How's Your FIFA Career Mode Going?

[vrabbit]

Re: How's Your FIFA Career Mode Going?

when one of your academy players ACTUALLY GROWS 7 inches >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

[vrabbit]

Re: How's Your FIFA Career Mode Going?

Spoiler

Previous Update ^^^

Newport County A.F.C.

January Update

TRANSFERS

OUT: See "IN" section. Also the loans for Jazzi Barnum-Bobb and Tommy O'Sullivan ended. Corey Shephard (47 OVR) has been loaned for two years to Portsmouth.

IN: Jack McKay (60 OVR) - the 19-year old English striker was acquired from Doncaster for €100K + Nathan Ralph. The left-footed McKay possesses raw talent to go with outstanding physical stature (6'3", 187lbs); Taylor Moore (60 OVR) - another promising acquisition comes in the form of this 18-year old from England who was purchased from RC Lens for €50K _ Lenell John-Lewis. Much like McKay, Moore has good raw potential that makes him a prime candidate for a starting spot once Donacien's loan deal expires. Both players signed 5-year deals with the club.

The Roster

Spoiler

Goalkeepers: Joe Day (62 OVR), Joe Green (51 OVR).
Fullbacks: Danny Holmes (64 OVR), Seth Nana Twumasi (62 OVR), Scott Barrow (59 OVR).
Centre-backs: Janoi Donacien (65 OVR), Matt Taylor (63 OVR), Andrew Hughes (60 OVR), Taylor Moore (60 OVR).
Midfielders/Wingers: Gary Gardner (68 OVR), Oliver Burke (64 OVR), Mark Byrne (62 OVR), Medy Elito (61 OVR), Alex Rodman (59 OVR), Yan Klukowski (58 OVR).
Strikers: Manuel Arteaga (64 OVR), Jack McKay (60 OVR), Scott Boden (58 OVR).

Starting XI (4-4-2 Diamond Wide)

Day

Holmes/Donacien/Taylor/Twunasi

Gardner

Burke ------------------ Elito

Byrne

Arteaga / McKay
_________________________________________________

F.A. Cup - Round 3
Newport County - Yeovil Town (1-1)
Elito 40' (Byrne)
Dawson 45'

An action-packed game finished with no-winner after 17 combined shots, 10 of them on goal, only yielded a couple of scores within 5 minutes of the end of the first half. Neither team controlled possession and while the visitors took more shots it was the home team who put more of their shots on target. The replay should be a good one.

League Match 25
Morecambe - Newport County (2-2)
Miller 13'
Miller 17'
Byrne 26'
Gardner 67' (Burke)

After the game Marccelino didn't know whether to be disappointing at the two quick scores given up inside 20 minutes, so instead he showed pride in his team staying resilient and stealing a point on the road.

Gardner's goal:

Spoiler

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/r1uX_zpcvLQ" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

F.A. Cup - Round 3 replay
Yeovil Town - Newport County (1-2)
John-Lewis 10' (Byrne)
Beck 27'
Byrne 42' (Arteaga)

It was yet another grind-it-out game between these League 2 clubs but this time around Newport used their edge in possession (57%) to get better shots on goal and win by the minimum difference.

League Match 26
Newport County - Portsmouth (2-0)
Gardner 45+' (pen)
Arteaga 59' (Burke)

This battle betwen top-7-squads belonged to The Exiles, who were opportunistic with their shots on goal in a game that could had gone either way.

F.A. Cup - Round 4
QPR - Newport County (1-1)
Austin 40'
Gardner 45+' (pen)

Media refers to this as the GGG (Gary Gardner Game) after Newport's defensive midfielder was heavily involved in both scoring situations. The Exiles succeeded for the first 40 minutes of the game in proving to the Championship title contenders that they were not to be taken lightly, but unfortunately all that work had suddenly been wasted when a weak clear-out cross from Gardner hung over the Newport box and Austin wisely raced to it to one-time it to the back of the net. Newport players could be seen trying to cheer up Gardner who was visible upset with himself after a very poor mistake. But soccer can be very beautiful, and just a few minutes later a penalty kick was awarded to Newport and it was Gardner - as he has done all season - who took the kick and scored to equalize the game. The second half would be a grueling battle that would make both goalies heroes and there will have to be a replay at the beginning of next month.

League Match 27
Plymouth Argyle - Newport County (2-3)
Mellor 5'
Boden 45+' (Klukowski)
McKay 57' (Rodman)
Byrne 78' (pen)
Simpson 82'

The Exiles wrapped up February with hard-earned victory on the road that was as close as the score suggested. The B-squad got the job done once again and Jack McKay scored in his debut after a corner kick from Rodman was overplayed by the Plymouth keeper. After Newport earned a penalty kick with less than 15 minutes left in the game, Marccelino wisely subbed in Byrne to take the kick and his decision proved right when the Irishman scored to make it 3-1. But even the game felt like it was up for grabs, and Newport scrambled to defend their goal during the last 10 minutes after Simpson put the home team within one score.




Top Scorers
1 - Simpson (Leyton Orient) - 15
2 - Miller (Morecambe) - 13
3 - McLeod (Notts County) - 11
...
T5 - Arteaga (Newport County) - 9

Assists
1 - Evans (Portsmouth) - 10
T2 - Mackail-Smith (Luton Town) - 7
T2 - Hayes (Wycombe) - 7
...
T5 - Byrne (Newport County) - 4

Clean Sheets
1 - Carroll (Notts County) - 11
2 - Day (Newport County) - 10
3 - Gillespie (Carlisle United) - 9

Review: It's hard to complain about an undefeated month. Still, it's also hard not come away from this F.A. Cup games feeling like we should win them the first time around, and the extra games resulting from the replays aren't exactly helping our limited roster/depth. That's going to be a BIG challenge next month. But what an amazing season we've had in the league: 5th place, 4 points behind the leader and 9 points clear of staying out of the playoffs. Board expectation was a for a mid-table finish, perhaps put some pressure on playoff teams, but at this point we shouldn't settle for anything less than a playoff spot and direct promotion is a definite possibility (a league title, perhaps?). About the transfer period, it's not hard to explain. Ralph wasn't in neither our short-term nor long-term plans and while John-Lewis had had a good season for us he wasn't someone to count on long-term. McKay and Moore are young guys with potential in the mid-70's that should be part of our core group for a few seasons. We also tried to bring back Barnum-Bobb and O'Sullivan but the budget just didn't permit it. We must have received 15-20 offers for Joe Day, none bigger than €300K, but there was no way we were letting him go with limited funds to acquire a replacement (Green isn't ready)

Our youth scout, Adam Adeyemi, had sent us his 2nd report from Italy and one new addition has been made to the academy, so let's check out the youth squad:

- Bondz Moore (LW, 58 OVR, 81-87 POT): Small frame (5'0", 134lbs) is a non-issue with this 16-year old Englishman due to his talent. He is speedy/agile/balanced and has been performing well in drills so far.
- Cristiano Dall'Oglio (CDM, 47 OVR, 75-91)*: 16-year old defensive-minded midfielder from Italy is the newest addition to the academy. He flashes leadership skills at a very young age.
- Danilo Sabbione (CM, 49 OVR, 72-88): This 16-year old from Italy is our first addition to the squad from outside England. He's raw but has a bright future.
- Ben Potter (LM, 53 OVR, 72-86): This 16-year old from England looks similar to Moore but prefers to play a bit closer to midfield.
- Jack Giles (RW, 62, 74-82): Has been offered a 3-year contract to join the senior roster.
- Taylor Nelson (LW, 55, 69-81: The 17-year old from England is flashing a little bit of everything right now (offensively) and has hit the ground running hard to improve his game.
*recent addition

What's next:



Yup, 5 games in 12 days. Then once we finally get back a normal schedule it'll be for showdowns against teams we're chasing in the standings. FUN FUN FUN!

Previous Update ^^^

Newport County A.F.C.

February/March Update

The Roster

Spoiler

Goalkeepers: Joe Day (63 OVR), Joe Green (51 OVR).
Fullbacks: Danny Holmes (64 OVR), Seth Nana Twumasi (62 OVR), Scott Barrow (59 OVR).
Centre-backs: Janoi Donacien (66 OVR), Matt Taylor (63 OVR), Taylor Moore (61 OVR), Andrew Hughes (60 OVR).
Midfielders/Wingers: Gary Gardner (69 OVR), Oliver Burke (64 OVR), Mark Byrne (63 OVR), Jack Giles (63 OVR), Medy Elito (61 OVR), Alex Rodman (59 OVR), Yan Klukowski (58 OVR).
Strikers: Manuel Arteaga (65 OVR), Jack McKay (62 OVR), Scott Boden (59 OVR).

