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

[larrymcg421]

[larrymcg421]

National Cup - Quarterfinals - Leg 1

Chicago Fire at Des Moines Menace

A sluggish return from break. Hoffman converts a penalty 4 minutes in, but we struggle to add any more despite several good opportunities. Shepard was intercepted several times trying to get the ball to Cannon. We still hold on for the victory, but it could've been a better performance.

Final: Des Moines 1, Chicago 0
Goal: Hoffman
Top Three: Hoffman, Arroyo, Pressley

Cannon - lvl 53
Kirkland - lvl 36

[larrymcg421]

Montreal Impact (10-3-4, 6th) at Des Moines Menace (11-4-2, 2nd)

I really hate playing this team. They have two wing forwards, meaning I can only block a path for one. We do get on the board early due to an Eller Cannon Shot. But they come back and win a penalty, which they convert. Hoffman returns the favor to put us up 2-1. But then we get killed on a counterattack, where their lvl 3 Cannon Shot guy finds a gap and equalizes. We have a chance on a last minute cross, but their keeper makes a diving stop on Hoffman's header.

Final: Des Moines 2, Montreal 2
Goal: Hoffman, Eller
Top Three: Hoffman, Arroyo, Burroughs

Eller - lvl 61
Kirkland - lvl 37
Cherry - lvl 35

[larrymcg421]

Des Moines Menace (11-5-2, 2nd) at Swope Park Rangers (3-3-12, 18th)

Ooof. Our susceptibility to Cannon Shots is something I really need to figure out. We take an early lead on an Edmondson header, but can't get any more momentum going due to a snowy field limiting skills. However, that doesn't stop Swope from equalizing int he 72nd minute when they win a corner and get the ball right in front of the penalty box for a Cannon Shot. Our final attempt at a header is knocked away. If we don't win the league title, we'll have to look back at the two draws we had against this team.

Final: Des Moines 1, Swope 1
Goal: Edmondson
Top Three: Edmondson, Strong, Shepard

Dewitt - lvl 34
Titus - lvl 31

[larrymcg421]

Des Moines Menace (11-6-2, 2nd) at Houston Dynamo (7-3-9, 12th)

And we continue our subpar start to the season with our third draw in a row. Another team with double wing forwards. One of them gets around the defense and fires a shot that Pressley rolls a 5 on. We manage to equalize on a precision shot from Cannon just 6 minutes later. But we can't find another goal and actually have to survive a late penalty to preserve the draw.

Final: Des Moines 1, Houston 1
Goal: Cannon
Top Three: Cannon, Pressley, Goode

Barkley - lvl 75

[larrymcg421]

National Cup - Quarterfinals - Leg 2

Des Moines Menace at Chicago Fire

We get off to a quick start here as Eller earns a penalty and Cannon scores on a Rainbow Feint within the first 30 minutes. Chicago takes one back, but Eller adds another Cannon Shot before halftime to put this out of reach.

Final: Des Moines 3 (4), Chicago 1 (1)
Goal: Eller 2, Cannon
Top Three: Shepard, Eller, Cannon

Metzger - lvl 73

[larrymcg421]

Sporting Kansas City (7-6-7, 9th) at Des Moines Menace (11-7-2, 2nd)

We finally get back in the winning column. Hoffman converts another penalty right before halftie. Midway through the 2nd half, Cannon scores on a Rainbow Feint. KC only puts up 2 shots and neither of them are close.

Final: Des Moines 2, Kansas City 0
Goal: Hoffan, Cannon
Top Three: Hoffman, Arroyo, Cannon

Goode - lvl 73
Swan - lvl 69
Tellez - lvl 44
Kirkland - lvl 38

[larrymcg421]

*My decision to wait on selling Barkley paid off. Just before the transfer window closes, he hit his positional bonus and is now worth $2 million more than if I had sold him at the beginning of the window. I sell him now for $9.5 million.

