2014 World Cup

It was an up and down World Cup for Algeria, which ended with an all-time best finish.

Paraguay 1:1 Algeria
In our first match of group play, Abdelkader Ghezzal opened our account in the 32nd minute. The lead would not hold up though, as Nelson Valdez scored a devastating equalizer just before the half. We had the better of the run of play in the second half but could not convert and had to settle for a point.

Algeria 4:1 Serbia
Slavko Perovic hit us on a counter attack in the 32nd minute to give Serbia the lead. But this time it was us who scored a crucial goal before heading to the changing room when Rafik Halliche scored a set piece goal in stoppage time. Sofiane Hanni would net a second half hat trick to make the difference, and we had a solid four points heading into the final group match.

Croatia 3:0 Algeria
We never got on track in this game and Croatia ran us off the field. We rested some key players but it almost cost us dearly as our goal differential lead was erased and we were even with Serbia in that category. By the strength of our head to head win we did still advance however.

Romania 1:1p Algeria
The first half of our second round match against Romania was a defensive struggle, with both teams struggling to find space. Once again, Rafik Halliche got us on the board just before half time with another set piece goal. It looked like it might hold up, but Cristian Chivu equalized in the 74th. The deadlock lasted throughout all of extra time and the match would be settled on penalties. Mihai Costea missed the first spot kick for Romania and they never recovered, losing 5-4 and we were through to the quarterfinal.

Algeria 0:2 Italy
We were able to create a few chances but Italy were always the better team. Goals by Mario Balotelli (15) and Federico Macheda (58) were all the Azzuri needed and our improbable run to the quarters was over. It was definitely a valiant effort and overall a good showing for Algeria to advance to the quarterfinal. After the tournament, we ascended to the #9 world ranking, the highest Algeria had ever been.

Argentina defeated Brazil 5-4 on penalties in the final after neither team found the net in regular and extra time. France defeated Italy 1-0 to finish third place.

Following the World Cup, I resigned my post with Algeria. After being spurned by my home USA, I took a job with the Costa Rica national team and will double up with Palmeiras.

FIFA World Cup 2014 Brazil: Preview

A long hard journey is finally culminating as my Algeiran National Team is ready to begin their quest. In our final warm-up friendly we were able to defeat #7 Uruguay 1-0 on a goal by Abdelkader Ghezzal.

First let's take a look at the 23-man squad that will take the pitch in Brazil:

---Goleiros
Mickaël Fabre 29 (Clermont Foot 63)
Fawzi Chaouchi 29 (Molde)
Faouzi Belkheïr 19 (AS Saint-Etienne)

---Zaguieros
Rafik Helliche 27 (Atletico Madrid)
Anthar Yahia 32 (Atletico Madrid)
Madjid Bougherra 31 (AS Saint-Etienne)
Mohamed Benhamed 21 (Al-Ahly)

---Laterais
Fadel Sahroui 22 (Unirea Urziceni)
Nadir Belhadj 31 (FC Barcelona)
Ryad Boudebouz 24 (Hoffenheim)
Djamel Mesbah 29 (Stade Rennais FC)

---Volantes
Amine Linganzi 24 (Roma)
Nabil Kaïd 20 (Toronto FC)
Hassan Yebda 30 (Paris Saint-Germain)
Mehdi Lacen 30 (Racing)

---Meias
Sofiane Feghouli 24 (Grenoble Foot 38)
Karim Ziani 31 (Chelsea)
Kamel Ghilas 30 (Hull City)
Abdelaziz Touati 22 (Dinamo Moscow)

---Atacante
Abdelkader Ghezzal 29 (Inter Milan)
Rafik Djebbour 30 (AEK)
Idir Ouali 26 (Bochum)
Sofiane Hanni 23 (FC Nantes)

Now, a look at the opponents.

Paraguay
Venue: Albertão, Teresina (PL)
14 June 2014
FIFA Ranking: 21
---Road to Brazil
Chile 0-2
at Bolivia 4-1
Peru 1-3
at Venezuela 1-2
Uruguay 2-1
at Argentina 2-0
Colombia 1-3
Bolivia 4-0
at Ecuador 1-1
at Chile 1-3
at Peru 2-1
Venezuela 3-1
at Uruguay 1-1
Argentina 1-0
at Colombia 0-3
Ecuador 5-0
(8-2-6, 26pts, 3rd in CONMEBOL Zone)

Serbia
Venue: Vivaldão, Manaus (AM)
19 June 2014
FIFA Ranking: 10
---Road to Brazil
at Macedonia 0-0
Albania 2-0
at England 2-3
Ireland 6-1
Macedonia 1-2
England 1-0
at Albania 2-1
at Ireland 2-1
(5-1-2, 16pts, won Group 9 in UEFA Zone on goal difference)

Croatia
Venue: Maracanão, Rio de Janeiro (RJ)
24 June 2014
FIFA Ranking: 9
---Road to Brazil
Romania 1-1
Georgia 2-1
at Azerbaijan 2-0
at Lithuania 1-0
Czech Republic 2-2
at Georgia 1-1
at Romania 3-2
Lithuania 4-0
Azerbaijan 4-0
at Czech Republic
(6-4-0, 22pts, won Group 1of UEFA Zone)

And a look at the overall draw:

---Group A
Russia
New Zealand
Romania
Mexico

---Group B
Serbia
Croatia
Paraguay
Algeria

---Group C
Brazil
Holland
Ghana
Japan

---Group D
Portugal
Colombia
Italy
Bahrain

---Group E
Germany
Cameroon
Montenegro
United States

---Group F
Argentina
China
Switzerland
Morocco

---Group G
Sweden
South Korea
Nigeria
Uruguay

---Group H
Spain
Ecuador
France
Costa Rica

2014 Paulista League

Palmeiras
---Campeonato Paulista
We were able to relatively easily retain our São Paulo state championship. First, we tore through the league stage, winning all 19 matches and outscoring the opposition 55-7.

In the semifinal, we drew 1-1 at Corinthians but easily drubbed the rivals in the home leg 4-0, thanks to a Ciro hat trick.

We faced São Paulo in the final. The first leg was again away, and we were able to steal a hard fought 1-0 victory thanks to an 86th minute Ciro goal. In the home leg, Roni and Ciro each scored for a 2-1 win, sealing a 3-1 aggregate victory and giving us the trophy.

Ciro was the Top Goalscorer with 19 goals, and also won his second Best Player Award in three years. His strike partner Adílson won the Young Player of the Year award, making him the third consecutive Palmeiras player to bring win it (Ciro in 2012, Marquinhos in 2013). Sandro Silva's strike against Guaratinguetá won the Goal of the Year. The following players were named to the Team of the Year:
GK: Renan Ribeiro
DC: Marício Ramos
MC: Neymar
ST: Ciro

---Copa Santander Libertadores
The group stage provided little challenge for us, winning 5 and drawing once to win the group with a 16-2 scoring differential. Our only blemish was a scoreless draw at rival Corinthians, who we beat 3-0 in the return fixture at home.

In the second round we were drawn against Peruvian club Alianza Lima. It looked like we were going to coast after leading 2-0 in the first leg away, but Alianza got one back in the 70th to make 2-1 coming home. All drama was removed from the tie in the first half, when we scored 4 goals in the first half hour and led 4-1 at the half. That score held up and we advanced 6-2 on aggregate.