Starting XI (4-4-2 Diamond Wide)

Day

Holmes/Donacien/Taylor/Twunasi

Gardner

Burke ------------------ Elito

Byrne

Arteaga / McKay
_________________________________________________
Announcements: Gary Gardner has been awarded Player of the Month for the month of January!

League Match 28
Newport - County - Dagenham (2-0)
Barrow 55' (Gardner)
McKay 70' (Byrne)

Unable to make full use of the B-squad due to very few off days Marccelino used a mix of starters and subs in the starting lineup and the defense held up well - including a goal from sub LB Scott Barrow - to give The Exiles the win.

F.A. Cup - Round 4 replay
Newport County - QPR (1-1, 1-2 in PK's)
Arteaga 15' (Byrne)
Austin 27'
Donacien
Twumasi

Heartbreak was the result of Newport leaving it all out on the field at Rodney Parade just 24 hours after hosting Dagenham. Arteaga put the Exiles ahead 15 minutes in but Austin once again scored for QPR before the 30-minute mark. The remaining 90 minutes would be an onslaught of shots that turned Joe Day and Rob Green into heroes, but in the end an exhausted Newport squad on a heavily rained field was only able to convert 1 of 5 penalty kicks with the visitors being able to do just one better, and so QPR will move on.

League Match 29
Yeovil Town - Newport County (2-2)
Arteaga 26' (McKay)
Arteaga 37' (Byrne)
Gillett 49'
Dolan 86'

Marccelino used all the players he had available for this game after just 2 days of rest following the QPR game, and after the first half it seemed like they were on their way to a victory. But the second half caught up with restless bodies and the home team was able to equalize the score near the end.

League Match 30
Stevenage - Newport County (2-1)
Kennedy 11'
Poole 43' (OG)
Kennedy 69'

A sloppy Newport squad never really got in sink, firing 11 shots (8 on goal) yet none that really truly threatened. An own-goal near the end of the first half gave them some breathing room but it wasn't enough.

League Match 31
Newport County - Carlisle United (1-1)
Arteaga 41'
Wyke 70'

Cons: third straight game without a W. Pros: Arteaga is getting on a scoring groove. This was the team's 5th game in a 12-day span so it's hard to ignore the possibility that exhaustion has something to do with the team's inability to win at the moment. The roster just isn't too deep and all resources are already in play outside of promoting players from the academy that just aren't ready for the call. More good news: the team gets a week off before a big showdown on the road versus Leyton.

League Match 32
Leyton Orient - Newport County (0-2)
McKay 48' (Byrne)
Arteaga 77' (Elito)

**In Julia Roberts' voice** BIG WIN. HUGE. The regular rest proved very timely for The Exiles and they put the clamps down on one of the top-scoring teams in the league along with getting back to a good rhythm on offense to close the gap between them and Leyton.

League Match 33
Newport County - Oxford United (1-2)
Collins 8'
Gardner 41'
Sercombe 45+'

There aren't really any excuses here, Oxford was just the better team. They stifled The Exiles' offense, only allowing one shot on goal. That one shot was a beauty though ....

Spoiler

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/M0acpEN1Cv4" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

League Match 34
Luton Town - Newport Count (2-2)
Arteaga 37' (Burke)
Mackail-Smith 42'
Guttridge 50'
Twunasi 70'

The struggles continue for Newport as another uneven performance keeps them from battling for a direct-promotion spot. A poor pass in the back line by Taylor allowed the home team to score and The Exiles never truly bounced back from that error, and can consider themselves lucky that they were at least able to salvage a point.

League Match 35
Newport County - Crawley Town (1-1)
Harrold 7'
Boden 22' (Gardner)

Marccelino was very supportive of his squad after the game, citing a lack of luck for only scoring once on 10 shots (7 on goal). However, while The Exiles were able to get a lot more shots than their opponent, their lack of possession during this game made them take some desperate shots at times.

League Match 36
Accrington - Newport County (0-0)

Marccelino declined to speak to reporters after this game. Such must have been his frustration after his team was unable to score on a squad hat is undoubtedly the worst in League 2. It wasn't long ago that The Exiles were a possible title contender, while nowadays you have to wonder if they'll even make the playoffs.

League Match 37
Newport County - Notts County (2-1)
McKay 21' (Arteaga)
Arteaga 54' (Byrne)
McLeod 80' (pen)
Edwards 45'

The Exiles picked an excellent time to get back on the winning column, even if they were aided by having an extra man in the second half. They already led 1-0 before Mike Edwards got himself ejected due to a harsh foul from behind on Byrne, who luckily escaped unscathed. Newport was able to manage their advantage in the second half, eventually leading to a 2-0 lead that was only cut by a penalty kick. They need to string a few W's together.

League Match 38
Northampton - Newport County (1-3)
Byrne 14' (McKay)
McKay 19' (Gardner)
Collins 25'
McKay 90+ (Arteaga)

Back-to-back wins for the first time in nearly two months was a sight for sore eyes. McKay is starting to settle in a nice compliment to Arteaga up front.

League Match 39
Newport County - Cambridge Utd (4-1)
Gardner 11' (pen)
Giles 59' (Gardner)
Arteaga 80' (pen)
Corr 84'
Giles 89'

A winning streak! Sure, aided by a couple of penalty kicks but they were the right calls and both Gardner and Arteaga (once Gardner had been subbed off) executed perfectly, although their efforts were overshadowed by academy-product Jack Giles getting started as scorer as a professional with a brace! It was all smiles at Rodney Parade after the game.




Top Scorers
T1 - Arteaga (Newport County) - 16
T1 - McLean (Barnet) - 16
2 - Miller (Morecambe) - 13

Assists
1 - Evans (Portsmouth) - 12
2 - Mackail-Smith (Luton Town) - 11
T3 - Wildig (Morecambe) - 9
...
T4 - Byrne (Newport County) - 8
T4 - Gardner (Newport County) - 8

Clean Sheets
T1 - Carroll (Notts County) - 14
T1 - Murphy (Portsmouth) - 14
T1 - Slocombe (Oxford United) - 14
...
2 - Day (Newport County) - 13

Review: What a roller-coaster this is turning into. The beginning of February was just rough with some many games without much rest and we just never got into a groove until the end of March, and that's hopefully something we can ride into the last 7 games of the season. But is that hill too steep to climb at this point? All the points we missed out on may come back to haunt us as the top 3 (direct promotion) teams are somewhat separated from the pack, but only 6 points out with 21 points left to play for is too soon to give up and we're gonna take our best shot down the stretch. At worst we seem to be in a pretty solid spot for a playoff spot but we would like to avoid that if possible.

I must say the highlight of this 2-month period without a doubt was Giles scoring a brace. He's worked hard in training since he arrived at the academy and we don't really have a spot for him in the starting XI (plus his stamina isn't there yet) but he's a regular sub, usually in place of Byrne who runs all over the field, and it was just nice to see him score a couple of times. He's missed some other chances also and it may be time to work with him on shooting in some training sessions.

Speaking of the academy, our youth scouth Adam Adeyemi wrapped up his trip to Italy and was then sent to Ireland in search of more talent. What has he found for us? A set of brothers!

- Patrick Miller (ST, 48 OVR, 70-90 POT)*: The younger of the Miller brothers is a promising 16-year old Irish striker who at the moment stands at 5'2", 143lbs. However, his older brother is a lot taller so we're hopeful that Patrick still has some room to grow to go with promising ball skills. He's described as "technically gifted".
- Bondz Moore (LW, 59 OVR, 81-87): Small frame (5'0", 134lbs) is a non-issue with this 16-year old Englishman due to his talent. He is speedy/agile/balanced and has been performing well in drills so far.
- Ben Potter (LM, 55 OVR, 78-84): This 16-year old from England looks similar to Moore but prefers to play a bit closer to midfield.
- Cristiano Dall'Oglio (CDM, 50 OVR, 75-83): 16-year old defensive-minded midfielder from Italy is the newest addition to the academy. He flashes leadership skills at a very young age.
- Danilo Sabbione (CM, 50 OVR, 74-82): This 16-year old from Italy is our first addition to the squad from outside England. He's raw but has a bright future.
- Mark Miller (RM, 48 OVR, 67-87)*: The older Miller brother is a 17-year old Irish standing at 6-feet tall and 181lbs. He brings a lot of physicality but is still rough around the edges and needs to work hard in the academy.
- Taylor Nelson (LW, 55, 73-79: The 17-year old from England has recently asked the board for promotion to the senior squad and this is currently under discussion.
*recent addition

What's next

- 4/2/16: at Exeter City
- 4/9/16: vs Wycombe
- 4/16/16: at York City
- 4/23/16: vs AFC Wimbledon
- 4/30/16: at Barnet
- 5/7/16: vs Mansfield Town
- 5/14/16: at Hartlepool

And hopefully that will be all and we'll have achieved direct promotion and won't need to play in the playoffs. It's going to be an exciting 7 games and only 1 of them is against a top-7 squad, the rest are against teams in the bottom half of the table.