*I buy CD Cardenas, a 22 yr old who already has 124 defense. He only costs $3.5 million. He only has 10 days left on the injured list.

*I renew Metzger for 3 yrs, $4.9 million.

*I renew Eller for 1 yr, $532,151.

[larrymcg421]

Des Moines Menace (12-7-2, 2nd) at New York City FC (11-3-7, 6th)

Yet another draw. We actually couldn't manage a single shot on goal in this one. Pressley has to make some big saves late. We have Eller in position for a Cannon Shot late in the game, but Burroughs can't get the ball to him.

Final: Des Moines 0, NYC 0
Goal:
Top Three: Pressley, Metzger, Strong

Guy - lvl 82
Titus - lvl 32

[larrymcg421]

FC Edmonton (3-6-13, 18th) at Des Moines Menace (12-8-2, 2nd)

Draw, draw, draw. That's what the 2nd half of the season has been. Cannon gets denied on several Rainbow Feint attempts and our attempts at crossing are horrific. Got to figure out how to get this offense going.

Final: Des Moines 0, Edmonton 0
Goal:
Top Three: Cannon, Swan, Arroyo

Shepard - lvl 51

[larrymcg421]

National Cup - Semifinals - Leg 1

FC Dallas at Des Moines Menace

After a scoreless first half, we finally find some offense when Hoffman dribbles by the Keeper. Unfortunately, Dallas is another double wing offense and we have trouble with those. They earn two penalties and convert one of them for yet another draw.

Final: Des Moines 1, Dallas 1
Goal: Hoffman
Top Three: Hoffman, Pressley, Shepard

Strong - lvl 67

[larrymcg421]

Des Moines Menace (12-9-2, 3rd) at Real Salt Lake (7-4-12, 13th)

Eller gets on the board 22 minutes in when he finds a gap to use Cannon Shot. That's the only shot we'd get on goal, but we manage to stop Salt Lake's offense despite losing Arroyo for a month due to injury.

Final: Des Moines 1, Salt Lake 0
Goal: Eller
Top Three: Eller, Pressley, Guy

Cardenas - lvl 64

[larrymcg421]

Portland Timbers (7-7-10, 11th) at Des Moines Menace (13-9-2, 3rd)

Now that's the offense I've been looking for. Cannon scores twice in the first 18 minutes, on a Power Shot and a Rainbow Feint. Portland manages to take one back after Goode randomly misses three consecutive tackles. But Edmondson comes in to hit two headers past the keeper.

Final: Des Moines 4, Portland 1
Goal: Cannon 2, Edmondson 2
Top Three: Edmondson, Cannon, Shepard

Swan - lvl 70
Hatton - lvl 35
Hawthorne - lvl 23

[larrymcg421]

Des Moines Menace (14-9-2, 2nd) at Columbus Crew (7-3-15, 16th)

We fall victim to another Cannon Shot to add another draw to our resume. Hoffman heads home a goal in the first half to give us a lead. We're unable to add to that lead and Columbus somehow gets by our defensive line and scores on a Cannon Shot to secure a draw.

Final: Des Moines 1, Columbus 1
Goal: Hoffman
Top Three: Hoffman, Cardenas, Metzger

Goode - lvl 74
Metzger - lvl 74
Pressley - lvl 57
Dewitt - lvl 35

[larrymcg421]

AFA Cup - Quarterfinals - Leg 1

Brasilia FC at Des Moines Menace

There's a $10 million prize waiting from our sponsor if we make the semifinals. Thankfully, Cannon was on fire in this one. Burroughs is able to get him the ball behind the line three times and Cannon successfully Rainbow Feints the keeper on all three. Brasilia manages to take one back late when their 181 accuracy Forward finally gets a one on one chance with Pressley.

