Near Post Header

WESTERN CONFERENCE SEMI-FINAL

Leg One:  at Seattle

Click to watch highlights….

[spoiler alert]

.

[spoiler alert]

.

[spoiler alert]

.

[spoiler alert]

.

Sooooo close to pulling off a win.  I was simply stunned when we took a 3-1 lead into halftime.  In the end, I should’ve tried to stall the game a little bit more in the end.  George John struggled in this one, and if I had a do-over, I would’ve started Pertuz instead.  Also, subbing out Mastroeni for Marquinhos was a mistake.  Both play defensive midfielder, but Mastroeni is much more defensive minded, and can head the ball away from danger.  Ultimately the 3-3 draw was good, and I was surprised to see us play Seattle almost dead even in an away match.  If I could do it again, I would’ve started Pertuz, and subbed off Mastroeni for George John, who can also hold down a DM spot.  Oh well, at least we had a fighting chance going into our home match.  Keep in mind that in the MLS, away goals don’t count for anything.

Leg Two:  vs. Seattle

click to watch highlights…

.

[spoiler alert]

.

[spoiler alert]

.

[spoiler alert]

.

[spoiler alert]

WE ARE THROUGH!!!!  My penalty takers are on the left.  I almost made a huge mistake by letting George John (a defender) take a spot kick.  He has okay penalty taking and composure, but I really neglected to look at his finishing.  (ROOKIE MISTAKE).  I could barely watch the penalties after we missed, but luckily Gonzalez missed the winning kick off the post.  Most of my players were very focused going into the kicks, and I definitely gave them their space before they took them.

The game itself was pretty even, though the stats may not indicate that.  Notice that we had more full chances and half chances in the game.  Also, note how many long shots Seattle took in the game.  Another thing worth noting is that Seattle didn’t have talented striker Fredy Montero for either match.  This game us a huge advantage because his pace and flair completely change the way my team is forced to defend.

WESTERN CONFERENCES FINALS  (Only one match is played in the conference finals) – at Los Angeles

We drew Los Angeles, who defeated a tough RSL team 3-1 on aggregate.   We also had the misfortune of playing this game just two days after our 120 minute battle with Seattle. I was devastated to see that the fixtures were so close together, and really feared that my team wouldn’t be able to compete with the regular season champions.  Although LA played on the same day as us, we had to play 30 minutes longer, and I was using a full strength team!!!  For the game I elected to use a mixture of first teamers and rotation players.  I gave my players both days off, fearing that I wouldn’t be able to put out a team without everyone getting hurt.  So, what happened?

Click to watch highlights…

[spoiler alert]

.

[spoiler alert]

.

[spoiler alert]

.

[spoiler alert]

Advancing again!!!  Mac Kandji broke free in the early stages of the game, and we managed to stave off a toothless Galaxy team.  The match itself was pretty boring.  LA had most of the chances early, but when David Beckham got sent off, the game devolved into some pretty ugly football.  We did suffer some injuries during the game, Marquinhos suffered a minor injury, and with two weeks before the MLS Cup Final, he was more than ready to return.  Gaven on the other hand, was not so lucky.

With three months off the pitch, Gaven is now concerned with being ready for next season, as he will play no part in the MLS Cup Final.

MLS CUP FINAL – vs Houston (at Neutral site:  Red Bull Arena, in Harrison, New Jersey)

So, we meet Houston in the MLS cup final.  They are a strong team, but one I’m comfortable about beating.  They don’t really have any dynamic players on the roster, and the best players on their team are slow, which makes marking them easier.  Let’s find out what happened.

Line-ups

Passing Lanes with my tactics

I elected to give Morales a shot at AMR, largely because he plays as an attacking winger.  This helps stretch the field a lot, and will keep Hainault from moving forward.  Mastroeni gets the start over Marquinhos, in order to help cover the right side.  If you remember from my in depth tactical post, I need Mastroeni to stay back so Wynne can attack up the wing, and not pay for it.  There were no other surprises, but I did choose Pertuz over John.  Pertuz had a good run in the playoffs, and John was in a slump, so it sounded like a no brainer to me.

