Turn-based Soccer? A Football: Tactics and Glory Dynasty
 

A post in the Steam thread referenced this game, so I tried it out and got immediately hooked.

What is it? Football: Tactics and Glory plays more like an RPG than an in depth soccer game. The turn-based aspects are not just related to team management, but also how the games play out. Each match is 48 turns long and each side gets three turns to act at a time.

The management aspects are primitive compared to FM, but there's enough there to make it fun to try and build your team up from nothing. You can buy players on the transfer market, upgrade your youth academy to get better, and players can learn special skills like Rainbow Feint or Layoff Pass that can really pay off during a game.

No matter what country you start in, the game has a static league structure:

Premiere League (18 teams)
First League (16 teams)
Second League (14 teams)
Third League (12 teams)
Amateur League (8 teams)

I've downloaded a mod for the US league that uses real MLS, USL, and Developmental teams. I will be managing the Des Moines Menace in the Amateur League.

Career Goals Scored...

Cannon - 244
Hoffman - 72
Pennington - 59
Edmondson - 57
McCullough - 56
Epperson - 49
Eller - 32
Atkins - 22
Seymour - 14
Galloway - 9
Yoder -7
Forsythe - 5
Ellison - 5
Guy - 5
Lindsey - 4
Whittington - 4
Kelley - 3
Qualls - 3
Wilkerson - 2
McCurdy -1
Lynn - 1

Now let's take a look at our team...



Class - Obviously, this is the position for each player, but there are some specifics to note. The players with a question mark still need to learn a position, which they can only do by getting game experience. As players get experience, you can upgrade them to one of the main classes. More on that later.

Acc - The accuracy of shots on goal.
Pas - Passing skill.
Def - Defense skill, which is used when trying to stop a shot on goal, make a tackle, or intercept a pass.
Ctr - Control rating, which is the player's ability to retain possession against a tackle.
Lvl - When a player reaches a new level, their stats increase. You don't get to pick the stats but you can earn upgrades that allow you to focus improvements on one skill.
Age - Players retire at age 36.
Skills - These are special skills the players have learned.

Thoughts on the team...

Keeper - Granger is terrible, but I have no one else. That Def ratign won't stop many shots. Has an unnecessarily high pass rating. Also still needs more experience to become a full goalkeeper.

Defense - Heath and Canales are pretty good. Heath has the long pass skill, which is very useful for counter attacks and he's a Sweeper class, which means he'll automatically react to get in the way of opposing strikers. Huggins, Lawler, and McGill are not very useful. Huggins does have the Head play skill, which helps him defend opposing headers, but that's not going to happen much at this level.

Midfield - These guys are pretty good, but Redd and Barajas won't be around much longer. Major depth issue here. Barajas has the layoff pass skill, which allows him to pass ahead of a player and help him get into position to score.

Forwards - McCurdy is worthless, so Seymour (A Right Midfielder) will play as a forward on the right side. Atkins is pretty awesome and will be our top goal scorer.

Reserves - Jennings and Banuelos haven't learned a position yet and they're useless anywhere on the pitch, so will only be used when my starters are winded or injured.

Until I get more midfielders or better forwards, we'll be running a 5-3-2


Granger
McGill, Canales, Heath, Huggins, Lawler
Lance, Redd, Barajas
Atkins, Seymour

Her'es the upgrade screen, which shows different ways to upgrade your team. Throughout the season, you earn both cash and supporters shields, which are used for different upgrades.

We start the game with

Cash - $50,000
Shields - 5
Supporters - 50 (this will increase and decrease each match depending on performance).

Our stadium is big enough so I spend money upgrading my youth academy. You will get a new youth pull every 6 months. The first upgrade is $15,000 and the second is $27,000 (which increases the range to 1-10). This leaves me with $9,000. There are no urgent contract renewals, so this should be fine for now.

As you can see, the transfer list is very limited at this level. You can buy upgrades to increase the number of players and lower the age level. The only useful guy here is Nix, who I might regret not getting, but I preferred to improve the youth academy instead.

The Amateur League...



2 matches against each team for a 14 match season. There is also the Prestige Cup, which is the generic national cup. There is also an international cup for the top teams in the Premiere league.

In my first playthrough, I promoted in my 2nd season. I'm not sure I want to promote faster than that, which is another reason I didn't buy that keeper.

Here's what the match play looks like. This screenshot is taken right after Canales stopped their first attack

Amateur League: Des Moines at Grand Rapids

Great start for our squad! Our defensive lines has an amazing game, preventing our crappy keeper from having to make any saves. Atkins and Seymour both bag a couple goals as their defense is unable to deal with Atkins accuracy or Seymour's mobility.

Score: Des Moines 4, Grand Rapids 0
Goals: Atkins 2, Seymour 2
Assists: Redd, Barajas
Possession: 66%
Top three: Atkins, Seymour, Heath

Barajas improves to level 26.
Heath improves to level 16.
Mcgill improves to level 8.

This looks fun. I've had this game on my Steam Wishlist for ages so not only am I looking forward to your destiny it's possible you'll tip me over into buying it. Good luck! :)

I've seen some old play of this and enjoyed that, am excited for this play as well.

Your description and your first few posts really caught my eye, so I went over to Steam and found out more about FTG. It isn't very expensive (I'm not sure how much more I can say on the forum here), so I decided to buy it.

The early reviews from my house are very favorable! My kids (ages 14, 11, and 8) are all soccer players, and my oldest likes some turn-based games. He's already said he thinks it will be fun to try.

I'll be following along, and thanks for the idea! :)

Thanks for reading, guys! The game is really addictive and I'm glad the dynasty is getting some people to check it out. I'll have an update soon.

Love this game - but am absolutely awful at it - I sold off most of my players to "rush" youth development facilities....really bad idea....but in a few seasons, might be "ok"...

Will be watching with interest!

Amateur League: Des Moines Menace (1-0-0, 1st) at Chattanooga FC (1-0-0, 3rd)

Chattanooga has a much better defensive line, so we struggle to break through until late in the first half. Unfortunately, Chattanooga quickly equalizes on the last turn of the first half when my keeper is finally tested. Neither team is able to break through in the second half.