Final: Des Moines 3, Brasilia 1
Goal: Cannon 3
Top Three: Cannon, Burroughs, Metzger

Strong - lvl 68
Cardenas - lvl 65
Cannon - lvl 54
Tellez - lvl 46
Kirkland - lvl 39
Cherry - lvl 37
Titus - lvl 33

*We're at 11,000 fans fitting in our 5000 seat stadium. I'm finally able to upgrade it to 10,000. (Cost of $3.5 million.)

[larrymcg421]

New York Cosmos (5-6-15, 17th) at Des Moines Menace (14-10-2, 3rd)

We rest Cannon for the next match against Brasilia and go for an aerial strategy with Hoffman and Edmondson.And 26 minutes in we get it to work as Dewitt's cross is headed past the keeper. NY would take 5 shots on goal,including two Cannon Shots, but Pressley and the defense stop them all.

Final: Des Moines 1, NY 0
Goal: Hoffman
Top Three: Strong, Hoffman, Pressley

Guy - lvl 83
Swan - lvl 71

[larrymcg421]

AFA Cup - Quarterfinals - Leg 1

Des Moines Menace at Brasilia FC

Our goal in this one is to prevent Brasilia from scoring 3 goals. Any less than that and we advance. And Brasilia makes it scary as they score 18 minutes in. Hoffman has a chance to really put a dent in their hopes when he wins a penalty, but the keeper stops it. Then Brasilia gets their 2nd goal shortly after halftime. One more goal would end our dreams. However, Cannon was a hero after his Rainbow Feintin the 84th minute ended Brasilia's chances. We advance to the semifinals!

Final: Des Moines 1 (4), Brasilia 2 (3)
Goal: Cannon
Top Three: Cannon, Shepard, Hoffman

Metzger - lvl 75
Titus - lvl 34

*Our sponsor pays us $10,164,000 for making the semis.

*I finally have enough to upgrade the Youth Academy. I pay $6.4 million to get us players from lvl 25-35.

*I spend glory to upgrade the Bench Coach one more time. Subs now get 35% and defender subs now get 140%.

[larrymcg421]

Des Moines Menace (15-10-2, 2nd) at Orlando City FC (10-5-12, 10th)

We have trouble getting Eller in position during the 1st half, so I put Edmondson in to hit some headers. This works almost immediately as Edmondson gets a goal right after halftime. Orlando equalizes on a fluke goal where they somehow beat my wingback, then survived a tackle from my CD, then beat Pressley with the shot. No worries as Edmondson immediately puts us back on top with another header. Cannon seals the victory with a late precision shot.

Final: Des Moines 3, Orlando 1
Goals: Edmondson 2, Cannon
Top Three: Edmondson, Cannon, Goode

Goode - lvl 75
Shepard - lvl 52
Tellez - lvl 47
Kirkland - lvl 40
Cherry - lvl 38

[larrymcg421]

Toronto FC (16-6-6, 5th) at Des Moines Menace (16-10-2, 1st)

Cannon misses a couple shots from range in the 1st half and we have trouble getting him the ball closer. Midway through the 2nd half he finally gets in for a Rainbow Feint and scores. He secures the victory late in the 2nd half with a close precision shot that beats the keeper. Toronto only managed 1 shot on goal.

Final: Des Moines 2, Toronto 0
Goals: Cannon 2
Top Three: Cannon, Burroughs, Strong

Strong - lvl 69
Cardenas - lvl 66
Hoffman - lvl 63

[larrymcg421]

National Cup - Semifinals - Leg 2

Des Moines Menace at FC Dallas

With Cannon up, it's Eller's time to shine. We'reable to maneuver him in position for a Cannon Shot late in the 1st half and he succeeds. He does the same midway through the 2nd to double the lead. Dallas takes 6 shots on goal, but most are intercepted by our defensive line and lead to counterattacks. We advance to the final!

