Rising Star: The Journey of FIFA Manager J. Romero

[jromero120]

---BREAKING NEWS---
Arana Sold To São Paulo!


Arana speaking on his transfer.

In what is sure to be the biggest shock of the year for RC Recreativo, the team has worked out a deal to sell Arana, last year's league leader in assists, to the Brazilian club of São Paulo. After his performance last year, Arana was a highly coveted player with offers coming in from 1. FC Nuremberg and Hannover 96 as well as interest being shown by Ajax and PSV. Ultimately, São Paulo won the bidding war and finalized a deal to buy Arana for $4,400,000 and now that they have agreed on personal terms, Arana is on his way. When asked about the transfer, Arana had nothing but good things to say about his former club. "I am very excited to be joining São Paulo although I will definitely miss Recreativo. I really thrived under our new manager and I was given all the opportunities in the world to succeed this past year. I hope this is not the last time I see all of these guys either. Whether as teammates or opponents, I look forward to seeing them again."

Romero was also asked to comment on the move. "It was a very hard decision to come to. We weighed all of our options and ultimately we saw this as something that could benefit both parties. São Paulo will get a star player that will become a fan favorite and a staple in their offense. He will definitely be hard to replace but with the money we get in return we can hopefully get some young talent to come and join us. We have some holes to fill so this gives us the chance to do that. We may have just made our season a bit more difficult but I'm sure it is something we can overcome."

It is hard to see how Recreativo will succeed without their star player. Could this mark the beginning of their descent back to Liga Adelante? Only time will tell.

__________________________________________________

In other transfer news, RC Recreativo has once again loaned out midfielder Dani Molina. He will be joining Esbjerg fB in Denmark to continue honing his skills.

[jromero120]

Friendly #1
August 4, 2014


Man of the Match -- Dani Sotres

RC Recreativo 0-0 OGC Nice

In their first game as a member of La Liga, RC Recreativo took on French team OGC Nice in an international friendly. This friendly would be the first true test for RC Recreativo. Not only were they facing a higher level team than they may be used to but their lineup has been shaken up. Goalkeeper Dani Sotres had 6 great saves and the defense managed to keep everything else from ever getting past them. The forwards, however, had a few problems. They were never able to get anything going for themselves and were only able to get three shots off with only two being on target. Arana and Álvaro Antón were definitely missed and it shows that their replacements still have to get used to their starting positions. There was almost no penetration by the forwards which is troubling.

[jromero120]

Friendly #2
August 8, 2014


Man of the Match -- Felipe Lopes

VfL Wolfsburg 1-0 RC Recreativo

In their second friendly of the season, RC Recreativo took on German club VfL Wolfsburg. Unfortunately, this was another poor showing for the club. The attacking midfield players were in below-average form during the game and could barely penetrate the opposing team's defense. Gallegos, Josmar, and Joselu all struggled to get into a good rhythm while VfL Wolfsburg's Felipe and Ricardo Rodriguez shut them down any time it seemed like they had a good opportunity. The offense wasn't the only aspect of the team that struggled though. Toño and Ruyman both struggled as well which led to Ivica Olić scoring the sole goal of the match. It was a rough game for El Decano who have yet to replace Arana and Álvaro Antón.

[jromero120]

---BREAKING NEWS---
Iuri Medeiros Joining RC Recreativo!


Iuri Medeiros looks to be a worthy replacement for Arana.

In what won't come as a shock, RC Recreativo is looking to replace their former star Arana with a capable player. Though El Decano has a few players that were seen as possible replacements, such as Josmar and Joselu, they have yet to live up to expectations. The season is still young but the club is not taking any chances and have brought in a young prospect in the form of Iuri Medeiros. RC Recreativo came to terms with Sporting CP for the transfer of the Portuguese striker at an estimated fee of $1,600,000. It was rumored that Recreativo had initially sought after Manchester United's Nick Powell although he ultimately turned them down.

With one more friendly coming up, expect to see Medeiros make his debut.

__________________________________________________

In other transfer news, RC Recreativo received transfer offers from FC Metz and RC Deportivo for midfielder Jorge Larena. It is expected that a move will be finalized in the upcoming days pending Larena coming to terms with one of the clubs.

[jromero120]

Friendly #3
August 12, 2014


Man of the Match -- Hernán Menosse (right)

RC Recreativo 1-1 Cagliari
41' M. Sau (Cagliari)
70' Linares (RC Recreativo)

In what would be their last friendly, RC Recreativo took on Italian club Cagliari. What started off with more of the same, ended as Recreativo's strongest showing yet. The match began rather slow with each club only being able to penetrate into the box once. As the match went further, Caliari started showing more drive and penetrating the defense more. The left side of the defensive line struggled more than the right and they ultimately conceded the first goal of the match to Marco Sau that came from a beautiful long shot from outside the box. After halftime, manager Romero switched up the formation and Recreativo came out with a fire lit up under them. They came out strong and finally scored in the 70th minute when Linares scored a strong header off of a cross from Luis Felipe Gallegos just five minutes after barely missing a header off of a similar cross from Iuri Medeiros.

Speaking of Medeiros, the new forward had a good game during his first showing with El Decano. He looked a bit anxious during the first half but really acclimated with the team during the second. "It was fun. I just went out there and tried to prove to the fans that the team made the right decision bringing me in," said Medeiros. "I was a bit nervous but Romero talked me down and the change in formation also helped." With that being the last friendly, the club hopes to carry this form into the new season.

RC Recreativo will travel to Estadio Manuel Martínez Valero on Saturday, August 16, 2014 to meet with Elche CF for their first official La Liga match of the season.

__________________________________________________

Following the match, it was confirmed that 32-year-old midfielder Jorge Larena had agreed on personal terms with RC Deportivo and that the transaction was for a mere $250,000. Asked to comment on the transfer, Larena had this to say: "I look forward to moving on with my career and joining Deportivo. Recreativo was a great team to me although I was not given much of a chance under new manager Romero. I hope to be given the chance to bring to Deportivo what I was not able to showcase here."

__________________________________________________

Quote:

I was just wondering what everyone thought of this so far. I don't know how many people are following but if anyone is and you are willing to give me some feedback on the format, writing, transfers, etc. it would be greatly appreciated.

[jromero120]

Match #1
August 16, 2014
Liga BBVA


Man of the Match -- David Córcoles (right)

Elche CF 1-1 RC Recreativo
80' Linares (RC Recreativo)
85' Carles Gil (Elche CF)

Today was the day where RC Recreativo had to show whether they would sink or swim in La Liga. After the end of the match, it was apparent that El Decano came prepared to swim. The club wanted to make a statement with their first match and make a statement they did. They held up strong against Elche CF, keeping them at bay and attacking strong during the first half. Los Ilicitanos did not get their first chance to score until the 57th minute when Boakye let one rip off of a volley from close range. Fortunately, Dani Sotres reacted in time and laid out for the save. It would not be the last time that Sotres would have to make a quick save during the second half but he managed.

The first goal of the match did not come until only ten minutes remained in the match. Linares headed one in just out Manu's reach to score and secure three points for El Decano, at least that's what they thought. Recreativo got a bit too confident and it showed with how careless the last few minutes of the match were. Because the defense had backed off a bit, Carles Gil felt no pressure and fired one from right outside the box to equalize the game. This put pressure on Recreativo who was able to hold of Elche for the last five minutes plus stoppage time.

It was a good showing for the most part for RC Recreativo but they will have to learn to be more focused to avoid another blunder like today.

[jromero120]

I am just wondering if anyone is following this so I know if I should continue or not.