We can do this, right?

[RagingTrav]

Re: How's Your FIFA Career Mode Going?

Has the May update/physicals glitch been fixed in FIFA 16 on PS3?

[vrabbit]

Re: How's Your FIFA Career Mode Going?

Spoiler

Dorados de Sinaloa
February/March Update

The Roster

Spoiler

Goalkeepers: Luis Michel** (70 OVR), Alfredo Frausto (66 OVR), Jesus Gacia (56 OVR).
Fullbacks: Daniel Arreola* (68 OVR), Severo Meza* (68 OVR), Carlos Pinto (63 OVR), Jairo Gonzalez (63 OVR).
Centre-backs: Jesus Chavez* (68 OVR), Jonathan Lacerda (66 OVR), Heriberto Aguayo (63 OVR).
Midfielders/Wingers: Yimmi Chara* (75 OVR), Wilson Tiago* (70 OVR), Joe Corona* (68 OVR), Mathias Cardacio (68 OVR), Liu Binbin (67 OVR), Anthony Caceres (66 OVR), Sonny Guadarrama (65 OVR), Diego Mejia (62 OVR), Guillermo Rojas (62 OVR), Hector Velazquez (62 OVR), Javier Salas (59 OVR).
Strikers: Wilson Morelo* (72 OVR), Martin Zuñiga* (65 OVR), Freddy Martin (65 OVR).
* At the club on loan.
** Retiring at end of season.

Starting XI (4-4-2 Diamond Wide)

Michel

Meza/Lacerda/Chavez/Arreola

Tiago

Chara-----------------Corona

Caceres

Martin------Morelo

Martin Zuñiga suffered a Torn Hip Flexor during training and will be out 3 months. Freddy Martin replaces him in the starting line-up.

_________________________________

Clausura 2016 - Game 6
Puebla - Dorados (4-1)
Dueñas 31'
Cejas 40'
Alustiza 55'
Torres 59'
Caceres 87'

Honeymoon (4-game winning streak) OVER. Puebla, who have also gotten off to a good start after a poor Apertura '15, DESTROYED us thoroughly from beginning to end, our only saving grace being Caceres continuing his scoring streak (now at 3 games). A reality-check game for sure and we'll need to get our game together to bounce back.

Clausura 2016 - Game 7
Dorados - Toluca (1-2)
Caceres 24' (Martin)
Rios 33'
Uribe 72'

Is reality starting to settle in? Not necessarily, Toluca is one of the strongest teams in the league and they were a playoff team in Apertura 15' but possession in this game was split evenly and we had three times more shots than they did. They were just REALLY efficient with the only two shots they were able to get off in this game and we're on the border of a losing streak.

Clausura 2016 - Game 8
Dorados - Cruz Azul (0-0)

Although the score doesn't show it this game was exciting throughout as both teams combined for 20 shots, 10 on goal, with Dorados creating the most opportunities (13/8). However, Jose de Jesus Corona had an outstanding game between the posts for Cruz Azul, collecting 8 hard-earned saves and earning MOM honors.

Clausura 2016 - Game 9
U.N.A.M - Dorados (1-1)
Caceres 31' (Martin)
Martinez 34'

Fourth consecutive game in which we fail to earn 3 points and we're in danger of finishing February without a win. We put some pressure on the home team with a good advantage in possession (58%) and a good number of shots (8, 5 on goal) but in the end we were only able to earn a point.

Clausura 2016 - Game 10
Dorados - America (3-1)
Morelo 7' (pen)
Martin 36' (Morelo)
Caceres 45+' (Martin)
Benedetto 89'

And back on the winning column we got after a DOMINANT first half, courtesy of our front 3. Caceres just can't stop scoring really but his great form has somewhat overshadowed what has been a great season for Morelo so far. America just wasn't able to create many chances against us and finally got a consolation score near the end.

Clausura 2016 - Game 11
Tijuana - Dorados (3-0)
Kone 33'
Moreno 63'
Martin 88'

We're just unable to establish any kind of rhythm right now and it's hard to know whether we're a contender or a pretender. Tijuana sure made us feel like we don't belong but there's really not much I can do right now personnel wise so we'll just have to ride out the storm.

Clausura 2016 - Game 12
Dorados - Guadalajara (2-2)
Chara 10' (Thiago)
Pineda 45+'
Caceres 56' (Thiago)
Brizuela 90+'

Unbelievable. Chivas played us tough and it could had been anyone's game, but for them to equalize the score at the end of each half was truly heart-breaking. About as evenly-played game as you'll ever see, possession was split 50-50 and both teams had 4 shots, 2 on goal.

Clausura 2016 - Game 13
Tigres - Dorados (0-1)
Caceres 34'

Arguably the biggest victory of my career so far. Just for what Tigres represents as an opponent. They were 9 points ahead in the standings going into this game battling for the top spot, they were the Apertura '15 champions, and they boast a roster and budget that makes me envy them. They're also the highest scoring team, so it was an even bigger feat to hold them scoreless, on the road! Hopefully this will put us back on track.



Top Scorers
T1 - Caceres (Dorados) - 9
T1 - Cejas (Puebla) - 9
2 - Gignac (Tigres) - 8

Assists
1 - Moreno (Tijuana) - 5
T2 - Morelo (Dorados) -3
T2 - Zuniga (Dorados) - 3

Clean Sheets
T1 - Corona (Cruz Azul) - 7
T1 - Guzman (Tigres) - 7
2 - Talavera (Toluca) - 5
...
3 - Michel (Dorados) - 4

Review: On one hand, as of my last update we had a chance to be in first place if we won against Puebla (LOL) and now the best we can hope for is 3rd place assuming we win our next game. On the other hand, it's important to remember just how bad this team was in Apertura 15' (refer to my previous update for that) and realize that we're doing pretty damn good considering. At this point we're in the driver seat for a spot in the playoffs which would be an outstanding accomplishment in and of itself. There's also no way I foresaw Anthony Caceres being such a force for us, the Australian is making me kick myself for not making him of a focal point of the team when I was at CCM. It's like he's been playing in the Mexican league his whole life, he's BALLING. Zuñiga's injury has been somewhat of a blessing in disguise as I was already working Martin pretty hard in training and now he's development will speed up even more. He's been a nice piece for us this couple of months and will get at least another month of solid PT before Zuñiga's ready, and at worst he's definitely put himself in the mix for regular PT next season.

A bit of bad news is that our youth scout, Pablo Ramos, had nobody worth signing in his first monthly report from Mexico so that was a bit of a downer as this club could definitely use an infusion of youth talent. We hope future reports will bring better prospects.

There is another important bit of news though ...

Spoiler

FVF tabs Del Barco as Head Coach of the Venezuelan National Team

Following what they cited as irreparable differences between the federation and Noel "Chita" San Vicente, the FVF relieved Chita of his duties and promptly agreed to terms with Del Barco as the next head coach of La Vinotinto. Del Barco's start to his young coaching career gets speared once again with the important task of helping Venezuela accomplish feats they have never achieved before, such as qualifying for a World Cup. San Vicente had done a nice job so far (unlike IRL) in four qualifying matches, leading Venezuela to victories over Brazil and Bolivia to go with a draw against Paraguay and a loss to Argentina after four matches. However, his relationship with the FVF went sour quickly after he was appointed HC in July of 2014 and his exit was inevitable. We'll see how Del Barco will handle the added pressure.

_________________________________

2018 WC Qualifiers - Match 5
Uruguay - Venezuela (1-2)
Carlos Manuel 50' (S. Rondon)
Vecino 62'
Rivas 87' (Santos)

La Vinotinto continued a superb start to these qualifiers, regardless of a change in head coach, to upset the Uruguayans on the road thanks to somewhat conservative game plan that paid off. Knowing fully well how dangerous the Uruguayan attack can be, led by the lethal Luis Suarez, Venezuela played the possession game and executed it well (62%), and got timely goals from their RB and backup striker to give Del Barco a nice win in his debut.

2018 WC Qualifiers - Match 6
Venezuela - Peru (3-0)
S. Rondon 34' (Rivas)
Amorebieta 42' (Del Valle)
Del Valle 90' (Santos)

A meeting between squads on divergent roads played out as expected and Venezuela, at least in the early going, entrenches themselves as one of the top teams in CONMEBOL. Del Valle was the star of the match, assisting Amorebieta with a nicely served corner kick and then putting the game to rest with a shot from the left side of midfield that traveled in the air all the way to the goal line, unguarded by a Peruvian goalkeeper that had questionable gone to the opposing box on a corner kick to try to help his squad at least achieve a lesser goal differential (a move that obviously backfired).