Final: Des Moines 2, Dallas 0
Goals: Eller 2
Top Three: Pressley, Eller, Shepard

Swan - lvl 72
Arroyo - lvl 58
Kirkland - lvl 41
Cherry - lvl 39

[larrymcg421]

Des Moines Menace (17-10-2, 1st) at NY Red Bulls (19-2-8, 3rd)

NY's keeper has the Reaction skill, which takes away Rainbow Feint. So I put Edmondson in for Headers. It takes nearly the whole match, with missed crosses and keeper saves, but Edmondson finally heads one through in the 76th minute. Pressley has to make a one on one save to preserve the win.

Final: Des Moines 1, New York 0
Goals: Edmondson
Top Three: Metzger, Edmondson, Pressley

Pressley - lvl 58
Kirkland - lvl 42
Dewitt - lvl 36

[larrymcg421]

Horizonte City FC at Des Moines Menace

We fail to get any offensive momentum going. Our defense is put to the task and we have to survive three corner kicks, plus two one on one shots. This is going to be a tough team to beat in the 2nd leg.

Final: Des Moines 0, Horizonte 0
Goals:
Top Three: Pressley, Swan, Metzger

Goode - lvl 76
Metzger - lvl 76
Strong - lvl 70
Cardenas - lvl 67
Titus - lvl 36
Edmondson - lvl 34

[larrymcg421]

FC Dallas (9-6-15, 13th) at Des Moines Menace (18-10-2, 1st)

Cannon gets us an early lead on a Rainbow Feint, but Dallas almost immediately equalizes on a penalty conversion. The 2nd half is a frustrating series of failed attempts to take the lead. Burroughs gets intercepted three times when Cannon would've had a one on one chance.

Final: Des Moines 1, Dallas 1
Goals: Cannon
Top Three: Cannon, Pressley, Swan

Guy - lvl 84
Tellez - lvl 48

With three matches left...

1. Colorado - 66
2. Des Moines - 65
3. NY Red Bulls - 62
4. Montreal - 60

[larrymcg421]

AFA Cup - Semifinals - Leg 2

Des Moines Menace at Horizonte FC

18 minutes in, Cannon scores on a Rainbow Feint after a direct free kick. This puts us in a terrific position because it's an away goal and now Horizonte will need 2 goals to advance. It gets even better midway through the 2nd half when we win a corner kick and Hoffman scores a header. Horizonte can only put two shots on goal. We're heading to the final!

Final: Des Moines 2, Horizonte 0
Goals: Cannon, Hoffan
Top Three: Cannon, Hofffman, Arroyo

Swan - lvl 73
Strong - lvl 71
Cannon - lvl 55
Shepard - lvl 53
Kirkland - lvl 43
Cherry - lvl 40
Dewitt - lvl 37
Titus - lvl 37

[larrymcg421]

Des Moines Menace (18-11-2, 2nd) at DC United (18-4-9, 6th)

The offense goes missing again at a very important time. Our midfielders can't get the ball upfield, getting intercepted repeatedly. The best we can do are low percentage long range shots from Cannon or crosses that sail out of bounds. Luckily, we hold on for the draw and keep our chances for the league title alive.

Final: Des Moines 0, DC 0
Goal: None
Top Three: Guy, Swan, Eller

1. Colorado - 69 (+22)
2. Des Moines - 66 (+25)

[larrymcg421]

National Cup Final

Toronto FC at Des Moines Menace

Arroyo dominates the 1st half by intercepting any pass that comes near him. Unfortunately, we're unable to turn that into a counterattack. But then it is our man Cannon who comes through in the 2nd half, scoring two goals in a 12 minute span to give us a nice cushion. Toronto never seriously threatened and we win the National Cup!

Final: Des Moines 2, Toronto 0
Goals: Cannon 2
Top Three: Cannon, Goode, Arroyo

Goode - lvl 77
Metzger - lvl 77
Swan - lvl 74
Cardenas - lvl 68
Arroyo - lvl 59
Tellez - lvl 49
Kirkland - lvl 44
Cherry - lvl 41
Titus - lvl 38
Edmondson - lvl 35

[larrymcg421]

Puerto Rico FC (8-4-20, 16th) at Des Moines Menace (18-12-2, 2nd)

And Cannon continues to shine. We need a win to stay alive in the league title race and he successfully uses Rainbow Feint three times for a hat trick. Pressley does have to make some difficult saves, but the outcome was never in doubt for this one.

