How's Your FIFA Career Mode Going?

[vrabbit]

Ok let's do this:

Keano: it baffles me Crewe gave you so much trouble in the F.A. but I was glad to see you work past them. You're making a great run in the F.A. that may pay off if you're not able to get that top 5-finish in the BPL. I'm rooting for you to finish top 4 though but it might be tricky, who are your 3 opponents in May? Hopefully you can finish the season in a strong note. Also, I had to look him up but nice job snatching Denis Suarez!

Moose: Nice edits on the latest video, I think those would be useful for cup finals or something like that. It's been hard to keep up with all the CM's so I hadn't even noticed you were doing so well in the league. I hope you can keep it up and win the league title, there's still a lot of season left. I was also glad to see Antonio continuing to be in your lineup and doing so well for you, I remember him catching my eye in the last video I saw. I voted in your polls too.

Yanks: I believe this is my first time commenting on your CM. Welcome. Newcastle is a solid choice, I used to follow how they were doing back in the day when Norberto Solano was part of the team since my dad was a big fan of him. I'm still trying to figure out how Mannone ate that, it's baffling and you lucked out :P You didn't have as strong an October as I thought you may have given your competition and I hope that doesn't come back to haunt you. It also stinks you saved up your starter for the BPL and your B-squad didn't get the job done in the cup game, I think most of us know how that feels. Still a lot of season left so hopefully you can make up for it.

Aquaman: is that a soccer team or a hospital you're running over there? Brutal injury list. Unfortunately my laptop is having issues running the full video right now (which is weird because I was able to watch moose's just fine) so I'll have to give you more feed back next time.

Hedges: For reasons stated above I wasn't able to watch the video but congrats on winning the BPL, looks like it was a fight till the very end. Looking forward to seeing how you fare in CL next season.

Indi: You gotta give me the standings otherwise I won't be happy. It baffles me that you're in 6th considering what looks like an up-and-down season. I was happy for you for getting that 5-0 W, that had to feel nice especially after so many close L's. I'm intrigued for what you might done in the transfer window.

[Keano16]

Quote: Originally Posted by vrabbit

Ok let's do this: Keano: it baffles me Crewe gave you so much trouble in the F.A. but I was glad to see you work past them. You're making a great run in the F.A. that may pay off if you're not able to get that top 5-finish in the BPL. I'm rooting for you to finish top 4 though but it might be tricky, who are your 3 opponents in May? Hopefully you can finish the season in a strong note. Also, I had to look him up but nice job snatching Denis Suarez!

Yeah it was very strange alright and hardly straightforward. Happens alot though, the smaller teams are often tougher to beat than the bugger ones as there's less space etc. Another FA Cup is on the agenda but we have to get past Southampton first which will be a challenge as they are roughly equal in quality to us. I'd be happy with a top 8 finish just because it's our first season after promotion. Anything better is a bonus and playing in Europe (and making up for this season!) would be great again. We've Everton, Southampton and West Ham so all very tough games. Add in to that a possible FA Cup final if we get through. I'm really pleased with getting Suarez, he'll be the perfect player to phase out Whittingham next season. He also fits our wage structure, around £60k, and has good potential.

[TheYanks]

Season 1
November 2015

Season Objectives:
The Domestic Cup objective is to reach the Round of 16.
The League objective qualify for the European Cup.

BPL Match
Bournemouth 1 - 0 Newcastle
Ritchie 90’

MOTM Federici (BOU)

Another lost to Bournemouth that we should have won. We dominated all game and then they scored one in the 90’. Ritchie was played at the top of the box then was able to turn and shoot past Krul.


BPL Match
Newcastle 2 - 1 Leicester
Doumbia 45’
Inler 69’
Wijnaldum 74’

MOTM Krul (NEW)

We were able to go into the half one up with a goal from Doumbia after he picked up the ball in our own half and then he ran past every and finished. They got one back through Inler nine minutes after the hour mark after a poor clearance fell to him just outside the box and Krul tried to dive and save it but dove into a defender. We got the winner when a Leicester defender played and bad back pass and the keeper save it from going out for a corner but kicked it straight to Wijnaldum for an easy goal.

BPL Match
Crystal Palace 1 - 1 Newcastle
Dann 45’
Saivet 65’

MOTM Saivet

Just before halftime Crystal Palace got a free kick inside our half. Cabaye played it in and Dann was first to get his head on it and directed it into the goal off the post. We equalized through Saivet when Doumbia was able to cross a driven on the ground towards the Senegese midfielder that was able to shoot first time low and hard. Sissoko sprained his ankle and will be out for three weeks.

Table:



My Thoughts:
A win, a draw and a loss a little bit of everything this month. We are still ahead of where we are suppose to be trying to finish which is good. I can’t believe that Liverpool is still in the relegation zone while us, Norwich, Bournemouth, Leicester, and West Ham are all in the top half of the table.

Also I would like to let you guys know that I have accepted the job to manage England. I will not be updating you guys on friendlies but I will let you guys know about qualifiers and tournaments.

