Uncle Sam's FM 17 Career

So with my Major League Soccer Guide out of the way, I begin my quest.

Let’s start by looking at the Manager.

Born in Knoxville (TN), he prefers a possession-with-a-purpose style. He wants his team to have the ball while always looking for attacking opportunities. Among his inspirations are, of course, Rinus Michels, Johan Cruyff, Josep Guardiola, and Marcelo Bielsa. He has also drawn from the Kleiban brothers, American coaches responsible for the 343 movement in US youth soccer.

The formations he will prefer to employ will be a 4-3-3 (4-1-2-3 DM Wide) and a 4-4-2 Diamond (4-1-3-2 DM Wide). When the need arises to be more defensive, he will use a 4-5-1 (4-1-4-1 DM). When the need comes to attack he likes to switch to a 3-4-3 (4-1-2-3 WB DM Wide).

He also has a definitive transfer policy, which is one of fiscal responsibility. The overriding principle he operates by is to always receive more for a player than it cost to acquire him. There are a few rules he abides by in the transfer market to help him stay true to that principle.

The Uncle Sam Transfer Rules:

The best time to buy players is in their early twenties – The obvious exception would be highly touted youngsters from the Academy since the cost is minimal and therefore the risk is low. Aside from that, it is often a risky move to pursue teenagers. Many times we see a youngster that our scout is high on so we open the wallet and give whatever it takes in the hopes of finding the next Leo Messi only for them to never develop. When a player reaches 21 or so, you can look at the attributes that your scout provides and see a player that even if he doesn’t develop into a world class star will at least contribute to the team. Players older than about 25-26 will be very difficult to sell on for more than you paid for them.
Older players are overvalued – Pretty self explanatory. Many of these 28, 29, 30 year olds are expensive but their age means that their skills are going to deteriorate quickly. It is certainly tempting to go sign an aging star that you’ve seen dominate the game, but don’t break the bank to make it happen.
Center Forwards are overvalued – These guys score the goals, get all the awards, get all the praise, and therefore inevitably demand a price well above their value. Their statistics inflate their reputation when the truth is that they are only able to score because the 10 men behind them provide them with the opportunities. In some matches they’ll end up with the fewest touches on the team and yet net a hat trick. So I definitely avoid paying a hefty sum to sign a center forward. I’d rather use that money to build up the squad behind a lower-reputation center forward who will score just as many goals. Then I can sell that CF for more than he’s really worth.
Sell any player when another club offers more than he is worth – It’s very tempting to hang on to a player who is producing for your team. However, once a player turns about 23 or 24, I’m looking for the big offer. I might negotiate a bit to drive the price up as high as I can, but as long as the offer exceeds the players’ value I’m accepting. The reason is simple: a player’s career is unpredictable. Maybe he gets injured and never plays as well again. Perhaps he’s at the zenith of his performance, and it will only be downhill from there. Perhaps he gets upset that you rejected the bid and he starts playing poorly. Maybe it becomes impossible to resign the player to a contract and you get nothing for him when he leaves on a Free Transfer. (As a side note, selling players to foreign clubs in MLS is especially valuable because you get significant General Allocation Money in return).
Replace your best players even before you sell them – If you’re going to sell a player when someone offers more than their value, then you better have a quality replacement already lined up. Since I’m always buying players in their early twenties, I’ve always got guys ready to step in and replace the starters. I also rotate the squad routinely. In an MLS season I’m playing all 28 guys at one point or another, and usually more than 22 will end up with at least 10 starting appearances. This helps me to see who’s ready and who isn’t, and it also expedites the development of the younger players on the team.
I do have some other guidelines that I use that I wouldn’t call hard and fast rules. First of all I don’t go scouting international competitions for potential players. It’s generally true that performance in those is an unreliable indicator of quality. The opposition is varied and the statistical sample size is too small. I also don’t rule out players who seem to be behavioral problems as long as I have someone with a professional attitude who can tutor them off field. I especially like to use tutoring to help players’ Determination.





The Houston Dynamo have competed in Major League Soccer since 2006. The team won MLS in both of their first two years in Houston after moving from San Jose. Among the club legends are Brian Ching, Dwayne de Rosario, Stuart Holden, Ricardo Clark (still with the team), Craig Waibel, Pat Onstad, and Wade Barrett.

The club’s biggest rival is their Texas Derby adversary FC Dallas. The two teams MLS results are used to decide who wins El Capitan’s Cannon. The Dynamo also have a historic rivalry with the San Jose Earthquakes, who occupy the city and brand the Dynamo called their own before 2006 when they moved to Houston. A competitive rivalry has also developed with Mexican club Pachuca after some heated confrontations in continental competitions. In 2007 the two clubs met in both the CONCACAF Champions League and the North American SuperLiga, with Pachuca needing extra time and penalties to advance, respectively. Houston defeated Pachuca in both the 2008 and 2010 SuperLiga, however the Dynamo lost both meetings in the 2009/10 CONCACAF Champions League.



competitionsThe club has a short but proud history. In their ten years of existence they have won the MLS cup twice finished runner up twice (only David Beckham’s LA Galaxy juggernaut could keep them from adding to their tally). They also have the unique honor of winning both MLS Conferences twice.

The Dynamo have advanced to the CONCACAF Championship Competition four times, but their best performance was the Semifinals in both the 2007 and 2008 CONCACAF Champions Cup.

The club has also failed to win the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. The farthest that they’ve ever advanced is the Semi Finals in 2006 and 2009.





