FUN Career Mode Idea for your MLS or Liga MX team!

[DaKingPin87]

I'm an Orlando City fan so in my first career mode run, I took them through MLS. With inflated budgets, no outside competitions, and some smart strategy, it was too easy to succeed. It gets boring.

If you are looking for a bigger challenge involving an MLS club (or a Liga MX club...though that's already much more of a challenge), I came up with a fun idea. Just make sure to go into the default custom tactics and roles and change them to suit your roster and/or how you actually want to play.

1. Start career mode. No summer transfer window. Strict negotiations. No infusion of extra money.
2. Use the swap teams feature to create a North & South America super league which takes place in Argentina. That league has 26 teams. You play every other team once. [I'll list the teams to put in the league at the bottom of this]
3. The reason to do the league in South America is that you can enjoy the South American Champions League/Europa League also. Because FIFA has designated teams not in leagues across South America for these competitions, it doesn't deplete the tournament like creating the Europe superleague would.

Teams for this league, based on prestige & international recognition rankings from fifaratings.com + my knowledge of some of the leagues:

From Argentina - Boca Juniors, Independiente, Racing Club, River Plate, San Lorenzo, Velez Sarsfield, Estudiantes, Lanus

From Mexico - America, CF Monterrey, Cruz Azul, Guadalajara, Tigres, Pachuca

From Brazil - Mineiro, Gremio, Santos, Fluminense, Internacional

From MLS: Atlanta, LA Galaxy, NYC FC, NY Red Bulls, Seattle, Orlando (only because I'm playing as them)

*From Japan: Kashima Antlers - I'm keeping with a Copa America tradition here. Japan occasionally gets invited to compete in Copa America and in the spirit of Brazil having a lot of Japanese heritage in Sao Paolo, I wanted one in there for fun.

It's definitely a much higher challenge being in a league with better teams (though none are above a 75 overall...this league is pretty balanced) where the goal of every team is to win.

I first simmed the whole season out a couple of times out of curiosity to see how the table would shake out. In both, Orlando finished mid-table. In both, the bottom 3 teams were all MLS teams LOL.

Tigres finished second both times. River Plate won it once and Monterrey won it once.

I'm now three games into playing during the season and I only have 1 pt so far. I've really had to mess with tactics to get the most out of the roster limitations, which has been a breath of fresh air.

Another interesting note: They start you out with more scouts out of the box because you are in this league v. MLS. And the pre-season tournament prize money is much higher.

[goillini03]

Interesting idea here! Keep us posted on how it goes. I might have to do something similar!

[poulka]

That sounds like an idea I did a while back but did it with North American MLS clubs with Argentina clubs combined. It was a fun competition need to look at doing that again but with your idea.

[JayD]

I can't play MLS until they fix the MLS playoff format. It's been incorrect for a couple of years now.

[DaKingPin87]

Quote: Originally Posted by goillini03

Interesting idea here! Keep us posted on how it goes. I might have to do something similar!

I got fired the first-time around...it's a lot harder and it took me a long time in sim match mode to figure out tactics which can work well enough to keep me afloat until I can build a squad which can compete with the top Liga MX & Argentinian teams.

Now in my second go-around, I'm mid/bottom table but my manager rating is still high for now. I had to change to a 5 at the back formation with the wingbacks position adjusted to be tucked inside more + the wing midfielders adjusted just high enough that I can designate them as wingers.
LWB CB CB CB RWB
CDM
LW CAM RW
ST

I have to keep my defense pretty far back but with this formation, I can use long ball + forward runs as a tactic to create some chances while not getting killed at the back.

I have to recruit now to fit the play style (I need more team speed across my CBs) but I've never had to think this much in MLS.

Quote: Originally Posted by JayD

I can't play MLS until they fix the MLS playoff format. It's been incorrect for a couple of years now.

There's no playoffs in the Argentine league. It's a literally round-robin. Every team plays each other once and whoever leads the table wins.

Other Benefits:
Qualification into the South American Champions league and Europa league based on where you finish in the table.

With an MLS team in MLS, you cannot transfer over any player rated an 80 OVR or higher "this player wants to be in a league worthy of their skills".

This appears to not be the case for the Argentinian league.

So I wonder if, over time in the simulated league, if the larger budgets for the MLS teams allow them to gain on the competition.

Right now, 3 of the bottom 4 are MLS teams lol.

[Fifatas]

Hey, started new career with Cruz azul. Plugged in spoony top league's sliders and having a blast. Thanks mate

Sent from my VOG-L09 using Operation Sports mobile app

[Slyone14]

Love the idea mate. Gonna try it this weekend, plus playing in Copa America will be fun. Except I’ll be using Atlanta United. 😉

[DaKingPin87]

I'm in my third go-around of this idea. Now I've taken over La Liga, incorporating the good rest of the world teams alongside the North/South American countries to fill out both divisions.

I took the top 14 Spanish teams and placed them in the Portuguese League. Then spread the rest in the Americas and the rest of the world teams.

What I am getting so far (year 5) is what I was hoping to get in my first two iterations. (Argentina and the Turkish Super Lig)

Spain is a big enough league that the teams within it actually spend money and try to remain super competitive. I'm really enjoying it, and it hasn't ruined the teams getting into the playoffs of the Champions League.