tongey - Comments

October 2020
Institucion Atletica Sud America
Uruguayan Second Division



I thought the job hunt would take a lot longer than it has, but I'm back, and I'm back with a bang! This time I've travelled to Uruguay to follow my football dreams. Uruguay is my home country so it's nice to be back in a more familiar setting. Sud America as they will be forever known for from now on, as it's too hard to type their full name out have taken the chance on me and I can't wait to get started here.



The facilities aren't too great, so maybe I'll ask them to be improved in the future if we get back to the top division quickly. The media expect us to finish 3rd in this season so as always, I'll be aiming to finish top of the pile with what should be a pretty strong squad. They actually finished in 6th last season but lost in the playoffs to Uruguay Montevideo which knocked them out.





Next Post: January & February 2021 Update (Pre-Season & Start of League action)

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September 2020
Deportes Temuco



It's an update that is coming sooner than I'd have like to have written one, which I'm sure you can guess what's happened. My job was under scrutiny after a run of bad form and the board weren't confident in me. They had asked that I improve form and our position in the table over the next month, and I tried my best, but it wasn't to be. September came by too quick for my injured players to return to the first team squad, and we had two fairly tricky games.

September 2020



Like I said, we had two games in September, against Barnechea & Union San Felipe. We lost both of these in pretty dismal performances with no attacking flair or confidence. Although the scoreline isn't too bad, we came out with 0 points from these two games and that sealed my fate unfortunately. We had lost 4 on the trot and the board made their decision!



It's back to the drawing board, and back on the job hunt. My reputation isn't too good so I'm not sure what team will want me at this moment in time, especially as I didn't even get the chance to complete a coaching badge at my time in charge of Deportes Temuco.

My time in charge of Deportes Temuco ended with the following record:

Deportes Temuco - 31 games, 14 wins, 4 draws, 13 losses
(0 trophies, 0 awards, 357 days in charge)

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Deportes Temuco
July & August 2020 Update



It's been a tough couple of months for us at Deportes Temuco, which has included multiple Board meetings to discuss the ongoings at the club. The first was after a surprise loss to the team rock bottom of the league, led to me needing a win in the next game, which I passed. The 2nd one, was after two losses in a row, and I'm currently waiting to see if our results pick up in the last 3 months of the season to please the board.



I'm not one to moan usually, but we have had a fair amount of injuries to key players. At one point, all 3 of my central midfielders were out at the same time, and all had lengthy injuries. Some are on the cusp of a comeback but Sebastian Diaz is out for a couple of months with a broken foot. It's not usually an issue, but no team could cope without all 3 of their first-team midfielders.



July 2020



Only the two games this month, and it got off to a bad start. We faced off against bottom of the table Colchagua, and they sent us packing with a 2-0 loss. It was such an embarassing performance, that the board called me in and TOLD me to get a better result in the next game. We did just that, as we went out there and beat Deportes Valdivia 3-1 courtesy of fine goals from Barroilhet, Cellerino & Arias. That result saved me my job....for now. A mixed month of results anyway.

July Player of Month
Johnny - was key in the middle of the park, and kept the attacks flowing whilst being responsible in front of the defence. He covered every blade of grass in both games.

August 2020



So, it was quite a packed schedule in the league this month, consisting of 5 games. Consistency has plagued us all season, and once again it has struck again. We started the month off really, really well win good wins over Deportes la Serena & Deportes Melipilla. The former was particularly special as we beat top of the league and comfortably at that. A 2-2 draw against Cobreloa had everything, and we were unlucky not to come out on the winning side, but a point was probably fair. Once again though, the Santiago twins caused us trouble and both sides beat us. The first game against Santiago Wanderers was so embarrassing as we conceded 4 goals in the first half, going on to lose 5-2. Not good at all. A late goal for Morning caused us to lose 2 in a row, and the board aren't happy about it. I've got a month to turn things around to keep my job.