[vrabbit]

Quote: Originally Posted by vrabbit

Spoiler Dorados de Sinaloa '16-'17 SEP through DEC Update The Roster Spoiler Goalkeepers: Anthony Maisonnial* (68 OVR), Alfredo Frausto (66 OVR). Fullbacks: Antonio Barreca* (66 OVR), Felix Passlack* (66 OVR), Jairo Gonzalez (64 OVR), , Carlos Pinto (63 OVR)Sebastian Sorsa (57 OVR). Centre-backs: Victor Alonso (69 OVR), Jonathan Lacerda (67 OVR), Heriberto Aguayo (66 OVR), Leonardo Bedolla (63 OVR), Themis Tzimopoulos (60 OVR). Midfielders/Wingers: Romulo Otero (71 OVR), Liu Binbin (71 OVR), Anthony Caceres (68 OVR), Kofi Allen (66 OVR), Nicolas Delgadillo (65 OVR), Julian De Guzmán** (64 OVR), Hector Velazquez (62 OVR), Guillermo Rojas (61 OVR), Victor Soriano (51 OVR). Strikers: Elias (69 OVR), Freddy Martin (68 OVR), Juan Jose Calero (62 OVR), Lobo (50 OVR) * On loan ** Retiring at end of season. Starting XI (4-4-2 Diamond Wide) Maisonnial Passlack/Alonso/Lacerda/Barreca Caceres Liu Binbin---------Delgadillo Otero Martin-------Elias ___________________________________ Apertura 2016 - Game 7 Dorados - Tigres (2-1) Liu Binbin 17' (Elias) Sobs 45+' Otero 84' (Martin) There is little doubt Tigres owns one of the best roster in the league, yet they have not been able to beat us since I arrived here. Every game is a grind though, and this was no exception as neither team was able to establish possession and we both took a similar number of shots. In the end, a sweet find from Martin put Otero in position to score the game-winner and the Venezuelan didn't; miss it. Apertura 2016 - Game 8 Cruz Azul - Dorados (2-1) Elias 33' (Delgadillo) Scocco 53' Belluschi 65' Unfortunately our inconsistencies showed yet again in this game although in all fairness a lot of credit needs to be given to the home squad who stuffed many of our attempts to create scoring opportunities. They were also able to gain an edge in possession after their go-ahead score, so all in all it was a greatly executed game by them and a not so great one by us. Apertura 2016 - Game 9 Dorados - Chiapas (3-1) Otero 6' Vidangossy 72' Elias 77' (Martin) Delgadillo 83' (Otero) I was sure Otero's goal inside 10 minutes will lead us to a comfortable victory but we struggled to build on the lead and didn't snap out of it till Chiapas equalized with less than 20 minutes left. We got the victory and that's what matters, but we're still far from playing at the level we need to be. Apertura 2016 - Game 10 Dorados - Chivas (3-0) Martin 45+' (Elias) Liu Binbin 78' (Otero) Liu Binbin 88' (De Guzman) Passlack 75' Now we're talking. Chivas was a pain in our behind in Clausura '16 and we went into this game with a lot of focus. The result speaks for itself and I was definitely pleased with what we showed on the pitch. I gotta say Liu is doing a great job for us, especially when you consider he's replacing an explosive player (Yimmy Chara). Apertura 2016 - Game 11 Morelia - Dorados (0-3) Otero 47' (Passlack) Martin 81' (Elias) Elias 90+' (Martin) Back-to-back 3-0 wins will make a coach happy. It was an evenly matched game in the first half but after Otero's score early into the second half our flow was a lot more open and we finally sealed the deal with a couple of scores in the last 10 minutes. Of note here is that Elias has now scored in 3 of the last 4 games (and 4 of the last 6). Apertura 2016 - Game 12 Dorados - Santos Laguna (3-1) Aguayo 36' (OG) Elias 54' (Barreca) Martin 73' (De Guzman) Liu Binbin 86' (Otero) A four-game winning streak AND four games in a row of scoring three goals? Oh yeah, we've found our groove. Aguayo's own goal in the first half was scary and we definitely weren't feeling too hot about ourselves at the half but the lads did a great job of shrugging that off in she second half and connecting for three scores to get us the W. This win put us firmly in first place. Apertura 2016 - Game 13 Monterrey - Dorados (0-2) Martin 53' (Otero) Elias 89' (Delgadillo) FIVE-game winning streak. It's not a coincidence that Elias continues to be hot and now Martin has joined him with a four-game scoring streak. Our defense is playing outstanding as well and Alonso has not been promoted yet at this point. Apertura 2016 - Game 14 Dorados - Veracruz (0-3) Quiñones 6' Villalba 33' Albin 90' I guess the winning had to end at some point but this was a cold shower. Veracruz played an excellent game, taking advantage of the early lead and then doubling it up inside 35 minutes to put us in a spot we hadn't been in since the fifth game of the season (down a couple of scores). We tried our best to cut the lead, firing 11 shots (6 on goal), but our desperate attempts to make something out of this only ended on giving up a third goal near the end of the game. Apertura 2016 - Game 15 Leon - Dorados (1-0) Montes 71' Hard to explain but this defeat was actually more frustrating than the previous week vs Veracruz. For one, this is a rivalry game. For two, the matchup was promoted as a battle between the top scoring team (us) and the best defense in the league (Leon's). We wanted to shut down that dialogue and show our offense can offset any defense but I have to give Leon a lot of credit because their defense was indeed suffocating and they did a great job of intercepting a lot of balls to interrupt our flow. We were only able to take two shots, neither of them on goal, while Leon took 10 (four on goal). It'll be interesting to see if we will meet in the playoffs and, for now, Leon takes over the top spot in the standings. Apertura 2016 - Game 16 Dorados - America (2-0) Delgadillo 45+' (Otero) Martin 49' Delgadillo's