BBVA Compass Stadium serves as the host grounds for the Dynamo. It has been their home since it was finished in 2012. The stadium seats 22,000 and can expand to 30,000. The Dynamo youth ground is the Houston Amateur Sports Park, a great facility for the Dynamo Academy.



The Dynamo’s primary affiliate is Rio Grande Valley FC. The Toros play in the United Soccer League (3rd division). Houston can send players on loan and can also make players available for RGVFC matches.



The Dynamo also have a U23 affiliate in the Premier Development League; the Brazos Valley Cavalry.



The Dynamo Academy develops fresh talent for the parent club. This is where local, future stars begin their journey to professional soccer.

-Saved-

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Our season begins with a Training Camp in Phoenix, Arizona during which we will make four trips for friendly matches. Here’s the team I’m taking with me.



Goalkeepers



Tyler Deric is the clear starter. Joe Willis can step in in a pinch, but this is a position that needs an upgrade. I always know that going into a save with the Dynamo.

The Defenders



We have a back four in mind heading into Training Camp: DR – Boniek Garcia, DC – Leonardo, DC – Adolpho Machado, DL – DaMarcus Beasley. Behind those four we have some decent, versatile options. A.J. DeLaGarza can play all along the back line, although his 9 strength makes a bit weak for DC. Jalil Anibaba can play on the right or in the middle. Agus is a solid Center Back option, but his 7 in passing isn’t an ideal fit for our style of play. Ricardo Clark is listed as a defender here but will actually be our first choice DM.

The Midfielders



As we said, Clark will start at DM, with John David Cabezas and Tomas Martinez in front of him. I am retraining Eric Alexander to back up Ricardo Clark at DM. Alex will fill in for the attacking MC role. The more balanced MC backup will be a bit of a competition between Englishman Joe Holland and Homegrown Academy product Memo Rodriguez.

The two wide forward positions is our most crowded, depth-wise. First choice starters (for now) will be Vincente Sanchez and Romell Quioto. Youngster Alberth Elis and former #1 SuperDraft pick Andrew Wenger will certainly get their playing time. Jose Escalante is another promising youngster that will push for appearances, and Boniek Garcia could even slide forward if he had to.

The Strikers



It’s going to all be about Erick Torres. Clearly the team’s best player, our system will be all about creating chances for him to finish. His backup Mauro Manotas has a lot of promise and will need to have some playing time to allow him to develop. The quality up front might force us to employ our two-striker variation.







Team training during the preseason is all about fitness. Until our preseason exhibition tournament in Austin, we will be on high intensity Fitness training and less tactical training. When we get the first two teams’ fitness up we’ll work on mastering our tactics.

My philosophy on individual training is to develop the best overall players that we can. To accomplish this, I have a default training regiment for each position.

Goalkeepers – Sweeper Keeper

Outside Backs – Complete Wingbacks (Long Throws)

Center Backs – Ball Playing Defenders (Quickness)

Defensive Midfielders – Halfback

Supporting Center Midfielders – Central Midfield (Free Kicks)

Attacking Center Midfielders – Roaming Playmaker (Corners)

Wide Forwards – Inside Playmakers (Penalty Kicks)

Strikers – Complete Forward (Penalty Kicks)

These are general, of course. If I feel a player needs to improve in a specific area I will adjust his training accordingly. Sometimes I will assign a DRC or a DLC to Fullback training to ensure that I can play him inside or out.

With a DP slot open, I decided to go bring in either a center back to strengthen the back line or a midfielder that could help me diversify my options. Unfortunately I have no Discovery Signings available until next season which meant I was going to have to rely on my scouts to bring me a Free Transfer. My first effort, Ze Roberto (DC), chose Real Sociedad over my offer. That hurt, because he was the ideal center back in our system.

My second option was a player I’ve actually signed in past games so when I saw his name I knew he was my guy. Lukman Haruna is a versatile central midfielder who can realistically play in any of the 3 positions. He’s one of those, “Jack-of-all Trades but Master-of-None” type players. He doesn’t stand out at anything, but he does most things relatively well.



He wanted over $600K p/a but my board wasn’t having it. Fortunately I was able to lure him a larger goal bonus (and I greased the Agents palms a little bit). I signed him for 4 seasons, but with any luck I will be able to sell him on for a nice profit before he’s played 2.



As is always the case in FM, the supporters are mixed:



My hope is that he helps us control the midfield. He definitely adds depth to the midfield and allows to drop Ricardo Clark from DM to DC if we need to. We also now have the pieces to occasionally roll out our 4-1-3-2 DM Narrow tactic.

The bookies have us picked to finish seventh overall in the league, which would have us end up in fifth in the Western Conference. We had no players selected for the Media Dream Team. We do have two players on the Key Players list, Erick Torres and new arrival Lukman Haruna.





Our only blemish in the preseason was 0-1 loss at Columbian premier league Junior in a match that we thoroughly controlled.



The shining accomplishment was winning the ATX Challenge Cup. We coasted through a 1-0 result against the hosts Austin Aztex, and then Erick Torres netted a brace in the final to defeat D.C. United.

The preseason was a success in that our players are fit, happy, and tactically ready to begin the 2016 season. We even brought home a trophy and now it’s time to begin the MLS schedule.

So after registration, many clubs are forced to release players. I always loan two players out to my affiliate just before the Waiver Draft in case there are a couple players I want to pick. This year I found a couple. First was Canadian prospect Adonijah Reid:



My scout rate him at 4 stars, so I felt he was worth a pick. I love getting young strikers for free because the good ones are expensive and they bring a lot of money. Reid is 16, so I got him to an accept a loan to the Academy for this season. He needs at least a couple of years developing before he’s ready for the first team but I have high hopes.