April Schedule

- 4/2/16 - vs Veracruz
- 4/9/16 - at Pachuca
- 4/16/16 - vs Monterrey
- 4/23/16 - at Santos Laguna

After that, perhaps some playoff games. Wish me luck!

Previous Update ^^^

Dorados de Sinaloa
End of Season Update

Clausura 2016 - Game 14
Dorados - Veracruz (1-1)
Lugo 29'
Morelo 58' (Caceres)

There were a lot of positives to take out of this game, the score just wasn't one of them. An edge in possession (55-45), shots/shots on goal (14/8 - 1/1), and corners (7-0) just wasn't enough to get more than a draw against Veracruz who managed to stay 3 points ahead of us.

Clausura 2016 - Game 15
Pachuca - Dorados (0-1)
Martin 90+' (Pinto)

Following a great performance against a top-3 team, we certainly didn't expect to struggle this much against the worst team in Clausura '16, yet that's exactly what we did. Pachuca simply gave us possession (70%) while forming a stingy defense that didn't allow us many clean looks (7 shots, 6 on goal - we should have had way more with that much possession). And yet, a last-minute desperation cross from Pinto found Martin wide open in the center of the box and the striker found the back of the net to give us a very important victory. I told the guys that was a playoff-like performance, and a W that puts us at the door to clinch a ticket to the dance.

Clausura 2016 - Game 16
Dorados - Monterrey (3-0)
Morelo 26' (pen)
Martin 30' (Morelo)
Morelo 70' (Caceres)

PLAYOFFS!!! We clinch a spot in the playoffs with one game left in the season after a convincing victory at home that made our fans go wild! Morelo went back to being our main star, wrecking havoc all game long and being a main factor in all 3 scores (he was fouled in the box for the PK). What a turn around from finishing Apertura 15' all alone in last place, but we're going for more!

Clausura 2016 - Game 17
Santos Laguna - Dorados (0-0)

Just an all-around awful performance by both squads, especially disappointing from my guys as I was hoping to use this game as tune-up for the playoffs. There were moments where the home team played better, but in all honesty neither squad deserved a W. Luckily, we did not go down in the standings.



Quarter-Finals, Leg 1
Veracruz - Dorados (1-4)
Martin 5' (Chara)
Furch 13'
Lacerda 38' (Corona)
Cardacio 88' (Martin)
Morelo 90+' (Corona)

Phew! That game was so much more closer than the score indicates. It was a true back-and-forth with Martin putting us ahead early on but Veracruz equalizing less than 10 minutes later. Lacerda then scored his first goal of the season on a header from a corner kick and it was sizzling thereafter, with Veracruz going forward more and more as the game went on until we made them pay with a couple of counter-attacks near the end that may have put a dagger on this one. Cardacio picked a hell of a time to score his first of the season too, and he's going to get a lot more playing time around this time as the turn around times for the games get shorter.


Quarter-Finals, Leg 2
Dorados - Veracruz (0-1)
Cid 89'

We played this one cautiously, opting for more of a counter-attack approach as we tried to stay in control. Veracruz wasn't even able to establish an edge in possession and ultimately played against a focused defense and the clock proved too much. We move on to semis!

Semi-Finals, Leg 1
Dorados - Toluca (3-2)
Brambila 27'
Triverio 51'
Zuñiga 55' (Caceres)
Morelo 68'
Cardacio 83' (Morelo)

Yin and Yang. I don't think we've ever had such a contrasting performance from one half to the other but I'm sure glad we got the W. It was all Toluca in the first half, they were flat out dominant and even carried that into the beginning of the second half. But something clicked (don't ask me what) and suddenly we were back in thanks to Zuñiga, who was making his return from injury and had gotten the start to spell an exhausted Martin. Thereafter it was the Morelo show ...

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/gPyzmtCzFxE" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Wrapped up by a beautiful touch inside the box while surrounded by defenders to an uncovered Cardacio who scored the game-winner. What a game!


Semi-Finals, Leg 2
Toluca - Dorados (1-2)
Morelo 22' (Martin)
Corona 60' (Cardacio)
Uribe 80'

Don't look now, but we've made it to the final! We accomplished this by ignoring the 1-score lead and going into this game looking at it as a must-win. Contrary to the first leg I could say that we were the better team throughout this one, although we were never truly comfortable until the final whistle. Morelo has been the absolute MVP in the playoffs for us.

Final, Leg 1
Dorados - Tigres (2-2)
Damm 8'
Martin 33' (Cardacio)
Morelo 45'
Gignac 67'
Sobis 42' (double yellow)

There was no lack of excitement in this one as each team lead at one point. Jürgen Damm was an absolute beast for Tigres, abusing Arreola at will which helped him score the opening goal, then with his team down one man he destroyed Arreola again to put in a perfect-clean cross to Gignac who beat his defender in the air to equalize with about 25 minutes left. Rafael Sobis was too amped in this one and a couple of harsh fouls rightfully earned him a red-card, and our response was quick with Morelo putting us ahead minutes later and right before the half. But Tigres showed why they won Apertura 15' and why they finished the regular season as the top team in the league, making their one man disadvantage almost not matter. This sets up a winner-takes-all game for the second leg ...

Final, Leg 2
Tigres - Dorados

Spoiler

(0-1)

Spoiler

Zuñiga 3'

I'm not even sure I believe it. We have done it. We have won Clausura 16' with nearly the same roster that finished dead last in Apertura 15'. Just a couple of minutes into the game Chara got free on the right wing and dribbled all the way into the box before firing a potent shot that was saved by Guzman but ricocheted towards the middle of the box where a running Zuñiga headed into an open goal for what would turn out to be the only score of the game, and the championship-winner. We clenched down on defense for the most part thereafter, protecting our lead and being very careful against what was surely the top offense in the tournament. We earned an edge in possession (61%) and that was enough for us.

Top Scorers
1 - Gignac (Tigres) - 13
2 - Morelo (Dorados) - 12
3 - Cejas (Puebla) - 10

Assists
T1 - Morelo (Dorados) -5
T1 - Martin (Dorados) - 5
T1 - Moreno (Tijuana) - 5

Clean Sheets
1 - Guzman (Tigres) - 10
T2 - Michel (Dorados) - 8
T2 - Talavera (Toluca) - 8

Mexico Clausura 2016 - Starting XI

GK - Nahuel Guzman (Tigres)
RB - Severo Meza (Dorados)
CB - Jesus Chavez (Dorados)
CB - Jordan Silva (Toluca)
LB - Jorge Torres Nilo (Tigres)
RM - Jürgen Damm (Tigres)
LM - Joe Corona (Dorados)
CAM - Rafael Sobis (Tigres)
CAM - Lucas Zelarayan
ST - Wilson Morel (Dorados)
ST - Enrique Triverio (Toluca)

MVP
André-Pierre Gignac (Tigres)

LIGA Bancomer MX - Player of the Year
Franco Jara (Pachuca)

LIGA Bancomer MX - Manager of the Year
Tuca Ferretti (Tigres)

Review: What can I say? I came to Dorados in January for the opportunity to play in a more competitive league close to home but I was realistic of the roster's limitations and just wanted to improve team morale from a disastrous first half of the season. It's hard to argue that we haven't overachieved, but I have to give credit to a group of guys that bought into what I was trying to implement and worked hard week in and week out. It's an amazing way to wrap up my first season as a head coach after I myself had a rough beginning of the season in Australia. I'm glad that through it all my work was appreciated and I got the opportunity to come to Sinaloa. I'm hearing the media will create a circus about my situation here but there's nothing I can do about that. I'm really just at a loss for words at what were able to accomplish in these past five months and will let it all sink in as I prepare for next season.

I'm also excited about a few additions to your academy. Our scout in Mexico found us a gem before his stint there was done and he was then sent to Venezuela in search of more talent. We then hired a second scout, American, and kept in the U.S. to do some scouting there. We have made additions to the youth squad from both those locations so here's the rundown on the youngsters:

- Victor Alonso (CB, 61 OVR, 84-94 POT): I'm really excited about this 17-year old from Mexico who offers pretty good size for his position (6'0", 165lbs). This is a position of need for the team so if he focuses on improving he could get a call up soon.
- Julio Moyano (CM, 50 OVR, 72-94): 16-year old from Venezuela standing at just 5'2", 132lbs but we expect some growth out of him but physical and skill-wise. He shows flashes of being a playmaker.
- Jimmy Porter (CM, 49 OVR, 70-94): This 15-year old from the U.S. is a very similar-looking prospect to Moyano, but as they both show a lot of promise we didn't want to pass up the opportunity to add his talent to the squad. He's very small (4'9", 119lbs) but also very young and should grow some more these next few seasons.

And has there have been no games with Venezuela, this is it for this update. Stay tuned for a follow-up with a roster review and perhaps more news!

[Keano16]

Re: How's Your FIFA Career Mode Going?