Click to watch Highlights…



[spoiler alert]

.

[spoiler alert]

.

[spoiler alert]

.

[spoiler alert]

Ah, those screens never get old!!!  We managed to beat Houston, clearly off of our finishing ability.  The game remained pretty even, despite taking a lead at halftime, the game seemed deadlocked.  Neither team was creating any chances, but after Brian Mullan went off injured, we broke through.  I was actually worried about his injury because Mullan came on to replace the nervous youngster, Morales.  With both out of the game, I had to rely on Kandji to step up and play a position he hadn’t seen time at this season.  I decided to play the ball through the middle, and it paid off.  Jamie Burt took over the game, and the rest is history!!!

Post Season Stuff

No real surprises here…

We now have scouting range across the entire world!!!

A big honor that is thoroughly deserved.  It was also nice to see Marquinhos get a mention at #3.

Another worthy winner.  Moor was dangerous on set pieces, and found the scoresheet often.

I’m not going to sit here and pat myself on my back too much, but I’d say I probably earned it.

Drew Moor was the only player to make it to the MLS Best XI.  I was surprised that Gaven and Cummings didn’t get a look, but Moor was probably our most consistent player this season.

The fans agree…

Future Transfers

Very, VERY excited about this.  Marco Pappa (AML/C) will be joining the team next season.  Although my attacking mids are strong, Pappa will push everyone to become better players, and will allow Alvarez to move into a rotational role (he should still play almost every game, and start quite a bit).  I learned the hard way that the MLS scheduling can be brutal, so adding more quality can only help.  Here is his profile:

Pappa will add some creative flair to our attack, something we lacked at times last year.  Pappa fits my determined squad, and has the mental tools to be a very good player.  He does take up an International spot, which is a problem.  I do have 8 International spots (for some reason), even though I declined to purchase another one.  I also have about 13,000 to spend on wages (Pappa will be on a 3.3k salary), and 170k to spend for transfers.

Players Leaving

A lot of players are leaving the team this season.  Mullan earns too much to stay in the squad, and Palguta and Rojas aren’t good enough to play.  Webb and Allen are regens who aren’t good enough (I didn’t get anything from the youth intake worth keeping this season).  Kandji left as planned.  I managed to get a supplemental pick for him,  The pick is garbage, but it is trade-able.  Matt Pickens also left the team near the end of his contract for a supplemental pick.  And the surprise is that starting LB Anthony Wallace is moving to Los Angeles for 100k and their 2nd round draft pick (which is late in the round).  I’m currently a few days away from the draft, so I hope I can ship a couple of these picks away for some players.  Oh well.

Thats about it, I’ll update my squad page and ask for draft advice soon.

Best,

.T

MATCHES

Wow… not a very good finish eh?  So, what happened?  Well, for starters Conor Casey got injured during the Seattle game, which definitely didn’t help.

Unfortunately it’s pretty serious, I’ll be looking for a replacement for him in the offseason.  Once he is healthy he will keep a rotational status with the team.  I needed my other two strikers to step up in his absence, unfortunately this didn’t exactly happen.  I don’t have the screen shot of it, but I also lost Brian Mullan to a lengthy injury (just got back), Alvarez missed four games, and Jamie Burt missed two games (and had to be subbed off in two games after knocks).

Here is Cummings form during the Casey injury.  You can see that he did score some goals, but when he wasn’t scoring, he was a non factor.

Here is Kandji’s form.  He was the guy I needed to step up, because I knew I couldn’t play Cummings every game (and Michael Ford isn’t really ready to play more than a few minutes).  Although he never really plays poorly, he doesn’t score (and I can’t live with that).  Kandji is in the last year of his contract, and I won’t be signing him again.  I think I can find a better goalscorer, and although his creativity is an asset, I rely more on my attacking mids to fill that role.  With one striker up top, I need someone who can get on the scoresheet.

STATS

From this shot you can see a couple of small problems.