The other guys is a versatile M/F named Tommy Thompson. Not as big a prospect as Reid, but 3 stars is enough for me to take a chance and see how he turns out. At 20 years old he’s still pretty young. He’s got some flair, so if we can get his skills and determination up he could be an exciting player.

I’ve said before that I like to rotate my squad. I want every player that starts a match to be at least 95% fitness. I also just like to rotate to give players matches. I usually have four “Quick Pick” selections saved. If you don’t know, you use the drop down menu beside “Quick Pick” and then save selection so you can bring up the 18-man you want. This is also helpful if you use different tactics and have lineups in mind for those situations.

First Team



This is obviously the ideal, best XI. This will be the opening day starting lineup (barring injury), and these are the guys I want in the team for the biggest matches.

Second Team



This my second XI according to the depth chart. If the first team played on the weekend and there is a midweek match (or vice versa), then I go with this quick selection. It keeps the first team fresh while also giving matches to the backups.

Open Cup 11



I take the Open Cup seriously, and try to win it every year. However, there is a rule that there can be no more than 5 International (foreign) players in the Match Squad. This season, it only affects the substitutes as there are only 5 internationals in the First Team starting XI. However, some years it complicates things. When an Open Cup match is approaching, I also make sure to rest my Open Cup 11 in the match immediately before if it’s only 2-3 days prior.

Youth 11



I also like to save a selection that features my youngest players. I don’t use this one very often, but it can be good for development to trot out at the end of a season where I’m well out in front of the rest of the league and the results aren’t critical.

Conclusion

Squad rotation offers all of the benefits I already mentioned, and it also can help to reveal deficiencies in the squad that you might not have noticed otherwise.

Well it went down to the final match of the season, but we were able to secure the MLS Supporters Shield for the team with the best overall regular season record. This means we have home the home field advantage throughout the playoffs, including the MLS Cup Final is we can make it that far. Below is the final standings:



Here are the results:



The results really dipped in about the middle of the season where we lost four matches out of six. We obviously recovered in mid-August, losing only once in our last 13. If there is a concern heading into the playoffs it would be our lack of finishing towards the end. In every match we were creating chances, we just weren’t putting them away. Some of that could be attributed to injuries to some of our top players and the fact that we played our second 11 in a few of those matches, but even with most of our top players on the field we struggled to put the ball in the net. Not sure that there is anything for me to do as we created the chances, it’s just a matter of the guys putting them away.

This is how the team has performed statistically over the course of the regular season:



Some areas of concern:

Leonardo’s passing percentage. I don’t like any regular starter to be below 80%. Given his attributes, this really isn’t surprising. That’s one change we will look to make in the offseason.

Vincente Sanchez’s pass percentage is also a bit low for an attacking player at 84%. While not terrible, in contrast his counterparts Quioto (88%), Escalante (88%), Wenger (90%), and Elis (90%) all had significant better percentage. I’m going to overlook the passing percentage because the reality he is that he is very old and will likely be let go, and he was the team leader in assists.

I’m actually quite happy with the team number of mistakes. Cabezas has 32 which was the most, but none led to goals and most of the rest of the teams in the league had players in the 50s and 60s in mistakes.





The squad rotation policy that I covered in a recent post turned out to be a success, as nervous as the game against Philadelphia turned out to be, however International call-ups played into that. Surprise package North Carolina FC (from 2nd division NASL) did make things interesting by staying within a goal until deep into the match, but our policy of keeping guys fresh for Cup matches clearly paid off.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QqPwuWfAwvE





As I stated in MLS guide the playoffs begin with a “Wild Card Round”. Our performance allowed us to bypass this round straight to the Western Conference Semi Final. Our opponent will be the Vancouver Whitecaps, who advanced from the Wildcard Round by defeating Seattle 2-1. The biggest advantage of earning a bye to the Semi Final is that your opponent will be forced to play against you after a only a couple of days rest.

Western Conference Semi Final – v. Vancouver Whitecaps FC

The Whitecaps came in tired after outlasting Seattle in the Wildcard round to advance. We took advantage, shelling in the away leg 4-0. The home leg was a little more even, but we were still victorious winning 2-1 and moving on the conference final.



Western Conference Final – v. Portland Timbers

This is where our finishing problems really started rearing its head again. At Portland in the first leg, we dominated possession and created 25 shots, but were only able to escape Providence Park with a 1-1 draw. In the home leg we were even more dominant and yet we only scored two goals on 27 shots, and one of those was a penalty. Nevertheless, it was enough for a 2-1 win and the Conference championship.







We caught a bit of a break when Orlando City SC made their way through the Eastern Conference. Orlando finished 4th place in the Eastern Conference, and had to defeat the top two teams New England (1) and DC United (2) to reach the MLS Cup. Overall, Orlando City had the 8th best record in the league. So obviously we could have faced stiffer competition.

The week of the Cup Final Tomas Martinez suffered a twisted ankle that would have put him out 2-3 weeks. I NEVER do this, but seeing as how this was the final game of the season I decided to give him the injection to get him through the Final, and it would actually turn out to be a brilliant move. Tomas was credited for an assist when Boniek Garcia knocked in his free kick after it rebounded off the crossbar. Martinez would then knock in the match’s final goal to bring the MLS Cup back to Houston for the first time since 2007.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VSsQlcRn6pI





Great first season, but this offseason we have some decisions to make with six players over 30 and one more turning 30 next year.