Our poor form towards the end of the month, means we drop down to 6th in the table. Considering we were one of the favourites for the league title, we aren't living up to that billing and no wonder the board aren't happy with me. We are still in the playoff hunt, but we sit 10 points off top spot now so I think the title is gone. We will still fight though and I'll fight to keep my job so my reputation doesn't drop.

Next Post: September, October & November 2020

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Deportes Temuco
May & June Update



Things had gone alright, and our form was acceptable, if not spectacular in the first two months of the season. I've just encountered the rule that I'm not allowed to have more than 5 players over the age of 21 in the squad, which means signing new players is becoming a challenge at the moment. I have promoted a player I think will develop into a hell of a player in the future, into the first team so that he can train with us, and maybe get some minutes off the bench.

Bryan Tobar / DM

Bryan is only 17 years old, and although he only has 1* ability at the moment, he has possibly 4* potential if we an develop him the right way. He's a holding player with fairly decent mental attributes already. He needs work on all his technical attributes apart from his heading. He's got a bright future, and I'm hoping thats with us, and not elsewhere as he's already drawing interest and his head is spinning.





May

In May, we only had 4 games, and they were all league games. The month didn't get off to the greatest of starts as were outplayed by a Magallanes team who weren't performing great in their other matches. They ended up beating us 2-0, and we didn't exactly show off our greatest side. We followed this poor performance up with a great victory against San Luis de Quillota, and ran out 2-1 victors, thanks in most to a brace from Gaston Cellerino. It was our main two who scored the goals in another 2-1 win against Nublense who are on a similar level to us this season. Cellerino & Barroilhet netted the goals for us. We ended the month with another terrible performance though as we lost 2-0 to Deportes Santa Cruz which put a sour taste in my mouth. Not ideal when you bookend the month with 2 losses. Onto June we go...

Player of the Month - May
Gaston Cellerino - (4 games, 3 goals, 0 assists)

June

There was no league action for us in June, but we did have two games. It was the 2nd round of the Copa Chile MTS, and we had been given a difficult draw against Deportes Iquique who play in the top league in Chile. We were at home in the first leg, and came out 2-1 winners after a lot of action in the last couple of minutes. A goal just before the half from Moreno put us in front, before a last minute goal made me think we had thrown it away. It was Johnny with a wonderstrike a minute later to send the Temuco fans into raptures in the stands. We had a 2-1 lead going into the away second leg.

It wasn't to be though, as they controlled the game quite easily and won 2-0 to send us crashing out of the cup. We had reached my expectation of the 2nd round though and I didn't expect us to get through against a top level side.

Player of the Month: June
Alan Moreno - (2 games, 1 goal) - a great performance from the right back, who provided his impression down that right wing both attacking and defending.



14 games into the season and we're in the playoffs. 2 wins was enough to leave us only 5 points behind the leaders so we're trending in the right direction, kind of. Deportes La Serena are still on top of the pile, and where we want to be. There is more than half way to go though so who knows what will happen. I think we will be there or there abouts come the end though.

Next Post: July & August Update

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Deportes Temuco
March & April Update



After the perfect start in league action with plenty of goals, and none conceded it was going to be a tough ask to continue that form throughout the next two months. In total we played 8 league games & the first round of the Copa Chile MTS. The annoying thing is that we lost Sebastian Dominguez to injury for a couple of weeks. He's a key player at the holding midfielder role, so we will miss him throughout the next few games.



March

March was a tough month to get through, only winning twice and losing three times. It was such an uneven month where we couldn't get any momentum and our form was like a rollercoaster ride; up and down. We lost narrowly to league leaders Deportes La Serena before winning against Deportes Melipilla with a nice 2-0 scoreline. We lost to both Santiago teams with a 1-0 result which is disappointing to see, but we did have a cracking win against Cobreloa after a 3-1 drumming.

