in leagues from MLS to Ukranian Premier league and he consistently scores goals. He's a good backup striker to bring off bench, but can also regularly score goals if you're strapped for cash. AND he doesn't take up an international spot :)

Gale Agbossoumonde
Position: CB
Transfer Fee: 3K
Salary: 45K a year
Comments: Great young central defender, he's physically strong and great in the air. He's a great 3rd CB who can step in and cover for injuries/dips in form. He matures quickly and is tough to hold on to(must offer a new contract every year), I've had AC Milan, Feyenoord, Ajax and Aston Villa all table bids over $8 Million.

STAFF:

Ricky Sbragia: He's pretty cheap and he is a pretty good coach or assistant manager, and has dual usage as he has high ability to judge players quality and potential.

I can't remember if he's available on a free from the start but Luis Tejada (Panamanian) did very well for me at ST.

I've noticed Chris Brown being signed by the AI alot in the first patch, to the point where I had to go into the editor and lower his CA as it's unlikely he'll ever play in the league again. Same deal with Kelly Gray.

I haven't played too much since the second patch ruined my game, but the first time around I found players like Sibierski and Savio (both around 35 years old) to be good signings. They'd sign for like $40,000 a year, but they had enough skill to contribute as subs. The biggest advantage, though, was that as their physical stats dropped their technical skills increased...making them perfect tutors for my youngsters. Now that SI has supposedly addressed the physical decreases I don't know if this tactic will still work...

If Chris Brown is getting signed something is wrong. I think that's prob a data issue and I'll make a note to check,.

I believe his CA is somewhere around 95, along with Kelly Gray.

I thought Chris Brown retired before last season?