Great work as usual with Houston. I've been following this on your blog but its nice to see it on here as well. Loving your work with the graphics for the playoffs. Really stands out.

What are your future plans with Houston? Is it a 1 team save or would you be looking at potentially moving onto another MLS team. Maybe one of the newer teams or Minnesota who always seem to struggle in my saves.

I don't really have any plans, per se. I usually let these games progress and take me where they go. I actually got sacked in one game I played earlier when I finished 3rd in a rebuilding season. In that save I took the USA U23s to the Olympics and finished silver. The Atlanta job actually just opened as Martino left for Southampton without ever coaching a game for ATL. The fun that goes into an expansion team would most be gone, as the team is already built. I do enjoy journeyman saves, going around and trying to win the different club continental competitions.

OFFSEASON

We had a few players recognized for their performance during the MLS Season. Tyler Deric was named the Allstate Goalkeeper of the Year and I was given the MLS Coach of the Year Award. We also had four players named to the MLS Best XI squad:



Erick Torres was chosen as the fans player of the year and the young player of the season. Lukman Haruna’s goal against Philadelphia was named the team’s goal of the year:

https://youtu.be/e3JonTB6jFE

Haruna’s acquisition was the named the club’s best signing, although really it was our ONLY signing. Haruna was a very important player for us and was definitely worth the salary we paid him.



I have three affiliates that function essentially like Reserve and Youth teams. Here is how their 2016 season went.

Rio Grande Valley FC Toros

RGVFC Finished 3rd in the USL Western Conference with a 16-7-7 record. They were actually second in goals scored. Their performance was good enough for the USL Playoffs, but they were eliminated in the Conference Quarterfinals by Tulsa Roughnecks.

Brazos Valley Cavalry

The Cavalry are a U23 team that competes in the Premier Development League Mid South Division. The club plays a 14-match schedule in the summer, but they did not have the kind of season they would like. They finished 3-3-8, 5th place in a division of 6 teams.

Dynamo Academy

This is our youth affiliate. They had a really good season in 2016, winning the USSDA Frontier Division with a 17-6-7 record. Their 65 goals scored was the second highest in all the USSDA. They were eliminated in the group stage of the USSDA Championship, finishing 2nd to the team that would go on to win the competition.



Looking at my squad, there are a few areas where changes need to be made. I make some mental notes as I head into the offseason.

Strengths: Striker, Central Midfield. I’ll begin by understanding where I don’t have needs. At Striker, I have Erick Torres who scored 26 goals in all competitions last season. Mauro Manotas, while not productive in his limited appearances last year, has a lot of potential. My scouts are also high on Adonijah Reid that we picked up off waivers last year. There is absolutely no need to bring anyone in at striker.

We have a plethora of central midfielders. Tomas Martinez, Lukman Haruna, and Juan David Cabezas make up one of the best triumvirates in the league. Memo Rodriguez can occupy one of the positions behind the forwards, and at 20 years old he can only get better. Alex and Eric Alexander provide more depth, although they aren’t long term options there. I would prefer to go younger with the backups but there are other priorities.

Weaknesses: The back line. Pretty much every position. Last year I played Boniek Garcia as the first choice right back, but he’s more of a midfielder. Behind him it was kind of a patchwork situation. I played A.J. DeLaGarza, Adolpho Machado, and Jalil Anibaba there. At left back, DaMarcus Beasley is 34 years old. He isn’t going to be a high level player for very much longer. Behind him is Dylan Remick, who never was starting-MLS quality. Center Back is another position where I played a bunch of different guys. Ricardo Clark played at center back for most of the year, but he can slot into the midfield if needed. Leonardo was a first choice DC, but I would prefer someone with stronger ball skills. The same is true of Agus. DeLaGarza and Machado fit that description, but lacked in important defensive technical or physical attributes. I have a couple of young center backs that I hope I can develop into the type of player that I want, but they’re not ready to start yet.

I’m actually solid at Winger, but I’d like to strengthen depth. Hondurans Alberth Elis (20), Jose Escalante (21), and Romell Quioto (25) are young and dynamic. Andrew Wenger can play on either wing and makes for a strong backup. Vincente Sanchez is 37 years old.

My goalkeepers aren’t terrible, but I would also like to improve there as well. Deric won the goalkeeper of the year but it had more to do with our limiting opponents’ chances with our possession style of play. Joe Willis is not a significant drop off from Deric, but neither have the potential to improve very much. I do have a goalkeeper that my scouts are high upon so I will consider signing him, but he is due one more year of development at that level.



Atlanta United approached me for Boniek Garcia. Obviously Boniek is a valuable player, but he is aging and they put a first round draft pick on the table. It was hard for me to imagine getting better compensation so I accepted. Atlanta had the 4th pick in the draft, so it will probably mean I’ll get a very good player.

Next came the Expansion Draft. This is where the four expansion teams get to choose players that the existing MLS clubs choose not to protect. The clubs are required to protect 11 players, which must include their homegrown players and any players they have brought in loan. I chose to protect Erick Torres, Mauro Manotas, Tomas Martinez, Ricardo Clark, DaMarcus Beasley, Lukman Haruna, Romell Quioto, Juan David Cabezas (loan), Alberth Elis (loan), Jose Escalante (loan), and Memo Rodriguez (Homegrown). With the first pick, Atlanta United chose A.J. DeLaGarza who I was not too disappointed to let go of. Fortunately, by rule I can only lose one player in the Expansion Draft.