score at the end of the first half may have taken the life out of Las Aguilas. We played as a bad a first half as you could imagina and yet America wasn't able to turn that into any scores for them, instead conceding a score to us on a late counter attack. I ripped the guys a new one at the half and they came out more focused, then Martin earned his score a few minutes in to seal the win for us as our defense took care of the rest. I hope the sloppy play from the first half doesn't show up for us ever again. Apertura 2016 - Game 17 Toluca - Dorados (1-5) Lacerda 4' (OG) Martin 30' Liu Binbin 39' (Otero) Liu Binbin 42' (Caceres) Caceres 66' Martin 90' (Pinto) This is EXACTLY how I wanted the team to roll into the playoffs. First of all, this W clinched first place for us going into the playoffs. Second, it was a dominant performance against a team that was in the semi-finals in the most recent Clausura and needed a win in this game to clinch a playoff spot. To top it off, Caceres scored on this beauty ... Quarter-Finals - Leg 1 America - Dorados (1-3) Otero 17' (Martin) Martin 61' (Barreca) Otero 82' (Elias) Peralta 90' It was a nice to draw a team that we had recently played during the regular season and we got off to a nearly perfect start on the road thanks to Otero leading the charge. However, Peralta's score there at the end will make the second leg more interesting and I really wish we hadn't lost focus at the end. Quarter-Finals - Leg 2 Dorados - America (3-3) Martin 17' (Caceres) Quintero 21' Benedetto 33' Liu Binbin 54' (Otero) Quintero 61' Liu Binbin 90+' (Calero) What. A. GAME! America wouldn't quit even after we should had taken the life out of them with the early goal from Martin. But just 15 minutes later they had cut a three-goal lead in the aggregate score to just one and they never stopped giving it their all in their attempt to at least force the game into ET, so you know the whole squad jumped over Liu Binbin after the Chinese international booked our place in semis in added time. Semi-Finals - Leg 1 Pumas - Dorados (2-6) Calero 23' (Delgadillo) Martin 30' (pen) Quiñones 40' Martin 62' Calero 66' (Otero) Martin 77' (Otero) Martin 82' (Calero) Herrera 88' I mean ... Spoiler Never in my wildest dreams. Some of you may remember the interesting game we had against Pumas during the regular season (if not, click the spoiler at the top of this update to get an idea) and so we were really looking forward to this one (as if a semi final isn't reason alone to get pumped up). Everything went right for us, EVERYTHING, and Pumas had a good number of chances (8 shots, 5 on goal) but our keeper and defense didn't let them keep up with Martin and our offense in this game. Speaking of Martin, he had a lead for the scoring title coming in and I don't think he's going to lose that race now. Semi-Finals - Leg 2 Dorados - Pumas (1-2) Velazquez 40' (De Guzman) Izazola 58' Herrera 74' Calero 25' (Sprained ankle, out 4 weeks) I respect the hell out of every opponent but I went deep into our bench for this one, not really sweating it with a four-goal lead. Velazquez's goal in the first half confirm that it was impossible for Pumas to make any kind of comeback. Calero's injury is a shame as he's really worked hard to earn PT and had finally gotten it but he should be ready to go for the Clausura. Back-to-back appearances in the final, can we take back-to-back titles? Finals - Leg 1 Santos Laguna - Dorados (0-1) Delgadillo 26' (Barreca) We had easily taken care of SL in the regular season but with high stakes they brought their A-game, earning an edge in possession (54%) and frustrating our offense holding us to just three shots on goal (eight shots total). But our defense was better, keeping a clean sheet, and we'll take the minimal advantage into the second leg, at home, for the title ... Finals - Leg 2 Santos Laguna - Dorados Spoiler (2-0) Spoiler Orozco 65' Bernal 83' Sigh ... it's difficult to pinpoint exactly what went wrong. The reality is that over 180 minutes SL's defense just did a good job of not letting us establish a rhythm offensively and when we finally did get clean looks we were missing shots we had been turning into goals all season. And then they scored, and the aggregate score was even, and you'd think we still had the edge because we were at home but anxiety started to kick in as the minutes ticked, we couldn't score, again just netting three shots on goal on eight total shots. We took the edge in possession this time (53%) and our defense played really well, SL was only able to get three shots off ... but the two of them that were on goal turned into scores, the last one off a corner kick in the 83rd minute that weirdly sealed the game. We lost the title at home, this is going to sting for a bit and I'll try to turn this into some kick-*** motivation for the Clausura and the second half of the season Top Scorers 1 - Martin (Dorados) - 18 T2 - Herrera (Pumas) - 9 T2 - Camilo (Queretaro) - 9 3 others with 9 Assists 1 - Otero (Dorados) - 11 T2 - Martin (Dorados) - 5 T2 - Elias (Dorados) - 5 T2 - Caceres (Dorados) - 5 Clean Sheets 1 - Maisonnial (Dorados) - 7 2 - Saldivar (Pumas) - 6 T3 - Yarbrough (Pachuca) -5 3 others with 5 Goalkeeper of the Tournament Anthony Maisonnial (Dorados) Golden Boot Freddy Martin (Dorados) Mexico Apertura 2016 - Starting XI GK - Anthony Maisonnial (Dorados) RB - Carlos Pinto (Dorados) CB - Hugo Ayala (Tigres) CB - Jonathan Lacerda (Dorados) LB - Antonio Barreca (Dorados) RM - Liu Binbin (Dorados) LM - Nicolas Delgadillo (Dorados) CAM - Anthony