Player of the Month: March 2020
Richard Barroilhet (5 games, 3 goals, 1 assist)

April

April was where we saw our opening game in the Copa Chile MTS where we faced off against Deportes Iberia (some of you may recognise them form the battering in the pre-season friendly). Over the two-legged affair, we ended up winning 3-2 on aggregate after two very close games. The away leg saw us win 2-1 before a 1-1 draw at home. A run in this cup could provide us with some much needed cash and a morale boost to take into the league campaign. In the league we played 3 games, which saw us win 2 of them, whilst losing the other. Our loss was against Union San Felipe which was a cracking game. 3-0 down but pulled it close and should've quite possibly drawn the game and shared the points. We did get maximum points against Barnecheca & Rangers de Talca thanks to a wonder goal from new Brazillian kid Johnny.

Player of the Month: April 2020
Gaston Cellerino (5 games, 5 goals, 1 hattrick, 0 assists)



3 months into the season and we lie in 5th position, which is no where near where I want us to be. The only good thing is that we are 6 points off the leaders and have a game in hand on them. There is still a long way to go, and we will need to find some consistency to climb up that table and to come out on top.

Next Post: May & June 2020 Update

January & February 2020
Deportes Temuco

A new season is upon us, and this update will round up the pre-season activity: transfers in, friendlies and tactics. I'll also round up the first month of league action too, as we've played the first two league games.

We've only made a couple of permanent signings alongside one loan incoming, and I'm delighted with the quality we've managed to get. Managing in such a historic footballing continent has it's perks, and quality players is one of them.



Jonny was the first player in through the door at Bicentenario Geràn Becker. He's a central midfielder, who brings in all the qualities needed to play that role in a defensive, and attacking way. His first touch, and passing attributes are second to none and he can be key for us going forward.

Francisco Braz comes in on loan from top division side Deportes Iquique, and has come in to be a rotational option in the heart of the defence. He's only a youngster, here to learn on the job. I'm hoping if he performs well enough this season, that we may be able to bring him in full time after this season.

Fabian Espinoza is the most attacking transfer, and should slot straight in on the right hand side once he gains match fitness. He has rapid acceleration, and should beat anyone in behind the defence. I'm looking forward to him scoring a fair few from that right wing.



This is the tactic that I'll be rolling with in the coming season. I had started with a 4-1-4-1 defensive formation last season, but having not scored many goals, we needed a more of an attacking threat, which is why I've kept the defensive minded midfield, but pushed the wingers forward to support the lone striker. We shall see how this works, but I'm hopeful we can remain strong at the back whilst proving to be a threat up top.



Our pre-season friendlies were such a mix of results, but it gave the squad a bit of time together to learn the new tactic. We only managed the one win against Deportes Iberia, whilst losing 3 times against Cobresal, Deportes Recolata & Fernandez Vial. The other two friendlies ended in draws against Deportes Vallenar & Deportes Concepcion. Like I said, I'm not too bothered about the end results, but it was more about the tactic familiarity and team cohesion improving.



The league campaign started with a bang, and after two games, we are comfortably sitting atop of the league on maximum points. I had mentioned before that I wanted more of an attacking prowess, whilst keeping strong at the back. I think we achieved that don't you think? The opening day match against Colchauga was incredible and saw us run out 5-0 winners. Richard Barroilhet was the star of the show scoring twice from the right hand side. In the 2nd match we beat Deportes Valdivia 3-0, keeping our second clean sheet, and scoring more goals. Barroilhet once again grabbed a brace seeing him score 4 goals in 2 games. I hope this form continues...



Next Post: March & April 2020

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November 2019
Deportes Temuco
End of Season Update

You'll remember that I had just been appointed the manager of Deportes Temuco, who play in the Campeonato AS (the second division in Chile). It was near the end of the season, and the club had struggled so far after being expected to win the division and go straight back up into the top flight of Chilean football. I had a very slim chance of making the playoffs, but all the results had to go in our favour.



Things started well, with a lovely 2-0 victory of Deportes Valdivia with both goals coming from Gaston Cellerino. A 0-0 draw followed against Deportes Copiapo who sat top at the time. It was a narrow loss against Santiago Morning after an early goal sank us in a 1-0 loss. Another 0-0 draw saw the end to our chances of the playoffs, but there were some positives in our performances.