Our quarterfinal opponent will be fellow Brazilian club Vitória.

Algeria
Not much to report on just yet. We did play a friendly at Norway, an easy 4-0 victory. Rafik Halliche bagged a brace, and Rafik Djebbour and Feham Bouazza each added goals in the warmup friendly. We'll play Uruguay in a friendly days before we open World Cup play against Paraguay.

We did occupy the #10 World Ranking for a couple of months before dropping down to #11, which is where we currently sit.

African Champions Again

Algeria
Despite taking a mix of young and fringe players, we were able to once again lift the CAF Cup of Nations trophy in the 2014 edition. Here's a quick summary.

In the group stage, we played our strongest opponents first in Tunisia and Senegal. Both ended in scoreless draws so we needed a win against Burkina Faso in our final group match to advance. It wasn't easy, as the two teams traded goals but we were able to emerge 5-3 winners to win the group.

Winning the group turned out to be important as it gave us a much easier draw. In the quarterfinal, instead of playing Egypt we got DR Congo. DR Congo turned out to be a spirited opponent and we had to earn our 2-1 win.

In the semifinal, we met Ivory Coast. CIV also brought a depleted squad. After regular time couldn't settle a 1-1 scoreline, we scored goals in the 107th and 119th minute to eliminate the Elephants 3-1.

In the final, we got our nemesis Morocco. Our rivals survived a group with Ivory Coast and Nigeria, and then defeated Cameroon and Egypt to earn their way to the final. Abdelkader Ghezzal broke the gridlock in the 59th minute, and it would be all we needed to win the tournament by a 1-0 score.

It was a bit of a shallow victory given the relative lack of competition we faced compared to the 2012 victory but we're not going to give it back and it wasn't exactly easy.

Next up is friendlies against Norway and Uruguay before we open World Cup play against Paraguay.

Palmeiras
We have three cups to defend this season, the State Championship, Serié A, and the Copa Libertadores. Here's a look at the squad for 2014:

---Goleiros
Renan Ribeiro (BRA)
Santos (BRA)

---Zaguiros
Maurício Ramos (BRA) 28
Jeci (BRA) 33
Rafael (BRA) 18
Franco Rodríguez (CHI) 18
Roni (BRA) 17

---Laterais
Fágner (BRA) 24
Leandro Grimi (ARG) 29
Gabriel Silva (BRA) 29
Rafael (BRA) 17

---Volantes
Souza (BRA) 25
Sandro Silva (BRA) 29
Anselmo (BRA) 25
Fernando (BRA) 22

---Meias
Cleiton Xavier (BRA) 30
Rodrigo Dantas (BRA) 24
Gabriel Pimba (BRA) 23
Artur (BRA) 16
Marquinhos (BRA) 24

---Atacantes
Ciro (BRA) 24
Neymar (BRA) 22
Adílson (BRA) 18
Fabinho (BRA) 18
Maikon Leite (BRA) 25

As you can tell the squad has gotten a lot younger. The club is not in financial crisis but I am trying to to improve the financial situation by selling the higher salary veterans and purchasing young players with hopefully high potential for the future.

We have learned our group for the Copa Libertadores. We've been drawn in group G with Olimpia (PAR), LDU de Quito (ECU), and São Paulo state rivals Corinthians. We should be able to advance from that group with ease, even if we did drop both matches to Corinthians.

2013: Conquering the world... almost.

It was a successful year with our share of hardware to show for it, but we also had some close calls. Let's begin with how the year finished up with Algeria

Algeria
After a monumental 3rd place finish in the Confederations Cup, there was still work to be done as we worked toward finishing the job in qualifying for Brazil 2014.

After a 6-0 run out over Syria, the key stretch of qualifying began. First, at chief rivals Senegal. Karim Ziani's 58th minute goal was good enough for a 1-1 draw and a very big point on the road.

Next was a visit to Angola. Said Zitouni made a huge impression in only his second cap, netting a hat trick in the 3-1 victory. Zitouni is a big prospect up front and he spurned his home country of France to join our setup. After that performance, it will be hard to keep him out of the squad.

Finally, Senegal returned for our second match of the qualifying round. With only lowly Libya left on the schedule and a 2 point lead over Senegal in the table, a draw would likely have been good enough. Senegal jumped out ahead 1-0 in the 27th minute with a strike by Zargo Toure and looked to spoil what was an amazing cycle. But Amine Linganzi (55) and my former club player Feham Bouazza (75) each scored and we held on for the 2-1 comeback victory and clinched qualification.

After the win, it was time to begin looking for players for the 23-man World Cup squad. Despite playing a primarily inexperienced squad, it was team staples Rafik Djebbour (41, 86) and Sofiane Hanni (52) who stole the glory in a 4-0 walk over Libya in the final qualifier.

We won our qualifying group by 5 points, with 5 wins and a draw, 18 goals scored to 3 goals against. Libya actually finished third with 4 points thanks to shock 1-0 win over Angola, who pulled up the rear with only 3.

In our final match of the year, a friendly against arch-rival Morocco, Abdelkader Ghezzal (18) and Karim Ziani (25) scored to open up a 2-0 lead. It wouldn't last, however, as Morocco equalized before the half and no one scored in the second half and it ended 2-2.

Our business with Senegal isn't finished, as were drawn together in Group C of the CAF Cup of Nations in January. Our other opponents in the pool are Tunisia and Burkina Faso. After winning the ACN in 2012, we are looking to defend our title. It will also give us a chance to evaluate players in selecting the World Cup squad.

Speaking of the World Cup squad, we learned our draw. It's a pretty favorable one with all things considered. In order, our Group B opponents will be Paraguay, Serbia, and Croatia. In order to prepare, we scheduled a friendly at Norway, and fellow qualifier Uruguay a week before the tournament begins.

Palmeiras
--Campeonato Brasileiro Serié A
Very successful season in the domestic league. At times we struggled to find the net, but hit our stride and ended up with a league leading 65 goals scored and only surrendered 18, second best. We won the league with 101 points (32W-5D-1L), 26 clear of last years champion Cruzeiro.

We won several awards, starting with my Manager of the Year trophy. The others: Goalkeeper of the Year-Renan Ribeiro
Central Defender of the Year-Marício Ramos
Striker of the Year-Ciro, Best Player-Ciro
Player of the Year-Marício Ramos
Young Player of the Year-Rafael

We had 4 players in the team of the Year:
GK: Renan Ribeiro
DC: Marício Ramos
MC: Cleiton Xavier
ST: Ciro

--Club World Cup
Winning the Copa Libertadores qualified us for the FIFA Club World Cup against the winners of other continental competitions. We were drawn strait into the quarterfinals against Chivas, who won the CONCACAF Champions League. Two first half goals from Ciro was enough to overcome a late effort by the Goats, and we advanced with a 2-1 victory.

In the final we met UEFA Champions League winners Juventus. Outmatched by the Italian club in pretty much every way, we hung with them stride for stride. Gabriel Silva scored in the 18th, equalizing after an own goal by Renan Ribeiro in the 11th. The score was level for most of the match with both sides having some good chances, but Romelu Lukaku scored the eventual winner for Juve in the 71st, and we lost 2-1 in the final. Still, a spirited effort to build on for next season.

