-Domestic Report
Things are really clicking right now for us. Currently, we sit atop the Western Conference with 10 wins and 5 draws from 15 fifteen matches. With 35 points, were five clear of second place San Jose who does have a game in hand. The Earthquakes did eliminate us from the US Open Cup on penalties.
Once again, a resolute defense is the key to our success. In league play we have allowed only 7 goals, less than half a goal per match. Our 22 goals scored gives us a +15 differential.
One reason we are having such an outstanding year is our depth. We feel that we can sub any player out and not lose much quality, particularly in the midfield and up front.
-SuperLiga
We ran roughshod through the group stage. We opened with a 3-0 win against Cruz Azul. Peri Marosevic bagged a brace and rookie Brian Klinger scored the third. Against San Jose, Ciro scored two goals to help us exact revenge for being eliminated by the Earthquakes with a 2-1 victory that would lead to their exit from this competition. And in the final match of the group stage, we fell behind Estudiantes Tecos 1-0 in the first minute, but regrouped to score 4 goals and take maximum points with a 4-1 win. Our opponent for the semifinal will be Chivas.
-Algeria
After failing to qualify for the 2010 FIFA World Cup (won by Russia), the Algeria National Team approached me to take over their program. I accepted and will now look forward toward qualifying for the 2012 CAF Cup of Nations. I will remain with Philadelphia and do double duty. The first fixture is a home friendly against Mexico. We then travel to South Africa and return home for a match with Libya to close out the year.
The preseason is out of the way, and we're ready begin 2010 and try to retain the MLS Cup. We did make quite a few changes to the squad for the upcoming season, and we also won the Pan-Pacific Championship.
Here is a look at the 2010 roster:
-----Goleiros
Chris Seitz (USA)
Mark Birighitti (AUS)
-----Zagueiros
Chad Marshall (USA)
Bobby Boswell (USA)
Lucas Galdino (BRA)
Gale Agbossoumonde (USA)
-----Laterais
Marvell Wynne (USA)Heath Pearce (USA)
Danny O'Rourke (USA)
Adrián Peralta (ARG)
Robert Osorio (USA)
-----Volantes
Sebastián Nayar (ARG)
Danny Szetela (USA)
Sam Cronin (USA)
-----Meias
Justin Mapp (USA)Michael Adenyinka (NGA)
Feham Bouazza (ALG)
Carlos Torres (USA)
Pete Krause (USA)
-----Atacante
Ciro (BRA)
Brian Klinger (USA)
Peri Marosevic (USA)
Carl Perez (USA)
Israel Sesay (USA)
We also have some players out on loan:
Goleiro - Carlos Balderas (USA) - Philadelphia Academy
Lateral - Bryan Medina (USA) - Minnesota
Zagueiro - Phil Wheeldon (CAN) - Minnesota
Meia - Youness Mokhtar (NED) - Minnesota
Meia/Atacante - Juan Carlos Mercado (USA) - Philadelphia Academy
Atacante - Carlos Richards (USA) - Minnesota
Transfers In
We added several players in the offseason. We drafted Wheeldon and a winger named Daniel Harrison. We immediately traded Harrison to FC Dallas for Klinger. We also traded for Torres (FC Dallas) and Carl Perez. Mokhtar was purchased from PSV (NED), Galdino from Flamingo (BRA), and Agbossoumonde from Miami FC. Sesay and Peralta were acquired via the Waiver Draft. We also have purchased a Tunisia volante, Fethi Trabelsi, from Etoile du Sahel in Tunisia who will join the club in April.
New Affiliate:
We have also linked up with USL-1 outfit Minnesota Thunder. This will give us a nice place to send players on loan to develop. We will now focus on getting affiliates overseas to expand the influence of the Philadelphia Union brand.
I'm not a big fan of the playoff system in league soccer, but we made it work in our favor. A sturdy defense all season carried over into the post-season and Philadelphia Union defeated Chicago Fire 1-0 in the final to bring home the MLS Cup.
Western Conference Semi-Final: Real Salt Lake
An uncharacteristically leaky back line resulted in a 3-2 loss in Salt Lake City, but Peri Marosevic came alive at Union Field in the return leg, netting a hat trick in a resounding 5-1 victory for a 7-4 aggregate win.
Western Conference Final: at San Jose Earthquakes
Ciro scored his third goal of the playoffs in the opening minute, and Feham Bouazza made it 2-0 in the 32nd minute. Bobby Burling got one back for the 'Quakes in the 52nd but we held on for a 2-1 win and a trip the MLS Cup Final.
MLS Cup Final: v. Chicago Fire
Both teams struggled to find space as the defenses kept a clamp down on proceedings. With only 10 shots combined in the entire match, chances were few and far between. But in the 52nd minute, Cam Weaver made himself a legend by receiving the ball at the arc, turning Wil Conde, and beating Jon Busch to give the Zolos a 1-0 lead. From there the defense took over and made the lead stand for a shock result and the Union hoisted the trophy.