The Bluebirds


May 2016

May 3, Cardiff City Stadium
FL Championship: 42


Cardiff City 3-0 Leeds United
21' Whittingham, 45' Pilkington, 74' Vokes

MotM: Sam Vokes (CAR)

May started with a confident win at home. Whittingham made space and Vokes found the captain for a composed finish. Pilkington made it two, getting behind the defence on an overlap. Top scorer Vokes then peeled away cleverly from the defender to receive Whittingham's pass and score the third and final goal.

May 7, Cardiff City Stadium
FL Championship: Match 43


Cardiff City 4-1 Blackburn
11' 83' Iheanacho, 70' Phillips, 90' (Pen) Macheda
49' Delfouneso

MotM: Kelechi Iheanacho (CAR)

We continued our great form with another convincing victory. Noone teed up Iheanacho for the opener with a low cross but a mistake from Blanco would have it level just after halftime. Phillips restored our lead, jinking away from the defender and firing home. He then set up Iheanacho for the third, playing it into the Nigerian who was all alone to finish. Macheda came off the bench to seal the win from the spot.

May 14, Cardiff City Stadium
FL Championship: Match 43


Cardiff City 3-2 Brighton
25' Whittingham, 38' 69' Pilkington
12' 28' Caraglio

MotM: Anthony Pilkington (CAR)

Going into this game we were joint top with QPR so we needed a win to maintain the pressure. And that's what we did thanks to a brace from Pilkington and a goal from Whittingham. Caraglio opened the scoring with the first of his two headed goals. Blanco was left helpless as he watched it go past him. Whittingham equalized on 25 minutes, Stephens mistimed his interception and it broke to our captain who curled it around Stockdale. Caraglio would head Brighton back in front with their next attack, poor defending allowed a pinpoint cross to pick the striker out. Republic of Ireland international Pilkington made it level going into halftime with a well taken effort. The game was back and forth but was settled by MotM Anthony Pilkington. A corner fell to the winger on the edge of the box and he struck it sweetly into the top right corner. A worthy effort to win us three points.

May 21, Wembley Stadium
FA Cup: Final


Cardiff City 1-1 Manchester United (AET)
75' Whittingham
28' Rooney, 109' Darmian s/o

MotM: David De Gea (MAN)

A massive day in our season with the chance of winning only a second ever FA Cup, the first coming 89 years ago in 1927. We were runners up in 2008, losing to Portsmouth by a single goal while Kenny Dalglish's Liverpool triumphed on penalties in the 2012 League Cup. Things got off to a cracking start, both teams forcing saves in the 15th and 20th minutes. It would be none other than the competitions top scorer Wayne Rooney who would break the deadlock with a sublime free kick. Young Blanco in goal had no chance of stopping it. After United's early dominance we looked to equalize and Sam Vokes nearly did just that, striking the post after brilliantly making space for himself on the edge of the area. The game would remain tight until the 75th minute when we grabbed the leveler. Rohan Ince slipping in club legend Peter Whittingham. The captain made no mistake, curling the ball around De Gea. Vokes came close with a header but De Gea was there to tip it over. Whittingham then had the chance to snatch it with a last minute effort but again De Gea was equal to the task. Extra time would be needed to settle this intense final. Chris Smalling had the first big chance, powering a header off the crossbar at the end of the first period. Darmian then gave us a little more breathing room, the Italian receiving his marching orders after brutally hacking down Craig Noone as he broke into the United half on the counter attack. Sam Vokes had the opportunity to win it in the 120th minute but De Gea again came up trumps and took the game to penalties.

Spoiler

The prestigious cup


Rooney's superb free kick


Whittingham's equalizer


The Italian getting his marching orders late in the game

The Penalty Shootout:

Spoiler

The shootout was where we shined and Blanco showed his worth.

Whittingham
Rooney
Vokes
Chicharito (save)
Phillips
Wilson (post)
Fabio


Former Manchester United man Fabio nets the winning penalty


The celebrations begin


The trophy presentation


2015/16 FA Cup Winners!

May 24, Molineux
FL Championship: Match 45


Wolves 0-2 Cardiff City
58' 72' Iheanacho

MotM: Kelechi Iheanacho (CAR)

A brace from the in form Kelechi Iheanacho put us two points clear of QPR in second with just one game remaining. His first came through Kennedy slipping him in and the second was a driven through ball from Malone which split the Wolves defence.

May 28, Cardiff City Stadium
FL Championship: Match 46


Cardiff City 3-3 Birmingham City
8' Vokes, 38' (Pen) Whittingham, 50 John
55' Thomas, 64' Davis, 81' Edgar

MotM: Sam Vokes (CAR)

Win this game and we win the league, simple as that. Vokes rose to head Phillips' cross past the keeper and give us a 1-0 lead after 10 minutes. Whittingham doubled our advantage from the spot after Amartey was taken down. Left back Declan John then hit a screamer from 40 yards to surely seal the title. However horrible defending led to us conceding three goals and drawing the game. We did actually win the league on goal difference ahead of QPR who beat Huddersfield 2-1.
(I never got a trophy presentation or it didn't go down as a league title won in my career stats either. Which is a bit annoying.)

Spoiler

Declan John with his long range rocket

So after a long and hard season we end the season in first place and achieve our goal of automatic promotion. It seemed unlikely after a rocky start to the campaign but we steadily moved our way up the table and finished the season strongly. QPR pushed us all the way to the final day and were unlucky to lose out on the title on goal difference. But they do gain promotion straight back into the top flight, where everyone wants to be so they won't be too disheartened. One team from the quartet of Sheffield Wednesday, Burnley, Nottingham Forest or Derby will join ourselves and QPR in the Premier League next season. Wolves agonizingly missed out on the playoffs by virtue of goal difference while Hull and Middlesbrough both fell away towards the end of the campaign. Leeds continue their fall from grace with relegation to League One and Ipswich along with Rotherham are also relegated.

A squad report and season roundup shall follow!

[sportsfreak96]

Re: How's Your FIFA Career Mode Going?

The Bluebirds





May 2016



May 3, Cardiff City Stadium

FL Championship: 42





Cardiff City 3-0 Leeds United

21' Whittingham, 45' Pilkington, 74' Vokes



MotM: Sam Vokes (CAR)



May started with a confident win at home. Whittingham made space and Vokes found the captain for a composed finish. Pilkington made it two, getting behind the defence on an overlap. Top scorer Vokes then peeled away cleverly from the defender to receive Whittingham's pass and score the third and final goal.



May 7, Cardiff City Stadium

FL Championship: Match 43





Cardiff City 4-1 Blackburn

11' 83' Iheanacho, 70' Phillips, 90' (Pen) Macheda

49' Delfouneso



MotM: Kelechi Iheanacho (CAR)



We continued our great form with another convincing victory. Noone teed up Iheanacho for the opener with a low cross but a mistake from Blanco would have it level just after halftime. Phillips restored our lead, jinking away from the defender and firing home. He then set up Iheanacho for the third, playing it into the Nigerian who was all alone to finish. Macheda came off the bench to seal the win from the spot.



May 14, Cardiff City Stadium

FL Championship: Match 43





Cardiff City 3-2 Brighton

25' Whittingham, 38' 69' Pilkington

12' 28' Caraglio



MotM: Anthony Pilkington (CAR)



Going into this game we were joint top with QPR so we needed a win to maintain the pressure. And that's what we did thanks to a brace from Pilkington and a goal from Whittingham. Caraglio opened the scoring with the first of his two headed goals. Blanco was left helpless as he watched it go past him. Whittingham equalized on 25 minutes, Stephens mistimed his interception and it broke to our captain who curled it around Stockdale. Caraglio would head Brighton back in front with their next attack, poor defending allowed a pinpoint cross to pick the striker out. Republic of Ireland international Pilkington made it level going into halftime with a well taken effort. The game was back and forth but was settled by MotM Anthony Pilkington. A corner fell to the winger on the edge of the box and he struck it sweetly into the top right corner. A worthy effort to win us three points.



May 21, Wembley Stadium

FA Cup: Final





Cardiff City 1-1 Manchester United (AET)

75' Whittingham

28' Rooney, 109' Darmian s/o



MotM: David De Gea (MAN)



A massive day in our season with the chance of winning only a second ever FA Cup, the first coming 89 years ago in 1927. We were runners up in 2008, losing to Portsmouth by a single goal while Kenny Dalglish's Liverpool triumphed on penalties in the 2012 League Cup. Things got off to a cracking start, both teams forcing saves in the 15th and 20th minutes. It would be none other than the competitions top scorer Wayne Rooney who would break the deadlock with a sublime free kick. Young Blanco in goal had no chance of stopping it. After United's early dominance we looked to equalize and Sam Vokes nearly did just that, striking the post after brilliantly making space for himself on the edge of the area. The game would remain tight until the 75th minute when we grabbed the leveler. Rohan Ince slipping in club legend Peter Whittingham. The captain made no mistake, curling the ball around De Gea. Vokes came close with a header but De Gea was there to tip it over. Whittingham then had the chance to snatch it with a last minute effort but again De Gea was equal to the task. Extra time would be needed to settle this intense final. Chris Smalling had the first big chance, powering a header off the crossbar at the end of the first period. Darmian then gave us a little more breathing room, the Italian receiving his marching orders after brutally hacking down Craig Noone as he broke into the United half on the counter attack. Sam Vokes had the opportunity to win it in the 120th minute but De Gea again came up trumps and took the game to penalties.