Caceres (Dorados) CAM - Romulo Otero (Dorados) ST - Freddy Martin (Dorados) ST - Elias C. Pereira Filho (Dorados) Mexico Apertura 2016 - MVP In a stunning upset, Anthony Maisonnial was voted as the Player of the Competition over Freddy Martin. _____________________________________ Review: Short because this post is extensive. It's really difficult to enjoy all the accolades that the club received individually when as a team we weren't able to achieve our goal. It's pretty clear that we were the best team all tournament long yet we don't have the hardware to show for it at the end of it all. Whether this will result in massive changes in the upcoming transfer window ... remains to be seen. Quickly on our academy, other than our scout in Brazil since early in the summer we didn't send anyone else out this first half of the season. We'll wait until after the transfer window closes to assess our budget for youth scouting. Here's our youth squad right now: - Julio Moyano (CM, 56 OVR, 80-86): 16-year old from Venezuela standing at just 5'2", 132lbs but we expect some growth out of him both physical and skill-wise. He shows flashes of being a playmaker and most recently we've started to work with him as a defender since he might fit the mold of a CDM once he's fully grown. - Jimmy Porter (CM, 53 OVR, 77837): Our only remaining American prospect in the academy recently turned 16 years old, growing to 5'0" (from 4'9") and 124lbs (from 119). He needs to continue to work hard in the academy for now. - Silvio Navarrete (RW, 54 OVR, 73-79): This 17-year old Venezuelan has shown some flashes for us but needs to continue to develop his game for now. - Martim Nogueira (CM, 48 OVR, 74-82)*: This 17-year old Brazilian prospect is the most recent addition to the academy, although he projects as more of a role player early in his career. * Recent addition. Followers of this career may have noticed that Victor Alonso was finally promoted up to the senior squad and has rightfully been inserted into the starting line-up, already our highest-rated defender. 16-year old Yankee, Kofi Allen, has also been promoted and is a super sub for us at the moment. Another promotion from the academy happened to a youngster from Brazil that never even got a chance to be listed on the youth squad - striker Lobo (whose first name escapes me at the moment) requested to be promoted near the end of the tournament and we granted his request. He understands he will need to earn every single minute he's given. The last part of the update is the development with Venezuela in CONMEBOL qualifiers. Click on the spoiler for that info as I don't want this to take any more space than it already has. Spoiler 2018 WC Qualifiers - Match 7 Ecuador - Venezuela (2-2) E. Valencia 18' Santos 37' (Martinez) Del Valle 51' (Santos) Martinez 83' Ecuador has been struggling in this qualifiers but they're always a tough opponent, and road games in CONMEBOL are really difficult, but we should had come away with the 3 points if not for a fatal error from our goalkeeper, Dani Hernandez, who weakly kicked off in the 83rd minute right to Fidel Martinez who didn't miss the chance to score the equalizer. I hope losing those 2 points won't cost us at the end of the qualifiers. 2018 WC Qualifiers - Match 8 Venezuela - Colombia (1-2) Santos 26' (Martinez) Martinez 45+' James 83' Losing rivalry games at home is never a good look but Colombia over-powered us with their speed at the end of each half to steal this game from us and seriously damage the good start we had had in the qualifiers. 2018 WC Qualifiers - Match 9 Chile - Venezuela (4-1) Canales 5' Martinez 27' (Rincon) Roco 57' Aranguiz 75' Aranguiz 81' I'm in trouble. The team is a downward spiral and Chile embarrassed us, giving us and the fan base flashbacks of the days when we were the Cinderella of the tournament. We need to do something, and we need to do it soon. 2018 WC Qualifiers - Match 10 Peru - Venezuela (1-3) Del Valle 19' (Santos) Farfan 54' Rincon 69' (M. Rondon) Del Valle 84' (Rivas) No better time to face Peru, a team we beat with ease earlier in the qualifiers, than right after a few tough games. We put together somewhat of a complete game earning the edge in possession (56%) while out-shooting the Peruvians 9 to 3 (5 to 1 on goal) 2018 WC Qualifiers - Match 11 Venezuela - Uruguay) (1-2) Cristoforo 5' Suarez 25' Miku 72' (Del Valle) The Uruguayans earned their revenge from our victory on their tuff earlies this year (by the same score) putting us back in a really tough spot at the edge to fall out of the top 5, nearly negating the excellent start we had. Once ahead by a couple of goals they were more than happy to allow us an edge in possession (57%) but clamped down on defense pretty well and we were unable to score an equalizer at the end. 2018 WC Qualifiers - Match 12 Colombia - Venezuela (2-2) Bacca 22' (pen) S. Rondon 44' (M. Rondon) Lerma 58' Murillo 88' I am lucky to be getting some love from the local press after this game, although it is definitely deserved. Colombia's speed was once again creating problems for us, especially on defense were our strikers were failing to get past them. To counter this, near the end of game I subbed in one of our younger talents, Jhon Murillo who is a winger with decent attacking skills, and he was able to get past Colombia's last line of defense just enough to score an equalizer at the end that allowed us to steal a point and remain in contention for a ticket to Russia 2018. Just 6 games left, each one of them will be do or die. Thanks for reading!

