The Master League

[MJ4H]

Huddersfield add experience to the back in hopes of giving their patchwork side a chance to succeed early

The Terriers scrapped some of their default roster in favor of some well-worn veterans today. Huddersfield have added 36 year old defender Cobos and 32 year old goalie Niemi to their squad. Both players are specialized players that came cheaply for the skill level, which was exactly the goal for Terriers in the preseason.

Huddersfield will be competing in Division 2 of League C, in the new European "Master League." Huddersfield's competitors this season will be:

Valdai, Reggina, Albacete B., SC Heerenveen, Merseyside Blue, Ado den Haag, and AZ.


A sneak preview at the Huddersfield Terriers preseason training camp!

[MJ4H]

Hudds open first Master League Campaign at home against AZ

Huddersfield began their first season in the European Master League C at home with a hard fought game against division rival AZ. The Hudds burst out of the gate and put a lot of pressure on early. However, the bulk of the play was to AZ in the first frame. AZ found the net in the 24th minute with a stunning trickler from Van Galen that left the Terriers goalkeeper completely flat-footed. AZ carried a 1-0 lead into the locker room.


A stunned Nieni watches the ball slide into the corner of the goal

The second half belonged to Huddersfield. An own goal and a cannon from Barota gave the Terriers a 2-1 lead which they held out through great goalkeeping from the veteran Niemi.


Barota fires a shot which grazes off the AZ defender and into the goal to tie the game


Barota scores the game-winner in the 77th minute off a nice pass from Castolo

Niemi looked shaky after giving up an easy goal in the first half, but he came back in the second stage and kept the hard ones out. Niemi earned a 6/10 rating for the game while Barota earned a 7.5.

[MJ4H]

Huddersfield get nice payday for opening win over AZ

The transfer budget is the key to improving a side, and the Huddersfield Terriers are certainly looking to do that. Huddersfield took home a pay day of just over 800 for their opener against AZ. This brings their total transfer budget to 5840.

[MJ4H]

Huddersfield at a glance

Several players look to be improving their form since the squad was formed last month. Coach Matt Jones told us that Valeny, Ceciu, Ximelez and Castolo have all improved over the last week.

When asked who will be the most valuable player for the Terriers this season, Jones left little doubt. "Niemi has to be the key to a successful run. This group is a bunch of scrappers, and Niemi was brought in because of his experience and his raw skill. He wasn't valued highly because of his age, but we valued him highly because he can be the eraser for this squad's mistakes, which will surely be plentiful."

Jones went on to add that Cobos was just as important to the team given his role of securing the back and providing leadership to a group that has never experienced success.

[MJ4H]

Huddersfield travel to take on SC Heerenveen

It was an uneventful first half goal-wise, but this fledgling defense is already starting to look solid under the leadership of veteran Cobos. Barota has one decent shot at goal in the early frame but the Heerenveen keeper got a glove on it and pushed it just wide of the goal.

What the first half lacked in goals, the second half made up for. Celnili put Huddersfield on the board first with a terrific strike just to the left of the goalie in the 75th minute. This was just a couple of minutes after Barota found himself with a wide open net right in front of him and put it over the bar.


Celnili gets Huddersfield on the scoresheet first

The Terriers made a bid for their second straight win to start the season with another strong effort from Nieni, but this time the equalizer came in the closing minutes, the 86th to be precise, and a draw is all that can be settled at 1-1.


Selakovic bangs in the equalizer off of Nieni


Selakovic and his teammates celebrate equalizing the match

[MJ4H]

Huddersfield WEFA Ranking a disappointment

The WEFA Rankings, a rather cryptic ranking system of all 72 teams in the Master League, were released for the first time this season. Huddersfield holds the 70th position in the table. The top 5 teams in the Master League are Inter, Man Red, Juventus, and West London Blue. League C was also picked as the weakest of the four leagues in the Master League.

[MJ4H]

League C, Division 2 Table

[MJ4H]

Road trip continues at Reggina

Solid defense and lots of pressure from Huddersfield result in an early lead for Huddersfield. Castolo strikes one off a beautiful through-ball from Castolo in the 26th minute. Halftime sees a 1-0 lead for Huddersfield despite a late-half flurry of chances for Reginna.


Castolo tallies his first goal of the season


A Reginna player rises to meet the ball in a late first half flurry of chances that turned up empty

The second half saw Huddersfield desperately holding on and narrowly missing a few chances for an insurance goal on counter-chances. One particular flurry saw shots deflected by the post, a defender on the line, and the goalie all in quick succession. Another shot from near the edge of the penalty area was saved by Nieni to end the flurry. Huddersfield were lucky to escape Reggina with the 1-0 victory!


The Reginna corner is directed into the corner of the goalpost to start a frenzy of chances, all for naught

[MJ4H]

Spotlight on Barota


Barota looks to dribble past a defender in a recent match

Barota is a 35 year old striker who has been with Huddersfield since they joined the Master League. He is slightly past his prime but is still capable of scoring from just about anywhere.