The squad will probably be pretty different next year as we make the move toward younger players. Much of the transfer budget this year was spent on signing young, 15-18 year olds for the future. It probably means we'll take a hit next year but reap the benefits beyond, if I don't get sacked.

Hall of Fame Run

Had success with both club and country. Let's start with Algeria in this post, just to change things up.

Confederations Cup
Went into this group not expecting a whole lot. We felt like we could get points off South Korea, but getting anything against the host (Brazil) and the current world champions (Russia) was unlikely. So I went in with a plan to at least get everyone on the pitch for at least one match, save for one goalkeeper. The first team would play the first and third matches (Brazil and Russia), and the second team would run out against Korea.

Against Brazil, it didn't take long for the hosts to remove the drama. Alípio would find the net in the 11th and 21st minute, but graciously waited until the 49th to complete his hat trick. Abdelkader Ghezzal would score a consolation goal in the 79th, but we crumpled to a 3-1 defeat in the first match.

Things went a little better for the second teamers against South Korea. We knocked on the door for the first 45 minutes, but we were not allowed in the net until the first minute of first half stoppage when Idir Quali used his pace to get through and open our account. Farid Derouaz added some insurance with a spot kick in the 83rd. Korea would get one back in the 90th, but we held on for all 3 points in a 2-1 win.

Like us, Russia split the first two games but they had a 1 goal lead in the differential. So we had to win to advance. Abdelkader Ghezzal would shock the Ruskies in the second minute, heading in a cross and we had a ball game. From there on Russia would pound on our defense. It was like a firing range, and our keeper was called upon often. Fawzi Chaouchi was given a 9.5 rating for his efforts between the sticks. Finally, in the 80th minute, we caught a break when Chezzal was fouled in the area and Hassan Yebda cooly slotted home the penalty for the killer goal. We completed the 2-0 win and Chaouchi etched his place in Algerian lore with a heroic effort. Playing a fresh squad against Korea helped us out as we were less fatigued for this match than Russia.

In the semifinal we met Argentina. I had to make a tough decision before this match. Continue the all out/in rotation or play a tired squad. I decided to rotate the players, except for the Chaouchi. The second team had earned a shot at this with their effort against South Korea. Also, win or lose, we were looking at either Germany or Brazil again next, so I wanted to have a fresh squad for that one as well. It looked like the strategy had paid off, as we forced extra time after 90 minutes of scoreless football. We would go into the second overtime period, and I had waited until then to make my substitutions. I got all the players I wanted in for the shootout, but sadly the dreams crashed when Sergio Agüero scored in the 111th minute. Then, that ogre Carlos Tevez unplugged our life support with a second in the 115th. A tough pill to swallow. Once again, Chaouchi put in an outstanding effort, and was indeed named man of the match. But late dramatics by a superior team diminished it and we would be reduced to the third place game.

Brazil, after having bowed out to the Germans in the other semifinal on an extra time goal themselves, sacked their manager and so I guess they were coaching themselves. There was no reason for me to believe we could reverse the result from the first match, a 3-1 Brazil victory. The only difference between now and then was that we were in better match condition. Not sure why, perhaps because of fitness, but this match was much more even than Russia and Argentina. In those, we were bombarded for the most part but in this match against Brazil we were holding our own, limiting their chances and creating some of our own. In fact, in the 47th minute, Sofiane Hanni found himself on the flank all alone with the ball, which he crossed to the far post where was in open space for the finish and a 1-0 lead. Brazil's situation went from bad to worse when Luisão was sent off in the 70th with his second yellow. Brazil, desperate to equalize, sent their keeper Julio Cesar up on a corner kick in the second minute of stoppage. They failed to convert and the ball was hoofed up to Sofiane Hanni who passed the ball into the open net and Algeria shocked Brazil and the world for third place in the Confederations Cup.

Germany defeated Argentina in the final, 2-0, and Carlos Tevez got what he deserved with a red card in the 24th. Algeria didn't win any awards, but certainly helped Alípio win the top goalscorer, as we allowed 3 of his 4 goals. The best player award went to Agüero, no doubt in part thanks to his goal against us. I don't know what kind of tournament Germany's René Adler had, but it must have been incredible to beat out Chaouchi. Our keeper had ratings of 7.3 (vBrazil), 9.5 (vRussia), 8.7 (v Argentina), and 6.9 (vBrazil). I guess he was hurt by not playing against South Korea and Brazil too fatigued to test him in the second match. He was man of the match twice.

I went and looked this up, Adler had a very average tournament by comparison, this was a grave injustice. His ratings were: 6.9 (New Zealand 4-1), 7.0 (USA 2-0), 7.2 (Argentina 0-2), 6.7 (Brazil 2-1e), 6.9 (Argentina 2-0). Oh well, Sepp Blatter probably made the decision himself.

Copa Santander Libertadores
In the semifinal, my Palmeiras squad was paired off against Cruzeiro, the side who were able to hold off my late season charge in the league last year. The first leg was at home, and we took full advantage, banging three set piece goals, all by Maurício and took a big 3-0 advantage on the road with us. Cruzeiro made things a little nervous for us in the 12th minute when Wendell closed the gap to 3-1, but Ciro and Maurício Ramos scored goals in the 30th and 86th to make it a dominating 5-1 aggregate scoreline.

In the final, we drew Argentine powerhouse River Plate. We played the first leg at home, and thanks to some time off in the league schedule I was able to field a fully fit first team squad. We played pretty well, and Ciro sandwich his brace around a River goal by Cristian Fabbiani and so heading to Argentina, we were up 2-1. A lot of tense moments in the return leg. We created many more chances than the Argentinians, but struggled to finish them. Leonardo (no, not the evil nemesis of Tab Ramos) scored a goal for the dark side in the 23rd minute. On this day, our finishers would shine in stoppage time. Ciro got a goal in the second minute of first half stoppage to regain our aggregate lead 3-2. But River would fight back, leveling the score in the 75th on a strike from Lucio Iribarrern. We looked destined for penalties at that point, until Maurício Ramos headed in a set piece in the third minute of stoppage time and became the hero, winning the tie and the cup, 4-3 on aggregate.

Meia Cleiton Xavier won the award for best player of the tournament. He only scored one goal but had a staggering 11 assists. The golden boot went to Cruzeiro's Kléber, who had 15 goals. We had two players named to the Dream Team, Cleiton Xavier (M) and Renan Ribeiro (GK).

Campeonato Brasileiro da Série A
We've only played 7 matches so far, but 4 wins and 3 draws, while not a great start, is enough to have is a logjam tie for second, 1 point adrift. We have a game in hand on every club in the league except Náutico, who lie in 14th place. Now that continental play is over, we can focus our attention here and hopefully improve our form.

By the way, the win in the Copa Libertadores officially put me to the top of the American managers hall of fame, hence the title of the post.

Campeonato Paulista Champions

State Championship of São Paulo
In Brazil, the national league is only about 40 years old. Before 1971, the clubs were all divided up into State (regional) Leagues. This was due to travel reasons, considering the size the country and the costs of nationwide commuting for clubs at the time. These leagues are still contested during the early portion of the year, and some of them are quite significant, including the Paulista League, or the Paulistão, where Palmeiras competes. The other major clubs in the competition are São Paulo, Santos, and Corinthians.