^^^ Previous update

Dorados de Sinaloa
'16-'17 JAN/FEB Update

TRANSFERS

OUT: Liu Binbin (RM, 71 OVR), sold to America for $3.5 million. Elias de Oliveira (ST, 69 OVR), sold to RC Deportivo de La Coruña for $2.25 million. Anthony Caceres (CAM, 68 OVR), sold to America for $1.6 million. Freddy Martin (ST, 68 OVR), sold to Seattle Sounders F.C. for $1.65 million. Jairo Gonzalez (LB, 64 OVR), sold to Rotherham United for $500K. Leonardo Bedroll (CB, 63 OVR), sold to Rotherham United for $450K. Carlos Pinto (RWB, 63 OVR), sold to Puebla F.C. for $275K. Guillermo Rojas (LM, 61 OVR), sold to Motherwell for $180K. Themis Tzimopoulos (CB, 60 OVR), sold to Shrewsbury Town for $110K.

IN: Daniel Guedes da Silva (RB, 69 OVR), acquired from Santos F.C. for $1.1 million. Ambrose Oyono (RB, 69 OVR), acquired on free transfer from Montreal Impact. Franco Acosta (ST, 68 OVR), acquired from Villarreal C.F. for $1.5 million. Oscar Estupiñán (ST, 67 OVR), acquired from Once Caldas for $800K. Ulises Rivas (CDM, 67 OVR), acquired from Santos Laguna for $750K. Gabriel Gasparotto (GK, 66 OVR), acquired from Santos F.C. for $1.2 million. Thilo Kehrer (CDM, 65 OVR), agreed to short loan from FC Schalke 04. Lorran Quintanilha (LB, 64 OVR), acquired from Vasco da Gama for $700K. Alan Moreno (RB, 63 OVR), acquired from Deportes Iquique for $400K + Alfredo Frausto.

The Roster

Spoiler

Goalkeepers: Anthony Maisonnial* (69 OVR), Gabriel Gasparotto (66 OVR)
Fullbacks: Daniel Guedes (69 OVR), Antonio Barreca* (67 OVR), Felix Passlack* (67 OVR), Lorran (64 OVR), Alan Moreno (63 OVR), Sebastian Sorsa (57 OVR).
Centre-backs: Victor Alonso (70 OVR), Jonathan Lacerda (67 OVR), Heriberto Aguayo (66 OVR).
Midfielders/Wingers: Romulo Otero (72 OVR), Ulises Rivas (67 OVR), Kofi Allen (67 OVR), Nicolas Delgadillo (65 OVR), Thilo Kehrer* (65 OVR), Julian De Guzmán** (64 OVR), Hector Velazquez (63 OVR), Victor Soriano (52 OVR).
Strikers: Franco Acosta (68 OVR), Oscar Estupiñan (67 OVR), Juan Jose Calero (63 OVR), Bernardo Lobo (52 OVR)
* On loan
** Retiring at end of season.

Starting XI (4-4-2 Diamond Wide)

Maisonnial

Guedes/Alonso/Lacerda/Barreca

Rivas

Allen------Delgadillo

Otero

Acosta------Estupiñan
___________________________________

FYI, Mexico is weird, and after Apertura 2016 ended I found out Copa LatAm (the game's small time version of Copa Libertadores, which is the equivalent of Champions' League for this side of the world) will be starting in February. It appears the top 4 teams from Aperture qualify for Copa LatAm, with the 4th place team losing its spot if a team that finished 5th-8th wins the playoffs. Four teams qualify from Argentina, Chile, Colombia, and Mexico. Four groups of four, top two teams in each group move on to quarters.

We have been drawn into Group B with Independiente (Argentina), Colo-Colo (Chile), and Independiente Medellin (Colombia).

___________________________________

Victor Alonso suffered a neck injury during training and will be out for 8 weeks.

Clausura 2017 - Game 1
Dorados - Puebla (1-1)
Martin 45' (Otero)
Alustiza 51' (pen)

Didn't get off to a great start which was disappointing considering how hungry I want to make our guys after a disappointing ending to the first half of the season. I must give props to Puebla who played a really good game and truly earn the point on the road.

Clausura 2016 - Game 2
Dorados - Atlas (2-0)
Liu Binbin 30' (Otero)
Lobo 49' (Otero)

The sells for Elias and Martin took place early in the transfer window so it was up to Calero and Lobo to play a full game and the Brazilian academy-product responded with his first goal as a pro. Atlas was able to gain a small edge in possession (53%) but was unable to turn that into much shot creation as we outshot them 8 to 2 (6 to 1 on goal).