My tactic needs tweaking so that we score more, but we looked really, really strong at the back and didn't concede any goals in my first four games in charge. It's vital to not concede so at least the points will keep on rolling in if we do so.



The final league table, doesn't look too good through our own eyes, but it sets us up nicely for a title challenge next season. Club De Deportes Puerto Montt ended up winning the league on the final day of the season and will go up as Champions. No teams are relegated as it's the lowest league in Chile.

GOALS FOR NEXT SEASON

- Get promoted by winning the league. (we were expected to reach the Playoff final this season)
- Reach the 2nd Round of the Copa Chile MTS
- Develop at least one youngster from the youth team into the first team

October 2019
Deportes Temuco
Chilean Campeonato AS (Chilean 2nd League)

Luis Agromonte started looking for a job in July 2019, and it's now October 2019, and I've found my first managerial role. I had to venture into Chile to secure my first role and it's with a pretty good team (I think). Deportes Temuco have taken the plunge and hired an unknown entity, to lead them towards promotion back into the
big boy league in Chile.



They were relegated last season into the 2nd tier, and were one of the favourites to go straight back up at the first time of asking. Things haven't gone to plan for them, but they still have a chance to make the playoffs, which is where I come in. They lie in 9th position, only 6 points points out of the playoffs, with 4 games to go. It's a tough ask, and things have to go our way but you never know. Football is a funny game after all.



I've inherited a good squad according to my assistant, but time will tell whether they impress me or not. I've gone for a very South American formation with the 4-1-4-1, so we will be defensively sound and using the counter to take the attack to them. Just from looking at the squad, I can see a few stand out players who will be key to my time in charge here.

- Mauricio Prieto (CB)
He's an ageing CB, but one that brings some much needed experience to the squad. He is still quite pacy for his age, and has pretty impressive mental attributes. He's travelled around a fair bit, having played for 5 clubs in his career, mostly in South America, but for some reason went over to Russia for a season to try life over there.

- Sebastien Diaz (DM)
At the age of 23, hopefully Seb will be here for the future, and will continue to improve. He's a holding midfielder who will become my playmaker in the heart of the team. I'm hoping for him to break attacks up, and be that link between the defence and attack. Whatever his role, he will be key for me.

- Renier Castro (AML)
Although I'm not actually playing an attacking winger role, I'm sure he will slot into the ML position nicely. Renier has impressive acceleration, and his passing is one of his best traits. He should be able to get past his marker, whilst also being that out ball when we counter.




Next Post: End of Season Update

Deportes Temuco (Chile)
08.10.19 - 29.09.2020
2019 - Campeonato AS (9th) - Copa Chile MTS (1st Round)
2020 - Campeonato AS (6th) - Copa Chile MTS (2nd Round) - SACKED

Institucion Atletica Sud America (Uruguay)
20.10.20 - 27.11.22
2021 - Segunda Division (2nd - Promoted to Primeria Division) - Manager of the Year
2022 - Campeonato Uruguayo Copa Coca Cola - 16th - RELEGATED) - SACKED

Central Español (Uruguay)
07.06.23 - Present
2023 - Campeonato Uruguayo Copa Coca-Cola - 8th

Unfortunately, I think this career may well be lost to the Gods. My Macbook decided that it wouldn't charge at all, and until all this madness is over, I can't get it fixed.

I'm on my old macbook now, so I've got FM, but no access to this career.

We were already a little way through the season, so time was running out to make transfers as the window was about to close, but I managed to get a few in through the door, which I'll talk about in the section below. Things are good here in Perth, and I've settled in well. I adopted the same tactic I usually apply, which is the 4-2-3-1 formation with a positive approach. It seems to work well and I have had good success with it so it's the one I'm going with here for now. Hopefully, I'll only be here for a short while as it really shouldn't take too long to tick off 3 trophies, but you never know what will happen.