During the league portion we managed to escape without a blemish, winning 17 games and drawing 2 with a goal difference of 57-4 (+53).

In the semifinal against Santos, we drew 2-2 away on goals by Mauricio Ramos and Leandro Grimi. Back at home, Ciro scored the only goal and we advanced 3-2 on aggregate.

At Corinthians in the first leg of the final, Ciro gave us a 1-0 lead in the 24th. It looked like it would hold up until Wilson scored the equalizer and we would be going home level at 1. In the home leg, we took Corinthians apart in a 4-1 victory. Cleiton Xavier bagged a brace, and Luis Felipe and Ciro netted themselves goals in the romp.

Marquinhos won the award for Best Player, and also Young Player of the Year. Ciro was actually tied for most goals with 13, but it went to the other player apparently based on highest rating. The team won the fair play award, and we had seven players named to the Team of the Year. They are: Maricio Ramos (D), Mauricio (D), Rodrigo Dantas (M), Marquinhos (M), Cleiton Xavier (M), Ciro (F), Neymar (F).

Copa Santander Libertadores
We were drawn in Group G with Veracruz (MEX), Bolivar (BOL), and Trujillanos FC (VEN). We won the group despite drawing both matches against Veracruz. We outscored the opponents we faced 21-2.

In the second round we were paired with San Lorenzo (ARG). Fixture congestion was becoming an issue at this point, as we had to basically field two squads, one for the State Championship and one for the Copa Libertadores. The first leg in Argentina ended in a 0-0 draw, and back Obina's goal in the 26th was enough to push us through to the quarterfinal.

The quarterfinal would be against fellow Brazilian club Internacional. The first leg was at home, and it looked as though Inter would set themselves up beautifully with a goal just before the half. Obina would salvage a draw with a late equalizer in the 84th. We had plenty of chances in the final moments to grab the winner but we had to settle for a 1-1 score heading to Inter.

For the second leg, our first team was pretty much fully fit and ready to go, while Inter played a squad of players going mostly on short rest. The fitness advantage showed early, with three goals in the first half hour by Mauricio Ramos (13), Neymar (15), and Ciro (28). Just for good measure, Rodrigo Dantas added a strike in the 79th to put the exclamation point on a 5-1 victory. We advance to play our nemesis Cruzeiro in the semifinal.

Algeria
Only one match to report, a 4-0 win over Libya. Abdelkader Ghezzal scored a hat trick and Sofiane Feghouli added a goal as well. The 3 points has us tied atop the world cup qualifying group with Senegal, who thrashed Angola 4-1.

In my next post I should have played the Confederations Cup and at least one more qualifier.

2013: Preseason Report

The preseason is over, it's time to begin the Campeonato Paulista, the state championship of São Paulo. In Brazil, the state championships are very important. To many fans, they are still more important than the national league. Since the national league started only less than 40 years ago, many state championship competitions have more history to them.

And no state championship is more competitive than São Paulo. In it you've got big time clubs like São Paulo, Corinthians, Santos, Ponte Preta, Portuguesa, Guarani, and of course, Palmeiras.

So let's have a look at the squad for this season. Starting players will be listed first.

Goleiros
Marcos (BRA) 39
Claudio (BRA) 17

Zagueiros
Mauricio Ramos (BRA) 27
Jose Ceballos (ARG) 20
Jhon Hurtado (COL) 28
Mauricio (BRA) 24

Laterais
Fagner (BRA) 23
Leandro Grimi (ARG) 27
Luis Felipe (BRA) 21
Gabriel Silva (BRA) 21

Volantes
Souza (BRA) 24
Pierre (BRA) 30
Sandor Silva (BRA) 28
Anselmo (BRA) 23
Gualberto (BRA) 22

Meias
Rodrigo Dantas (BRA) 23
Gabriel Pimba (BRA) 22
Cleiton Xavier (BRA) 29
Camilo (BRA) 26

Atacante
Ciro (BRA) 23
Neymar (BRA) 20
Marquinhos (BRA) 23
Obina (BRA) 29
Robert (BRA) 31
Adilson (BRA) 17

My Brazilian 4-4-2 System

I've put together a file that contains my tactical system, training schedules, and a detailed pdf file I wrote that describes the Brazilian style.

You can download it here.

So Close

Palmeiras
Things went just about as well as they could in our final quarter of the season, as finished one point behind league champions Cruzeiro. Finishing second after sitting in fifth place when I arrived is pretty good and now we look to build on that for next season.

The entire transfer budget has been used on one player, Neymar, and AM/F from Fluminense. The 20 year old is a big prospect and will join the club on 1 January 2013.

One place we definitely need to upgrade is at goalkeeper. Legendary Marcos is putting his signature on a proud career that has seen World Cup, Confederations Cup, and Copa Libertadores glory, but he is 39 years and his skills are eroding. It's time to think of the future. With no real prospects in the reserves or youth I'll have to look to free transfer to fill the gap until I get some transfer money.

Algeria
The Confederations Cup group stages have been drawn, and look like this:

--Group A
Argentina
Germany
New Zealand
United States

--Group B
Algeria
Brazil
Russia
South Korea

We open against the hosts Brazil, then play South Korea and defending World Cup champions Russia. It's a difficult group, but not insurmountable.

My Football Manager CV
At this time I'd like to recommend a new site I have stumbled upon. The address is http://www.myfmcv.com/

This site is an achievements database that allows you to track the trophies you've won in your FM save and creates a handy little signature for you that you can use on various forums. Here is my current signature generated by the site:

MyFMCV was created by Caleyjag, the founder of the popular FM site sortitoutsi.net (Susie). Your achievements are ranked against other members of the site as well, if you're interested in seeing how well you stack up against other FM gamers. In my opinion it's a brilliant idea that adds some enjoyment to playing the game.

Farewell Philadelphia

After four-plus seasons with the Philadelphia Union, I have decided it's time to move on. Before we discuss the new job, let's look at how my final season with the Zolos was playing out.

CONCACAF Champions League
The final draw saw us paired with Club America. In the first leg in Mexico, Michael Adeyinka gave us a 1-0 lead in the 26th minute. America would equalize in the 60th to salvage a draw, but a 1-1 result was positive for us. Back in Philly for the second leg, Juan de Dios Rodriguez struck first in the 28th on a set piece. However, just out of the locker room after halftime America would put us back on level terms in the game and on aggregate with a strike in the 47th. But Felix Garcia put the team on his back and would bag a brace with goals in the 56th and 77th to help us win our first CONCACAF Champions League title with a 4-2 aggregate victory.

Group play for the 2012/13 competition started and we were drawn in Group B with Toronto FC (CAN), Atlas (MEX), and Alianza FC (PAN). Results were going our way, with three wins and a draw from four matches played. We beat Toronto FC 3-1 at home and 3-0 away. We played Atlas to a scoreless draw in Mexico, and pounded Alianza 5-0 at home.

