U-20 Players FAQ

[sterlingice]

First, my usual cautionary tale. If anyone wants a current U-20 team player, in about 12 hours a Slovakia team player is up. He is 18 and has passable playmaking, inad wing, inad def, and weak stamina and a whopping $42K value (tho he's in weak form). Almost at $500K right now for someone very few of us would pay $50K for on the US market... Silvester Tasar (15122723)

Anyways, for the people more familiar with national team politics and the like (TP, lytic, etc)- there are a lot of FOFC'ers looking to get U-20 guys next year, so maybe a little Q and A would help enlighten those of us in the dark. (BTW: when I refer to national team, assume I mean U-20)

1. Why is next season the big year?

2. If I'm going out to buy someone- how can I get them on the national team? Do I just message the manager or what?

3. Is there any sort of guarantee about national team players? Can they be named to the national team one week and dropped the next?

4. Is there a way to snag national team members before they end up on the team? I noticed that you have a S Korean team member who only cost him $60K so I'm guessing he wasn't on the national team at the time your purchased him, lytic.

5. What's the best way to get your guy on the national team? Just train him to the point where the coach can't help but put your player on the team because he's the best out there?

6. Any other useful national team member tidbits?

SI

[Raven Hawk]

In response to #4, one way to do it is to be elected national team coach, buy a player, then put them on the team.

Also, that player that is on sale for Slovakia looks like a marketing ploy. Sometimes National coaches will put their players or their friends players on the team long enough for them to sell at grossly inflated prices. Then, after the player has sold, the player is dropped from the team. I'd be very wary of this sale.

[Nyarlahotep]

If we suspect that is the case, is it something that should be reported?

[lytic]

Originally posted by Raven Hawk
In response to #4, one way to do it is to be elected national team coach, buy a player, then put them on the team.

oh man... there was a nice stab!

[Raven Hawk]

I'm not sure if there is a policy on this. If you suspect that the players are owned by the same person, only that person owns two separate teams, then I'd say: yes.

However, there are no guarantees on the market. Hattrick allows daytrading, even though it can't be done by smaller market teams. So, they are a little "hands-off" on this type of thing. I think that their rule is that the player can't sell for more than 10x (or maybe it is 20x) their value. This is how they govern such issues.

Remember . . . their status as a Nat Team Player is NEVER guaranteed. The best way, I think, to get a Nat Team player is to develop the talent yourself. Go buy a good 17 year old in the first two weeks of the season, then train the sh*t out of them.

It is a sales game. Nat coaches are looking for the best players for their team, but can't know about everything. It is your job to tell them what you've got. Most Nat Team coaches, in my experience, will e-mail you back and tell you the requirements that they have for the position you're inquiring about.

For instance, I e-mailed the U-20 Nat coach for Thailand when I picked up a young scorer. He e-mailed me back and told me that the player's Scoring should be Outstanding and his Passing should be Passable for him to be considered. This was good for me to know, because I have been working to get him to such levels.

The key is to buy first, ask the Nat coach later. Take it into your own hands and develop a player that they can't say no to.

[lytic]

1. Why is next season the big year?

Next season is the "big" season because the 17 year old that are pulled will be 20 when the U20 World Cup kicks off in 4.5 seasons. Therefore, they have the longest training (4 seasons worth) and are usually the highest rated players in the group of U20 players.

2. If I'm going out to buy someone- how can I get them on the national team? Do I just message the manager or what?

Larger countries are harder to keep tabs on. I often look at the South Korean transfer market for 17 and 18 year olds that are being sold. I bookmark players that have potential. I do miss players, and players I bookmark don't get proper training. When people ht-mail me, they usually ask me current stats of defenders or middies. Sometimes they send stats of the player they have or are going to purchase. Most of them aren't good enough, some of them are too old (we have all 17 and 18 year olds on the team since we couldn't make the World Cup this season, so we are getting a jump start on the exp boost of the next squad). The lowest defender on the team is excellent, but I'll get players asking to put a defender that just turned excellent on the squad. They don't understand that I would have to cut someone to add their player, bring TS down, for what? A player of equal value with less exp? Now if they have a formidable or outstanding defender then I would cut an excellent defender.
Polite people usually get a nicer response, so keep that in mind when ht-mailing a U20/nats coach. We usually get at least 10 a day asking about a player.