Des Moines 1, Chattanooga 1
Goal: Atkins
Assist: Barajas
Top Three: Atkins, Barajas, Seymour

Huggins improves to lvl 13.
Lawler improves to lvl 13.

*I bought the Defender coach to increase the experience my defenders get after each match. I did this because I'm currently playing more defenders than any other position.

July 29

Amateur League: Albion SC Pros (1-0-1, 5th) at Des Moines Menace (1-1-0, 2nd)


Their defense isn't very strong, so it's a little frustrating that we miss our first shot on goal and then can't get back in scoring position for the entire first half. We finally break through on a great counter attack to open the 2nd half. With time running out, a brutal foul injures Lance and he'll be out for a month. Ugh!

Final Score: Des Moines 1, Albion 0

Goals: Atkins
Assists: Redd
Top Three: Heath, Atkins, Redd

Aug 5th

Amateur League: Des Moines Menace (2-1-0) at Fresno Fuego (1-0-2)

I'm forced to play a weird 5-2-3 due to Lance's injury. Their keeper makes a couple great saves in the first half, but Atkins opens the 2nd half by beating two defenders and the keeper with a great shot. On our next possession, Seymour gets around the defense and puts the game out of reach. My CD Huggins pretty much shut down every attack they launched until a useless goal on the last turn of the game.

Final Score: Des Moines 2, Fresno 1
Goals: Atkins, Seymour
Assists: Barajas 2
Top Three: Huggins, Redd, McCurdy

Mcgill improves to level 9.

Sounds cool, I may have to look into this too. I have played most of the versions of Football Manager since 2007, but I find myself enjoying that game less and less. It has just gotten too tedious for me to enjoy, even with FM Classic

Aug 12

Amateur League: Calgary Foothills FC (0-0-4, 8th) at Des Moines Menace (3-1-0, 2nd)

Redd is winded from our last match, so I have to start the useless Jennings in his place. Luckily, Calgary is terrible and both Atkins and Sweeney bag 2 goals in the 1st half. With this huge lead, I play it safe in the 2nd half to conserve energy. Atkins misses his shot for a hat trick. Heath was pretty dominant defensively and even managed a long range assist to Atkins.

Final Score: Des Moines 4, Calgary 0
Top Three: Atkins, Seymour, Barajas
Goals: Atkins 2, Seymour 2

Loving this game. I picked it up, started with Tipperary FC in the bottom/amateur tier of the FAI (I also loaded all the team names mod from Steam.) I played through the first game of Season 8 yesterday (I'm at work on just under 2 hours sleep) Season 1 Promoted to League 3, Season 2 Promoted to League 2 Season 3 grabbed the last spot above relegation from League 2. Season 4 staved off relegation again. Season 5 got relegated pretty thoroughly back to League 3 (a group of older players retired.) Season 6 bounced right back up from League 3 to League 2. Season 7 got absolutely mauled as I sold my Star Keeper in the Winter window of my promotion season (6) so he didn't enter the dreaded too old to sell period. My backups weren't ready. We ended a 26 game season with 6 points. If this game could fire me I'd have been out. So season 8 I start back at Level 3 again but I have the the best bench coach you can have (so all my players get XP as though they were playing), a 5000 seat stadium that I overfill and a 2.5 star Youth pull twice a year. My team is almost all former youth and some buys that I churn. It's been a whirlwind and I can't wait to get back to it. This would be an amazing IPad game wonder if they have any plans to do that. OK sorry back to Des Moines :)

Aug 19

Amateur League: Des Moines Menace (4-1-0, 2nd) at K-W United FC (5-0-0, 1st)

We begin a stretch of 3 games in 8 days. Redd is still winded, so we run the same lineup as last week. Heath's long pass ability pays off nicely as he gets the ball to Seymour for an early goal. K-W take advantage of our terrible keeper to equalize at the half. Then a terrible pass in our own area leads to a one on one, which they convert. Thankfully, Atkins pulls off a heroic shot to equalize late in the 2nd half. Heath stops their last attack and we hold for the draw.

Final Score: Des Moines 2, K-W United 2
Goals: Atkins, Seymour
Top Three: Heath, Seymour, Barajas

Jennings improves to lvl 8.

I go ahead and buy Dyson off the transfer list. This will help with my depth issues and I feel like he can take the LD spot that Mcgill will soon retire from.

Awesome results. In my first playthrough, I promoted to League 3 in my 2nd season and was maintaining a mid table standing before I started this dynasty.

Aug 22

Prestige Cup - Qualifying Round: Des Moines Menace at Calgary Foothills FC

I rest Heath and Seymour as we have a league game in just a few days. New signee Dyson and useless Banuelos get the start here. After a boring first half where we miss our only shot on goal, Atkins makes two easy conversions. Granger actually makes a one on one save and Dyson does a good job in his debut.

Final Score: Des Moines 2, Calgary 0
Goals: Atkins 2
Top Three: Atkins, Jennings, Mcgill

Canales improves to lvl 28.
Granger improves to lvl 15.
Huggins improves to lvl 14.
Lawler improves to lvl 14.
Mcgill improves to lvl 10.
Jennings improves to lvl 9.
Mccurdy improves to lvl 9.
Banuelos improves to lvl 8.

Lawler has improved to specialization lvl 2. What that means is he can pick an upgrade from this tree.



Specialist: This tree is where a player learns specific positions. Lawler had already learned to be a full Right Defender.

Talent: These upgrades improve the special skills a player can earn. They can either make the skills more powerful or decrease the time it takes to learn them.

Dedication: You can increase the experience a player learns after each match or which specific skills increase when he levels up.

Fan Favorite: You can increase their popularity, which puts more fans in the seats and can improve how much they sell for on the transfer market.

Utility: They can learn a second special class.

I pick the increased experience. This is cumulative with my defensive coach, so he now has a 50% exp increase.

I bought a few players on the transfer list simply to have warm bodies for matches when my guys are winded. This also helps clear out the transfer list and get new guys on there. The best player I can find is Bonds, a lvl 7 midfielder who has an 18 in passing.

Midfield is a huge concern because Barajas and Redd won't be around much longer.

Aug 26

Clarkston SC Eagles (3-0-3, 5th) at Des Moines Menace (4-2-0, 2nd)

We have a couple weeks off after this, so I use my full starting lineup. Redd is back and dominates the midfield, stopping several counterattacks. This leads to an early Atkins goal. Seymour misses several shots in the first half, but finally breaks through in the 2nd half when he's able to run behind the defense and beats the keeper one on one.