SuperLiga
We drawn in group A with Puebla, Club America, and Real Salt Lake. We won at RSL 2-1, 4-1 at home against Club America, and 2-1 over Puebla in Foxboro to take maximum points. Our semifinal opponent was MLS outfit Kansas City Wizards. They never stood a chance, as we were up 3-0 only 15 minutes into the affair. The final score was 6-0 and we were headed to the final for the second year in a row to play Club America at RFK Stadium in Washington, DC. As he did in the Champions League final, Felix Garcia cemented his legend as Club America-killer, netting a hat trick in our 4-0 win. Garcia scored twice in the Champions League final, twice in the SuperLiga group match against Club America, and three goals in the final for a total of seven goals in 3 matches against the Mexican giants.

US Open Cup
After a 2-0 win over Miami FC in the third round, we crashed out of this tournament again, this time in the quarterfinals against Chicago on penalties after a 1-1 draw in regulation.

Major League Soccer
We were nearing the end of the MLS season, with only 3 matches to play. Fixture congestion and an inability to find the net at times were creating some problems, but we had locked up the Supporters Shield and the #1 seed in the Western Conference with 19 wins, 8 draws, and 0 losses. We scored 53 goals to only 13 against for a +40 goal differential. With 65 points, we were 17 clear off the Colorado Rapids who had the second best MLS mark.

I was glad to find out that my assistant Sidnei Lobo will take over my former post as manager with the Union. Although several coaches and staff followed me out the door, the continuity of playing the same style of soccer should help soften the blow of my departure.

Headed South
After turning down offers from Euro clubs that were probably better, Palmeiras in Brazil came calling. Managing in Brazil is a unique challenge in that there is a much higher number of quality clubs that can realistically compete for trophies than say, in England, Italy, or Spain where you typically can expect one of 3-4 teams to be at the top. In that way it's very similar to MLS except it does not have the same restrictions.

Looking at the club, the potential to win is there. They have top training facilities and a state-of-the art youth academy. The Arena Palestra Italia is a 45,000 seater built in 2010 and in very good condition. When the World Cup comes to Brazil in 2014, I would not be surprised if we didn't host some of the games. They have not won the league since 1994, but they finished runner-up in 2010 and are four-time champions overall. I'll have a $14 million transfer budget to work with, which should help bring a couple of players to strengthen the squad for the future.

The staff is a little heavy on goalkeeper coaches (4), but overall is good and I can work with them. I don't see any that I will be sacking outright, but I may pass on a couple of guys when their contract comes up. My assistant manager Tata also believes in the 4-2-2-2 and seems good, albeit a little old (59).

The squad itself is pretty good. We're having some injury problems but they sit in fifth place right now so the cupboard isn't bare. We should be able to hit the ground running with these guys. One interesting note is that I'm being reunited with Ciro, the striker who scored 33 goals in 79 appearances over 3 years for me at Philadelphia. He's injured right now, but he should be training again in a week or so, so I look forward to seeing what he can do against Brasileirão competition.

With 10 games left to play and 13 points adrift from the top, winning the league is probably an unrealistic goal. However, climbing into the top 4 to earn an automatic spot into next years Copa Santander Libertadores group stage is certainly within our grasp.

Algeria
I will remain with Algeria as we move toward qualifying for the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil. We took the momentum of winning the Cup of Nations into qualifying and easily swept through the second round, taking maximum points from our group. Our draw for the third stage is a tough one, with Angola, Senegal, and Libya. We have to win the group to qualify, so 2013 is going to be a big year for us with the Confederations Cup also on the slate.

The nations that we can expect to see in Brazil for the Confed Cup are; Brazil (hosts), Russia (World Cup winners), Germany (UEFA winners), Argentina (CONMEBOL qualifiers), South Korea (AFC winners), United States (CONCACAF winners), and New Zealand (OFC winners). Mexico won the Copa America, but should be ineligible for the CONMEBOL berth which would go to Argentina who were runners-up. But I guess FM may let Mexico in, so we may see El Tri instead of Argentina.

2012: Preseason Report

Another offseason of change for the Union, but a core group of players remains as we begin our 2012 campaign.

Roster
---Goleiros
Bill Samid (USA)
Chris Seitz (USA)

---Zagueiros
Gale Agbossoumonde (USA)
Lucas Galdino (BRA)
Georgi Bonev (BUL)
Jon Bradley (USA)

---Laterais
Marvell Wynne (USA)
Jesús Zavala (USA)
Darren Johnson (USA)
Quavas Kirk (USA)

---Volante
Renan (BRA)
Fethi Trabelsi (TUN)
Danny Beckerman (USA)
Carlos Álvarez Cuevas (USA)

---Meias
Erik Flores (BRA)
Tales (BRA)
Michael Adeyinka (NGA)
Phil Smith (USA)
Carlos Torres (USA)

---Atacante
Michael Chidi Alozi (NGA)
Felix Garcia (USA)
Juan de Dios Rodríguez (USA)
Eric Williams (USA)

---Players out on loan
GK: Carlos Balderas (USA) - Philadelphia Academt
D L: Robert Osorio (USA) - Minnesota
DM, M C: George Roundtree (USA) - Minnesota
DM, M C: Franceso Tomasoni (USA) - Minnesota
M C: Joey Hunt (USA) - Minnesota
M C: Dan Moore (USA) - Minnesota
AM RC: Warren Santana (USA) - Minnesota
AM/F C: Carlos Fisher (USA) - Minnesota
AM/F C: Michael Hodgson (USA) - Minnesota
ST: Jose Barbosa (BRA) - Minnesota
ST: Mark Bryant (USA) - Minnesota
ST: Carlos Richards (USA) - Minnesota
ST: Andy Moore (USA) - Minnesota

Transfers Out
The biggest loss was probably Ciro. The striker who was my first big signing was sold to Palmerias. Danny Szetela was sold to FC Nantes. Dax McCarty (Chicago Fire) and Bobby Boswell (FC Dallas) were key contributors who were traded away in favor of draft picks. Youness Mokhtar and Daniel Stahl (Seattle Sounders FC), and Chris George (Columbus Crew) were traded for other players. Chance Myers' contract expired and he signed with ADO Den Haag. Sebastien Nayar's contract expired, and he is currently without a club.

Transfers In
Jesús Zavala (Real Salt Lake), Phil Smith (Seattle Sounders FC), and Eric Williams (Columbus Crew) were all brought in via trade. Renan (Atético Paranaense), Erick Flores (Flamengo), and Tales (Internacional) were all purchased from clubs in Brazil. Thanks to trades, we were able to bring in some quality prospects in the draft. George Rowntree, Mark Bryant, Robert Osorio, Michael Hodgson, and Chris Fisher were all drafted and immediately sent out on loan to Minnesota.

Squad Analysis
Bill Hamid looks to have developed into a top notch MLS keeper and he will now be the #1 choice over Chris Seitz. We have transfer listed Seitz but so far have had no takers.

Bobby Boswell's departure leaves a gap in the center of the defense. Gale Agboussoumonde has one spot locked down, with foreigners Lucas Galdino and Georgi Bonev competing for the second spot. Jon Bradley is a young player who will see significant time also.

At Volante, we purchased Renan from Brazil and he and Fethi Trabelsi will be the first team players there. Renan is the more defensive of the two while Fethi is more the playmaker. Danny Beckerman and Carlos Àlvarez Cuevas are young players who will see time. Beckerman has really developed into a nice player and is the primary backup.

In the attacking midfield, Michael Adeyinka returns. His primary partners will be Tales and Erick Flores, creative Brazilians purchased in the offseason. Carlos Torres returns and Phil Smith is an exciting prospect brought in from Seattle. This is by far our deepest position.