D.C. United came in offering their first round SuperDraft pick (22nd overall) for Ricardo Clark. They also wanted the rights to Luis Garrido, some General Allocation Money, and one of our international slots for one year. I don’t like letting go of my international slots for any amount of time, so I renegotiated by adding more General Allocation Money. They accepted this offer and while losing Clark hurts from a veteran leadership perspective, I know have four picks in the first round of the SuperDraft (4th, 7th, 22nd, 24th). This will be consistent with my transfer philosophy as the players I will be receiving should all be in their early 20’s.

I shipped 31-year old Adolpho Machado off to Montreal for… nothing. I also wanted to move Agus so I offered to him no Non-MLS clubs. The only club to come back with an offer was Troyes, offering $240K. I accepted without negotiation. It was below his value of $1.2M but he’s 31 and noone was going to offer me that. Leonardo is a player that I want to move because he doesn’t fit the style of play and now he’s coming asking for a bigger contract, but losing DeLaGarza, Clark, Machado, and now Agus has left me thin at center back. I might still try and move him after the SuperDraft and after I try and strengthen the position through Discovery signings but right now I need to keep him just in case I can’t improve my DC situation.

My scouts brought me a couple of good acquisitions. First of all, young left back Olexandr Osman from Dynamo Kyiv:



To fill the need for an attacking right back I signed Brazilian Para from Flamengo on a Designated Player contract:



Para will also be able to play left back should the need arise. I also brought in young American Kyle Duncan on loan:



The supporters were not happy with this loan, and to be fair his skills are not first team-quality yet. However, I see him mainly as a second teamer at right back and occasionally at DM with high potential. I do have an option to purchase for $500K so we’ll see how that goes.

To help fill the need at Center Back, I loaned in this Italian player from Roma:



He will walk into the starting XI and only get better. His passing isn’t where I’d like it to be, but we’re going to hit that hard and hope he improves.



So about a week before the season turnover date (Dec 26), you will get news items informing you that the players have been selected for the MLS SuperDraft and the Generation Adidas players are announced. The SuperDraft players are obviously the pool of players that you will choose from when it rolls around in January. The Generation Adidas players, as mentioned in my guide, are a group of 12 players in the Draft pool who have been given special contracts that will not count against your Salary Cap until they graduate from the GA program (3 years-ish).

You will be given the option to scout all of the Generation Adidas players, however the only players from the SuperDraft pool that you can scout are the ones that your Assistant Manager recommends scouting, which is not many. Usually it’s only around 10 (out of 150), some of which will be Generation Adidas players that you will already be scouting anyway. I sort of have a way around this. First I go to the MLS Draft Combine Competition, and scout the competition. Then, just to be thorough, I go to each team at the combine, select each player, and then right click and choose get scout report:



This method gets me scouting reports on 68 of the 150 players at the SuperDraft.



The club announced a profit of $10.25M for 2016. This probably pales in comparison to some of the profits for the big Euro leagues, but for MLS that’s a pretty big number. Turning profits will help to secure the improvements I intend to make at the club.

Speaking of facility improvements, the board approached me about possibly increasing the budget for Physios, or investing the money somewhere else. I suggested improving the training facilities as I see that as our greatest immediate need. They obliged and we are now in preparation to make those improvements.

The club also acquired a new 4-year, $800K sponsorship deal which is obviously good for $200K a year. Not a monster number, but every bit helps.



Obviously there will be 4 new clubs entering the league next season, Atlanta United, Inter Miami, Los Angeles FC, and Minnesota United. The league has also increased the salary cap to $3.84M p/a, so that will help. Our club was also given $800K worth of Targeted Allocation Money, which we can use to convert a Designated Player to a Senior Player, allowing us to sign more than the maximum 3 Designated Players.



I always like going on tour to start my preseason. This year I’m off to Brazil. In these first four matches I like to play my first 11 for one half, then the second 11 one half. I rotate which 11 starts the match. When I get back from the tour, I have some matches against cupcakes setup where I force the players to play the whole 90, rotating between first and second squads. I also like holding a little cup with the smaller local clubs as a final prep for our preseason exhibition competition, which this year is the Desert Diamond Cup. And I always end the preseason against my U23 and my Reserve affiliates.



Conclusion

Next I’ll do a post on the SuperDraft, and how I go about maximizing my team using it.

Before going into a SuperDraft I like to follow all the news that emerges in the days leading up (with the exception of all the articles about how a player is hoping to be drafted by a certain team, way too many of those and it doesn’t matter anyway). From the articles I have seen, it has become apparent that the biggest prospect in the draft is a Right Winger from the University of Portland:



He does look pretty good, although not overwhelming current attributes. He comes up as the #1 overall pick on the “Mock Draft”, which is a pundit’s opinion of how the draft will shake out:



If Carranza falls to me at the fourth pick then I’ll probably take him.

The Mock Draft has me taking this AMR from the University of Wisconsin with my first pick:



He looks pretty good, but more like a full-on winger. I prefer more of an inside forward, someone who is a better passer and finisher than crosser.

I’m also expected to pick this striker from Clemson with the 7th pick:



I could definitely get behind this pick. A pacey striker with good finishing. Obviously he has some rough edges to work out, but he would not be a bad pick.