3. Is there any sort of guarantee about national team players? Can they be named to the national team one week and dropped the next?

I like to carry 3 keepers, but I currently have 2. 1 excellent and 1 newly inad (that weak guy for sale a few weeks ago). If we were to pull a solid keeper, he would become #2. I'd keep him as the #3, unless another one was pulled. So it's more risky in a smaller country to pick up a bench player. In the larger countries, they are usually all very close in talent that the chance of your guy getting cut after he's on the team is very rare, unless you get a large injury.

4. Is there a way to snag national team members before they end up on the team? I noticed that you have a S Korean team member who only cost him $60K so I'm guessing he wasn't on the national team at the time your purchased him, lytic.

That was like 5-6 weeks after the rush... since I was paying attention to the U20 team (I was the "assistant coach," since the previous guy obviously didn't have time to search, he asked me to take that part over), I knew the current stats of players. I was a high passable 17 year old come out. I scooped him up for a premium price of $60k. Other people were bidding on him. I was taking a chance... I mean we were a month or so into the season and he was passable. This is easily done by paying attention to a smaller country. There is no way to do that in a large country. That first 4 weeks, everything is highly watched.

5. What's the best way to get your guy on the national team? Just train him to the point where the coach can't help but put your player on the team because he's the best out there?

Exactly, and being vigilant on the players already bought. I bought Preston Davis from TP. He was a 17 year old passable the first week. I saw his value as very high for a passable. Sure enough next week, we was solid. So he's like a week 2 solid. I trained defending in the offseason as well, just so he has a better chance of making the squad as a backup. Today he will be outstanding... I also plan to train defender in the offseason and hope to pass a few people up during that time. He might be bale to hit brilliant that first week or so into next season. I think brilliant defender is the lowest you can be to make the USA U20 squad as a 19 year old.
For South Korea, you'll have to be at least as outstanding defender to bump someone off the squad.

6. Any other useful national team member tidbits?

If your player is interesting, he will be bookmarked. Keep that training in the loop. "hey, he hit outstanding today and pulled 5 stars!" "Hey, he got an injury, but it's only for 2 weeks, so he'll be ready to go again next week."
Be honest and polite to the trainer.
Post in the conference and keep tabs on the current team. Especially important in the smaller countries.

When he's on the squad, send him a friendly note when in good form. I did that when I had Simon Cuk, my U20 Slovenia defender. If he was in solid form, he played.
The Nats trainer usually looks for that during training day (I do), but it shows that you care, and maybe in case it slips their mind, you will remind them.

If I think of more things I will let you know.

[TargetPractice6]

there are a lot of FOFC'ers looking to get U-20 guys next year

Whoever wants one should be prepared to fork over a ton of money. They won't come cheap, aside from some inadequates you may find in some smaller nations.

Myself, I'm prepared to pay $6million+ for two USA 17 year old solids that will most likely be on the U20 team.

[FrogMan]

Since I expect to be at or around the zero dollar mark in my club's bank account at the beginning of next season, I guess I'll live with the players already on my squad

FM

[Desnudo]

You never know, maybe you can get an amazing Chinese weak PM U20 middie.

[YoSoySean]

I expect to pay a couple million dollars for a 17 yo solid USA keeper next season. I currently have an 18 yo keeper who should make the Magyarorszag team next season.

[Mr. Wednesday]

Suppose a miracle occurs and I pull a first-week solid goalkeeper. How would his value a couple of seasons out, after being trained and in the team, compare with his initial value (where YoSoySean has already earmarked $2 MM for such a player)?

I don't actually expect to be in this situation (as I said, it would take a minor miracle), but this seems like a good place to ask.