I said I had managed to get a few players into the club, the total being 3. I think they are all good enough to make an instant impact and I've managed to get a player in each of the main positions too which is always helpful for squad depth. First in was Australian striker Phililp Jamieson who previously played at Melbourne City. He's got goals in him and has been out of the game for a while. He's got the eye for goal and has some amazing physical stats. Looking at him, he should just score goals for fun in this league. Second, in, was attacking midfielder Chris Barr from Aucklund City. He's only 22 years old and is impressive in his mental and physical stats, but his technical stats could do with improvement. He's a developmental player for sure. On the day the window closed, CB Kyle Pffeferkorn came into the club, and is mainly going to be used as a rotation option, but offers us a 3rd quality CB. He's a hard-working guy ad should do well for us for years to come.

Phillip Jamieson | ST | Melbourne City | Free


Chris Barr | CAM | Aucklund City | | £56k


Kyle Pffeferkorn | CB | Newcastle Jets | Free






When I came into the club, they were already 6 games into the season, and sat rock bottom of the league table. I didn't really know what the team was about and why they weren't living up to their mid-table finish prediction, but I got things changed around pretty quickly. We had good wins in the first 10 games against Adelaide United, Central Coast Mariners & Sydney United. We actually only lost 2 games in those first 10, against Newcastle Jets & Adelaide United, both who sat in the upper echelons of the league. If I thought that form was good, we excelled in the final 10 games of the season, losing only once more against Western Sydney Wanderers. We had another good win against Adelaide United, and earned a shock win against Newcastle Jets. We ended the season with a 7 match unbeaten run which included wins against Melbourne City & Macarthur FC. I'm really pleased with how the lads turned their season around and there is a positive atmosphere in the dressing room now.

Our record for the league games I took charge in this season was: 12 WINS, 5 DRAWS & 3 LOSSES.



With that good form, we snuck into the top 6 of the league table, which guaranteed us a spot in the A-League Finals competition. We ended up with 44 points, which was only 6 points behind the league winners Newcastle Jets, so next year, the league may be within our reach. 4th place was well more than I expected but I'm delighted that we showed that we have potential in this league.





The A-League Finals competition is a straight knockout which leads to a finale where the champion is crowned. In the Elimination Final, we were drawn against Melbourne City, and dispatched them comfortably, thanks to a Scott Millar penalty and a Phillip Jamieson strike. It wasn't to be this year though, as we faced Newcastle Jets the league winners in the Semi-Final, and got spanked. A 5-1 defeat put an end to our trophy hopes.



GOALS
1 | Phillip Jamieson | 11
2 | Bill Clements | 9
3 | Samuel Ross | 7

ASSISTS
1 | Bill Clements | 10
2 | Gabriel Beyer | 5
3 | Michael Butler | 4

AVERAGE RATING
1 | Phillip Jamieson | 7.55
2 | Bill Clements | 7.40
3 | Gabriel Beyer | 7.08

Next Post | End of Season Update | 2048/2049

It wasn't the end that I wanted in Mexico, but I think it's best that I leave the country for a short while and try management elsewhere. I've decided to move continents and head back to Asia, but more specifically, to the lovely country down under of Australia. I've visited a number of times when I was younger, and one of my favourite cities was Perth. Perth is a hustling and bustling city but it doesn't feel like it. When Perth Glory came and approached me to be their next manager, it was a no-brainer. I signed on the dotted line immediately and here I am now, sitting on the deck with a stubby of beer plotting my route to dominance here in the land down under.





Perth Glory, known simply as 'The Glory', are a professional team playing in the Hyundai A-League in Australia. Formed in 1996, they have won the Hyundai A-League once in 2019, and the FFA Cup on 2 separate occasions.

They call the Perth Rectangular Stadium, their home, which has a capacity of 20,500 which are all seated. They have excellent training facilities andaverage training facilities and train at the McGillvray Oval in Perth itself.

The club's finances seems table, and at the time of writing have a positive balance of 6.4m in the coffers. It's important to keep this positive so we can invest in the facilities.