In American professional sports, when teams are preparing for a draft, they create a board to try and determine who they are going to pick. Essentially they “rank” the available players. While this takes time, I assemble a list of where I rank the top players. So here is my list for the top 24 prospects:

Rank Player Position Age
1 Josue Carranza (GA) AM R 22
2 Kenny Setzer (GA) AM RLC 20
3 Sam Henley (GA) AM C 22
4 Hector Escobar (GA) GK 22
5 Erik Ramirez AM R 23
6 Nathan McGuire (GA) ST C 22
7 David DeLass (GA) AM C 21
8 Tom Howard (GA) AM R 22
9 Edson Cruz (GA) ST C 21
10 Stephan Neptune GK 21
11 Rene Jolicoeur (GA) DM, M C 23
12 Craig Chen (GA) M L 21
13 Brian Potts GK 21
14 Miguel Angel Robles AM C 21
15 Bob de la Cruz AM C 23
16 Jeffrey Manning ST C 23
17 Jeff Dyer AM L, ST C 22
18 Dan Hickman D L 23
19 Jack Newman D C 22
20 Stuart Sweeney M R 23
21 Ricky Fisher AM C, ST 23
22 Adolfo Cantu AM R 23
23 Mobi Kiefer M/AM R 22
24 Dylan Goodwin M LC 23
If I picked for every team in the draft, this is how it would go. This helps me to do a couple of things: First of all, I will make my pick based on this list. For example, in the 2017 my first pick is 7th. If for whatever reason, Sam Henley is available at #7, then I am selecting him. I also have noted on this list who the Generation Adidas players are. This will help me get an idea of how each player will affect the salary cap.

The other good thing about this list is that if ANY of these guys are still on the board when my second round pick comes up, I will choose them. That is unlikely since I have the last (24th) pick in the second round, the list is still helpful. I won’t bore you with the lists but I make one for each of the first three rounds, and it’s almost always good enough for the fourth round as well. I very rarely have to make a fourth round pick of a player that isn’t on my board for the first 3 rounds.

There are different ways to assemble your draft board. My personal philosophy is simply to take the best player available. This could mean best current ability, highest potential, or a combination of the two, but ability is the only factor I take into account when building my board. Another philosophy is to build your draft board according to your needs. I don’t want to pass on what might be a world class striker simply because I need a fullback. I’ll worry about those issues after the draft.



So, very exciting, here we go. The draft starts with FC Dallas making a somewhat surprising pick of Kenny Setzer at #1. Not shocking, as he was #2 on my board and on the Mock Draft, but there you go. Sporting Kansas City then acquires LAFC’s #2 pick during the draft and picks the highly touted Carranza. No big shocker, Minnesota United goes with Sam Hanley at #3, just as I expected.

So that brings up my pick. I went to my Inbox first, just to make sure that on other clubs were offering me something for this pick. It was actually a harder choice than I thought, because next on my board is a goalkeeper. I normally don’t like using first round picks on goalkeepers because there are usually plenty. So looking down my board I have Ramirez, who as I already stated is not a great fit for my style of play. Next on my board is a striker named Nathan McGuire from the University of Rutgers.



The kid looks pretty good. His physicals are eye-popping, he obviously has great determination, and his finishing looks to be high. This guy is starting immediately no matter who takes him. Ramirez not fitting my style and also not being a Generation Adidas mean’s I’m not taking him. It was a tough call between Escobar and McGuire, so I asked my Assistant and he suggests Escobar. There is strength in numbers when it comes to player evaluation, so I choose Escobar. He will allow me to get rid of one (or both) of my backup keepers, sit for one year behind Deric before becoming the first choice guy in 2018.

The first big surprise comes with the 5th pick when Columbus took Dave Torres (DM, MC). Torres was a guy with good current attributes but I rated as a second round pick at best because of his lower potential rating. So I cross my fingers hoping that McGuire would still be available at the 7th pick. Sadly, the Colorado Rapids nabbed him at #6. So with #7, I either have my the 7th guy on board, David DeLass, or Ramirez. Wanting to be thorough, I look at Tom Howard, another AM R prospect who I rated 8th. Comparing Howard to Ramirez was basically a wash. First of all, it’s not clear because I don’t have complete scouting on all of their attributes. Howard definitely has superior technique, finishing, decision making, and natural fitness. But Ramirez has better vision and is a slightly superior physically gifted player. One disadvantage for Ramirez is that he is not a Generation Adidas and will almost certainly demand a Senior Contract, which will affect the salary cap. In the end, however, I have to go with Ramirez. While not the perfect fit for the system, I have to believe that I can develop him into what I need. I won’t worry about the salary cap impact right now because I’m most likely going to loan him to Rio Grande Valley FC the first year anyway, and I have to take the best player available. Of course, Tom Howard was taken with the very next pick by Conference-rival Portland Timbers.

When the 22nd pick rolled around, I still had 9 players from my first round board left. The highest rated was an AM C named Miguel Angel Robles, which was my #14:



This was actually a pretty easy pick. Although my scouts had other players with higher current ability ratings, he was easily the highest rated in potential. He also has a fairly professional personality which means there is hope for his development. Orlando took another guy not on my board at #23, so I still had plenty of options at #24. I landed on Ramirez’s teammate Jeff Dyer, a left winger:



This kid had some of the best physicals that I saw in the draft. Scouts rated his potential to be pretty high as well. After drafting Ramirez and Dyer I was curios to see how Wisconsin performed with these two lads up front. In 2016, they went 15-3-5 (5-2-1 Big Ten), won both the Big Ten regular season and tournament championships. They made it to the Elite Eight (quarterfinals) of the NCAA Championship Tournament before falling to Presbyterian on a golden goal. I think it would be kind of cool if someday they could be on the front line in the future, winning the MLS Cup.