Final Score: Des Moines 2, Clarkstown S-C 0
Goals: Atkins, Seymour
Top Three: Redd, Heath, Atkins

Heath increased his specialization level. I decide to improve his long pass skill.

Redd increased his specialization level. I only have him for 7 more months, so I increase his popularity to build up supporters.

A great guy popped up on the transfer list. A lvl 24 defender named Levesque, with a 47 rating in defense. I can sell Huggins for 24000 and buy this guy for 12000, so I do it.

Here are the standings at the midway point...



League Leaders...

Goals - Atkins is 2nd with 9 goals. Seymour is 3rd with 7 goals.
Assists - Barajas is 1st with 8 assists. Redd is tied for 4th with 3 assists.
Tackles - Heath is 1st with 16 tackles. Huggins is 3rd with 10 tackles. Canales is 5th with 8 tackles.

Hell of a season you're having. You guys are murder going forward. Definitely no lead is safe against you. Just have to get a better keeper and a decent midfielder in order to help ease the transition from Redd and Barajas.

My biggest drops in quality season to season were when I either had multiple retirements hit to key players or last season when I saw them coming and basically cleaned out everyone 30 and older on the squad knowing what that would mean.

Right before the transfer window closes, I buy a backup forward, which clears the way for another player to be added to the list. And it's the midfielder I've been looking for. His name is Nesbitt..



I've definitely played around on the transfer market more than before, but I still have cash in the bank and everyone, except my pending retirees, locked up for 13+ months.

Aug 12

Prestige Cup - Qualifying Round: Calgary Foothills FC at Des Moines Menace

Calgary sucks so bad that even with a 2-0 aggregate deficit, they play a strict defensive game, even holding the ball up when they had a shot on goal. They do manage to stifle us to a scoreless first half, but Atkins breaks through with two second half goals.

Final Score: Des Moines 2, Calgary 0
Goals: Atkins 2
Top Three: Atkins, Canales, Jennings

Atkins improves to lvl 28.
Seymour improves to lvl 26.
Heath improves to lvl 17.
Dyson improves to lvl 17.
Lawler improves to lvl 15.
Jennings improves to lvl 11.

Jennings learns the Amateufer Midfielder role.
Atkins gets 30% extra experience from matches.

Yeah I learned the hard lesson that you can't extend contracts or sell players once they hit 34.

October 10

Prestige Cup - Round of 32: Richmond Kickers at Des Moines Menace

Richmond is a 2nd league club, so this should be painful. Lance is back from his injury. I switch to a 5-4-1 to try and keep this a low scoring affair. Kinda turned out differently than expected. They take the lead on an early free kick, but Atkins somehow beats their superb defense (lucky dice roll) to equalize. They take the lead again when they manage to flank our defense, but Atkins somehow pulls another goal out on the next possession. Our defense holds tight and we actually get a chance to win, but Atkins can't connect a third time.

Final Score: Des Moines 2, Richmond 2
Goals: Atkins 2
Top Three: Akins, Nesbitt, Heath

Granger improves to lvl 16.
Nesbitt improves to lvl 16.

October 31

Prestige Cup - Round of 32: Des Moines Menace at Richmond Kickers

I try something different here and put Mccurdy in at Forward because he knows the skill Rainbow Feint, which could be useful getting through a tough defense. They get on the board early with a great strike from the corner. We have trouble getting Mccurdy in position, but he finally breaks through late in the 2nd half. Our defense is able to hold on for a draw!

Richmond still advances based on more away goals, but a superb effort from my guys.

Final Score: Des Moines 1, Richmond 1
Goals: Mccurdy
Top Three: Redd, Mccurdy, Heath

Levesque - lvl 25
Heath - lvl 18
Lawler - lvl 16

Granger has fully learned the GK position.

After winter break, the transfer window opens up again and we make the following moves.

*Lawler is 32 yrs old, so I sell him for $41,790.

*I buy Venegas, a lvl 16 Amateur defender, who will learn Lawler's RD spot. Only cost $2,280.

*I buy O'malley, a lvl 9 defender for $980. Just for depth.

*My youth pull is Higginbotham, a lvl 6 player without much skill, but he's only 16.

*I use the profits to extend contracts. I'm left with $25,072.

Here's my squad as we start the 2nd half of the season...



And some more explanation of the positions...

GK - Keeper. Gets 50% bonus to defense and control when in goal.

SW - Sweeper. Automatically moves in between player with the ball and the goal.

CD - Central Defender. Automatically tries to tackle someone who comes into and adjacent tile.

DF - Universal defender. Tries to intercept shots or passes that come within an adjacent tile.

LD/RD - Fullbacks. Decreases the ability for an opponent to use a special skill. Can move 3 tiles.

LM/RM - Wingers. Can move 4 tiles with the ball and spends no action points on pressing.

MF - Universal Midfielder - Can play anywhere and move 2 tiles with or without the ball.

CF - Central Forward - Automatically moves into any gap near the opponents goal at the beginning of a turn.

D, M, or F - Amateur positions. With more experience, they can learn one of the above positions.

? - Need to learn an amateur position first.

You get experience based on where you play, so if you want someone to become a fullback, you have to play them on the flanks so they get experience there.

I haven't mentioned much of the special skills, but here's an explanation of the ones we have right now.

Heath - Long pass. This allows him to send a pass up to 5 tiles away.

Canales - Slide tackle. The bonus to this instead of a normal tackle is if performed successfully, you gain an extra turn.

Atkins - Cannon shot. A powerful shot at the goal. Can only be done if no defenders in the way. Useful against great keepers.

Seymour - Head Play. Useful for crosses. Haven't really learned how to utilize this yet.

Barajas - Layoff pass. You can pass it ahead of player, who will then move in and get the ball, all in one turn.

Mccurdy - Rainbow Feint. Also useful against great keepers. Allows you to get by a defender or the keeper.