Final: Des Moines 2, Puerto Rico 0
Goals: Cannon 3
Top Three: Cannon, Shepard, Pressley

Guy - lvl 85
Strong - lvl 72
Pressley - lvl 59
Cannon - lvl 56
Titus - lvl 39

*The league title will be decided on the last day of the season. Colorado has a 3 pt lead on us, but we have an edge in Goal Differential. So if we win, we have the league title, but a draw or worse means Colorado wins. The treble is in sight!

[larrymcg421]

AFA Cup - Final

Torreon FC at Des Moines Menace

No Cannon for this one, but that was planned because I noticed that Torreon's keeper only has 14 control. That's absurdly low and makes him very susceptible to headers. So we bring in Edmondson and he scores 4 minutes in. We continue to attempt crosses, but can't increase our lead. Torreon really puts on the pressure and our defense has to make some huge stops in several scary situations, but they manage to pull it off We won the AFA Cup!

Final: Des Moines 1, Torreon 0
Goals: Edmondson
Top Three: Tellez, Burroughs, Goode

*Every starter except Pressley, Guy, and Arroyo.leveled up.

[larrymcg421]

Des Moines Menace (19-12-2, 2nd) at Colorado Rapids (23-3-7, 1st)

We've won 2/3rds of the treble, but a draw can't get us through here. We have to win. And Colorado knows this, so they play cautiously during the 1st half. We enter halftime at a scoreless draw and I'm getting increasingly worried that we won't find that elusive goal. However, in the 70th minute, we have a hero, and it's exactly who you'd expect. We win a direct free kick. I feed the ball to Cannon and he Rainbow Feints his way through the wall for the league winning goal!

Final: Des Moines 1, Colorado 0
Goal: Cannon
Top Three: Cannon, Strong, Arroyo

*I certainly didn't expect to win the treble this season, so this was pretty exciting!

[larrymcg421]

*We actually allowed 2 more goals than last year, but also scored 11 more.

*Cannon finished 2 in the league with 23 goals, 8th in the National Cup with 4 goals, and 1st in the AFA cup with 8 goals.

*Eller finished 2nd in the National Cup with 6 goals.

*Hoffman finished 8th in the National Cup with 4 goals.

*Dewitt finished 3rd in the league with 11 assists.

*Shepard finished 10th in the league with 6 assists and 1st in the National Cup with 7 assists.

*Burroughs finished 10th in the league wiith 4 assists, and 1st in the AFA cup with 6 assists.

*Strong finished 4th in the AFA cup with 4 assists.

*Arroyo finished 2nd in the league with 48 tackles, 3rd in the National Cup with 11 tackles, and 9th in the AFA cup with 12 tackles.

*Guy finished 1st in the National Cup with 13 tackles and 5th in the AFA cup with 14 tackles.

*Strong finished 8th in the AFA cup with 13 tackles.

*Pressley finished 1st in the league with 42 saves, 5th in the National Cup with 7 saves, and 1st in the AFA cup with 21 saves.

All goals scored...

Cannon - 35
Hoffman - 13
Eller - 13
Edmondson - 13

[Brian Swartz]

The world is now your oyster!(almost … said treble comes with an asterisk, since it's the secondary Continental competition). Do you keep going to try to win the big one next year?

[larrymcg421]

Originally Posted by Brian Swartz

The world is now your oyster!(almost … said treble comes with an asterisk, since it's the secondary Continental competition). Do you keep going to try to win the big one next year?

I actually didn't realize there were two continental cups. So yeah I'll definitely come back for a try at a real treble.

[larrymcg421]

Offseason updates...