When it came to my second round pick, 48th overall, the #16 player on my board was still available, Jeffrey Manning:



Scouts are high on him, he’s a local guy, and I like his determination. I believe he’ll develop into a top MLS striker. His first year I will ship him off on loan to RGVFC, which is where he played college so he's familiar with the area.

In the third round I picked up a Left Back:



At this point I’m absolutely drafting based entirely on potential, which my scours are high on this guy. He’ll be a good team guy, possibly a future captain. Clearly as a player he is a bit of a project to become the attacking fullback that we prefer, but he’ll get there.

And the last pick of the entire draft is this fullback from East Tennessee State:



Another guy to help at outside back in the future. Versatile enough to play on either side, which was certainly a factor on choosing him.

So that’s the draft. I ended up with 8 guys who I think will help the team. Some now, others a year or two down the road. They rated my draft poorly, but they always do because I don’t worry about current ability at all beyond the first round. In 2020 I will stack my draft picks up against anyone:



This is where the challenge really begins for putting together your MLS Squad because as of now I have 38 players. This means that at least ten of those guys have to either be let go or sent out on loan. While obviously a handful of no-hopers can be sent packing, the rest will be tricky as I have to take into account the salary cap, international player restrictions, etc. I’ll look at that, as well as my preseason, in the next post.

Love it. Nathan McGuire looks outstanding, it will be interesting to see how he gets on this coming season.

Unfortunately I didn't end up with Mcguire. I picked the goalkeeper Escobar instead. Escobar already is an eyelash behind my starter Deric.

McGuire landed with the Rapids. So far he's only played about 12 minutes of a friendly but I'll keep my eye on him. I'm also going to be watching Carranza from pretty close, as he plays for the 2nd place Supporters Shield finisher last year, Sporting Kansas City. The #1 pick Kenny Setzer is also already starting with FC Dallas, my arch rival. Those are going to be some interesting matches come this season.

Paying close attention to the SuperDraft kind of adds to the drama of MLS in my experience.

Signing a Designated Player

So there are several ways to acquire a Designated Player, but you will frequently have agents approach you with possibly signing their client to a DP contract. I mostly ignore those, but when the agent for Arsenal's Mathiey Debuchy came to me, I decided that I needed a quality center back who is comfortable with the ball at his feet.

After scouting him, I went to make an offer for the player. Now, when you're approaching for a DP there is often an option for "INTERACT WITH BOARD", where you can ask the board to approach MLS about helping to pay the transfer fee. I did this and it the board agreed and the league agreed so we were able to agree on a contract.

After he agrees on the contract, I get a news item telling me that I have hit a snag because I already have 3 Designated Players. I knew that going in, however, I also knew that I would be able to use my targeted allocation money to convert one of my DPs to a Senior Contract:



All I had to do was hit the confirm button at the bottom (not pictured) and voila, I (essentially) had 4 Designated Players.



As you can see, MLS took care of half of the transfer fee. I'm still paying him quite a bit, but if he helps us win MLS and the Champions League then I'd say it was worth it.

Loving this thread! Always want to do an MLS save but they always seem too complicated!

Well, I'm not going to lie to you, it is complicated. Especially for someone who hasn't grown up around the rules. However I do have a guide that should help with those who are unfamiliar with the MLS squad rules and competition format. Here.

I'll give it a look for sure before I go there!

2017 PRESEASON

The tour of Brazil went swimmingly. All wins, and we got a good look at our lineups for the 2017 season. We opened with a 2-0 win at Bragantino, and the a pair of 3-0 wins against Linhares and Botafogo (SP). In the final match at Olaria we faced our first bit of adversity when we gave up a penalty in the 7th minute. The lads fought back and we walked away with a 3-1 win and ended a perfect tour. Hopefully we increased our profile in Brazil and pick up a little marketing revenue in the process.

After getting of the plane from Brazil, I walked into the Chairman’s office and we discussed improving our youth situation. He agreed to increase the Junior Coaching Budget and the Youth Recruitment. So improvements to the club are continuing to be made.



After the draft I needed to sort out my roster, and whittle it down to the final 28. First I’ll go position by position.

At Goalkeeper, the stater will still be 2016 Allstate Goalkeeper of the Year Tyler Deric. Last year the backup was Joe Willis, but in 2017 it will be Hector Escobar. That means the #3 spot is between Calle Brown or Joe Willis. Willis is the odd man out because he is occupying a Senior Roster spot and is making $45K more per year than Brown. So I’m going to transfer list Willis, and if noone wants him by the time Registration comes around then he will be waived.

I have seven guys at DC. Jalil Anibaba, who was recently called up by Bruce Arena for the January USA National Team camp, and loanee Riccardo Marchizza were the planned first two starters, with Leonardo and 22-year old Danil Rajden slated to be the backups. However, the signing of Designated Player Mathiey Debuchy from Arsenal has changed that. I will now look to move Leonardo, as he has reached his maximum potential and I prefer a different type of player at his position. Radjen has good potential and needs to start working into the rotation. Behind them I have Robby Sagel and Taylor Hunter. I do want to have at least five, but Hunter is no-hoper while Sagel could at least develop into good-not-great player. So Hunter will be waived, not loaned.

At right back I just brought in DP Para, and his backup (for now) will be loanee Kyle Duncan. On the left I still have Beasley, although he has deteriorated quite a bit, with Olexander Osman (loanee from Dynamo Kiev) competing for that spot. Dylan Remick is also there, but he’s about maxed out on potential and he’s really not that good. What I’d like to do is trade or sell Beasley or Remick, but if that doesn’t work then Remick will likely be loaned out. Behind them I have two guys I just drafted in Alfonso Garcia who can play on either side or left back Joe Thorpe. They will probably both be loaned out. If I need one to stay for depth then it will be Garcia.