1. Matt Pickens isn’t performing up to my standards as a goalkeeper.  He also is in the last year of his contract, and won’t be resigned.  His wages are simply too high for him not to be exceptional.
2. Drew Moor is awesome at DC, but George John and Hernan Pertuz are not.  I’m going to give them both a chance next season, and I do have Forde behind them (Forde isn’t as bad as he looks.  The games he played in were a lost cause).
3. I will try to get something for Pertuz if I can.  Being an International player, I’m wondering if I can move him to another team and get a talented domestic player.

TABLE

Of course with the results we fell from first place, which is too bad.  We had a few draws that we really should’ve won!  I’m happy that we finished in second place in the Western Conference (and in all of MLS).

I managed to cover my team with the pop-up, but regardless, we finished in second place.  Seattle lost their last match, which really didn’t change a whole lot because…

PLAYOFFS

We’re playing Seattle in the playoffs anyway.  I’m not very optimistic about the series.  We aren’t in good form (despite having good morale).  In truth, Seattle are a much better team, and the first match will probably decide the two-legged playoffs.  If we can get a draw, and an away goal, I’ll be happy.  If we lose 2-0, I think we’re probably goners.  Either way, I’ve exceeded the expectations from the board, which was to “not be a complete embarrassment.”

FINANCES

We managed to have  a profitable month, though I’m not really sure why.  We lost some money on the season, but I’m really not too worried about it.

Conclusion

That’s it for today!!!  I’m off to start my playoff adventure, hopefully things go well.  It’s been an interesting season, and I will have a ton of wage money for the squad next season.  So stay tuned!!!

Best,

.T

MATCHES

The results have been very, very strong during this period of the season.  We hit a slump mid way through these results, but it was all due to the schedule.  We played 5 games in 13 days!!!  The  squad was wearing thin, and I probably didn’t rotate my players well enough.  I relied on resting my players the day after each game for this stretch.  I was also forced to change my formation for most of these matches.  I usually deploy a 4-2-3-1, (see my tactical post) but with Mastroeni hurt, and only two DMs on the team, I needed to keep them fresh and healthy.  The result was a more defensive team through the middle, and more expectation on my wide players.  Luckily we beat Columbus (who are terrible), even though it was an extremely close game.  After 11 days off, the players came back hungry and healthy!  We are currently on a six game winning streak, with a tie over Boca Juniors.  Boca offered us a home game, with a pay day of 130,000 pounds!  We are slowly losing money (not a lot), so I decided to accept the friendly, and use a lot of younger players in the game.  While the winning streak has been nice, it’s important to note that the teams we faced were all mediocre at best.  We’re about to get into the meat and potatoes of our schedule, so it’s nice to put together a winning streak beforehand to keep morale up.

STANDINGS

Our great results have earned us a four point cushion over Los Angeles.  We still have 12 games to play, but we are in the pole position to take the supporter’s shield.  Here are the full standings:

Even with the Eastern Conference added, we still hold a 4 point lead over Los Angeles.  I should note that we also lead the league in goals scored, and are 2nd in goals allowed.  We are also 11 points clear of the CONCACAF Champions League contenders.  Keep in mind that the top 10 teams advance to the MLS playoffs.  The last four teams that qualify for the MLS playoffs play each other in the wild-card games (play-in), and the top three teams in each conference automatically qualify for the quarter-finals.

TRANSFERS

We added two young players during the July transfer window, one defender and one winger.

Chris Morales – AMR

Morales was picked up in a weighted lottery.  Basically, he turned professional before the draft, and was offered to all the MLS clubs.  The clubs with the worst records last season get the first picks.  I’m not sure what pick we were, but I know it was early.  Morales possesses good speed and acceleration, and decent crossing.  He isn’t as determined as most of my players, but he is still young, and should develop nicely.  I decided to pick him up because of the potential he has, but also because he gives me a younger, cheaper option on the right.  Lastly, he plays a different role than Eddie Gaven, the player starting in front of him.  Morales is a winger, who can use his speed to stretch the field, Gaven plays an advanced playmaker roler.  His crossing and corner taking ability should prove to be a weapon in the future, and his change of pace from Gaven should give me more tactical options immediately.  Morales will spend time with the reserves, with occasional looks at the bench.  He’s already played in a couple of games, largely due to injuries in my squad.  I hope to get him 5-7 more games this season, before expecting more from him next season.  I know he won’t develop overnight, but getting him minutes off the bench is going to be very important.