Spoiler

The prestigious cup





Rooney's superb free kick





Whittingham's equalizer





The Italian getting his marching orders late in the game

The Penalty Shootout:

Spoiler

The shootout was where we shined and Blanco showed his worth.



Whittingham

Rooney

Vokes

Chicharito (save)

Phillips

Wilson (post)

Fabio





Former Manchester United man Fabio nets the winning penalty





The celebrations begin





The trophy presentation





2015/16 FA Cup Winners!

May 24, Molineux

FL Championship: Match 45





Wolves 0-2 Cardiff City

58' 72' Iheanacho



MotM: Kelechi Iheanacho (CAR)



A brace from the in form Kelechi Iheanacho put us two points clear of QPR in second with just one game remaining. His first came through Kennedy slipping him in and the second was a driven through ball from Malone which split the Wolves defence.



May 28, Cardiff City Stadium

FL Championship: Match 46





Cardiff City 3-3 Birmingham City

8' Vokes, 38' (Pen) Whittingham, 50 John

55' Thomas, 64' Davis, 81' Edgar



MotM: Sam Vokes (CAR)



Win this game and we win the league, simple as that. Vokes rose to head Phillips' cross past the keeper and give us a 1-0 lead after 10 minutes. Whittingham doubled our advantage from the spot after Amartey was taken down. Left back Declan John then hit a screamer from 40 yards to surely seal the title. However horrible defending led to us conceding three goals and drawing the game. We did actually win the league on goal difference ahead of QPR who beat Huddersfield 2-1.

(I never got a trophy presentation or it didn't go down as a league title won in my career stats either. Which is a bit annoying.)

Spoiler

Declan John with his long range rocket

So after a long and hard season we end the season in first place and achieve our goal of automatic promotion. It seemed unlikely after a rocky start to the campaign but we steadily moved our way up the table and finished the season strongly. QPR pushed us all the way to the final day and were unlucky to lose out on the title on goal difference. But they do gain promotion straight back into the top flight, where everyone wants to be so they won't be too disheartened. One team from the quartet of Sheffield Wednesday, Burnley, Nottingham Forest or Derby will join ourselves and QPR in the Premier League next season. Wolves agonizingly missed out on the playoffs by virtue of goal difference while Hull and Middlesbrough both fell away towards the end of the campaign. Leeds continue their fall from grace with relegation to League One and Ipswich along with Rotherham are also relegated.



A squad report and season roundup shall follow!

Congratulations on the Cup Win! Taking United to Penalties is an achievement in it's own right. Winning on Penalties though?! Wow! Good job on promotion as well. You're definitely going to have ur work cut out for you next season in the EPL.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Keano16]

Re: How's Your FIFA Career Mode Going?

Congratulations on the Cup Win! Taking United to Penalties is an achievement in it's own right. Winning on Penalties though?! Wow! Good job on promotion as well. You're definitely going to have ur work cut out for you next season in the EPL.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Thanks! It was a really tense final and thank god Blanco saved one penalty and another hit the post. Luckily we managed to get all ours exactly right and it was sweet to score the winner with Fabio. I'm really happy with the promotion and yeah it's gonna be tough to stay in the league but I welcome the challenge and with some good business in the summer I think we should be able to stay up.

[vrabbit]

Re: How's Your FIFA Career Mode Going?

Keano - congrats on promotion to the BPL and the F.A. Cup title. I hope to match those achievements at Newport County pretty soon.

Moose - tough loss vs Man City. Nice Goretzka (sp?) signing. From what I saw from your roster you could really make some noise this season.

SMH - Mallorca first. Good to see you're still killing the league. I'm kind of shocked none of your guys are in the top-5 for scoring in the league. I look forward to seeing what kind of moves you make in the upcoming transfer window. Then at FC Ural you had a small set-back at CSKA but came back strong with a couple of wins including a STRONG win against Zenit. Impressive. I'm curious about what formation you use here given that a CDM of yours is among the league leaders in scoring. Good luck in March.

Indi - Finally! Smart loan deal for Ings I think that's gonna pay off big for you (and it has early on).

SF96 - I hope your niece follows in your foot steps and beats the son of a B.

[moose141]

Re: How's Your FIFA Career Mode Going?

The Bluebirds

Spoiler

May 2016

May 3, Cardiff City Stadium
FL Championship: 42


Cardiff City 3-0 Leeds United
21' Whittingham, 45' Pilkington, 74' Vokes

MotM: Sam Vokes (CAR)

May started with a confident win at home. Whittingham made space and Vokes found the captain for a composed finish. Pilkington made it two, getting behind the defence on an overlap. Top scorer Vokes then peeled away cleverly from the defender to receive Whittingham's pass and score the third and final goal.

May 7, Cardiff City Stadium
FL Championship: Match 43


Cardiff City 4-1 Blackburn
11' 83' Iheanacho, 70' Phillips, 90' (Pen) Macheda
49' Delfouneso

MotM: Kelechi Iheanacho (CAR)

We continued our great form with another convincing victory. Noone teed up Iheanacho for the opener with a low cross but a mistake from Blanco would have it level just after halftime. Phillips restored our lead, jinking away from the defender and firing home. He then set up Iheanacho for the third, playing it into the Nigerian who was all alone to finish. Macheda came off the bench to seal the win from the spot.

May 14, Cardiff City Stadium
FL Championship: Match 43


Cardiff City 3-2 Brighton
25' Whittingham, 38' 69' Pilkington
12' 28' Caraglio

MotM: Anthony Pilkington (CAR)

Going into this game we were joint top with QPR so we needed a win to maintain the pressure. And that's what we did thanks to a brace from Pilkington and a goal from Whittingham. Caraglio opened the scoring with the first of his two headed goals. Blanco was left helpless as he watched it go past him. Whittingham equalized on 25 minutes, Stephens mistimed his interception and it broke to our captain who curled it around Stockdale. Caraglio would head Brighton back in front with their next attack, poor defending allowed a pinpoint cross to pick the striker out. Republic of Ireland international Pilkington made it level going into halftime with a well taken effort. The game was back and forth but was settled by MotM Anthony Pilkington. A corner fell to the winger on the edge of the box and he struck it sweetly into the top right corner. A worthy effort to win us three points.

May 21, Wembley Stadium
FA Cup: Final


Cardiff City 1-1 Manchester United (AET)
75' Whittingham
28' Rooney, 109' Darmian s/o

MotM: David De Gea (MAN)

A massive day in our season with the chance of winning only a second ever FA Cup, the first coming 89 years ago in 1927. We were runners up in 2008, losing to Portsmouth by a single goal while Kenny Dalglish's Liverpool triumphed on penalties in the 2012 League Cup. Things got off to a cracking start, both teams forcing saves in the 15th and 20th minutes. It would be none other than the competitions top scorer Wayne Rooney who would break the deadlock with a sublime free kick. Young Blanco in goal had no chance of stopping it. After United's early dominance we looked to equalize and Sam Vokes nearly did just that, striking the post after brilliantly making space for himself on the edge of the area. The game would remain tight until the 75th minute when we grabbed the leveler. Rohan Ince slipping in club legend Peter Whittingham. The captain made no mistake, curling the ball around De Gea. Vokes came close with a header but De Gea was there to tip it over. Whittingham then had the chance to snatch it with a last minute effort but again De Gea was equal to the task. Extra time would be needed to settle this intense final. Chris Smalling had the first big chance, powering a header off the crossbar at the end of the first period. Darmian then gave us a little more breathing room, the Italian receiving his marching orders after brutally hacking down Craig Noone as he broke into the United half on the counter attack. Sam Vokes had the opportunity to win it in the 120th minute but De Gea again came up trumps and took the game to penalties.

Spoiler

The prestigious cup


Rooney's superb free kick


Whittingham's equalizer


The Italian getting his marching orders late in the game

The Penalty Shootout:

Spoiler

The shootout was where we shined and Blanco showed his worth.

Whittingham
Rooney
Vokes
Chicharito (save)
Phillips
Wilson (post)
Fabio


Former Manchester United man Fabio nets the winning penalty


The celebrations begin


The trophy presentation


2015/16 FA Cup Winners!