February 3

Amateur League: Grand Rapids FC (1-0-6,7th) at Des Moines Menace (5-2-0, 2nd)

I sit Barajas and Redd. I don't need them to win, so I'd rather Jennings and Nesbitt get the experience. Seymour misses an easy shot to open the game, but Atkins gets on board late in the 1st half. Our defense is so strong that my keeper never gets tested. They play a lot of keep away and we can't get any other scoring opportunities.

Final Score: Des Moines 1, Grand Rapids 0
Goal: Atkins
Top Three: Nesbitt, Atkins, Levesque

Feb 10

Amateur League: Chattanooga FC (4-3-1, 3rd) at Des Moines Menace (6-2-0, 2nd)

What a frustrating match. They have a forward with a devastating skill that allows him to get a one on one with my keeper, who loses the battle. Seymour and Atkins both miss easy shots and Chattanooga plays keep away in the 2nd half.

Final Score: Chattanooga 1, Des Moines 0

Goals: None
Top Three: Levesque, Lance, Heath

Levesque now gets 30% bonus XP.

February 17

Amateur League: Des Moines Menace (6-2-1, 2nd) at Albion SC Pros (4-2-3, 4th)

Our offense just isn't clicking anymore. Several bad passes from the midfield prevent Atkins from getting any attempts. They score first off a corner kick. We finally break through on a great strike from Atkins to finish the 1st half. The 2nd half is more of the same, except they very nearly win. With very little time left, they win a corner and get it to a player right in front of the goal, but Granger for once makes a great save.

Final Score: Des Moines 1, Albion 1
Goal: Atkins
Top Three: Granger, Heath, Atkins

February 24

Amateur League: Fresno Fuego (3-1-6, 10th) at Des Moines Menace (6-3-1, 2nd)

Our offense is still not as powerful as it was earlier in the season, but our defense is still dominant. Atkins bags two goals and Venegas does a great job shutting down the opponent's forwards.

Final Score: Des Moines 2, Fresno 0
Goals: Atkins 2
Top Three: Venegas, Atkins, Heath

Dyson - lvl 18

March 3

Amateur League: Des Moines Menace (7-3-1, 2nd) at Calgary Foothills FC (1-0-10, 8th)

Atkins scores on the first possession of the game, but that's all we can manage. He misses his next shot and I replace him at halftime so he can rest for the big K-W United match next week. Not much worry, though. Calgary has no ability to score goals, much less any interest in trying. They play defensively in the 2nd half and we win a snoozer.

Final Score: Des Moines 1, Calgary 0
Goal: Atkins
Top Three: Levesque, Atkins, Nesbitt

March 10

Amateur League: K-W United FC (10-2-0) at Des Moines Menace (8-3-1, 2nd)

We take the early lead on a great strike from Atkins. K-W equalizes late in the 1st half by beating Heath and Granger too easily. Nesbitt picks up a red card when I have him do an aggressive tackle in an attept to win possession at midfield and have a chance to score. K-W takes advantage of his absence and immediately scores. Atkins gets a shot to tie the game, but his last shot is no good.

K-W United 2, Des Moines Menace 1
Goal: Atkins
Top Three: Atkins, Heath, Nesbitt (Not sure how it picked those second two)

Seymour and Canales both have a 30% experience increase.

You got me! This game is going on my buy list.

:)

March 17

Amateur League: Des Moines Menace (8-3-2, 3rd) at Clarkstown SC Eagles (6-2-5, 5th)

Atkins and especially Seymour really just hit a wall int he 2nd half of the season and had trouble connecting when it was most needed. Here we have a very dull 0-0 draw where both of them missed shots that could've won it.

Final Score: Des Moines 0, Clarkstown 0
Goals: None
Top Three: Granger, Heath, Venegas

We finish 3rd and manage to promote. It got a little dicey for a minute there. If Albion had won their last match, we would've failed to promote.

Final Standings of the Amateur League...

Des Moines Menace Stats

Goals

Atkins - 21
Seymour - 7
Mccurdy - 1

Assists

Barajas - 9
Nesbitt - 8
Redd - 3
Jennings - 2
Heath - 2
Seymour - 1

Tackles

Heath - 25
Levesque - 17
Canales - 14
Venegas - 9
Atkins - 5
Mcgill - 5
Jennings - 3
Seymour - 2
Lance - 2
Dyson - 2
Nesbitt - 2
Mcmahon - 1

Man of Match (3-2-1)

Atkins - 31
Heath - 19
Redd - 9
Seymour - 7
Nesbitt - 7
Levesque - 7
Granger - 6
Barajas - 4
Venegas - 4
Huggins - 3
McCurdy - 3
Jennings - 3
Canales - 2
Lance - 2
McGill - 1

By appearing in season leaderboards, my players have earned extra glory for me to spend on upgrades...

At the beginning of each season you can pick a sponsor that gives you cash based on different parameters. I go with the Captain Willy sponsorship as the other two seem very unlikely.

Offseason Moves

*I have $26,924 and 70 glory (shields).

*I spend my extra glory (shields) on upgrading my defender coach two more levels. This means my defenders will get 70% extra experience after each match, in addition to the 30% bonus some of them already have. It made sense to max this out instead of spreading it around, because I'm running 5 defenders.

*I renew Venegas for 2 years, $847

*I renew backup Forward Mckenna for 1 yr, $138

*Atkins wants $9719 to renew for another year. He has 8 months left and is 32. I may have to sell him, but I have no one to replace him yet, so will wait to decide.

*It is time to sell another defender. Canales is very good (49 defense) and has a very useful Slide Tackle skill. But he's 30 yrs old and is valued at $96,900.

*To replace him, I buy Edmonds, a 28 yr old Amateur defender with a 37 Def rating for $2,140.

*Our youth pull is a worthless lvl 3 player.

*I extend Lance for 2 yrs, $16,648. No choice here with limited options in the midfield. He will soon learn the slide tackle skill, which will be huge.

*I extend Jennings for 1 yr, $249.

*Mcgill and Barajas will retire in 2 months.

*I extend my 17 yr old, Higginbotham, for 2 yrs, $142.

*I spend $70,000 to upgrade my youth academy. This means that all youth pulls will now be from lvl 5-15.

*I spend $15,000 to upgrade my stadium to 500 seats. I now have 140 supporters, so the 100 seat stadium wasn't enough.

*This leaves me with $20,602 left. That's enough to renew Atkins for another year if I decide to do it later.