*I pick Football Bank as my sponsor. They'll pay $8.5 million if we win the National Cup and $15 million if we win the Continental Cup.

*The bench coach is getting close to fully maxed out. He is now 4 stars and grants 70% experience or 280% for defenders.

*Also upgraded First Scout, so my transfer list now inclues 20 yr olds.

*Got my best Youth Pull in a while. Godwin is a lvl 31 GK who has 58 defense. The Bench Coach will be very useful for him. Hoping he can be ready by the time I need to say goodbye to Pressley.

*I buy Galvez, a 20 yr old CD with 67 defense. He only costs $370,800 and the bench coach will level him up quickly.

*I renew Arroyo for 3 yrs, $1.7 million.

*I renew Dewitt, a 32 yr old MF who has been useful to us. We won't get much for selling him, so might as well keep him as a useful backup until he retires. Price of $173,644.

*I renew CD Cardenas for 3 yrs, $3.7 million.

*I get rid of Willoughby. He was just clogging space and hadn't played in a couple years. Got $2,940.

*I renew Burroughs for 3 yrs, $377,715. He's now 30 so this might be his last contract with us.

*I renew backup CM Hatton for 3 yrs, $150,969. Will be more useful once his Slide Tackle skill levels up. Still only 23 yrs old.

*And then the big one. Guy is now 30 yrs old. I renew him, for the final time, for 3 yrs, $9.3 million.

*I buy RD Culver, a lvl 47 27 yr old, who has lvl 3 long pass and only costs $1.1 million. Will be useful for depth purposes and allow me to play Strong up front for his crossing prowess.

*I will probably stick with this for now. We have $6.2 million and I need to upgrade my stadium soon. We have 17,612 fans and a 10,000 seat stadium. The next upgrade will cost $10 million.

[larrymcg421]

[larrymcg421]

Des Moines Menace (0-0-0) at New York City FC (0-0-0)

NYC's keeper has lvl 3 Reaction, which makes Cannon's Rainbow Feint useless. No worries. I just have him take precision shots. He converts two of these in the first 24 minutes. NYC took 6 shots on goal, but none of them got to Pressley. Bad news is Arroyo got hurt yet again and will miss a month.

Final: Des Moines 2, NYC 0
Goals: Cannon 2
Top Three: Burroughs, Cannon, Cardenas

[larrymcg421]

FC Dallas (1-0-0, 7th) at Des Moines Menace (1-0-0, 2nd)

One of the questions this season is how many goals can Cannon score. He gets two more in the first 16 minutes here and Dallas has no chance of a comeback, because I use a 7 man back line to prevent access to either of their wing forwards who gave me so much trouble in past seasons.

Final: Des Moines 2, Dallas 0
Goals: Cannon 2
Top Three: Cannon, Swan, Shepard

Guy - lvl 86
Metzger - lvl 79
Swan - lvl 76
Strong - lvl 74
Tellez - lvl 54
Cherry - lvl 44
Galvez - lvl 40

[larrymcg421]

Real Salt Lake (1-1-0, 7th) at Des Moines Menace (2-0-0, 2nd)

Cannon continues his amazing start to the season. He scores on Rainbow Feints at the 26 and 56 minute marks. Then my young FW Epperson gets a chance to show off his new Cannon Shot skill and puts one past the keeper. With time running out, I give it to Cannon for one final shot to get the hat trick and he beats the Sweeper and Keeper to make it 7 goals in his first 3 matches of the season.

Final: Des Moines 4, Salt Lake 0
Goals: Cannon 3, Epperson
Top Three: Cannon, Burroughs, Cardenas

Culver - lvl 48

[larrymcg421]

Real Salt Lake (1-1-0, 7th) at Des Moines Menace (2-0-0, 2nd)

Cannon continues his amazing start to the season. He scores on Rainbow Feints at the 26 and 56 minute marks. Then my young FW Epperson gets a chance to show off his new Cannon Shot skill and puts one past the keeper. With time running out, I give it to Cannon for one final shot to get the hat trick and he beats the Sweeper and Keeper to make it 7 goals in his first 3 matches of the season.