It's a small squad here at Perth Glory, and I like it that way as I've mentioned before. I won't have too many on the bubble that keeps complaining and causing unrest in the camp. That being said, I hope I don't suffer too many injuries that will totally derail any momentum we can get. We don't currently have a right back in the first-team squad so I'll be looking to find one of those sharpish, and we could do with an extra striker to add to the depth so it doesn't all fall on Samuel Ross.

Bill Clements, the 28 year-old winger from Australia is currently the best player on our roll. He's quick, strong and has excellent dribbling skills. Hopefully, he can take the team to glory and lead the way in his performances.







You can see that I've got my work cut out for me here in Perth, as they sit rock bottom of the table after 6 games, and winning only the once. They've also been knocked out of the Asian Champions League and the FFA Cup, so it's all eyes on the league performance this season.

Next Post | End of Season Update 2047/2048

Well, this wasn't exactly what I had in mind for my stint in Mexico. Things did not go well from the outset this season, and we lost a lot of games which lead to the board calling me in for a meeting to discuss our recent performances. I did the usual pleading for my job saying we had a tough run of games, but that did nothing to convince them. They set me the target I needed to achieve in order to keep my job.

10 from 5 games

Needless to say, The first 3 games sealed my fate where we only picked up the one measly point and they fired me straight away. The second firing of my career. Back on the job hunt, I go...

Since taking over as the manager of Universidad de Guadalaraja, things have gone quite well. It's a new league for me, but I'm enjoying it immensely. I feel like I'd love to manage here in real life due to the good food and the tequila! Mexican well be my favourite type of food! Anyway back to the game, and with no new updates regarding the club or the manager, it's onto the transfers.



I said I was on the hunt for some new defenders, and I found two of them. I've brought in two new CBs with the aim of them being my new starters. The first is Paraguayan international Jose Baez. He's the better of the two and is only 20 years old so has plenty of time to improve. He has good stats all over the board and should be a hell of a player here for years to come. Kiko was the next one and the Brazillian player is another exciting prospect. He's a little bit less talented but slots in straight away as the other starting CB. I hope the pair of them can forge a strong dominant partnership.

Jose Baez | CB | Libertad | £400k


Kiko | CB | Fresno | £225k






I quite like the way the Mexican league works, with it being split into two sections: the Opening Stage and the Closing Stage, with both winners getting promoted (I think). Anyway, we had already completed the opening stage before I took over, so I was in charge of the whole Closing Stage. It was a mixed set of results, as I tried to figure out the best formation to use here in Mexico, but I think I finally found one that works. We had a tricky start with not much success, as we gained 7 points from the first 5 games. We had a good win against Dorados early on which was nice to see. Our form finally improved consistency wise and we ended the season by winning 4 of the last 7 games, including against Albrejias, Tiaxcala, & Orizaba. We had a good run of games in the middle part as well when we won 3 on the trot against Correcaminos, Venados & Potros UAEM. Overall I'm happy with how we performed in my opening campaign with the club, and there is plenty to be positive about going forward.

Our record for the closing stage was: 9 WINS, 2 DRAWS & 6 LOSSES.





In what was a tightly contested league table, we managed to sneak into the knockout competition to decide the overall winner and who will be promoted. We finished in 6th position on 32 points and had to face Atletico San Luis in the 1st round. They finished just below us in the league table, so I thought we could beat them and progress into the next round. It wasn't to be as we drew the first leg, and came out losers in the second leg after a 1-0 defeat. I'm happy to have made the quarter-final though, so it's time to charge on and beat that next season.