*Seymour is also due for a renewal in 8 months. I will more likely sell him, but again need to find a replacement first.

My starting lineup and top substitutes as we begin the new season. Nesbitt will be a starter once he finishes his suspension.

July 21

Third League: Chattanooga FC (0-0-0) at Des Moines Menace (0-0-0)

This one seems hopeless for a bit. They play 6 defenders and have a terrific keeper. Atkins first two chances are low% shots that are easily thwarted. Chattanooga uses a special skill to maneuver around our defense. Granger is able to make one amazing save, but the other gets by him. They commit a foul late in the game and on the ensuin free kick, Lance gets the ball to Atkins in great position and he scores a goal on the last turn of the game.

Final Score: Des Moines 1, Chattanooga 1
Goal: Atkins
Top Three: Lance, Atkins, Jennings

Edmonds - level 19.
Venegas - level 17.

I finally find a decent Forward on the transfer list.

*Forsythe is a lvl 21 with 30 Acc and 23 Ctr. More importantly, he's only 26 and costs $12,435.

*This means it is time to say goodbye to Atkins. I can sell him for $78,600. This may increase our struggles, but it's time to look to the future.

Aug 4

Third League: FC Tucson (1-0-1, 7th) at Des Moines Menace (0-1-1, 9th)

Heath and Granger have a great game stopping several FC Tucson attacks. We get a couple great looks at the goal, but can't convert until late, when a Barajas pass puts Seymour in erfect position and he converts. Sadly they immediately score on the next set of turns to steal a draw.

Final Score: FC Tucson 1, Des Moines 1
Goal: Seymour
Top Three: Heath, Levesque, Granger

Aug 4

Third League: Des Moines Menace (0-2-1, 9th) at Bethlehem Steel (0-2-1, 10th)

I had to sit Heath due to fatigue. This really hurt as we don't have a sweeper to get in the line of fire. They convert a one on one opportunity midway through the first half. We only manage one shot on goal because Seymour got stripped several times.

Final Score: Bethlehem 1, Des Moines 0
Goal: None
Top Three: Nesbitt, Edmonds, Granger

Mcgill - lvl 11.

We had several positional upgrades.

Granger - Every level he gains will now increase his defense by 2.
Nesbitt - Has now learned the Central Midfielder position.
Lance - 30% increased XP.
Baraja - Increased popularity. This should help stave off supporter loss a little bit.

Third League: FC Montreal (1-0-3, 9th) at Des Moines Menace (0-2-2, 10th)

Levesque was so dominant in this one that I may consider selling Heath. As a universal defender, he automatically tries to intercept shots that go within one tile of him, which makes him formidable in the middle of the line. We still can't get much of an attack going, but neither can Montreal.

Final Score: FC Montreal 0, Des Moines 0
Goal: None
Top Three: Levesque, Barajas, Mcgill

Barajas - lvl 27.
Levesque - lvl 26.

Third League: Des Moines Menace (0-3-2, 11th) at Real Monarchs (2-0-3, 5th)

Real Monarchs score two quick goals and it looks ridiculously hopeless. They almost get a 3rd, but Granger akes a ridiculous save. We finally get on the board early in the 2nd half when Seymour gets behind the defense and converts a difficult shot. This gives us some momentum and we get two more chances, but we can't find the equalizer.

Final Score: Real Monarchs 2, Des Moines 1
Goal: Seymour
Top Three: Heath, Nesbitt, Seymour

Lance - lvl 28.
Granger - lvl 19.
Dyson - lvl 19.

*Barajas and Mcgill retire.

Third League: Wilmington (2-0-4, 8th) at Des Moines Menace (0-3-3, 12th)

The pain for selling Atkins is very apparent now. Neither Seymour nor Forsythe are good enough to take good shots against Third League defenders and keepers. Wilmington scores off a corner and holds on for a victory as we miss shot after shot.

Final Score: Wilmington 1, Des Moines 0
Goal: None
Top Three: Nesbitt, Lance, Levesque

Third League: Des Moines Menace (0-3-4, 12th) at AFC Cleveland (4-1-2, 3rd)

AFC Cleveland is the team that bought Atkins. Sure enough, he bags an early goal. Our defense holds well after that, but Seymour misses two shots where he had good chances and our losing streak continues.

Final Score: AFC Cleveland 1, Des Moines 0
Goal: None
Top Three: Heath, Venegas, Jennings

Venegas - lvl 20.
Jennings - lvl 12.
Dyson - lvl 21.

Venegas has learned the RD position and Dyson has learned the LD position.

Third League: Pittsburgh Riverhounds (4-1-3, 5th) at Des Moines Menace (0-3-5, 12th)

I thought we were gonna be able to hold on to a draw here as we managed to hold them to a scoreless first half. Then early in the 2nd half, they utilize the Layoff Pass skill to get it right in front of our keeper. They easily convert. On the next possession, we almost equalize, but Seymour misses again. Then Pittsburgh hits a ridiculous goal from outside the box that went through 2 defenders and the keeper.

Final Score: Pittsburgh 2, Des Moines 0
Goal: None
Top Three: Nesbitt, Levesque, Venegas

Third League: Des Moines Menace (0-3-6, 12th) at Phoenix Rising FC (3-1-5, 8th)

Bleh. Well, at least we figured out how to score on a cross. Unfortunately, Phoenix does this twice and we have no hope of a counterattack. I'm not surprised that we will likely be relegated, but I'mmore worried about our supporter exodus.

Final Score: Pittsburgh 3, Des Moines 1
Goal: Seymour
Top Three: Nesbitt, Seymour, Lance

Edmonds - lvl 20.

Third League: St Louis FC (8-1-1, 1st) at Des Moines Menace (0-3-7, 12th)

We hold them scoreless for the first half and actually manage to control the action. The 2nd half is a different story. They get behind our defense twice and Granger can't stop the shots. Several chances for Forsythe, but he still can't find his first goal.

Final Score: St. Louis 2, Des Moines 0
Goal: Seymour
Top Three: Nesbitt, Levesque, Seymour

Seymour - lvl 27.
Heath - lvl 20.

Levesque now gets 70% extra XP. This is in addition to the 70% he already gets from the coaching bonus.