Final: Des Moines 4, Salt Lake 0
Goals: Cannon 3, Epperson
Top Three: Cannon, Burroughs, Cardenas

Culver - lvl 48

[larrymcg421]

NY Red Bulls (2-0-1, 7th) at Des Moines Menace (3-0-0, 2nd)

New York's defensive formation is susceptible to Cannon Shot, so we put Eller in and he hits one inthe 16th minute to give us the lead. Just 12 minutes later, Cannon scores on a Rainbow Feint (against a lvl 2 Reaction Keeper). Edmondson comes in at the half and scores on a header. New York can't flank our line, so they keep trying to dribble through, getting stopped every time. One final counterattack gets the ball to Cannon on the last action of the game and he scores. So, this has been a great start to the season.

Final: Des Moines 4, New York 0
Goals: Cannon 2, Eller, Edmondson
Top Three: Cannon, Burroughs, Cardenas

Goode - lvl 79
Galvez - lvl 41
Hatton - lvl 38

[larrymcg421]

Seattle Sounders (0-2-2, 15th) at Des Moines Menace (4-0-0, 1st)

We're doing something right this season. Cannon has a hat trick... within the first 26 minutes. Epperson adds a Cannon Shot after halftime. The best Seattle can do is win a couple corners, but Guy comes up with the interception both times.

Final: Des Moines 4, Seattle 0
Goals: Cannon 3, Epperson
Top Three: Cannon, Burroughs, Guy

Cardenas - lvl 71
Cannon - lvl 57
Culver - lvl 49
Godwin - lvl 32
Epperson - lvl 23

[larrymcg421]

Des Moines Menace (5-0-0, 1st) at Sporting Kansas City (1-1-3, 11th)

Cannon adds two more goals on Rainbow Feints. Kansas City keeps trying to dribble through our defense. We keep making the tackle and starting the counterattack. They only end up with 1 shot on goal.

Final: Des Moines 2, Kansas City 0
Goals: Cannon 2
Top Three: Cannon, Culver, Metzger

Pressley - lvl 60
Shepard - lvl 55
Galvez - lvl 42

[larrymcg421]

Minnesota United (3-1-2, 9th) at Des Moines Menace (6-0-0, 1st)

Our great run had to end at some point. Edmondson scores on a header right after halftime to give us the lead. Minnesota responds by winning a corner kick. We fail to dislodge their Forwards and they score on a Cannon Shot. Cannon himself was shut down for the first time this season.

Final: Des Moines 1, Minnesota 1
Goals: Edmondson
Top Three: Pressley, Shepard, Metzger

Tellez - lvl 55
Edmondson - lvl 37

[larrymcg421]

Des Moines Menace (6-1-0, 2nd) at DC United (1-1-5, 17th)

DC United doesn't use a sweeper, which makes then susceptible to Cannon Shot. I start Eller and he puts together a hat trick in the 1st half. Cannon adds another 1st half goal on a precision shot from just outside the penalty area. In the 2nd half, we move Strong up to send in some crosses and Edmondson heads one through. DC takes 7 shots on goal, but those simply provide us an attempt to counterattack.

Final: Des Moines 5, D.C. 0
Goals: Eller 3, Cannon, Edmondson
Top Three: Eller, Metzger, Edmondson

Swan - lvl 77
Strong - lvl 75
Kirkland - lvl 47

[larrymcg421]

Orlando City United (1-2-5, 14th) at Des Moines Menace (7-1-0, 1st)

I get a little too aggressive with my tactics and Orlando is able to win an early corner. They win the positioning battle and score on a Cannon Shot. Cannon is able to equalize immediately on a close in precision shot. We fail on several attempts to take the lead until the 72nd minute, when Cannon scores the winner on a Rainbow Feint.