Barota has the precision of a surgeon when shooting the ball. His placement is among the best at his level. Barota also shows some skill with his head, but doesn't have the vertical leaping ability to be among the best in this area. His defense and long passing abilities are not strong, and he is not very good at bending the ball.


He scored his first goal of the Master League in Huddersfield's first game in the Master League, a 2-1 win against AZ. Barota should've tallied two in that match, but the first goal was scored as an own goal as it was deflected into the net by an AZ defender, though it would've almost certainly have gone in anyway.

The future for Barota with Huddersfield looks to be a leadership role. At some point in the next few years, new talent will need to replace him, but the present is Barota's time to shine. If Huddersfield are to compete for promotion to first division football, Barota must produce.

[MJ4H]

Huddersfield scoreless in last 3 matches

The Terriers have failed to notch a goal in their last 3 games. That's the bad news. The good news is, their opponents have failed as well. Three straight scoreless ties are on the books. Two league fixtures went without sight of a goal: first against Ado den Haag, then against Valdai. The Hudds then repeated the task against Valdai in a cup match first leg.

The 2 extra points earned in league play have secured the second position in the league table behind Merseyside Blue. Next up for Huddersfield is Albacete B. who are tied for 5th in the league standings.

[MJ4H]

Huddersfield fall to Albacete

A surprisingly spirited battle between the over-acheiving Huddersfield Terriers and mid-table Albacete was finally decided with Ivan Diaz's second goal on an amazing solo run through the Huddersfield defense.


Hudds goaltender Nieme is beaten by the tremendous individual effort of Ivan Diaz for the second time in the game

Albacete got on the board first in the 24th minute with a beautiful lob shot from the foot of Diaz over a charging Nieme. The shot was taken from several feet behind the top of the penalty arc and fell in behind Nieme who could only turn and watch it bound into the goal.


Diaz (center, black) watches as his lob falls behind Nieme and into the goal

Huddersfield finally broke their scoreless streak in the 55th minute on a penalty kick by Castolo, who was tripped inside the box rather visciously.


Castolo easily beats the keeper on his penalty kick in early second half action

The 2-1 final was the first defeat for the Terriers this season.

[MJ4H]

If anyone reading along has any suggestions to improve presentation, readability, or just want to know something about how my game is set up, let me know. I am really enjoying this dynasty so far, and can see this one lasting awhile. Plus, I would really like to know if this is a worthwhile dynasty.

[MJ4H]

Next up for Huddersfield, Valdai second leg

In the earlier match, Valdai and Huddersfield battled to a scoreless tie on the Hudds' home field. The second leg will be at Valdai's home field, meaning a draw would allow Huddersfield to go through to the next round of the Division 2 cup.

Huddersfield jumped on the board first with a counter-attack goal. Barota took a long ball on the left wing and centered it to a waiting Castolo. Castolo just got his head on it but didn't alter the direction much. The ball came down to his right, and Castolo got to it easily, pounding it past the Valdai keeper.


Castolo shows off his dancing skills after getting Huddersfield off to a fast start

Lots of pressure throughout by Valdai, who were teh superior team, talent-wise. Eventually, the pressure caught up with the Terriers, and two late goals secured the win for Valdai, and Huddersfield is denied the second round.


Valdai keeps the pressure on as a diving header bangs off the post


Valdai's Palaic puts the winner past Niemi in the 89th minute

[MJ4H]

Anyone reading?

[SirFozzie]

yup!

[MJ4H]

groove

[MJ4H]

Spotlight on Castolo


Castolo is a speedy 29 year old striker with a strong, accurate leg and good aerial abilities. He leads Huddersfield with 3 goals this season. He scored his first goal vs. Reggina and has also scored on a penalty kick against Albacete and in the second leg of the Division 2 Cup match with Valdai.

Castolo will likely be a key figure at Huddersfield for this season and likely next. He has room to improve, but is near his prime. Considering the Hudds projected improvement plans over the next couple of seasons, Castolo will eventually either be a back-up or playing for another team, but for now, his spot as a starter is secure.

Castolo would probably only succeed at the front given his lack of defensive abilities and passing skills. His abilities as a striker, however, are quite passable at Huddersfield's current level.

[Chief Rum]

I'm reading, but I will admit, I went through and checked out all the pics first. Those kick ass.

Good luck.

[Blade6119]

Im loving it, as a reader and fellow WE player...what difficulty are you on, as you seem to be tearing it up. And did you do full WE players or the option to pick a few?

[Narcizo]

This is sweet. Love the pictures telling a story.

Had to laugh about the size of the stadiums these teams seem to be playing in though. They seem to think that they're all Man Utd.