Prestige Cup - Round of 32: Ottawa Fury at Des Moines Menace

Just what we need: a 2nd league team. Again, one goal is enough against us as our attack is pathetic and we have no ability to win the ball back at midfield.


Final Score: St. Louis 1, Des Moines 0
Goal: Seymour
Top Three: Nesbitt, Seymour, Granger

Prestige Cup - Round of 32: Des Moines Menace at Ottawa Fury

We actually take the lead in this one when a Seymour cross is headed in by Forsythe for his first goal. However, they immediately, come back to tie it up. We get another cross attempt, but Forsythe can't get to it. We're able to hold a great team to a draw, but it's not enough to help us advance as we lose the aggregate 2-1.

Final Score: St. Louis 1, Des Moines 1
Goal: Forsythe
Top Three: Forsythe, Nesbitt, Heath

Levesque - lvl 27.
Forsythe - lvl 22.
Nesbitt - lvl 19.
Jennings - lvl 13.

Seymour gets a new specialization level and I make him a popular player to stop the supporter bleeding. We're down to 61 from a high of 143 at the beginning of the season.

Here's the standings at the halfway point.

Winter break activities

*I renew Edmonds for 3 yrs, $5,769. This is a bargain as he will cost much more very soon.

*I sell Heath for $99,900. Yep, it's rebuilding time.

*Seymour has 28 days left on his contract. I will sell him towards the end of that, just so he can help keep my supporters happy until then. (Unless I upgrade someone else like that.

*My youth pull is the best one yet - a lvl 9 player named Guy who is 17 yrs old and already has a 20 in Defense. I will make sure he gets playing time.

*I extend Forsythe for 3 yrs, $5,769.

*I buy Hensley for $48,600. He's a midfielder with 36 in passing and 31 in control. He also has the Slide tackle skill and is only 26 yrs old. This is the guy I've been looking for all along.

*I buy Huffman for $6,870. He's a lvl 21 defender with 35 in defense and 29 in control.

*I buy Yoder for $5,580. He's a 27 yr old universal forward with 32 accuracy. Will fit right in once Seymour leaves and should be good enough for our inevitable return to the amateur league.

*After all of this, I'm left with $9,219, but will have more once I sell Seymour.

*I upgrade the Youth Academy for $110,000. This means every youth pull will be lvl 10-20.

My starting lineup and top reserves as we enter the 2nd half of the season...

Third League: Chattanooga FC (2-6-3, 10th) at Des Moines Menace (0-3-8, 12th)

We definitely play like a better team in the midfield. We're able to maintain possession and stop counterattacks. But we still can't penetrate opposing defenses. We had a chance to win it on the last turn of the game, but Forsythe misses his shot.

Final Score: Des Moines 0, Chattanooga 0
Goals: None
Top Three: Granger, Nesbitt, Hensley

Oh have I had this season. Twice at this point :) And it sucks while it's happening. Take your lumps. Start playing the younger guys you want to get more experience especially if you haven't built up your bench coach so everyone does. Make all three subs etc. You'll be thrilled next year when you can sell some of your older players because the young ones are good enough to win in Amateur level and are still growing (on cheap contracts and will be good enough for Lvl 3 the year after.

Yeah, that's what I'm planning now. What sucks is that you lose a ton of experience in the Amateur league (14 games instead of 22).

Third League: K-W United FC (4-1-7, 11th) at Des Moines Menace (0-4-8, 12th)

I try crosses on my first two possessions, but neither are successful. K-W scores on a ridiculous shot right before the half for more frustration. Thankfully, Seymour finally breaks through late in the 2nd half with a great shot that gets by 2 defenders and the keeper.

Final Score: Des Moines 1, K-W United 1
Goals: Seymour
Top Three: Nesbitt, Seymour, Huffman

Hensley - lvl 24
Huffman - lvl 22

Third League: Des Moines Menace (0-5-8, 12th) at FC Tucson (3-4-6, 11th)

Our improved midfield continues to make its presence known. We control possession for 62%. Granger does have to make one great stop in a one on one position. But Seymour breaks through from the flanks with a goal before halftime. He does the same right after the 2nd half kickoff. I can't remember the last time we had 2 goals. Levesque dominates at defense and prevents any more shots from getting through and we hold on for our first Third League victory!

Final Score: Des Moines 2, FC Tucson 0
Goals: Seymour 2
Top Three: Seymour, Nesbitt, Hensley

Dyson - lvl 22
Guy - lvl 10

Nesbitt gets a specialization upgrade and I make him popular to help with Supporters and also to get to the sale bonus tree.

That will be Seymour's last game with the team. I sell him for $80,600 and Yoder takes his place.

Third League: Des Moines Menace (1-5-8, 12th) at Bethlehem Steel (4-2-8), 11th)

Our new signee Yoder finds the net just after halftime to give us a 1-0 lead. Our defense is pretty solid, even without Venegas, and Granger only has to make one save. Two game winning streak and we're now only 3 pts away from avoiding relegation.

Final Score: Des Moines 2, FC Tucson 0
Goals: Yoder
Top Three: Yoder, Nesbitt, Guy

Granger - lvl 20
Nesbitt - lvl 20
Jennings - lvl 15 and has learned the Central Midfield role.

Third League: Des Moines Menace (2-5-8, 12th) at FC Montreal (9-2-4, 2nd)

As expected, they handle us pretty easily. They score two first half goals and we miss a great chance to pull one back when Lance sends the worst cross possible (rolled a 1 out of 53). The AI wisely attacks our young youth pull Guy.

Final Score: Montreal 2, Des Moines 0
Goals: None
Top Three: Nesbitt, Dyson, Lance

Guy - lvl 11.

Third League: Real Monarchs (7-3-6, 5th) at Des Moines Menace (2-5-9, 12th)

We actually take the midway through the 1st half as Forsythe gets great position on a corner and heads it in. They manage to equalize just after the half, but we do a good job of putting pressure on them. Yoder has a chance to win it on the last turn of the game, but the keeper easily stops the shot. I don't know if we can avoid relegation, but we're definitely a better team.