Clausura 2017 - Game 3
Leon - Dorados (1-2)
Rocha 5'
Estupiñan 32' (Calero)
Delgadillo 87 (Estupiñan)

Luckily we were able to finalize a deal for Estupiñan soon after the previous game and he made a hell of a debut for us on the road against a rival. There was a part of me that hated not facing Leon in the playoffs in the Apertura after they had beaten us a couple of games before the playoffs but we finally got our chance for revenge and played a really good game against them. They're a tough squad and I wouldn't be shocked if they made it to the playoffs again, although we'll also have to see how they fare in the Copa LatAm.

Clausura 2017 - Game 4
Dorados - Tigres (3-1)
Estupiñan 7' (Acosta)
Caceres 44' (Otero)
Acosta 67' (Caceres)
Zelarayan 90'
Gonzalez 77'
Passlack 29' (Sprained ankle, out 3 weeks)

Another new acquisition, another successful debut. Acosta netted a goal and an assist to extend our dominance over Tigres since I joined the club. Unfortunately we lose Passlack for a couple of weeks so hopefully that doesn't affect us too much.

Clausura 2017 - Game 5
Cruz Azul - Dorados (1-1)
Cross 24'
Lacerda 83 (Allen)
Caceres 5'
Lorran 53'

I guess we weren't going to have great debuts every time. Lorran had played a solid game for us up to a strong foul from behind early in the second half that earned him a red card. We were already down a score since early in the first half and our outlook to avoid the loss looked bleak until our captain headed a home a corner kick from our youngest starter (Allen) to help us steal a point on the road.

Clausura 2017 - Game 6
Dorados - Queretaro (1-0)
Otero 82' (Calero)

Won't complain about the result but the execution was very poor in this game. Queretaro dominated possession (57%) and took eight shots but luckily for us only one of them was on goal and controlled by Maisonnial. We had five shots, four on goal, none really dangerous other than the final one from Otero on a nice through pass from Calero.

Clausura 2017 - Game 7
Pumas - Dorados (1-1)
Acosta 44' (Delgadillo)
Sosa 87' (pen)

Make that now three unconvincing games in a row and I can't really put my finger on what's wrong. I guess you could say it's all the new faces trying to establish some chemistry. Pumas also was probably pretty pumped up to play well against us after the way we disposed of them in the Apertura playoffs so props to them for bringing their A-game. We need to start bringing our as well.

Clausura 2017 - Game 8
Dorados - Santos Laguna (2-1)
Boselli 14'
Passlack 50'
Calero 84' (pen)

You know we wanted to win this one. However, I had to make the decision to rest the starters and go with the B-squad with our opening game in Copa LatAm just two days later. Aguayo started us off with a monumental error, playing a weak pass that was intercepted by Boselli who didn't waste it to put the current champions ahead. cannot say enough about Passlack's goal on a free kick early in the second half to put us back in the game, just watch



thereafter we actually controlled the game and finished with 11 shots (five on goal) and were able to steal the 3 points after Calero calmly scored on a penalty kick.

Copa LatAm - Group Match 1
Independiente - Dorados (2-0)
Acosta 8'
Otero 50'
Otero 28'

Outstanding start to the tournament on the road against a very tough opponent. We succeeded in establishing possession (54%) and all five of our shots were on goal. Oh, and Otero said to Passlack, "I see yours and I raise you ..."



Clausura 2017 - Game 9
Tijuana - Dorados (1-1)
Corona 24'
Velazquez 38' (Soriano)

The way the schedule sets up I'm forced to choose a tournament in which to use the B-squad, and since A) we already won the Clausura last season, and B) how we finish in this tournament has no effect on whether we return to Copa LatAm next season ... the B-squad will be getting some run in Liga MX games. They did good in this one, although it was one of our best players from last season who puts behind when Joe Corona scored on us midway through the first half. Nonetheless, our second unit did a good job of winning possession (53%) and shots (10 to 4, 5 to 2 on goal), and their reward was a point on the road.

Copa LatAm - Group Match 2
Colo-Colo - Dorados (2-0)
Allen 7' (Acosta)
Estupiñan 55' (Acosta)

If our debut in the tournament was excellent then our second game was dream-like. On the road again, we achieved another clean sheet and were opportunistic with our scoring in a game that could have easily ended in a draw. Game ball went to Kofi Allen, who had a dream moment of his own by scoring his first goal as a professional at just 16-years old. The Yankee academy-graduate has had the tough task of replacing Liu Binbin and has been doing a fine job so far.

Clausura 2017 - Game 10
Pachuca - Dorados (3-0)
Lobo 34' (Passlack)
Lorran 40' (Velazquez)
Soriano 86' (Lobo)
Sorsa 90+'

What a game by our youngsters! Lobo turned in the finest game of his young career not only opening the scoring but then assisting Soriano near the end of the game for the Venezuelan's first goal as a pro. Lorran also scored his first goal for the club to round up an outstanding performance by the B-squad to keep us near the top of table

Copa LatAm - Group Match 3
Dorados - Independiente Medellin (1-0)
Acosta 59' (Guedes)

Our home opener in the tournament didn't go as well as the first games on the road but we earned yet another W and ultimately that's what really matter. Team performance was pretty good and I have to credit the Colombian club for playing a great game that would have ended scoreless if Guedes' cross from the right wing hadn't been perfectly placed towards Acosta for a header. Three games, three wins in the first half of group play and we have put ourselves in excellent position to advance to quarters, although finishing first in the group is definitely important as we look to avoid the only other team with a perfect record through three games: Boca Juniors.