GOALS
1 | Mark Calderon | 14
2 | Adrien Michel | 10
3 | Abraham Cerventes | 6

ASSISTS
1 | Rene Palma | 9
2 | Abraham Cervantes | 8
3 | Adrien Michel | 7

AVERAGE RATING
1 | Jose Baez | 7.06
2 | Adrien Michel | 7.05
3 | Abraham Cervantes | 6.99

Next Post | Mexican Promotion League Opening Stage Update | 2047/2048

Since stepping down as manager of Philadelphia Union (A club I would've loved to stay at and build a dynasty at! Maybe that could be my next save?), I knew exactly where I was going to head to next. I was going to stay in North America, but this time I was off to Mexico. The right job just had to pop up, and one did. The University of Guadalajara sacked their manager and I applied for the job. They are quite a big team, and you'll learn more about them below. I'm thrilled to be here, and I've signed a 2-year contract worth £1.8k per week which is a massive step down from Philadelphia, but it's necessary to complete the challenge.





Universidad de Guadalajara, known as 'Los Leones Nergros', are a professional team playing in the Mexican Promotion League in Meixco. Formed in 1970, they have won the Mexican Cup once in 1991, and the Mexican Promotion League on 13 separate occasions, so they've been bouncing around the leagues a bit.

They call the Estadio Jalisco, their home, which has a capacity of 56,713 which are all seated. They have average youth facilities andaverage training facilities and train at the Unidad la Primavera in Guadalajara itself.







Just by looking at the team, I can see we are missing a few players in key positions. We have no real quality in the squad between the sticks, so I'll be targetting one whenever I can. We could also do with addressing the full-back positions as we don't have many, and the middle fo the park is looking a bit sparse. Things to be getting on with, but there is quality there hidden away.

The best player at the club at the moment is Mark Calderon. The American striker, is only 25 so just about to enter his prime. He's pacey and has some excellent finishing and first touch stats. I'll be looking at him to lead the line and score the majority of our goals this season.



Next Post | End of Season 2046/2047

Another season done and dusted! Management in the US, is really, really enjoyable and life in Philadelphia is almost as good. I get to manage my team on a Saturday, and then go and watch the NFL on a Sunday. Heaven. Anyway, the club offered me a brand spanking new contract once again, and I signed on the dotted line. It's a whopping 3-year contract worth, £23.5k per week. Happy days. That'll keep me going for a while eh?







Once again, we've been on one hell of an unbeaten run, and it's definitely what we needed. To start this half of the season, we didn't lose for 9 games and had excellent wins against Minnesota United & New York Red Bulls. We also managed a handy draw against Seattle. It's really important that we don't drop points and lose ground against the top teams in the league. Our first defeat came against Colombus Crew, as we lost 1-0, before going on a 3 match winning run against Inter Miami, DC United & NYCFC. We actually only lost once more in the league, and once again it was against Colombus Crew which is frustrating. We can't seem to get a good result against them at the moment.

Our record for this half of the season was: 9 WINS, 7 DRAWS and 2 LOSSES.



We won the Eastern Conference with a total of 66 points, a whopping 8 points ahead of Colombus Crew in 2nd place. We dominated the second half of the season and pulled away from the rest of the pack early on. I think we had more points this season than last time which is always good. Progress is the key.





We finally won the Eastern Conference Playoffs, and it's about time after getting further each year. We were the best team in the league this season so it's only right that we won the Eastern side of things. It also counts as one of the titles we needed to win so that's a bonus. In the semi-final, we faced NYCFC, and somehow won it on a penalty shootout. In the final, we faced off against Inter Miami, where every goal was scored in extra-time after a 0-0 draw in regulation. That's mad, 4 goals in extra time. I'm ecstatic that we won it anyway!





As you would've imagined, we've finished on top of the pile in the MLS Supporters Shield which means it's another trophy to add to our collection! We were some way ahead of the competition as it was our Eastern Conference rivals who occupied 2nd and 3rd place. One more ticked off the list.







So in the MLS, the winners of each conference playoffs, come together and play a 'SUPERBOWLesque match to decide who will be crowned the champions of the MLS Cup. We were representing the Eastern Conference, whilst Seattle Sounders were representing the Western Conference. It was a tight game and was end to end with both teams attacking well. We edged them out after goals from Mike Yates & Chris Rios. That's the final trophy we needed here in America if we don't count the Champions League







Once again we reached the final of the US Cup, and for the second year in a row, we lost at the final hurdle. Nashville beat us 3-1 in the final after a poor outing from the lads. It's a tough one to take as we were the overwhelming favourites. Oh well.