Final Score: Des Moines 1, Real Monarchs 1
Goals: Forsythe
Top Three: Hensley, Forsythe, Edmonds

Edmonds - lvl 23

Des Moines Menace (2-6-9, 12th) at Wilmington (4-3-10, 10th)

Wilmington takes an early lead on a great strike that Granger had no hope of stopping. However, I've finally mastered the crossing/heading mechanics and Kelley equalizes on a header midway through the 2nd half. Late in the game, Huffman stops a counterattack and Nesbitt is able to send a long pass to Forsythe behind the defense. The keeper stops his shot, but we win the corner. Lance sends an amazing corner, which Forsythe heads in for the winner! Huffman strips their forward before he can take the final shot.

Final Score: Des Moines 2, Wilmington 1
Goals: Kelley, Forsythe
Top Three: Forsythe, Nesbitt, Kelley

Levesque - lvl 28
Forsythe - lvl 23
Kelley - lvl 15
Guy - lvl 12

With 4 matches to play, we are only 1 pt away from avoiding relegation. Can we pull off the impossible? It will be difficult, as our matches are against #1, #2, #5, and#7.

AFC Cleveland (8-2-8, 7th) at Des Moines Menace (3-6-9, 11th)

A wet field makes passing very inaccurate for both teams. We are able to completely shut down our old foe Atkins, but I have trouble getting it out of our own defensive end to generate any decent attack.

Final Score: Des Moines 0, AFC Cleveland 0
Goals: None
Top Three: Hensley, Huffman, Dyson

Hensley - lvl 26 and has now learned the universal midfielder role.
Huffman - lvl 23
Venegas - lvl 21

Relegation battle:

We move up to 10th, but Wilmington's victory puts us now 2 pts out of relegation instead of 1.

FC Tucson - 20
Wilmington - 18
--------------
Des Moines - 18
K-W United - 16
Bethlehem Steel - 15

Des Moines Menace (3-7-9, 10th) at Pittsburgh Riverhounds (12-2-5, 2nd)

Our defensive line continues to play incredibly well, shutting down a strong Pittsburgh team in the 1st half. 17 yr old Fox actually intercepts two shots on goal. We manage to take the lead early in the 2nd when Forsythe gets around the defense and beats the keeper! I make a tactical blunder by ignoring my defensive line structure and they're able to score on a counterattack. We stop their final attack and are able to launch one of our own, when Hensley gets the ball to Forsythe in great position and his superb strike wins it on the last turn of the game! What an upset!

Final Score: Des Moines 2, Pittsburgh 1
Goals: Forsythe 2
Top Three: Forsythe, Nesbitt, Guy

Lance - lvl 29
Huffman - lvl 25 and learns the Central Defender role.
Dyson - lvl 23

Guy learns the amateur defender role.
Lance now gets 70% bonus XP.


Relegation battle:

K-W United won and Wilmington drew, so there is a 3 way battle for the final non-relegation spot. We're losing the tiebreak on both Goal diff and total goals.

FC Tucson - 21
Wilmington - 19
--------------
K-W United - 19
Des Moines - 19
Bethlehem Steel - 15

Phoenix Rising (10-2-8, 5th) at Des Moines Menace (4-7-9, 10th)

Well, all good things must come to an end. Our defense gets embarassed in this one and we can't manage a single shot on goal. Their FW McCullough scores one in the 1st half and then picks up two more for the hat trick. What's worse is that Hensley (who has been so valuable during our run) picked up a red card and will be out for the last game.

Final Score: Phoenix 3, Des Moines 0
Goals: None
Top Three: Nesbitt, Hensley, Levesque

Guy - lvl 13

Relegation battle:

K-W United and Wilmington both managed victories. Our avoiding relegation chances are pretty much shot due to the tiebreakers and the fact that we play St. Louis next.

FC Tucson - 24
Wilmington - 22
--------------
K-W United - 22
Des Moines - 19
Bethlehem Steel - 15

Des Moines Menace (4-7-10, 10th) at Saint Louis FC (14-4-3, 1st)

A cruel way to finish the season. St. Louis is just too good for us. They score two easy first half goals. I don't shut us down and for our part, we put heavy pressure on in the 2nd half. Most of the half is played on their side of the pitch, but we can't break through for any goals. It was a nice run in the 2nd half of the season, but we'll have to dominate the Amateur league and come back here.

Final Score: St. Louis 2, Des Moines 0
Goals: None
Top Three: Lance, Jennings, Forsythe

Final Third League Standings...



Stat leaderboards...

*Granger finished 2nd in saves with 19.
*Lance finished 9th in assists with 5.

Offseason

*For my sponsor, I pick Electrohouse, who will give me $33 for every goal and $116 for every home victory.

*I upgrade my defender coach once again. They now get 100% extra XP.

*My new youth pull is my best one yet. Presley is an Amateur keeper who already has a 34 in Defense and 22 in Control! Both of these are already higher than Granger. Once he learns the full Goalkeeper role, he'll be way better.

*Because of that, it's time to sell Granger. I get $115,000 for him.

*I renew last year's youth pull Guy for 3 yrs, $1,159.

*I extend Huffman for 2 yrs, $5,538.

*I love Levesque, but there are some good options on the transfer market and he's 31 yrs old. I sell him for $122,000. (Originally bought him for $12,500).

*I replace Levesque with Beverly, a lvl 22 Central Defender who has 40 in defense and 26 in control. He costs $11,300.

*I renew Hensley for 3 yrs, $18,557. He's worth it.

*I also decide to sell Lance for $139,000. It hurts to lose him, but this will allow me to do one more youth academy upgrade.

*I upgrade the youth academy for $360,000. This means I will now get a youth pull from lvl 15-25.

*Jennings and Kelley will need renewals in 8 months. I put off that decision until winter break.

*I'm left with $31,730.

My squad as we enter season 3...

Des Moines Menace (0-0-0) at Fresno Fuego (0-0-0)

We actually find a way to lose this one! Our forwards are just awful and can't get a good shot off. Without Hensley, we get dominated in midfield. They get behind our defense late in the 2nd half and score the winner on the last turn. Ooof.

Final: Fresno 1, Des Moines 0
Goals: None
Top Three: Nesbitt, Edmonds, Jennings

K-W United (1-0-0, 2nd) at Des Moines Menace (0-0-1, 5th)

After a scoreless first half, K-W is able to beat our inexperienced keeper twice. The good thing is we're able to pull one back each time on terrific strikes from Yoder on the corner. This wasn't how I expected our return to the Amateur league to go, but it's the sacrifice for upgrading that youth academy.