Mexico Clausura
Top Scorers
T1 - Clayton (Pachuca) - 7
T1 - Al Soma (America) - 7
2 - Sanchez (Monterrey) - 6

Assists
1 - Furch (Veracruz) - 5
T2 - Otero (Dorados) - 4
T2 - Andrade (America) - 4

Clean Sheets
T1 - Orozco (Monterrey) - 4
T1 - Marchesin (Santos Laguna) - 4
T2 - Talavera (Tigres) - 3
...
T3 - Maisonnial (Dorados) - 2

Review: Two months in and zeroes underneath the L's in the standings. Not perfect but it's hard to ask for much more than that. Just an outstanding start to the second half of the season, overall definitely what I wanted to see from the squad. Obviously there was a lot of activity on our end during the transfer window and that was due to a combination of lot of interest from other clubs on our guys and us making pretty much everyone but Otero (since Victor can't even be sold yet) available for the right price. Was it hard to sell Martin after his performance in the Apertura? No - we got his best out of him but he had reached his ceiling and his value was never going to be higher than we got from him. Elias had a difficult time establishing chemistry with the squad, and in all honesty half a season isn't enough to write someone off, but it was hard to pass off on that offer. I definitely look forward to playing America now that they've acquired two our main guys, and I was definitely shocked to see them willing to pay so much for Liu Binbin. If I have one regret was not realizing sooner that the Copa LatAm would be played in the second half of this season as I may not have sold some guys such as Careers and some depth guys like Rojas and Bedroll, but the guys that remain in the squad have done a great job obviously.

With the incoming guys I tried to focus on those positions that are solid right now but mostly due to loaners. So I brought in a goalkeeper who should be ready to step up for us in a year or so and who has performed well in a couple of games so far. A total of four fullbacks were acquired, three joining the squad right away, and that's pretty much due to the same concept as Passlack and Larreca are only a temporary solution. I also feel good about our new pair of strikers long-term, it'll take them a bit to get the system down but they each have better potential than the guys they replaced.

As far as our academy is concerned, George Speas still has a couple of months left in his trip in Brazil while Pablo Ramos has been sent back to Mexico and Tony Davies has been sent to Argentina, each for 6 months. Here's our updated youth squad:

- Julio Moyano (CM, 58 OVR, 80-86 POT): 16-year old from Venezuela standing at just 5'2", 132lbs but we expect some growth out of him both physical and skill-wise. He shows flashes of being a playmaker and most recently we've started to work with him as a defender since he might fit the mold of a CDM once he's fully grown.
- Diogo Rios (CM, 55 OVR, 75-93)*: 17-year old Brazilian described as technically gifted has nice balance and ball control. Will compete with Porter at this position.
- Jimmy Porter (CM, 54 OVR, 77-83): Our only remaining American prospect in the academy recently turned 16 years old, growing to 5'0" (from 4'9") and 124lbs (from 119). He needs to continue to work hard in the academy for now and we're excited to watch him compete against Rios.
- Gonzalo Miguel (CDM, 47 OVR, 67-91)*: 15-year old from Argentina needs a lot of development but our staff is excited about his potential. Should grow well from his current frame of 5'1",145lbs.
- Silvio Navarrete (RW, 55 OVR, 73-79): This 17-year old Venezuelan has shown some flashes for us but needs to continue to develop his game for now.
- Martim Nogueira (CM, 50 OVR, 75-81): This Brazilian prospect only joined the academy earlier this season but recently turned 18 years old. He projects as more of a role player early in his career.
- Camilo Paulino (CDM, 43 OVR, 73-89)*: 17-year old from Brazil described as a playmaker. May be a late bloomer but Speas spoke highly of him in his report.
- Alfonzo Izquierdo (LB, 45 OVR, 69-85)*: 18-year old from Brazil has solid strength/speed for his age but needs to develop as a defender in order to be serviceable to the club.
* Recent addition.

And that's all for this update. Doing good huh?

Oh, who's FK did you like better? Passlack's or Otero's? Let me know, they're having a bragging competition about it.

[JHedges2]

Just started a new Career Mode with Juventus in Serie A. Going for the Treble in year 1...

[southernmetalhead]

U.S. Città di Palermo
Rosanero



Balzaretti Named New Palermo Manager

Palermo are welcoming back a familiar face to guide the club in the 2015-16 Serie A season as club president Maurizio Zamparini announced that former full-back and recently retired Federico Balzaretti will be the new manager of the Rosanero. The 33-year-old Balzaretti was a player for Palermo from 2008-2012 and made 159 appearances for the Pink-Blacks. A product of the Torino youth system, Balzaretti finished his career with AS Roma after leaving Palermo. He was also capped 16 times for Italy.