Up front, Michael Chidi Alozi looks to build o his stellar first season with Philadelphia. Three players will vie to replace the departed Ciro. Juan de Dios Rodríguez is the incumbent and has good aerial ability. Felix Garcia comes off loan and hopes to show what he learned at Minnesota. And Eric Williams is a speedster who was acquired from Columbus.

Pan-Pacific Championship
Once again we won this competition, defeating F Marinos and Shandong both by a score of 3-1. The victory makes it 3 for 3 for the Union in the Pan-Pacific Championship.

CONCACAF Champions League
In the knockout stages now. Our quarterfinal opponent was Mexico powerhouse Pachuca. The first leg in Pachuca was a hard fought draw that saw us have the better chances but were ultimately unable to put them away. We finally were able to find the net in the 50th minute of the home leg, a set piece goal by Michael Adeyinka. It was all we needed and we were off to the semifinals with a 1-0 victory.

Our semifinal pairing was against fellow MLS outfit New England Revolution. In the first leg at home, Pat Phelan of the Revs made us nervous with his 22nd minute goal. However, Phil Smith (29) and Michael Chidi Alozi (76) came to our rescue and we won the leg 2-1. At New England, we again found ourselves having trouble finding the net, but still held on to our 2-1 lead by keeping New England out of our goal for the 90 minute tie. Our troubles in front of the opposition net could be down to missing Ciro.

We don't know who our opponents in the final will be, but the other semifinal pairing is Pumas (MEX) and Club America (MEX).

Algeria
After a qualifying campaign that was spread out over two years, it was finally time for the African Cup of Nations in Gabon. We are trying to return the Cup to Algeria, whose only other championship was in 1990.

The group stages were far more difficult than we wanted them to be. In the opener against Gambia, we found ourselves down 1-0 after only 3 minutes. The squad fought back, and we scored three consecutive goals. Gambia would get one back but we held on for a 3-2 win and all the points. We met arch-rivals Morocco in the second fixture, and had a 2-1 lead late. But Nabil Baha scored an 84th minute equalizer and we had to settle for the draw. Our final group match against Mali was a little easier going, and Abdelkader Ghezzal scored a hat trick in the 3-1 victory that helped us win the group.

In the quarterfinal we found ourselves with a monumental task in the Ivory Coast. We bunkered in from the kickoff and in the 7th minute, Hassan Yebda scored on a corner kick to give us a surprise 1-0 lead. Didier Drogba put CIV on level terms with a nice strike in the 33rd. The match looked destined for penalties, with both teams struggling to find space. But Karim Ziani made a nice diagonal run in the 82nd minute and scored the winner for Algeria.

After the surprise win in the round of eight, our semifinal opponent was South Africa. This time former Union player Feham Bouazza opened our account with a goal in the 15th. South Africa would tie the score in the 51st and once again, this match had shootout written all over it. But Rafik Halliche with yet another set piece goal in the 90th minute sealed the dramatic victory and we were off to the final.

In the final, we met another African powerhouse in Ghana. This one would be one for the Cup of Nations ages. Prince Tagoe of Ghana would put the favorites in front in the 33rd minute, and Nana Asare scored a second six minutes later. Idir Ouali netted an important goal just before the half to keep us in the game. It wouldnt be long after emerging from the changing room that Ouali would score the equalizer and we had a whole new ball game. It looked like we might be in trouble when Abdelkader Ghezzal went down with an injury, but his replacement Sofiane Hanni would give Algeria the lead in the 51st minute. Ghana wasn't going to stay down for long though, and Iliasu Shilla found the back of the jar in the 56th and we were all tied up once again. Hanni etched his name in Algerian legend 10 minutes later when he made a run down the center of the pitch and got onto the end of a Rafik Djebbour cross to complete a wild 33 minutes of football that saw 7 goals scored. Ghana's magic ran out and Algeria held on for a 4-3 victory from a fantastic match.

With the historic victory, Algeria now turns it's attention to World Cup qualifying. We play Central African Republic, Zambia, and Liberia twice each before the end of the year. The winner of the group advances, with 8 of the 12 runner ups also advancing to the third round of qualifying. There are two friendly calendar dates later in the year that we intend to fill, but we are waiting to see who will be available as I would like to go outside of the continent as we prepare ourselves for what will hopefully be World Cup competition.

MLS CUP CHAMPIONS, AGAIN!

Another Championship run.

Western Conference Semifinals: D.C. United
The first game at RFK was a hard fought affair, with most of our first team out regaining fitness from the Champions League match. We controlled things for the most part, and Juan de Dios Rodriguez scored the only goal in the 34th minute and we took a 1-0 lead back to Philly.

Back at home we sat back and countered as United threw players forward. Michael Chidi Alozi broke through in the 28th and gave us a 2-0 lead. DC United's Dehan Jakovic was sent off 6 minutes later for a cynical foul, and that pretty much removed all doubt. Alozi added a second in the 90th minute and we advanced 3-0 on aggregate.

Western Conference Final: v. San Jose Earthquakes
For third year in a row we would face the San Jose Earthquakes with a trip to the MLS Cup final on the line. We were in control of this one from the opening kick. Alozi scored in the 4th minute and San Jose never looked dangerous. Ciro killed the game with a goal in the 73rd minute and we advanced 2-0.

MLS Cup Final: at Toronto FC
Alozi continued his path of destruction through the MLS playoffs with goals in the 20th and 24th minute, giving him 5 in his 3 post season appearances. Juan Pablo Rodriguez got one back for TFC in 32nd minute and the Reds were back in the game. It only took 4 minutes for us to regain our 2 goal lead, with Michael Adeyinka putting away a rebound. That would be all that was needed and we hoisted the cup again with a 3-1 victory.

Job Offers
Lazio and West Ham both offered me the manager roles at their clubs, and i was also rumored to be a candidate for the Sevilla position. I considered Lazio strongly, but in the end I decided to stay put. I've put together a solid squad and I thin we have a real chance in the Champions League this spring. I'm not ready to leave just yet.

Algeria
Defeated Canada 3-1 in the last fixture of 2011. Rafik Djebbour's 2 goals and a strike from Rafik Halliche on a set piece was enough to overcome Iain Hume's goal just before the half. Our record for the 2011 calendar year was 8-1-0.

We learned of our group draws for both the Cup of Nations and World Cup qualifying for 2014 Brazil. Gambia, Morocco, and Mali will be our Group B opponents in Gabon for the Cup of nations. For the second round of CAF World Cup Qualifying, we have been drawn in Group 9 with Central Afircan Republic, Liberia, and Zambia. We like our chances to advance from both of those groups.

2011 Regular Season Report

Didn't exactly race to the finish line in league play, but still got a lot accomplished.

SuperLiga
We coasted through this competition, winning all 5 games by a combined score of 10-0. Michael Chidi Alozi bagged a brace in the final, a 2-0 win over Colorado Rapids. Alozi also had the only goal in the first minute of another revenge match against Chivas.

US Open Cup
We finally brought this trophy home in our third attempt. A 2-1 win against Chicago and a 3-1 extra time victory over Austin Aztex setup an epic clash against Seattle Sounders FC. Michael Chidi Alozi and Roger Levesque of Seattle traded goals until a 90th minute strike from Michael Adeyinka put the lid on a 3-2 Union victory.