May 24, Molineux
FL Championship: Match 45


Wolves 0-2 Cardiff City
58' 72' Iheanacho

MotM: Kelechi Iheanacho (CAR)

A brace from the in form Kelechi Iheanacho put us two points clear of QPR in second with just one game remaining. His first came through Kennedy slipping him in and the second was a driven through ball from Malone which split the Wolves defence.

May 28, Cardiff City Stadium
FL Championship: Match 46


Cardiff City 3-3 Birmingham City
8' Vokes, 38' (Pen) Whittingham, 50 John
55' Thomas, 64' Davis, 81' Edgar

MotM: Sam Vokes (CAR)

Win this game and we win the league, simple as that. Vokes rose to head Phillips' cross past the keeper and give us a 1-0 lead after 10 minutes. Whittingham doubled our advantage from the spot after Amartey was taken down. Left back Declan John then hit a screamer from 40 yards to surely seal the title. However horrible defending led to us conceding three goals and drawing the game. We did actually win the league on goal difference ahead of QPR who beat Huddersfield 2-1.
(I never got a trophy presentation or it didn't go down as a league title won in my career stats either. Which is a bit annoying.)

Spoiler

Declan John with his long range rocket

So after a long and hard season we end the season in first place and achieve our goal of automatic promotion. It seemed unlikely after a rocky start to the campaign but we steadily moved our way up the table and finished the season strongly. QPR pushed us all the way to the final day and were unlucky to lose out on the title on goal difference. But they do gain promotion straight back into the top flight, where everyone wants to be so they won't be too disheartened. One team from the quartet of Sheffield Wednesday, Burnley, Nottingham Forest or Derby will join ourselves and QPR in the Premier League next season. Wolves agonizingly missed out on the playoffs by virtue of goal difference while Hull and Middlesbrough both fell away towards the end of the campaign. Leeds continue their fall from grace with relegation to League One and Ipswich along with Rotherham are also relegated.

A squad report and season roundup shall follow!

Unbelievable results! Congratulations on both the title and the FA Cup, I can't think of many clubs doing the Championship double But great writeups, they read really well and it was fantastic. Not sure if you had Iheanacho on loan or bought him but he looks to be a great addition if you have him permanently!

[Keano16]

Re: How's Your FIFA Career Mode Going?

Keano - congrats on promotion to the BPL and the F.A. Cup title. I hope to match those achievements at Newport County pretty soon.

Thank you! I'm sure you will match them and possibly even better them with Newport at some point soon.

Unbelievable results! Congratulations on both the title and the FA Cup, I can't think of many clubs doing the Championship double But great writeups, they read really well and it was fantastic. Not sure if you had Iheanacho on loan or bought him but he looks to be a great addition if you have him permanently!

Thanks Moose! It's an unprecedented achievement alright. At the start of the season there was no way I expected a double, especially with the rough start. I'm glad you like the writeups, it makes me want to continue to do them. I actually bought Iheanacho at the start of the season for £1.5 million, I believe it was, so it was definitely an important buy for the future as he has massive potential.

[Keano16]

Re: How's Your FIFA Career Mode Going?

Hey Moose, didn't know you were the manager in my career!

[Keano16]

Re: How's Your FIFA Career Mode Going?

The Bluebirds


Season 1 Roundup

Squad Report



Cardiff City Player of the Season



Peter Whittingham

Who else could it be other than our inspirational captain? He banged in 20 goals from the No. 10 position while also contributing 11 assists. He played a major role in our last promotion in the 2012/13 season and was pivotal again this time around, proving that age doesn't matter. He has now amassed 429 appearances for the club across 10 seasons, meaning he is now Cardiff City's fifth highest appearance maker.

Golden Boot
1. Matias (Sheffield Wednesday) 21
2. Sá (Reading) 19
Vibe (Brentford) 19
3. Clucas (Hull City) 18
4. Vokes (Cardiff City) 17
Bruin (Bolton) 17

Playmaker
1. Murphy (Brighton) 12
2. Whittingham (Cardiff City) 10
3. McCormack (Fulham) 8
May (Sheffield Wednesday) 8

Golden Glove
1. Green (QPR) 17
2. Barovero (Nottingham Forest) 14
3. Konstantopoulos (Middlesbrough) 13

Around the Leagues
BPL: Chelsea
Ligue 1: PSG
Bundesliga: Bayern Munich
Serie A: Roma
Liga BBVA: Barcelona

European and English Cups

Champions League:

Spoiler

Europa League:

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FA Cup:

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Capital One Cup:

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Championship Playoffs:

Spoiler

So there you have it, season one is done and dusted and we push straight on into season two in the Premier League. Thanks for Reading!

[Simppu12]

Re: How's Your FIFA Career Mode Going?

Spoiler

Ha Ho He


2017-18 Summer Transfer Window
+ August 2017


Transfers Out

Nils-Jonathan Körber, GK, 59 Ovr, €230,000 to Al-Raed

He was our fourth-choice goalkeeper with poor potential so there was no reason to keep him in the team or send him out on loan. Hopefully he will be more useful to Al-Raed than to us.

Florian Kohls, CM, 64 Ovr, €475,000 to Duisburg

He was sold for the same reason as Körber: didn't have a lot of potential and was never going to get playing time. We still wish him all the best.

Jens Hegeler, CM, 74 Ovr, €3,500,000 to Hannover 96

He just turned thirty and he was not an important member of the squad. Sluggish, poor passer, poor tackler and didn't play much. Wasn't needed in the team and Hannover were willing to pay his market value.

Genki Haraguchi, LM, 76 Ovr, €13,000,000 to Feyenoord

The most surprising sale was the one of the 27-year-old winger Genki Haraguchi. The pacy man had a good last season and he is at his peak but we didn't have to think for long when Feyenoord were willing to pay €13 million for a player whose worth was closer to €6,5M.


Transfers In



Aron Jóhannsson

76 Ovr, Striker, 26 Years Old, USA

€9,000,000

After finishing in fourth last season and in sixth the season before that, Hertha BSC are not showing any signs of slowing down on their success. This can be seen as the Berliners' cheapest signing of the summer, the Islandic-American striker Aron Jóhansson, cost more than their previous record signing Stefan Aigner who was signed in January 2016. The American international had his first taste of Bundesliga action in the 2015-16 campaign when Werder Bremen signed him. Since then the attacker has been playing with changing form. Hertha's head coach Pál Dárdai is expected to rotate between Vedad Ibisevic and Jóhannsson as Salomon Kalou's striking partner upfront.




Kevin Kampl

78 Ovr, Right Winger, 26 Years Old, Slovenia

€9,000,000

The deadline day signing of Kevin Kampl was completed only to replace the departing Genki Haraguchi in the starting eleven. The Slovakian joined for a relatively cheap price considering that Bayer Leverkusen paid €11m for him a couple of years ago. Kampl, who is known for his pace and dribbling, can be utilised almost everywhere on the pitch, including the wings and centre of the pitch. His pace and dribbling skills make him an unpredictable and dangerous opponent who is expected to start on Hertha's right wing.




Julian Brandt

78 Ovr, Left Winger, 21 Years Old, Germany

€15,000,000

The second-most expensive signing Hertha completed in the summer was a shocking one: the capital's club managed to sign one of Germany's biggest football talents for €15 million, also from Bayer Leverkusen. Last season Hertha's right wing was almost useless with the biggest threat coming from right back Mitchell Weiser's overlapping runs and the singing of Brandt will hopefully fix this problem. The 21-year-old gem broke into Leverkusen's starting eleven in 2015 and since then he has been an important piece of their attack. Now the talented attacker will face a lot of pressure in Berlin.




Johannes Geis

81 Ovr, Central Midfielder, 24 Years Old, Germany

€24,000,000

The biggest transfer bomb in the Bundesliga in the summer was that the midfielder Johannes Geis transferred from the champions Schalke 04 to the capital city of Hertha BSC for a hefty fee of €24 million. The 24-year-old Geis, who together with good passing ability is known for his very accurate free kicks, became Hertha's record signing by nine million euros to Julian Brandt, another player who was signed this summer. Geis is expected to improve Hertha's defensive game and the central midfielders' tracking back.