[MJ4H]

Originally Posted by Blade6119

Im loving it, as a reader and fellow WE player...what difficulty are you on, as you seem to be tearing it up. And did you do full WE players or the option to pick a few?

3 stars is the difficulty I'm on. I've always found that the right skill level for me. 2 stars is too easy, and on 3 I would often lose to the teams with more talent but would occassionally win, and vice versa. If it gets too easy, I will up it to 4 stars.

For those that don't know how this works, when you start the Master League, you always have the same roster of players. This Castolo dude, Barota, Celnili, they will always be on your team, and truth be told, they all mostly stink. I've always found Castolo to be decent enough to help, but most of the rest are garbage. From there, in this version of the game, you are given the option of selling up to 3 players and using that money to buy players. I sold 3 chumps and bought a decent goalie and a decent defender (both old, so undervalued). The challenge is to win enough games that you make money and can negotiate to buy new players from other teams. Your game ends if you bankrupt your team or don't have enough players to field a team (it requires 16 on your roster).

Also, the top 2 Division 2 teams get promoted and the bottom two Division 1 teams get relegated.

Anyway, glad I have some readers! Comments really help me keep going, so if you have comments or questions PLEASE post them!

[MJ4H]

Huddersfield to host Division 2 leading Merseyside Blue

On paper, Merseyside look tough. In person, they look even tougher. There is no doubt why Merseyside lead division 2. Skilled possession midfielders, strikers with cannons for legs and sniper rifles on thier shoulders, a brick wall for a defense all combine to make one of the scarier tasks for the Terriers this season. Luckily, the match will be played at home for Huddersfield. A draw would be a great result here.

At the outset, it looked for certain to be a long day for Huddersfield. Merseyside Blue dominated possession, going long stretches without Huddersfield even getting near the ball. There was constant pressure on the backline in the first half. Finally, Merseyside broke through with a goal off of a corner kick in the 26th minute. Bent headed home a perfect cross that came down right in front of the net to get Merseyside started.


Bent tallies a goal off a beautiful corner

The only hope for Huddersfield in this match would be to catch Meyerside on a counter. Luckily, they were able to do just that. Castolo found Barota on a beautiful pass into the box through 3 defenders and Barota made the most of it with a quick strike to the keepers right and just ahead of a desperate tackle from a Merseyside defender.


Barota scores the equalizer off a feed from Castolo


Another view of Barota's miracle strike

The remainder of the match was a tense clear and pray affair, but Huddersfield did enough to earn the draw, 1-1.

[MJ4H]

[MJ4H]

Hudds snap up 3 points in second win of season over AZ

It looked bleak early, but an offsides goal took an early AZ goal off the board, and Huddersfield scored late to score their second straight defeat of AZ.

The offsides was very controversial, drawing quite a reaction from the partisan AZ crowd. The ball was played forward while an AZ attacker was in an offsides position, so in that sense, it was not questionable. The crowd reacted to the apparent fact that this was a shot and not a pass that created the offsides position. Nevertheless, the offsides call stood, and the goal was taken off the board.

In the second half, Barota scored his third of the season to seize the advantage. Barota took a long pass, touched it once then slid it past a charging keeper into the corner of the net.


Barota slides it past a charging keeper to open the scoring late

Barota celebrates after scoring his third goal of the season


This was a very important win for Huddersfield. Points will be at a premium as they make their second run through the table, and keeping pace with the leaders will prove difficult.


Celnili congratulates Barota on their way off the field after the game

Financially, the Terriers have secured plenty of funds at this point in the season to pay their players' salaries. Any money netted now will go towards transfers. If the season continues to go well, there could definitely be some new players wearing the Huddersfield uniforms soon.

[MJ4H]

Busy with end of the school year stuff for the next couple of weeks then I should have a lot of time for this dynasty. Any free time right now is ENGULFED with FM 2005 right now

[MJ4H]

SC Heerenveen takes 3 points from Huddersfield

A hard fought draw seemed within their grasp. After 89 minutes of goal-free battling, the Terriers' backline failed to clear the danger one too many times. The goal came from Vayrynen right in front in the 89th minute. A dejected Huddersfield team stayed on the field for several minutes after the game, in shock that they had let this one slip away.


Niemi is beaten in the closing minutes of a hard fought game

[MJ4H]

Reginna exacts revenge for earlier defeat

Reginna came to Galpharm Stadium wanting to get their 3 points back. Earlier this season, Huddersfield travelled to Reginna and escaped with a, some would say, undeserved 1-0 victory, and 3 crucial points in the standings.

Today's rematch hit the spot for Reginna as they broke through in the 67th minute of the match and the strike held up.


The goal cam snaps a shot of Huddersfield's goalie, Niemi, caught out of position for the game-winning goal

[MJ4H]

It looks like I need to lengthen my games a little bit because my goal totals are much lower than the league norm. I use 10 minute halves right now. I think I will lengthen them to 15 minute halves. Let me know if you have strong opinions about this.