Chad Marshall was named MLS Cup Final MVP, winning 9 of 10 headers and thwarting the potent Fire attack all game long. Chicago had scored a league 59 goals this season, but couldn't muster one against us.
Offseason Outlook:
The following players have contracts expiring at the end of the year: Stefani Miglioranzi, Shavar Thomas, Jordan Harvey, Jason Garey, Cam Weaver, Chris Seitz.
Of those, probably only Seitz will be offered a new deal. I'd like to keep Weaver, but he is probably going to want a raise and I believe we can get a better player elsewhere, whether it be the draft or an international player.
The first regular season is over, and I guided the Philadelphia Union to a 12-14-4 record and a second place finish in the MLS Western Conference. Our opponent in the Conference semi-final will be Real Salt Lake.
Not bad for the inaugural campaign, but there is room for improvement. The good news is we have a young squad that just played their first season together, so they will only get better.
Ciro had 19 goals in his 33 appearances. 13 came in MLS play, leaving him just outside the top 10 in goal scorers.
Chris Seitz is a finalist for the Panasonic Goalkeeper of the year award. He had 14 clean sheets on the year, and conceded 26 goals in the league. He is the only Union player up for an individual award.
Well 20 games in and we're in good position to make the playoffs. Still not clicking like we would like to though. We're getting a lot of draws and having a tough time holding leads. It could be my defensive and counter tactics need work but the squad "have not yet developed a level of understanding." So I will give that some time before I start making drastic tactical changes.
Playoff Outlook: The goal of qualifying for the playoffs is in sight and if we keep grinding out results we should get there. Real Salt Lake is proof that all you have to do is get in, and once you get in anything can happen. At the moment, we're 6 points clear of the danger zone.
US Open Cup: Being knocked out of the US Open Cup was a disappointment. We had a 1-0 lead but the fatigue of fixture congestion did it's damage and we lost 3-1 at Seattle.
Unavailable: We're going to be without Bobby Boswell for a game or two thanks to being sent off in a 2-2 draw at Kansas City. Aside from that we've been very fortunate with having players unavailable. No real injuries to speak of.
Well this is the time of the season where there is a lot of waiting around, so I thought I might blog on my system, the Brazilian 4-4-2. Because of it's alignment, it's also known as the Box Midfield, or the 4-2-2-2. First, the formation:
As you can see, it consists of a flat back four, 2 defensive midfielders, 2 attacking midfielders, and 2 forwards. In part one, I will discuss the personnel and some of the things I look for at each position.
Goleiros (Goalkeepers) - No different than any in any other system.
Technical Attributes: command of area, aerial ability, throwing, handling
Mental Attributes: positioning, anticipation, concentration, decisions, bravery, composure
Physical Attributes: agility, jumping, strength, stamina, pace
Examples: Julio Cesar
Zagueiros (Center Backs) - These guys will act as dual sweepers, often having to step out and cover for the fullbacks when they go forward. They are also weapons on set pieces.
Technical Attributes: tackling, marking, heading
Mental Attributes: positioning, aggression, bravery, anticipation, determinationPhysical Attributes: jumping, strength, stamina, pace, acceleration
Example: Lucio
Laterais (Fullbacks) - In this style of play, the fullbacks are your wingers. They will be responsible for penetration on the flanks, as well as stopping wide attacks.
Technical Attributes: crossing, dribbling, tackling
Mental Attributes: work rate, team work, decisions, positioning, determination
Physical Attributes: stamina, acceleration, strength
Example: Dani Alves
Volantes (Defensive Midfielders) - Having two holding midfielders allows the fullbacks to have more freedom going forward. They cover for the players going forward, win the ball back in the midfield, and also link play to the attack.
Technical Attributes: tackling, marking, passing
Mental Attributes: aggression, work rate, team work, determination, concentration
Physical Attributes: strength, stamina, pace, acceleration
Example: Gilberto Silva
Meias (Attacking Central Midfielders): These players are creative "number ten" type players. They are the playmakers who create by moving and exploring space and penetrating by dribbling, passing, and shooting. Think Ronaldinho before he got fat.
Technical Attributes: passing, technique, finishing, dribbling
Mental Attributes: creativity, off the ball, work rate, team work, flair
Physical Attributes: stamina, pace, acceleration
Example: Kaka
Atacantes (Strikers): There are a lot of ways to set these guys up, but I typically like to have one quick striker who can beat the defense with his pace and a big striker who's good in the air and can hold up the ball.