At defensive mid I have plenty of options, really. The plan as of now is to start Cabezas with Eric Alexander backing him up. Lukman Haruna can also play there, although he is the first choice MCR option at the moment. Kyle Duncan can also play DM in a pinch. The MCR starter will be Haruna, and at MCL (the more attacking role) will be Tomas Martinez. Memo Rodriguez and Cristian Lucatero will be the two guys I hope to be the primary backups to begin their development. I need them to be strong players by the time the Knockout Stages of the CONCACAF Champions League rolls around next January. For now, Alex will be considered the backup MCL although I’d like to move him. Tommy Thompson can also play in these positions if needed. I hope to be able to send SuperDraft pick Miguel Angel Robles on loan to RGVFC. Joe Holland is a no-hoper and will be waived if I can’t sell or trade him.

At winger, I plan on employing my Honduran connection: Alberth Elis on the right and Romell Quioto on the left. My original plan was for Andrew Wenger to be the main backup on the right and Jose Escalante on the left, with Wenger being able to play either side. However, with the guys I drafted I’m now going to look to move Wenger. He’s another guy who has mostly maxed out his potential and I believe that Erik Ramirez and Jeff Dyer can both be better. Vincente Sanchez has set a retirement date for the end of this season. He still has good skills but his physicals have deteriorated. He’s a sub now at best.

Striker is definitely a position of strength for us. We have Erick Torres coming back, who netted 26 goals across all competitions last year, including 20 in MLS play. Mauro Manotas is his backup and we have high hopes for him. We drafted Jeff Manning and we believe he is a future goal scorer in the league, and Adonijah Reid is a 17 year old Canadian that we picked up off waivers last season. We’d like to have 3 on the squad and Reid’s international status makes him the most likely to be loaned out, especially considering that he wouldn’t even be in the top 2. His contract also runs through 2019, so there isn’t necessarily any urgency to get him on the field.

After looking at the squad, I did find that I would have one too many International Players. It was a difficult decision, but the odd man out was Romell Quioto. He’s a good player, but he was not going to get much better and he played a position where I had plenty of comparable options. The best offer I found was for a second round pick from the New York Red Bulls (via the Philadelphia Union). NYRB was the only interested team and he will be less likely to hurt us in the Eastern Conference, so that’s where he went.

So the guys who will be waived if they aren’t sold: Joe Willis (GK), Taylor Hunter (DLC), and Joe Holland (DM, MC).

The players who I’d like to trade, but might loan out if I can’t are: Alex (MC/AML) and Andrew Wenger (AM RL).

And the guys almost certainly going out on loan: Alfonso Garcia (D RL), Joe Thorpe (DL), Jeffrey Manning (ST, MC), Miguel Angel Robles, (MC, AMC) Erik Ramirez (AMR), Jeff Dyer (AML, ST), and Adonijah Reid (ST).

There is also the question of what to do with DaMarcus Beasley or Dylan Remick. One or the other probably needs to go. But that will get me down to 28 at least.

Conclusion

Next I’ll be back with the final results of the Preseason and a look at the roster heading into the 2017 season.

Big news, couldn't wait to share it in the next update:

Final Preseason Results



Managed to get through the preseason slate without a loss, but it is somewhat concerning that we drew with 2 of the 3 MLS clubs we faced. RSL scored the equalizer in the 85th minute, DC in the 75th. I'm not going to get too worried yet, but definitely it causes me to be a little worried going into the MLS season.



The Houston Cup was just a silly little friendly cup that I arranged with some of the local clubs. Was actually easier than it looks.



We added to our trophy case by winning the Desert Diamond Cup preseason tournament. Should have had maximum points but blew that game against RSL as I stated.

The Squad

So let's look at the final 28-man squad. First of all, the  big signings:




These two Designated Players are going to make us a formidable club this season. Obviously they would normally go against my transfer policy, but this is a big rebuilding season. I've brought in a lot of young players but they're frankly not ready to carry the team yet. Guys like Para, Debuchy, and Podolski will keep me winning matches while we develop those youngsters. In 2018 I don't plan on bringing in aging stars.

Here is the final 28:

Overall this is better, and deeper squad than 2016. Most of the second team players will also be guys who we believe are going to develop into stars rather than guys who are occupying seats on the bench.

Here is my First 11 squad (+subs)


And my second 11:


That first team is pretty sick. And I'd actually put my second team up against a lot of MLS teams. I feel good about my squad and what I'm really looking forward to is the knockout stage of the Champions League at the beginning of next season once all those early-twenties have had a year to develop.

MLS Preview

Somehow the media is predicting Beckham's squad to win the league in their first season. I looked at their squad and I simply don't see it. They're in the Eastern Conference, which means I wouldn't really have to worry about them until the MLS Cup anyway. According to the oddsmakers My biggest competition is going to come from the LA Galaxy and Seattle Sounders. After Seattle there's a pretty big dropoff. I refuse to count out Sporting Kansas City, they pushed me to the final day last season for the Supporters Shield.


We did place two on the Preseason Media Dream Eleven. Both are newcomers; Lucas Podolski and Para. On the key players list we also had Erick Torres. 


Conclusion

So enough's enough, it's time for season two. I'm shooting for 75 points in MLS play this season. That would easily beat the record of 68, which I tied with last year. Obviously I want to win the Open Cup again, and I want to take maximum points from Champions League group stage play when that rolls around in the fall.