MLS
We really struggled toward the end of the year, even losing twice. Our second half record was 7-6-2, a far cry from the 12-3-0 record of the first half. A lot of that can be attributed to the fact we were putting emphasis on other competitions like SuperLiga and the Champions League, but we were able to thanks to how well we played early in the year. Our final record of 19-9-2 was good enough to win the supporters shield by 14 points over Eastern Conference winner Toronto FC.

Our opponent in the Western Conference Semifinal will be D.C. United. Should we advance, we will play the winner Real Salt Lake (#2) and San Jose Earthquakes (#3). The Eastern Conference semifinal sees Toronto FC (#1) paired with New York Red Bulls (#4), who are now managed by USA legend Brian McBride. The other tie is Chicago Fire (#2) vs. Kansas City Wizards (#3).

CONCACAF Champions League
For the second year in a row, we took maximum points from our group. Herediano (CRC) surprisingly took second place in the group over Puebla (MEX) and Victoria (HON).

We opened play with a 2-0 win at home against Victoria. We were aided in that match by an own goal by Rony Pineda, and Ciro finally scored the killer goal in the 84th minute. Alzoi scored two first half goals and we withstood a charge late to hold on to a 2-1 win at Herediano. We ended the first half of a group play with a dramatic 87th minute winner by Ciro at Puebla to put us comfortable atop the group.

At Victoria, we found ourselves level at 1 despite having dominated the match. Dax McCarty came on as a sub and helped ensure the victory we deserved with a goal in the 87th. Herediano offered little resistance in our return match. Goals by Alozi, Bobby Boswell, Michael Adeyinka, and Ciro (2) gave us a 5-0 win. Puebla came to Philly needing all 3 points to advance, but Alozi, Feham Bouazza, and Ciro removed any hope they had of continental glory and they went out with a 3-0 defeat.

Algeria
Since my last update on Algeria, we have qualified for the 2012 African Cup of Nations. After struggling away to Sudan in a 2-1 win, we fared much better at home in a 3-0 win. We used the next 3 friendlies to cap-tie a few players, as well as bring in a couple of naturalized French players into the fold. First was a 1-1 draw against Cameroon Achille Emana stole the victory we deserved with an equalizer in the 4th minute of stoppage time. Rafik Djebbour scored a hat trick in a 3-2 win over Morocco, and Abdelaziz Touati converted a penalty for the only goal in a win over Albania.

After the friendlies, it was time to get down to business against our chief rivals for qualification, Sierra Leone. We only managed a draw at home last year, so we needed to win this game. Sofiane Feghouli scored in the first minute, and that was all we needed for a 1-0 win and a ticket to Gabon for the Cup of Nations.

We would go on to beat Venezuela 2-1 in a friendly, and Lesotho 5-0 in our final qualifier. Later, we will play Canada to wrap up the 2011 calendar.

2011 Midseason Report

Halfway through another season and so far so good. Let's begin with the bad news:

CONCACAF Champions League
In my last post, I had just eliminated Club America to advance to the final against Atlante. The first leg was away. Apparently, my squad were all partying in Cancun because they did not play particularly well. Goals by Gerardo Castillo (pen 4) and Rafael Marquez Lugo (81) meant I had my work cut out for me in the return leg.

In Philadelphia, a 12th minute strike by Feham Bouazza gave us hope. Saul Garcia got it back for Atlante in the 40th, but an own goal by Federico Vilar meant we were still in it. Sadly, in the 68th minute, Chance Myers was shown his second yellow, only a minute after receiving his first (and before I could get his tackling set to easy), and we were a man down needing 2 goals. Clemente Ovalle converted an 87th minute penalty to shut the door on our hopes of a miracle and Atlante won the tournament 4-2 on aggregate.

US Open Cup
Only played 1 match so far, but it was a doosy, against in-state rivals Pittsburgh Riverhounds. A dramatic winner in the final moments of extra time Feham Bouazza gave us a 3-2 victory. Danny Szetela and Daniel Stahl scored the other goals.

Our opponent in the quarterfinal will be Chicago Fire.

Major League Soccer
After 15 games, we are sitting comfortable atop the Western Conference with 12 wins and 3 draws. Our 39 points sees us 15 clear of second place Real Salt Lake, who do have a game in hand.

Michael Chidi Alozi has been everything we hoped for. His 7 goals in 11 league appearances is good for third most. He also has 3 assists. Daniel Stahl is also progressing quite nicely. He has 7 goals in all competitions.

Bill Hamid has been splitting time with Chris Seitz in goal, and is showing signs of brilliance. He has 8 clean sheets in 11 appearances. Seitz is still solid, with 7 shutouts of his own in 14 games.

SuperLiga
Play hasn't begun yet, but we have learned our group draw. We will play Chivas, Monterrey, and New England Revolution in Group A. Group B is Colorado Rapids, Cruz Azul, San Jose Earthquakes, and Toluca.

2011: Preseason Report

The preseason is over, and a new campaign begins for the Philadelphia Union. It was actually a busy preseason for us this year, playing in the Pan-Pacific Championship again and the knockout stages of the CONCACAF Champions League. Let's begin with personnel moves

Transfers
Several players were traded away in the offseason. Among them, key players Peri Marosevic (Real Salt Lake), Heath Pearce (LA Galaxy), Danny O'Rourke (LA Galaxy), Justin Mapp (FC Dallas), Sam Cronin (FC Dallas), and Adrian Peralta (FC Dallas). We also have several new faces. Michael Chidi Alozi (F - BATE) and Michael Douglas (D LC - Atlanta Silverbacks) were purchased. We traded for Chris George (AM RLC - LA Galaxy), Jon Bradley (D C - Real Salt Lake), and Danny Beckerman (DM M C - FC Dallas). Bradley was sent on loan to Minnesota. In the SuperDraft we acquired a couple of interesting prospects in Alfonso Alfaro (AM RLC) and Jose Barbosa (F C, BRA). Both players have been loaned to Minnesota for the season. In the waiver draft we picked up Felix Garcia (F C) and Dax McCarty (DM, AM C).

2011 Philadelphia Union Roster
---Goleiros
Chris Seitz (USA)
Bill Hamid (USA)

---Zaguiros
Bobby Boswell (USA)
Lucas Galdino (BRA)
Gale Agbossoumonde (USA)
Michael Douglas (USA)

---Laterais
Marvell Wynne (USA)
Chance Myers (USA)
Darren Johnson (USA)
Quavas Kirk (USA)

---Volantes
Sebastian Nayar (ARG)
Fethi Trabelsi (TUN)
Danny Szetela (USA)
Dax McCarty (USA)
Danny Beckerman (USA)

---Meias
Michael Adeyinka (NIG)
Feham Bouazza (ALG)
Chris Georgia (USA)
Youness Mokhtar (NED)
Carlos Torres (USA)

---Atacantes
Ciro (BRA)
Michael Chidi Alozi (NIG)
Daniel Stahl (USA)
Juan de Dios Rodriguez (USA)