Atacante Alto (Big Striker)-
Technical Attributes: finishing, heading, technique
Mental Attributes: off the ball, anticipation, aggression
Physical Attributes: jumping, strength, pace, acceleration
Example: Luis Fabiano
Atacante Rapido (Quick Forward)-
Technical Attributes: finishing, dribbling, passing, technique, crossing
Mental Attributes: creativity, flair, off the ball, team work, anticipation
Physical Attributes: pace, acceleration, balance
Example: Robinho
After 10 matches, I'm second in the Western Conference with 4 wins, 5 draws, and a loss. Our one defeat came at the hands of Chicago Fire, who have taken maximum points from their 9 fixtures, by a 1-0 score. It looks like the Fire will be the class of the league and run away with the supporters shield. I'm actually level on points (17) with Colorado for first place, but the Rapids have a game in hand.
Cam Weaver (4) and Alejandro Moreno (3) are the leading goal scorers. Ciro has had some trouble getting healthy, but in his first match against Seattle Sounders FC he came on in the 86th and scored a dramatic equalizer in the 87th to salvage a 2-2 draw.
My biggest problem right now is at Defensive Midfielder. I am basically rotating 3 guys, Sam Cronin, Sebastian Nayar, and Stefani Miglioranzi. Unfortunately, Cronin and Nayar are just not playing as well as I would like. I tried to make a move for Dax McCarty from FC Dallas and they accepted a deal that would have been beneficial but it was cancelled for some reason.
The goal is to be playing well by the final 10 games and secure a playoff berth. That should qualify us for a continental competition next year, whether it be the Champions League or the SuperLiga.
Philadelphia Union won their first match in club history, a 2-0 victory at FC Dallas. It was a somewhat hollow victory since both goals came from penalties converted by Cam Weaver, but we'll gladly take all three points back to Philly with us.
I ended up reverting to my favorite formation, the 4-4-2 Box Midfield, also known as a 4-2-2-2. We played well for the most part but there are still some kinks to work out. My squad is now pretty flexible in that I have enough depth so that I can alter my lineup depending how I want to play. For example, if I'm wanting to attack I can play Marvell Wynne and Heath Pearce (who I just picked up off waivers) at the fullback positions. On other hand, if I've got a tough away game coming up and need to play a little more defensive I can put Jordan Harvey on the left and Shavar Thomas on the right for a more defensive look on the flanks.
With my switch to the 4-2-2-2, Shea Salinas was really left out in the cold as he doesn't fit my tactics. So I made a trade and sent him and Dave Myrie to the Houston Dynamo in exchange for Bobby Boswell. A Marshall-Boswell center back combination is a daunting one in MLS. Those two guys will make it very difficult for opposing attacks.
And in the final bit of transfer news, I was able to land a pretty big signing in Ciro, a Brazilian striker from Sport Recife. He has very good pace so I'm anxious to get him on the pitch and see what he can do. He's coming off an injury so he won't be fully fit for a couple of weeks. I'm tentatively scheduling his first match to be in 12 days at Toronto FC.
So the preseason has come to an end. It's time for the big first match, a road game at FC Dallas in Pizza Hut Park. Here's a look at the first XI squad:
GK - Chris Seitz
DR - Marvell Wynne
DL - Stefani Miglioranzi
DC - Chad Marshall
DC - Shavar Thomas
MR - Shea Salinas
ML - Justin MappMC - Sebastian Nayar
MC - Michael Adeyinka
ST - Cam Weaver
ST - Alejandro Moreno
And these guys will be the key substitutes-
GK - Brad Knighton
D LC - Jordan Harvey
D C - Danny Califf
R RC/DM/MC - Danny O'Rourke
DM - Sam CroninAM - Feham Bouazza
D/WB R, AM RL, ST - Sebastien Le Toux
ST - Jason Garey
And these are some young prospects for the future who I brought that might see some playing time:
DL - Robert Osorio (Trying to arrange a loan)AM/M RLC - Pete Krause
MR - Greg Sherwood (Loaned to Union Academy)
ST - Peri Marosevic
It's a good squad that I feel will be able to compete once they get used to playing together. I have also created a 4-2-3-1 I hope to use at some point and it may even become my permanent formation.
The Philadelphia Union also announced a link with the Thunder Bay Chill. The Canadian club plays in the United Soccer Leagues' Premier Development League and should be a good place to send young players on loan spells and also get first choice on Chill players.
Well, the first real friendly.
As expected, I have been very busy in the transfer market, addressing several key issues. Just for the record, the first signing in my Philadelphia Union era was Cam Weaver, striker from the Houston Dynamo for allocation funds. He was a bargain purchase that should be able to score some goals.
I also signed a young striker from FC Dallas, Peri Marosevic. Peri is more of a project and will not see as much action, barring injuries.