GOALS
1 | Juan Pablo Fernandez | 23
2 | Fabio Jose | 43
3 | Chris Rios | 10

ASSISTS
1 | Mike Yates | 13
2 | Fabio Jose | 9
3 | Juan Pablo Fernandez | 7

AVERAGE RATING
1 | Nugzar Chubindze | 7.24
2 | Juan Pablo Fernandez | 7.23
3 | Mike Yates| 7.20

Next Post | Do I stay or do I go?

The draft continues to be the main talking point of the pre-season, and I somehow had around 5 picks in the 1st round once again and I have no idea who the best players are in the draft. I usually just go with what my assistant recommends, after taking the positions of need. If someone could write a guide on this then that would be amazing. Anyway, we're half-way through the 2046 season now, and this is how it's gone...



Just the one player through the door this year, and I have raided my old team Pohang Steelers once again as it seems to do me well. Nugzar Chubinidze is the man to join the Union, and he will slot straight into the middle of the park. The Georgian international has good physical stats but could do with improving his technical but he can do that here. I'm happy to get him in and hopefully, he can perform well for us for years to come.

My 2046 draft class, consisted of 7 players:
Jon Smith (AMC), - Long Island Rough Riders
Andy Howarth (CB), - Alberquerque Sol
Daniel Smith (ST), - Discoveries SC
Lee Delgado (CM), - Portland Phoenix
Chase Martinez (AML) - Tobacco Road
Cesar Caballero (ST) - Tampa Bay Chill
Daniel Pomykal (LB) - Portland Phoenix

Nugzar Chibundize | CM | Pohang Steelers | £575k






I sound like I'm repeating myself half the time, but consistency is killing us once again. We go on a run of wins, then we lose a game, and this cycle goes on and on. It's so frustrating. We actually didn't lose for the first 5 games, and won 4 of them against Orlando City, Vancouver Whitecaps, & Chicago Fire (x2). Our defeats have come against the usual teams in Inter Miami, New England Revolution, Real Salt Lake & San Jose Earthquakes. We never seem to beat Real Salt Lake for some reason or another. The best result was probably the 4-1 win against Cincinatti, as it had everything for us. I'm frustrated with how the final game went for us, as we conceded in the 96th minute after only 5 minutes of injury time were given. ANNOYING.



In the Eastern Conference we are in 2nd place. A good position for us, but we want to be top now. We're in a prime position to push up to the top though, as we have a game in hand on NYCFC who are top at the moment. We're on 33 points which is 3 points better off than last season if that means anything.





In the MLS Supporters Shield, it's third place for us at the moment, with NYCFC & Minnesota United occupying the 2 spots above us. Minnesota are 2 points ahead after playing the same amount. We could face pressure from Seattle Sounders who have games in hand and could overtake us if they win them both. It's going to be a close league this season once again.





It's becoming a pattern in the North American Champions League, as we progressed all the way to the final once again, and lost once again. It's frustrating as we probably should've won the final this time, but that stupid penalty shootout bites us in the a** again.

En route to the final, we beat Real Esteli (Nicaragua), Chivas & Montreal Impact. We came up against Americas in the final and narrowly lost the 1st leg away from home. In the return leg, we got the win we deserved courtesy of a hattrick from Austin Lewis, before losing on penalties. It's a cruel way to lose a champions league final. Will we ever win this?





GOALS
1 | Juan Pablo Fernandez | 11
2 | Fabio Jose | 9
3 | Austin Lewis, Chris Rios | 4

ASSISTS
1 | Fabio Jose, Mike Yates | 6
2 | Martinho Birnstingl, Juan Pablo Fernandez | 5
3 | Julio Cesar Rios | 4

AVERAGE RATING
1 | Mike Yates | 7.28
2 | Fabio Jose | 7.27
3 | Julio Cesar Rios | 7.25

Next Post | End of Season Update 2046