Sheldon Ford – DC, DM, MC

Ford joins us from Jamaican side “Humble Lions,” where he was on a youth contract.  His transfer fee was expected to be around 200k, but since he was on a youth contract I got him for just 60k.  He already has decent physical attributes, and outstanding heading and tackling.  His mental attributes are strong, but his poor bravery and strength worry me for a DC.

AUDIENCE PARTICIPATION

What do you think I should do with Ford?  His strongest position is center defender (cover), but his strength and concentration are very low.  He has decent passing and positioning to be a DM, but his team work and off the ball skills are weak, plus he offers very little going into attack.  I think I’ll probably work on increasing his strength, and keep him at DC (with an occasional look at DM at the end of games to preserve wins).  Either way, he’s going to be menace on corner and free kicks, but as of right now he is my 4th rated DC.  I’m going to keep him with the reserves, and get him a few games later in the season.  If we make it to the Champions League next season he will be called upon more (due to squad rotation).

Here are my transfers out.  I loaned out three of my players to a feeder club for the rest of the season.  These three players didn’t really have a role with the club this season, and were really on the payroll to help with depth.  Ceus was my backup, but complained about not getting first team football (which I probably should’ve done every now and then).  Unfortunately for Ceus, my other goalkeeper got injured, so he had to be recalled after playing only one game.  Ross LaBauex was let go when Morales joined the club.  Although LaBauex played AMC, and Morales plays AMR.  This is simply because Eddie Gaven and Alvarez can provide cover in the middle if something happens to Burt (current starter).  LaBauex simply wasn’t good enough to play for us, so I traded him for a future Supplementary draft pick.  The draft pick itself isn’t likely to give me a good player, but it can be useful in trades.

Jamie Smith was also let go due to Morales joining the team.  Smith wasn’t getting much playing time, and with the schedule returning to normal, I wasn’t going to rotate him as much.  Smith also had a big salary, and not enough talent to back it up.  So, in a way this was a financial move as well.  His contract was up at the end of the season, and I decided to move him on a free transfer to get him off of my payroll.  His move was also effected by the arrival of Sheldon Ford.  Both Ford and Smith are International players, something I don’t get a lot of.  Moving Smith allowed Ford to join the team without sacrificing an International slot.

STATS

Cummings, Burt, Gaven, and Moor are leading the way this season.  It’s not a surprise that other teams are interested in them.  It’s hard to pick out too much from the picture because we’ve been pretty great all around.  The one glaring weakness is at goalie.  But, even Pickens has been playing better as of late.  Pertuz clearly hasn’t settled into the club yet, but his form is actually pretty good right now.  He had a disastrous start, but has kept his confidence well.

Just another example of how good Gaven, Moor, and Cummings have been.

FINANCES

As I mentioned earlier, we are slowly losing money this season.  I’m not too worried about it because the amount we lose each month is rarely over 200k.  We should still be in the black at the end of the season, and the money we get from our improvement this season should work wonders.

UPCOMING FIXTURES

Here are the rest of the games before the playoffs begin.  I accidentally cut off a game at the top.  Our next game is at home against Red Bull New York on August 8th.  This stretch of games is extremely tough, especially the three away games in row against RSL, Houston, and Seattle.  A couple of those teams are contenders in our conference, so getting points from them needs to be a priority.  We get a reprieve after that, playing a weaker Vancouver, Toronto, and Portland.  Then, we finish against a strong Seattle side, the leagues top scorer when we play Chicago, and two very winnable home games against Houston and Philly.  Out of these 12 games, I hope to take 26 points.  It would be nice to win them all, but we play three games in the first week of these fixtures, and all the teams are very good.  But, starting at the Kansas City match all the games are very winnable.

Hope you enjoyed the update.  I’m really having fun with this team!  Hopefully the next batch of games fly by!

