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#501114 [FM20] Trip to: United States (w/ Cincinnati)
TinakoFM
#501108 [FM20] Trip to: United States (w/ Cincinnati)
TinakoFM
Just Corben Bone and Caleb Stanko left, not good given we play a three-man midfield.
#501100 [FM20] Trip to: United States (w/ Cincinnati)
TinakoFM
I'm very surprised with how it has changed, but looking back we were only losing by the odd goal or two most times - Manneh and Adi hitting form has been the difference. I do hope we can reach the play-offs, but it has been a good season either way at this point.
#501083 [FM20] Trip to: United States (w/ Cincinnati)
TinakoFM
Trip to: United States (w/ Cincinnati):
Team: Cincinnati (Major League Soccer) | My Team Record: W:16 D:5 L:15 | Honours: 0
This Season's (2019) Expectation(s): Be Competitive/Reach Cup R5
Club Vision: click here
Update 009: September Round-Up!
September 2019 would prove to be a pivotal month in my tenure as Cincinnati manager, with four of the last five Major League Soccer regular season fixtures taking place.
We came into this period in seventh place, which is the final position that would bring play-off football to Nippert Stadium. Sixth place remained gettable, with a crunch tie with Chicago Fire on the way. All of the five clubs below us could still catch us, though we managed to retain our position towards the end of August as the teams below caught up on games played.
Let's see how it went:
Match Round-Up:
Result One:
Competition: Friendly | Round: - | Opponent: Toronto II ([CAN]USA/I) | Their Position: - | Their Streak: -
Our Highest Rated Player: Keisuke Honda (JPN) - 8.8 | Our Position: - | Our Points Tally: - | Our Streak: -
"The set of friendlies concluded with a 4-1 victory away to Toronto II, Keisuke Honda notably performed well."
Result Two:
Competition: Major League Soccer | Round: 30/34 | Opponent: Chicago Fire (USA/I) | Their Position: 6/12 (east) | Their Streak: WWLLD
Our Highest Rated Player: Caleb Stanko (USA) - 7.1 | Our Position: 7/12 (east) | Our Points Tally: 38pts | Our Streak: WWLWL
"Ouch! Heavy defeat at the hands of Chicago Fire. We could've closed the gap to one point on our opponents in sixth place, but Chicago Fire ran riot at SeatGeek Stadium. Well, I say Chicago but it was more like Nemanja Nikolić - who netted all four (!) goals."
Result Three:
Competition: Major League Soccer | Round: 31/34 | Opponent: Toronto ([CAN]USA/I) | Their Position: 3/12 (east) | Their Streak: WWLWL
Our Highest Rated Player: Keisuke Honda (JPN) - 7.1 | Our Position: 7/12 (east) | Our Points Tally: 38pts | Our Streak: WLWLL
"Consecutive losses as third place Toronto edged us at Nippert Stadium, Jozy Altidore scoring the decisive goal for them. Good performance from us in truth, just lost to the more clinical side. Despite these defeats, we remained in seventh place."
Result Four:
Competition: Major League Soccer | Round: 32/34 | Opponent: Orlando City (USA/I) | Their Position: 8/12 (east) | Their Streak: WDDDD
Our Highest Rated Player: Emmanuel Ledesma (ARG) - 7.6 | Our Position: 7/12 (east) | Our Points Tally: 41pts | Our Streak: LWLLW
"Huge win over Orlando City, the team below us in the Eastern Conference. We came out the blocks flying, scoring two goals inside eight minutes via Fanendo Adi and Kekuta Manneh - our two best players turning up! A late goal from an Orlando defender made us Sweat (I'm here all week) but we held on to secure some major points."
Result Five:
Competition: Major League Soccer | Round: 33/34 | Opponent: Minnesota United (USA/I) | Their Position: 7/12 (west) | Their Streak: LDDDW
Our Highest Rated Player: Kekuta Manneh (GAM) - 8.2 | Our Position: 7/12 (east) | Our Points Tally: 44pts | Our Streak: WLLWW
"And again! Excellent victory over Minnesota United, in what was the battle between the two seventh place clubs. Our cause was very much helped early on, after one-time Bolton Wanderers player Ján Greguš got sent off after just five minutes! Kendall Waston and Kekuta Manneh punished The Loons on our home soil."
Fixture List:
Competitions:
Squad Statistics:
One positive result away from reaching the MLS Cup Play-offs. With 1st-6th all sealed up and 9th-12th out of the running, it's left between Cincinnati and Philadelphia Union to fight for that coveted seventh spot. We both head to the Western Conference on the final day, as we meet sixth place Real Salt Lake while Philadelphia face third place Sporting Kansas City. Tricky fixtures across the board.
My Current Tactics:
Tactics remain the same, though player-wise we're into a bit of an injury crisis but have coped quite well thus far. Six players are out of action with injury, three of which were crucial first-team members in Eric Remedi, Keisuke Honda and Víctor Ulloa. Fatai Alashe has done decent since stepping in, Corben Bone has been inconsistent.