In the midfield I brought in 3 players. Justin Mapp from Chicago Fire will play mostly left midfield, although he is capable of slotting inside. Sebastian Nayar is a defensive midfielder from Argentina that I brought in on a free transfer. Nigerian Michael Adeyinka is an Attacking Midfielder I also brought in on a free. These two guys will be very important to our success, orchestrating things from the middle of the park.
On the back line, we added two exciting players. Marvell Wynne comes in from Toronto FC to play right back. He has incredible speed, which is an attribute I favor in players. And Chad Marshall from Columbus Crew will really solidify the center of our defense.
I have pretty much filled out the first 11, unless my scouts come across a player I really like in the next 3 weeks. Any players I sign now will only be for depth purposes. I do still have 3 international slots to play with, and I fully intend on using them. If I can find an outstanding player, I will use my designated player slot as well.
So, on to the match. I had a run out against the Academy team and won 6-0, but this is the first real friendly, the Charleston Battery:
The game ended in a 1-1 draw. Didn't play especially well, but the preseason is all about building fitness. They scored right out of the half, and Alejandro Moreno came on as a sub to net the equalizer. I'm not too worried about the result because this squad has to do a lot of gelling. We've brought in 7 new players with more to come.
Next up is a trip north to F.C. New York. Should be a similar game.
The board said they would allow me to have a total of five coaches, so I went out and signed 4 to go with Josh Gros. I was able to land some high profile guys in Eddie Pope, Tom Soehn, and Chris Armas. Pope and Armas both played big roles for the USA National Team, and both spent years in Major League Soccer. Soehn comes in after being sacked by DC United. The final signing was J.J. Wozniak, a young coach to work with the goalkeepers.
I signed two physios, Preston Wolin and Stu Schwerner.
Scouts are very important in my games, and generally I like to give them each specific roles. This is a list of my scouts, and the region they will be focusing on:
Jocelyn Angloma: Asia/Oceania
Gilmar Rinaldi: South America
Rune Bratseth: Caribbean/Next Opposition
Kiko: Africa
Nick Theslof: Central America
Barry Whitbread: Europe
Angloma has not yet begun his assignment in Oceania because he is scouting the USL-1 for me for players. Filling out the squad is our most pressing need for the season ahead.
Looking at the team I have, right now the priority is finding a left midfielder/winger. I'm planning on running the good ole' 4-4-2, but I need a left sided player or two desperately. Also I need a striker. Really, I need two because I don't have confidence in Alejandro Moreno in being able to score all the goals.
I've also set up a run out with the Academy side before we go to Charleston, and one against amateur side ZPA Perth Amboy after the FC New York friendly. I have 10 days before that game against the Academy, so I need to start signing players ASAP.
Welcome to my little corner of the internet. Hopefully I don't bring the whole thing down.
I'm not one for big introductions, so I'm just going to dive right in. This blog will act as a journal for my career game in Football Manager 2010. I will occasionally post on other things, but it will focus on FM.
So let's begin with the game's setup. Using the great editor SI included with this year's version, I expanded the USA league structure all the way down through the United Soccer Leagues, the Premier Development League, the National Premier Soccer League, and a division for the MLS Academy teams that I created. I also included the top divisions from the following nations: Australia, Brazil, England, Germany, Holland, Italy, Mexico, New Zealand, South Africa, and Spain. I included at least one nation from each confederation because I like to keep an eye on all of the continental championships.
I also have a .ddt file that I created that automatically loads up players from several nations, including all CONCACAF nations. All in all, 16300 players were loaded from the database.
And since we are starting this blog from scratch, I figured what better team to start with than Philadelphia Union? They are a brand new club that have not even played their first match yet in reality. Unfortunately, limitations of the editor do not allow me to simply add the Zolos to MLS so I had to switch them out with another club. Although it does not makes sense for Philadelphia to play in the Western Conference, the choice was easy for me as to who to replace: Chivas USA. I hate Chivas USA, and I'm more than glad to drop them down to USL-1 with the riff raff.
I went ahead and added the 12 players that Union have signed in real life to the squad using the editor. They are as follows:
GK-Chris Seitz
GK-Brad Knighton
D RC-Shavar Thomas
D LC-Jordan Harvey
D C-Danny Califf
D/WB R - Dave Myrie
AM RL, ST - Sebastien Le Toux
D/WB L, DM, MC - Stefani Miglioranzi
DM, MC - Andrew Jacobson
AM R - Shea Salinas
AM RC - Nick Zimmerman
ST - Alejandro Moreno
Obviously, 12 players is not enough so I have to get out into the transfer market immediately. With the editor, I gave myself a transfer budget of $6 million. This seemed like a fair amount to me. Since I need 12 players, this will average out to an average of $500,000 spent per player.
I will also be in need of staff. I have an assistant manager, John Hackworth, and one coach, Joshua Gros. I have no physios, no scouts, nothing. And the way I play the game, I do not sign a player unless I have scouted him. So scouts and other staff are priority one.