---Players Loaned Out
GK: Carlos Balderas (USA) - Philadelphia Academy
GK: Jason Gray (USA) - Minnesota
D RC: Scott Pulido (USA) - Minnesota
D C: Phil Wheeldon (USA) - Minnesota
D C: Jon Bradley (USA) - Minnesota
D C: Mario McDonald (USA) - Minnesota
M C: Carlos Alvarez Cuevas (USA) - Minnesota
M C: Francesco Tomasoni (USA) - Philadelphia Academy
AM RC: Alfonso Alfaro (USA) - Minnesota
ST: Israel Sesay (USA) - Minnesota
ST: Jose Barbarosa (BRA) - Minnesota
ST: Felix Garcia (USA) - Minnesota

(Obviously I have problems letting go of prospects /o\ )

Pan-Pacific Championship
It was our second year in a row in this competition, earned by winning MLS. I like playing in it, you get a couple of real but low pressure matches against light competition right when you're trying to get your players ready for the season. In this case it was especially helpful because we had Champions League matches shortly after. In the semifinal, Daniel Stahl scored twice sandwiched around a Feham Bouazza strike en route to a 3-0 win over the Urawa Reds (JPN). The final against Korean outfit Jeonbuk was a little more competitive, but Fethi Trabelsi opened our account in the 24th minute. Daniel Stahl scored his 3rd of the tournament and sealed the deal on a 2-0 victory for the championship.

CONCACAF Champions League
In the quarterfinal, we squared off against fellow MLS club Toronto FC. The first leg away, Pere Marti scored for the Reds in the 42nd minute. It looked like that was destined to be the only goal of the match until Michael Adeyinka came to the rescue in the first minute of stoppage time, heading in a free kick to even the aggregate at 1 heading back to Philly. The action was just as intense at Union Field, but Ciro slotted home a PK in the 49th minute that would be all that was necessary for a 2-1 aggregate win.

The semifinal draw would see us matched up against Mexican giants Club America. The first leg at famed Estadio Azteca in front of 87043 would be eerily similar to the first leg at BMO. We were under heavy pressure for most of the match, and Daniel Montenegro finally broke through for America in the 67th minute, putting us behind 1-0. Once again, stoppage time heroics would save the day, as substitute Juan de Dios Rodriguez found the back of the jar in the third minute of injury time in the run of the play to put us on equal ground for the second leg.

CA came north to Philly needing a goal desperately. After playing on a balmy 64 degrees and sunny day in the first leg, the second leg would be cold and wet at 42 degrees. The first half saw neither team able to do much, with America struggling to break down our organized defense. In the 62nd minute, Bobby Boswell really put Mexico in dire straits by heading in a goal off a corner kick, and Ciro all but turned out the lights by hitting America on a counter attack for a second, and we held on for the 2-0 win, 3-1 on aggregate. The second leg really went by the typical Mexico-USA script. Mexico attacks, USA scores on a set piece, Mexico attacks desperately, USA scores on counter: final score 2-0.

Algeria
Two matches so far in 2011. The first was a home friendly against Somalia that I used to give a few guys their first cap, and cap tie a naturalized French player. Rafik Halliche and Idir Ouali scored for a 2-0 win.

The second was a ACN qualifier at Lesotho. We really didn't play well, but goals by Anthar Yahia and Philadelphia Union player Feham Bouazza (his first international goal) helped us take all 3 points. After the first round of matches, we are tied atop the group with Sierra Leone. Here are the group standings:

1. Algeria 7pts (2-1-0) 4gf-1ga +3gd
1. Sierra Leona 7pts (2-1-0) 4gf-1ga +3gd
3. Sudan 3pts (1-0-2) 5gf-5ga 0gd
4. Lesotho opts (0-0-3) 1gf-7ga -6gd

On June 1, Sudan comes in for a ACN qualifier. We then play a series of friendlies in the summer (Cameroon, Morocco, Albania), before resuming qualifying in September for a crucial match at Sierra Leone. It will likely determine our groups representative in Gabon (African Cup of Nations). After that, we host Venezuela before closing the book on qualifying against Lesotho. We will probably set up one more friendly after the Lesotho match.

2010: MLS CHAMPIONS!

Western Conference Semifinal: Seattle Sounders FC
The team did not play well in either match, but a 2-1 win in the first leg away with goals by Daniel Stahl and Michael Adeyinka was good enough to advance us through. The second leg at home was a 1-1 draw with Ciro netting our only goal for the 3-2 aggregate victory.

Western Conference Final: San Jose Earthquakes
Fethi Trabelsi's 54th minute strike was the only goal in this hard fought match. The Quakes are quickly becoming our competitive rivals, having faced them several times in multiple competitions. This is the second year a row we played for the Conference Championship, both ending in 1 goal victories for the Zolos.

MLS Cup Final: New England Revolution
New England had the better of the first 20 minutes, but Ciro broke through for a goal in the 21st to open the scoring. Michael Adeyinka added his second goal of the playoffs 8 minutes later and we held on for the 2-0 victory and our second consecutive MLS Cup.

Offseason Outlook
Most of our players return for next year. Only 3 contracts expire and they're all young, non-contributors. There will be some decisions to be made, with some contract statuses changing and we're bringing a handful of players in November and January so some players will have to be traded or released. The most exciting acquisition was Michael Chidi Alozi, a Nigerian Striker with very good pace (17). He and Ciro will make an electric partnership. Other notables added were right lateral Quavas Kirk and Goleiro Bill Hamid, both free transfers.

After havin sold Brian Klinger and Carlos Perez to European clubs, we had to pick up Chad Barrett and Daniel Stahl. Stahl is a nice propsect for the future but Barrett will likely be gone before the 2011 season begins. Other players who have probably seen their last game for the Union are Danny O'Rourke and Heath Pearce. Their positions are starting to get a little crowded after we acquired Chance Myers and Darren Johnson, 2 younger players.

Algeria National Team
Sort of up and down results with Algeria. Our Cup of Nations qualifying group was drawn, and we were pooled with Lesotho, Sierra Leone, and Sudan. The results for the end of the year were as follows:
Mexico 0-2 (Friendly)
at Sudan 2-1 (Cup of Nations Qualifier)
at South Africa 0-1 (Friendly)
Sierra Leone 0-0 (Cup of Nations Qualifier)
Libya 2-0 (Friendly)

So a 2-1-2 record in my first 5 matches. The friendly results aren't important, but that scoreless draw with Sierra Leone stung because I really wanted to take all the points from my home matches. I have to win the group to advance, so a draw at home is going to make that difficult. We will now likely need to win at Sierra Leone next year to secure qualification.

2010: Regular Season

MLS Report
After a 17-12-1 regular season, we coasted to the MLS Supporters Shield with 63 points, 11 clear of San Jose. We scored 45 goals and only leaked a league best 16. We used a steady squad rotation system to remain consistent and fit, with no field player getting more than 16 starts in league play.

SuperLiga
After dominating the group stage, we were eliminated in the semifinal by Chivas 1-0 on an 87th minute goal.

CONCACAF Champions League
Our rotation system allowed us to field fully fit squads in all of our matches, and take maximum points from a tough group. The signature victory was a 3-2 win at Tigres in Mexico, the runners-up. Saprissa (Costa Rica) and FAS (El Salvador) were also in our group.

MLS Playoffs
Our first matchup is against Seattle Sounders FC. In the regular season, we won at Qwest Field 1-0 and battled to a scoreless draw at Union Field.