Squad Dynamics:
Board Review:
Tomasz Kuszczak Heading Out:
Tomasz Kuszczak again received contract offers from Ekstraklasa clubs, rejecting a return to his homeland for a second time. I do like Kuszczak but Przemysław Tytoń is most definitely number one. I was planning on extending Kuszczak's contract for next season, but will most likely let him leave as he wants a pay increase from £1,000 to £2,500 p/w. I think I can get a decent homegrown back-up in for cheaper, and use the rest for outfield players; gotta be tight with the salary cap restrictions.
Youth Intake:
Our Past Positions:
It has been quite the turnaround, we've peaked at the correct time. Will it mean anything though? Tense final day incoming!
Just one fixture left to play, I'm nervously looking forward to it. Our season may end on 6 October 2019, or we'll set-up at least one more match in the play-offs.
Thank you for reading!
Next? Update 010: Final Day Round-Up!
#500993 "Alcohol, alcohol, alcohol! We came here to get drunk and the result doesn't matter!"
TinakoFM
Always great when you get wins like that one. Cádiz - the new cup giant killers!
#500981 "Alcohol, alcohol, alcohol! We came here to get drunk and the result doesn't matter!"
TinakoFM
#500980 My FM20 Career
TinakoFM
#500968 FM20 - York City - A MinsterMen Journey
TinakoFM
#500872 A 2 week trip to France. Viva la Beta
TinakoFM
That's a shame, hopefully see an update soon!
#500871 [FM20] Trip to: United States (w/ Cincinnati)
TinakoFM
Cheers! They certainly do, though it will be tough. Just two of the five remaining opponents sit above us in the table, so I fancy our chances against the other three at the very least.
#500787 FM20 - York City - A MinsterMen Journey
TinakoFM
#500783 [FM20] Trip to: United States (w/ Cincinnati)
TinakoFM
Trip to: United States (w/ Cincinnati):
Team: Cincinnati (Major League Soccer) | My Team Record: W:14 D:5 L:14 | Honours: 0
This Season's (2019) Expectation(s): Be Competitive/Reach Cup R5
Club Vision: click here
Update 008: August Round-Up!
The recent times of my tenure with Major League Soccer side Cincinnati has gone very well indeed, as we came into August inside the play-off line and in the U.S. Open Cup semi-finals - something we could only have dreamt of a few months back when we were rock bottom of the Eastern Conference.
As I showed previously, I had a crash dump during the U.S. Open Cup semi-final. I was losing that 1-0 midway through the first half so no way of predicting what would've happened, but I had to replay the preceding MLS fixture with New England Revolution - I managed to get the same outcome. Always annoying when crashes happen, always kills my motivation as I don't enjoy replaying matches. Thankfully it was just one match and it is the beta, so it's to be somewhat expected.
Anyway, here's the August review:
Match Round-Up:
Result One:
Competition: Major League Soccer | Round: 28/34 | Opponent: New England Revolution (USA/I) | Their Position: 5/12 (east) | Their Streak: WWLDW
Our Highest Rated Player: Kekuta Manneh (GAM) - 8.5 | Our Position: 7/12 (east) | Our Points Tally: 35pts | Our Streak: WWDWW
"I won this 2-0 before the crash, so had to replay it to get the same outcome. I can't actually remember who scored originally, but Eric Remedi and Emmanuel Ledesma netted this time around as we eased past New England Revolution."
Result Two:
Competition: U.S. Open Cup | Round: Semi-final | Opponent: Philadelphia Union (USA/I) | Their Position: - | Their Streak: WDLLL
Our Highest Rated Player: Nick Hagglund (USA) - 7.1 | Our Position: - | Our Points Tally: - | Our Streak: WDWWL
"Our Open Cup hopes were ended on 6 August 2019, as Philadelphia Union eliminated us from the competition with a 1-0 victory at Talen Energy Stadium - Mark McKenzie the matchwinner. Even encounter, unfortunate to lose it. Always gutting to lose in a cup semi-final. Philadelphia would eventually lose to LA Galaxy on penalties in the final."
Result Three:
Competition: Major League Soccer | Round: 29/34 | Opponent: New York City FC (USA/I) | Their Position: 4/12 (east) | Their Streak: WDWWW
Our Highest Rated Player: Nick Hagglund (USA) - 7.8 | Our Position: 7/12 (east) | Our Points Tally: 38pts | Our Streak: DWWLW
"What an excellent response! Emmanuel Ledesma netted to seal us a superb win at home to NYCFC, who were five undefeated and sat fourth - Anton Tinnerholm missed a vital spot-kick before half-time for them. Three straight MLS victories for Cincinnati, which certainly makes up for that Open Cup exit. This was the final competitive fixture of August 2019."