Final: Des Moines 2, K-W 2
Goals: Yoder 2
Top Three: Yoder, Jennings, Huffman

Yoder - lvl 16.

Des Moines Menace (0-1-1, 6th) at Bethlehem Steel (2-0-0, 1st)

They score on the first turn of the game, with another easy shot against our inexperienced keeper. Luckily, we're able to pull one back at halftime when Kelley heads in a corner from Hensley. We get several 2nd half shots to win it, but can't put any away.

Final: Des Moines 1, Bethlehem 1
Goals: Kelley 1
Top Three: Kelley, Hensley, Huffman

Nesbitt - lvl 21

Grand Rapids FC (3-0-0, 1st) at Des Moines Menace (0-2-1, 6th)

Not sure how they've won three matches, but they're terrible. Forsythe scores on a header from a Hensley cross, then Yoder converts a penalty to give us a 2-0 halftime lead. Their attack is pathetic and a terrible pass late in the game lets Kelley get a one on one with their keeper, which he converts.

Final: Des Moines 3, Grand Rapids 0
Goals: Forsythe, Yoder, Kelley
Top Three: Edmonds, Jennings, Kelley

Edmonds - lvl 24
Kelley - lvl 16
Guy - lvl 14

Des Moines Menace (1-2-1, 6th) at Calgary Foothills FC (0-0-4, 8th)

Now this is an embarassing result. Calgary is by far the worst tea in the league and we just can't crack through their defense. This was a pretty boring match where we dominated possession, but got no good shots on goal. I really need to find a Forward somewhere.

Final: Des Moines 0, Calgary 0
Goals:
Top Three: Edmonds, Nesbitt, Hensley

Michigan Bucks (1-0-4, 7th) at Des Moines Menace (1-3-1, 6th)

Yoder breaks through with two first half goals. We don't have much luck after that, but Michigan never threatens as our midfield dominates the game.

Final: Des Moines 2, Michigan 0
Goals: Yoder 2
Top Three: Yoder, Jennings, Hensley

So I dropped $20 on this game...so far 12 hours played and I am hooked big time.

Thank you for running this Dynasty as it convinced me.

Sonoma County Sol (3-0-3, 5th) at Des Moines Menace (2-3-1, 4th)

Our offense fails again, missing badly on all three shots on the goal. Our new keeper is not doing so well as he gets beaten by a weak shot. He'll be much better once he learns the full GK role (50% bonus to defense), but it's painful to watch now.

Final: Sonoma 1, Des Moines 0
Goals: None
Top Three: Yoder, Jennings, Hensley

Transfer deadline moves...

*I sell Kelley for $70,500. He's not worth that at all, as he's only good with headers.

*I sell Dyson for $63,200. He's 32 yrs old and I can bring in Still to replace him.

*I extend Jennings for 1 yr, $394.

*I extend Yoder for 1 yr, $368.

*This leaves me with $168,931 in the bank. I sit on this until the next transfer window opens, hoping to finda Forward in the transfer market or via youth pull.

Awesome! Glad you like it.

Prestige Cup: Round of 32 - Leg 1

Des Moines at Chattanooga FC

We manage to control possession in this one, but neither Forsythe nor Yoder can convert the 4 shots on goal they get. Thankfully, Pressley has the best game of his young career and makes two crucial saves to salvage a draw on the road.

Final: Des Moines 0, Chattanooga 0
Goals: None
Top Three: Pressley, Jennings, Huffman

Bevery - lvl 23
Pressley - lvl 19 and now has learned the full GK role.
Jennings - lvl 16
Guy - lvl 15

Prestige Cup: Round of 32 - Leg 2

Our goal here was to hold them scoreless. A 0-0 draw goes to penalties, while a 1-1 or higher draw means they advance on away goals. We did a pretty good job for most of the first half, but they break through right before halftime. We missed several good chances on corners and failed to seriously threaten down the stretch.

Final: Chattanooga 1, Des Moines 0
Goals: None
Top Three: Still, Hensley, Forsythe

Still - lvl 17

Winter Break activities...

*Not excited about the new youth pull. Arias is an 18 yr old, level 17 Amateur Midfielder. He has 24 in passing and a useless 25 in accuracy, but he does have the Intercept skill.

*I sell Jennings for $77,400.

*I buy McCullough, a lvl 31 forward who owned us with a hat trick last season, for $99,721. This should help solve our scoring issues.

*I extend Pressley for 3 yrs, $2,656.

*I extend Still for 3 yrs, $1,529.

*I extend Beverly for 3 yrs, $6,806.

*I buy a couple other players for depth purposes - Forward Galloway (38 Acc) and Midfielder Rowan (32 pass, 17 control)

*I am left with $124,641.

Midseason standings...

Our starting lineup as we enter the 2nd half of the season...

Fresno Fuego (2-0-5, 6th) at Des Moines Menace (2-3-2, 5th)

Our former defender Levesque is now with Fresno and he gives us fits all game, keeping McCullough in check. Meanwhile, a dumb foul in the box gives the a penalty and they convert. McCullough is frustrated several times, but finally breaks through with a goal midway through the 2nd half. We get one more solid attack, but McCullough's shot is stopped by Levesque.

Final: Des Moines 1, Fresno 1
Goals: McCullough
Top Three: Nesbitt, McCullough, Forsythe

Huffman - lvl 26
Forsythe - lvl 24

Des Moines Menace (2-4-2, 5th) at K-W United FC (7-1-0, 1st)

The type of game that makes you scream. McCullough gets denied on 4 solid chances, while K-W converts their one and only shot attempt. We should not be doing this bad in the Amateur league.

Final: K-W United 1, Des Moines 0
Goals:
Top Three: Nesbitt, Rowan, Huffman

Bethlehem Steel (6-1-2) at Des Moines Menace (2-4-3, 5th)

We have to rest McCullough because he's too tired from missing so many shots last week. Forsythe and Yoder have no chance to make anything happen, yet Bethlehem gets a ridiculous goal from the corner of the field right before the half.

Final: Bethlehem 1, Des Moines 0
Goals:
Top Three: Nesbitt, Edmonds, Pressley

Edmonds - lvl 25
Yoder - lvl 17