August 2017


FC Augsburg 1 - 4 Hertha BSC
Bobadilla 57'
Darida 29', 74', Kalou 45' pen, 50'


Qualifiers, 1st Leg
Aberdeen FC 0 - 1 Hertha BSC
Darida 16'


Hertha BSC 1 - 1 Werder Bremen
Kalou 12'
Bartels 84'


Qualifiers, 2nd Leg
Hertha BSC 2 (3) - 1 (1) Aberdeen FC
Jóhansson 10', 35'
McLean 25'


Borussia Dortmund 1 - 1 Hertha BSC
Aubameyang 33', Bender s/o 77'
Kalou 90', Geis s/o 70'


Champions League Group

Atletico Madrid
AS Roma
Hertha BSC
Spartak Moscow

Bundesliga Table

1. FC Schalke 04, 9 pts
2. Hamburger SV, 9 pts
3. Bayern München, 7 pts
4. FC Ingolstadt, 6 pts
5. Borussia Mönchengladbach, 6 pts
6. 1899 Hoffenheim, 6 pts
7. Hertha BSC, 5 pts
---------------------------------------------------
16. Werder Bremen, 1 pt
17. Mainz 05, 0 pts
18. FC Augsburg, 0 pts


Starting XI
As of September 1st



Sorry for these big breaks between each post, I'm just busy with school and life and I don't have that much time to play FIFA. I'll make sure to leave some feedback on the on many wonderful careers that are going on here at the moment in the next couple of days.



Thank you for reading this post! I hope you have enjoyed it! Any feedback or suggestions will be appreciated!

Previous update

Ha Ho He


September 2017



Hertha BSC 1 - 0 Mainz 05
Johannsson 32'



Atletico Madrid 0 - 3 Hertha BSC
Brandt 14', 30', Skjelbred 87'


FC Ingolstadt 1 - 3 Hertha BSC
Henrique 4'
Ibisevic 21', 23', Baumjohann 80'



Hertha BSC 2 - 2 Borussia Mönchengladbach
Kalou 11', Johansson 58'
Raffael 49' pen, 69'



VfL Wolfsburg 0 - 5 Hertha BSC
Kalou 29' pen, 37' pen, Johansson 73', 78', Skjelbred 83'
Knoche s/o 33'



AS Roma 1 - 1 Hertha BSC
Dzeko 63'
Kampl 53'


October 2017



Hertha BSC 1 - 0 Bayern München
Kalou 34', Weiser s/o 74'



RB Leipzig 1 - 3 Hertha BSC
Poulsen 40'
Baumjohann 16', 88', Geis 36'



Hertha BSC 4 - 0 Spartak Moscow
Kalou 11', Brandt 42', Geis 73', Johansson 75'



Hamburger SV 1 - 1 Hertha BSC
Müller 77' pen
Johansson 60', Lustenberger s/o 76'



Round of 32
Hertha BSC 2 - 1 Eintracht Braunschweig
Brandt 45', Ibisevic 68'
Boland 16'



Hertha BSC 0 - 1 Eintracht Frankfurt
Castaignos 59' pen, Russ s/o 84'


November 2017



Hertha BSC 1 - 1 AS Roma
Johansson 61'
Doumbia 4'



Bayer Leverkusen 1 - 4 Hertha BSC
Bellarabi 3'
Darida 22', Ibisevic 32', Baumjohann 77', Johansson 85'



Hertha BSC 0 - 3 1899 Hoffenheim
Amiri 15', 44', Pratto 27'



Hertha BSC 3 - 1 Atletico Madrid
Plattenhardt 63', Johansson 83' pen, Baumjohann 86'
Martinez 77'



VfB Stuttgart 0 - 3 Hertha BSC
Kalou 11' pen, Darida 65', Skjelbred 79'


December 2017



Hertha BSC 0 - 0 Hannover 96



Spartak Moscow 0 - 0 Hertha BSC



FC Schalke 04 0 - 0 Hertha BSC



Round of 16
Werder Bremen 3 - 5 Hertha BSC
Modeste 40', 45', 81'
Skjelbred 10', 22', Kadlec 16', 52', Baumjohann 65'



Hertha BSC 4 - 1 FC Köln
Kampl 15', Darida 23', Ibisevic 78', 86'
Risse 28'


Champions League Group

1. Hertha BSC, 12 pts
2. AS Roma, 9 pts
3. Atletico Madrid, 6 pts
4. Spartak Moscow, 5 pts


Bundesliga Table

1. Borussia Dortmund, 38 pts
2. Bayern München, 37 pts
3. Hertha BSC, 33 pts
4. VfL Wolfsburg, 32 pts
5. Bayer Leverkusen, 28 pts
6. FC Schalke 04, 27 pts
------------------------------------------------------
16. Werder Bremen, 11 pts
17. RB Leipzig, 11 pts
18. Eintracht Frankfurt, 11 pts


Don't worry, I haven't forgotten about you. Nowadays I'm just very busy with school and what not and I don't have that much time to play and post updates.

The first half of the season was very good for us as we topped our Champions League group, remained in the top three in the Bundesliga and progressed to the DFB Pokal quarter finals. Speaking of knock-out rounds, we will face Saint-Etienne in the Champions League and in the DFB Pokal quarter finals we are going to play against one of the teams I dislike playing against the most, or simply Borussia Mönchengladbach.

Our form has been a real rollercoaster at times (as you can see in November and December) and we haven't been successful in keeping that many clean sheets. Additionally, centre back Sebastian Langkamp got injured for three months against Werder Bremen. Fortunately we have Niklas Stark as our back-up centre half. The 17-year-old left winger Marvin Schäfer was offered a contract on New Year's Eve and he will be joining the senior squad in the beginning of January with an overall rating of 72. Our other youth academy graduate, Yoshino Natsume from Japan (18 yo/72 ovr), will spend another year on loan.

Now that January is here, everyone is looking forward to the transfer window. We have around €16M in the bank which we may or may not spend. Going into January the latter option seems more likely as we really don't need to sign anyone. We are looking to clear out some deadwood players, though. Valentin Stocker, who has made only a handful of appearances in the last two seasons and who turned down a contract extension, has only six months left on his contract and it is almost certain that he will be leaving the club. The right midfielder Stefan Aigner has also only six months left on his contract. Finally, Yunus Malli, who proved to be a real flop after signing for €11M in the summer 2016, has been unhappy lately and we are looking forward to sell him.

As far as signings go, there really aren't any areas that need proper strengthening in the squad. The squad is at a very high level but there is also a problem: both of our starting strikers, Salomon Kalou and Vedad Ibisevic, are over 32 and starting to decline. Aron Johansson should be able to take Ibisevic's place in the near future but there is no replacement for Kalou. Additionally, our back-up left back Johannes van den Bergh is only 68 overall. Other than that there aren't issues in the team.

Last but not least, I'll quickly go through the starting eleven. The starting keeper is still Rune Jarstein and he has done a solid job in goal. He also does some big mistakes at times, like against Hoffenheim which lead to him getting taken off the pitch. Defenders Mitchell Weiser, John Anthony Brooks and Marvin Plattenhardt impress me week in week out and the three are starting almost every game. Weiser is a real threat in attack, Brooks is blessed with amazing defending abilities while Platte has got it all in him. Brooks' centre half partner Fabian Lustenberger has been alright. The midfield duo of Johannes Geis and Vladimir Darida is working very well and the two have great chemistry. Darida runs like he has a third lung and Geis tends to do the dirty work. Right winger Kevin Kampl creates a lot of chances every game while Julian Brandt on the left has been average. The two strikers Kalou and Ibisevic have their up and downs. In some games they are unstoppable but in others they are almost invisible.

That is about everything there is to talk about. Again, I'm sorry for disappearing for a couple of weeks again but life has been demanding time in the past few months. I am still following the careers here, though, and I will try to leave some feedback in the next few days! Until my next update, which will probably be in around two weeks judging by my activity, take care!



Thank you for reading this post! I hope you have enjoyed it! Any feedback or suggestions will be appreciated!

[Matty Aqua]

Re: How's Your FIFA Career Mode Going?

Hey guys!, I'm starting this video career mode with Aston Villa, really hope you all enjoy the first episode!, please feel free to comment and leave suggestions!

EPISODE#1 - THE JOURNEY BEGINS! #AVFC

https://<iframe width="560" height="...reen></iframe>

[southernmetalhead]

Re: How's Your FIFA Career Mode Going?

SMH - Mallorca first. Good to see you're still killing the league. I'm kind of shocked none of your guys are in the top-5 for scoring in the league. I look forward to seeing what kind of moves you make in the upcoming transfer window. Then at FC Ural you had a small set-back at CSKA but came back strong with a couple of wins including a STRONG win against Zenit. Impressive. I'm curious about what formation you use here given that a CDM of yours is among the league leaders in scoring. Good luck in March.

Yeah, still killing the league. I have a couple of players nearing the top-5, but the hallmark of this team is great defense. We've actually won a ton of 1 goal games. The window will be interesting. I've got some funds, but I will probably focus primarily on just adding depth. With Ural, I felt we played CSKA well enough, but they connected on some great combinations to slice our defense. I couldn't have expected the Zenit result after giving up 3 to CSKA, and I hardly ever score 4 goals, especially against teams that good. I use a 4-2-3-1 for both Mallorca and Ural. Sapeta has been really good, but you're right, that's huge production from a CDM.