Final: Des Moines 2, Orlando 1
Goals: Cannon 2
Top Three: Cannon, Cardenas, Strong

[larrymcg421]

Continental Cup - Group Stage

Sao Paolo FC at Des Moines Menace

Cannon gets on board early with a Rainbow Feint. He's exhausted, so I sub him out at halftime and try to get Epperson going with his Cannon Shot. He misses twice and we have to withstand a Sao Paolo attack inh the final minutes to preserve the victory.

Final: Des Moines 1, Sao Paolo 0
Goals: Cannon
Top Three: Swan, Guy, Strong

Goode - lvl 80
Culver - lvl 51
Kirkland - lvl 48
Galvez - lvl 44
Epperson - lvl 24

[larrymcg421]

Des Moines Menace (8-1-0, 1st) at Montreal Impact (7-2-0, 2nd)

I have to rest Cannon for this one, and he wouldn't have been as effective anyways since Montreal's keeper has lvl 3 Reaction. Montreal takes the lead in the main way teams score on us these days, a Cannon Shot after a corner kick. Our attempts at a comeback are thwarted by intercepted passes and missed shots.

Final: Montreal 1, Des Moines 0
Goals:
Top Three: Shepard, Metzger, Culver

Guy - lvl 87
Cardenas - lvl 72
Godwin - lvl 33

[larrymcg421]

Columbus Crew (2-0-8, 16th) at Des Moines Menace (8-1-1, 2nd)

Cannon is in the midst of a slump and he gets denied twice in this one. Hoffman scores on an early header, but they equalize midway through the 2nd half on a simple Power Shot. With time running out, we get the ball to Hoffan right by the Keeper and he dribbles past him for the winner.

Final: Des Moines 2, Columbus 1
Goals: Hoffman 2
Top Three: Hoffman, Burroughs, Guy

Tellez - lvl 56

[larrymcg421]

Continental Cup - Group Stage

Des Moines Menace (1-0-0, 1st) at P-Alegre City FC (0-1-0, 2nd)

Cannon continues his mini-slummp, but Epperson coes through with a Cannon Shot at the 10 minute mark. We're unable to add to that lead, but our defense comes up big and we win the midfield possession battle.

Final: Des Moines 1, P-Alegre 0
Goal: Epperson
Top Three: Cardenas, Epperson, Swan

Swan - lvl 78
Culver - lvl 52
Strong - lvl 76
Shepard - lvl 56
Epperson - lvl 25
Kirkland - lvl 49
Galvez - lvl 45
Hatton - lvl 40

[larrymcg421]

Des Moines Menace (9-1-1, 1st) at Toronto FC (6-2-3, 6th)

Toronto has a man sent out at the 24 minute mark after a brutal tackle on Goode. This sets up a free kick that gives us the chance to get the ball to Cannon, who scores on a Rainbow Feint. Cannon does this again right before the half to make it 2-0. After the half, I try to get Epperson involved. Toronto attempts an offside trap, but it just lets me get Epperson in position for a Cannon Shot, which he successfully executes.

Final: Des Moines 3, Toronto 0
Goal: Cannon 2, Epperson
Top Three: Cannon, Burroughs, Metzger

Metzger - lvl 85
Arroyo - lvl 60
Cannon - lvl 58

[larrymcg421]

Des Moines Menace (10-1-1, 1st) at Colorado Rapids (7-2-3, 5th)

Colorado wins an early corner. We defend it well, but it leads to a situation where we're bottled up on our own end of the field and can't get the ball to our Forwards. We finally break through in the 2nd half on two Rainbow Feints from Cannon. He gets denied looking for a hat trick on the last action of the game.

Final: Des Moines 2, Colorado 0
Goal: Cannon 2
Top Three: Cannon, Metzger, Burroughs

Cardenas - lvl 73
Culver - lvl 53
Tellez - lvl 57
Kirkland - lvl 50
Galvez - lvl 46