The job at Palermo will be a challenge as the Rosanero will begin life without Paulo Dybala who was recently sold to league giants Juventus. The sting of relegation is still fresh in the mind of supporters as well as Palermo went down after the 2012-13 season, only to return to the top-flight after a 1-year spell in Serie B. Even a club hero like Balzaretti will have a lot of pressure on him as Zamparini has been notoriously quick to sack managers over the years.

Balzaretti outlined his goals for this campaign by stating he wants to secure at least a mid-table finish and continue to build the squad through shrewd buys and a strong youth system. Palermo last appeared in the Europa League in 2011-12, and while that may not be a realistic goal in Year 1 for the Sicilian side, that is where Balzaretti ultimately sees this club landing.

The Squad

Goalkeepers
GK Emiliano Viviano*, 78 Ovr, 29 years old, Italy
(on loan at Sampdoria)

GK Stefano Sorrentino, 77 Ovr, 36 years old, Italy

GK Simone Colombi*, 68 Ovr, 24 years old, Italy
(on loan from Cagliari)

GK Fabrizio Alastra, 56 Ovr, 17 years old, Italy

GK Andrea Fulignati*, 53 Ovr, 20 years old, Italy
(on loan at Trapani)

Defenders
CB Giancarlo González, 77 Ovr, 27 years old, Costa Rica

CB Roberto Vitiello, 75 Ovr, 32 years old, Italy

CB Siniša Anđelković, 75 Ovr, 29 years old, Slovenia

CB Abdelhamid El Kaoutari, 73 Ovr, 25 years old, Morocco

RB Aljaz Struna, 67 Ovr, 24 years old, Slovenia

CB Edoardo Goldaniga, 67 Ovr, 21 years old, Italy

CB Davide Monteleone*, 58 Ovr, 19 years old, Italy
(on loan at Ternana)

CB Roberto Pirrello, 57 Ovr, 19 years old, Italy

RB Giuseppe Pezzella, 56 Ovr, 17 years old, Italy

CB Andrea Accardi*, 55 Ovr, 19 years old, Italy
(on loan at Trapani)

Midfielders
CM Luca Rigoni, 75 Ovr, 30 years old, Italy

CM Enzo Maresca, 75 Ovr, 35 years old, Italy

CDM Francesco Bolzoni, 72 Ovr, 26 years old, Italy

CM Mato Jajalo, 72 Ovr, 27 years old, Croatia

CM Oscar Hiljemark, 72 Ovr, 23 years old, Sweden

CAM Robin Quaison, 72 Ovr, 21 years old, Sweden

LM Achraf Lazaar, 71 Ovr, 22 years old, Morocco

CM Ivaylo Chochev, 70 Ovr, 22 years old, Bulgaria

CM Ahmad Benali, 69 Ovr, 23 years old, Libya

CM Francesco Della Rocca, 69 Ovr, 27 years old, Italy

CDM Granddi N'Goyi*, 68 Ovr, 27 years old, DR Congo
(on loan at Dijon)

CM Gaston Brugman*, 68 Ovr, 22 years old, Uruguay
(on loan from Pescara)

LM Aleksandar Trajkovski, 68 Ovr, 22 years old, FYR Macedonia

LM Fabio Daprelà, 67 Ovr, 24 years old, Switzerland

RM Andrea Rispoli, 64 Ovr, 27 years old, Italy

Forwards
CF Franco Vázquez, 79 Ovr, 26 years old, Italy

ST Simon Makienok*, 73 Ovr, 24 years old, Denmark
(on loan at Charlton Athletic)

ST Uroš Đurđević, 69 Ovr, 21 years old, Serbia

LW Ignacio Lores Varela, 67 Ovr, 24 years old, Uruguay

LW Carlos Embalo*, 62 Ovr, 20 years old, Guinea Bissau
(on loan at Brescia)

CF Matheus Cassini, 61 Ovr, 19 years old, Argentina

ST Antonio La Gumina, 58 Ovr, 19 years old, Italy

RW Accursio Bentivegna, 57 Ovr, 19 years old, Italy

[vrabbit]

^^^ damn, my boy Arteaga got loaned to some club in Croatia so he isn't on your roster. He was the league's leading scorer for me at Newport in the first season and is battling for the scoring title yet again in the 2nd season. Could had gotten you some $$$ after he developed.

[southernmetalhead]

rabbit Looks like Acosta from Villarreal is working out well for you. Very solid moves you made. Results wise, everything is clicking for you. Looking forward to seeing where you go in the CopaLatAm.

JHedges Awesome you're going with Juve. I had been planning a Serie A career and posted my Palermo right after yours. Really cool that there will be another Italian career. I really enjoy watching Juventus play. Good luck on the treble.

Yanks I like that you have Doumbia. He was one of my favorite players in Russia, a CSKA legend. Pretty average month going 1-1-1, but 4th in the table is still very solid. Hopefully you can continue to hang in the European spots.

Keano Keeping 6 straight clean sheets in all comps is incredible. Reminds me of my Mallorca career, but on a much bigger stage. Getting Alli and Williams is huge and they should do great for you. I really like Williams in particular. Beating Swansea in the FA Cup is huge for those Welsh bragging rights and the Spurs game was a thing of beauty.