[damnMikeBrown]

I will outbid you, YoYo

[YoSoySean]

Originally posted by Mr. Wednesday
Suppose a miracle occurs and I pull a first-week solid goalkeeper. How would his value a couple of seasons out, after being trained and in the team, compare with his initial value (where YoSoySean has already earmarked $2 MM for such a player)?

I don't actually expect to be in this situation (as I said, it would take a minor miracle), but this seems like a good place to ask.

Well, to give you an idea... I bought a 17 yo passable keeper last season a couple of weeks into the season and he hit magnificent this week. I can probably get a cool $5 mil if I sold him now.

P.S. No you won't

[Mr. Wednesday]

I was wondering how well the initial premium transfers to post-training resale value. As I understand it, that $2 MM price tag for a first- or second-week solid is inflated a good bit because the player is likely U20 material -- does that inflation remain (or increase) with training?

i.e. if you don't want the immediate payoff, is it worth it to train the guy yourself?

[YoSoySean]

If what you want is a big payoff, it would be better to sell the hypothetical player and buy a 17 yo passable within the first few weeks. In my case, I want a potential USA U-20 player...

[sterlingice]

Just a fun little tidbit I uncovered last night while looking around on hattrick. These countries have <100 teams as of right now (and are presumably ripe for getting U-20s for cheaper).

Bosnia
China
Egypt
Hong Kong
India
Nippon
Pakistan
Philipines
Slovakia
South Africa
South Korea
Srbija
Taiwan
Ukriana
Vietnam

SI

[damnMikeBrown]

Yo-Yo wants to buy a 17yr 2nd week solid US keeper. That's good. I'll let him know how the 17yr week 1 solid progressess during his first week of training. . .

[Nyarlahotep]

Do you want me to let you know how the 17yr week 1 high solid does?

[YoSoySean]

Originally posted by damnMikeBrown
Yo-Yo wants to buy a 17yr 2nd week solid US keeper. That's good. I'll let him know how the 17yr week 1 solid progressess during his first week of training. . .

I hope you know that I will have over $6-7 million at the beginning of next season...

[damnMikeBrown]

Welp, I'll have close to that

[Blade6119]

ill have almost 400k....cant we get a little love for the poor guy?...i nee to train someone to go with my formidible gk clown...

[FrogMan]

I'll still be in the red

FM

[KevinNU7]

[looks up at the clouds]"Please God let me pull this player and get all this money"[/looks up at the clouds]

[albionmoonlight]

I thought that GK youth pulls were never as young as 17. Am I just flat out wrong about that?

[McSweeny]

Originally posted by albionmoonlight
I thought that GK youth pulls were never as young as 17. Am I just flat out wrong about that?

flat out

[YoSoySean]

They are anywhere from 17 to 22.

[Coffee Warlord]

Originally posted by KevinNU7
[looks up at the clouds]"Please God let me pull this player and get all this money"[/looks up at the clouds]

You and everyone else in the world says that right before Lottery Day.

[condors]

If players get experience for playing in u-20 matches then would it be possible that the u-20 coach would play all 17 year olds next season? if i was in charge of small u-20 country it would be something i would consider get 17 year olds who are first team regulars and play them odds are you won't have a talent advantage over the larger countries but if you could get an experience advantage it could be helpfull come world cup time.

[YoSoySean]

Some teams do that. I remember not too long ago the Venezuela U-20 team upset a couple of teams in qualifiers because of higher experience.

[daedalus]

Originally posted by Coffee Warlord
You and everyone else in the world says that right before Lottery Day.

That's why I intend to import the appropriate three-legged midget sheep for sacrificing.

[lytic]

Originally posted by condors
If players get experience for playing in u-20 matches then would it be possible that the u-20 coach would play all 17 year olds next season? if i was in charge of small u-20 country it would be something i would consider get 17 year olds who are first team regulars and play them odds are you won't have a talent advantage over the larger countries but if you could get an experience advantage it could be helpfull come world cup time.

South Korea has been playing U18's for the past 2 months to gain on that exp thing.