Best,

.T

MATCHES

After overcoming a bit of a slow start, the Rapids really took off early in the season, netting 7 wins, 3 draws, and just a single loss.  The run was highlighted by a dominant display on defense from the Kansas City game to the New York match.  In those 5 games we conceded just two goals.  Of course, you can see that we are scoring a lot of goals (good for second in the league, currently).  Next time I’ll provide a results list that includes the scorers, I just forgot to do it this time.

Unfortunately, our success in league play didn’t correspond to good form in the U.S. Open Cup, as we were knocked out in our first qualifying match.  (Note:  The worst teams from the year before face off in qualification for the US Open Cup, simply because they can’t produce an even bracket with each MLS team qualifying).  I had really hoped for a better results in this campaign, but the league was always going to be my focus this season.  San Jose is overachieving this season, and had previously beaten me in the pre-season.  It seems I’ve already found my rival team in the MLS, having lost to them twice now, drawing them once, and getting some sweet revenge on them in my last match.  Not to make an excuse, but it should be pointed out that this match was played on April 3rd.  Why is that significant?  Well, at the time my team was trying to figure out who they were, and how I wanted them to play.  If you look at the matches from league play (above), this match would’ve come after the Los Angeles loss, and a couple of games before two straight draws.  We did have a couple of wins at that time, but we were far from being a cohesive unit.

THE TABLE

We currently sit a top of the Western Conference by two points.  Even more impressive, we’ve played less games than some of the other contenders.  A fast start was very important to our goals of reaching the play-offs this season.  So far, I’d say our schedule has been a tad on the easy side.  I know that Los Angeles, Seattle, and Salt Lake will be pushing us later in the season, so, to see a little gap between us in the table brings me a considerable amount of pride.  For those of you that prefer a single table…

I apologize for leaving my cursor up there.  But, I don’t apologize for how we’ve been playing.  TOP OF THE LEAGUE!!!  I honestly didn’t think we’d be doing so well this season.  I know that the schedule is going to get difficult, but the fact that we’re on top right now is a good sign.

MY AWFUL SCHEDULING

One thing I’m very angry about is my upcoming fixtures.  We went almost a month without playing because we had already played more games than most.  The worst part is that we had a match moved because I had three players called up to International duty.  I honestly would’ve rather played the game.  Now, I have to play 11 games in 6 weeks!!!  Also, if you look carefully, I play 6 games in 16 days!!!!

The only thing my schedule did help, was some injurys.  Here are the notable ones:

Mastroeni is an important image and captain to our team.  It’s painful to lose such a tremendous player for this long.  I’ll have to trust my young DM, Marquinhos to step up a little earlier than I expected.  I’ll also use a 4-2-2 diamond to avoid fielding a weaker squad just because I like the formation.

The other injury came to our attack minding full back Marvell Wynne.  He is currently healthy again, but for a while, our defense was very susceptible on the flanks.  I moved Wallace over from the left side to cover, and put Earls, and Palguta on the left for a couple of games.

PLAYER RATINGS

Our player ratings reflect our teams success this season.  I wouldn’t pay too much attention to Palguta since he doesn’t play much.  Drew Moor has been a beast for us on free kicks (not so much on corners), notching four goals.  One thing I’m very happy about is the distribution of goals throughout the team.  Here is how they shape up

• 4 goals from defenders (All from Moor, as Mastroeni didn’t play DC for me)
• 10 from attacking mids
• 8 from strikers
• 1 from defensive mids

OTHER STUFF

We have linked ourselves with Central American team Motagua, in an effort to expand our scouting.  We can also send players there on loan, but the league doesn’t exist on FM.  I’ll probably still send a player or two there, but their season doesn’t start for a couple of months.  They had the best training facilities out of the three candidates my board sent me.

I managed to set a record at the club.

Conclusion

• We’re performing above all board expectations, even with the early cup exit
• Our future schedule is going to snap the unbeaten streak.  I just don’t see any way I can rotate that many players without dropping at least one game.  Ultimately I may have to rest most of my first team just to avoid injuries/losing multiple games in a row.

Best,

.T