Result Four:
Competition: Friendly | Round: - | Opponent: New York Red Bulls II (USA/I) | Their Position: - | Their Streak: -
Our Highest Rated Player: Fanendo Adi (NGA) - 8.8 | Our Position: - | Our Points Tally: - | Our Streak: -
"Fanendo Adi struck twice to help us beat second tier New York Red Bulls II in New Jersey. Domination, as you'd expect."
Result Five:
Competition: Friendly | Round: - | Opponent: New York Cosmos (USAIV) | Their Position: - | Their Streak: -
Our Highest Rated Player: Kendall Waston (CRC) - 7.3 | Our Position: - | Our Points Tally: - | Our Streak: -
"A surprise defeat to fourth tier New York Cosmos on penalties. They did get lucky, considering we had 22 shots with 13 on target - compared to their 2 shots, 1 on target. We were punished for not taking our chances."
Fixture List:
Competitions:
Squad Statistics:
Frustrating to not make it further in the U.S. Open Cup, but it gives us the opportunity to fully focus on the crunch end of Major League Soccer. Two out of two wins in that regard, which keeps us seventh in the Eastern Conference. We have a 4pt lead on Columbus Crew and Orlando City, the latter being the only team with a match in hand on us now; with the others catching up on us as we've played friendlies. Just five to play now!
My Current Tactics:
No changes to the tactic itself, but again we have player issues. Eric Remedi has joined Víctor Ulloa on the sidelines with a serious injury, which is most definitely not good news. It leaves us with Keisuke Honda and Caleb Stanko as the only midfielders with proper playtime this campaign, with ring-rusty duo Tommy McCabe and Fatai Alashe left in reserve - one, if not both of them, will need to step up and fill the void. Otherwise, a change of tactic will be needed.
Squad Dynamics:
Board Review:
No update from the board or players, everything is going splendid - I even got an achievement for full player backing, which was nice.
Award Recognition:
Interesting MLS Rule:
A short but eventful month with Cincinnati. Two straight league wins is a major positive, which makes me feel less disappointed with that loss to Philadelphia Union in the U.S. Open Cup. September is going to be a decisive month, with four of the last five regular season encounters taking place. I'd be more than delighted if we made the MLS Cup Playoffs, even if we were to be knocked out at the first hurdle.
September looks like this:
Thank you for reading!
Next? Update 009: September Round-Up!
#500778 My FM20 Career
TinakoFM
Rough first job! Here's hoping for better in your next one.
#500689 Your FM20 saves
TinakoFM
I'm doing an MLS save myself, despite not knowing how the rules all work. Just out of interest, what are some of the bugs?
I'm with Cincinnati in MLS atm. I wouldn't say it's boring without relegation, but it definitely gives you more leeway - I was bottom of my conference for ages but had no threat of a sacking.
#500687 FM20 - York City - A MinsterMen Journey
TinakoFM
#500686 "Alcohol, alcohol, alcohol! We came here to get drunk and the result doesn't matter!"
TinakoFM
#500270 Your FM20 saves
TinakoFM
Of course now I've had one...
#500269 [FM20] Trip to: United States (w/ Cincinnati)
TinakoFM
First @VP., now me. @Shedender really did jinx us all.
#500254 (FM20 BETA) I've Had Enough Of Emery FFS
TinakoFM
In the end, kinda gutting not to reach 100pts... bloody West Ham!
#500251 "Alcohol, alcohol, alcohol! We came here to get drunk and the result doesn't matter!"
TinakoFM
#500116 [FM20] Trip to: United States (w/ Cincinnati)
TinakoFM
Trip to: United States (w/ Cincinnati):
Team: Cincinnati (Major League Soccer) | My Team Record: W:8 D:3 L:13 | Honours: 0
This Season's (2019) Expectation(s): Be Competitive/Reach Cup R5
Club Vision: click here
Update 007: July Round-Up!
It has been some turnaround at Nippert Stadium, as we've gone from a dead-at-the-bottom Eastern Conference club to one showing some great fight to hopefully avoid the wooden spoon. Despite four wins in five competitive fixtures in June, we still sat bottom of the East but only by 3pts. A continuation of the form into July was very much needed.
Here's how we got on:
Match Round-Up:
Result One:
Competition: Major League Soccer | Round: 23/34 | Opponent: Philadelphia Union (USA/I) | Their Position: 7/12 (east) | Their Streak: WWWWW
Our Highest Rated Player: Víctor Ulloa (MEX) - 8.2 | Our Position: 11/12 (east) | Our Points Tally: 24pts | Our Streak: WWWLW
"Boy, haven't we turned a corner! We hit back from that Atlanta United defeat with a 2-1 victory over Philadelphia Union, who had won all of their last five fixtures. Kekuta Manneh and Sergio Santos had the scoreline at 1-1 on 13mins after both converting bangers, but it would be us who would take the three points following a stoppage time winner from Eric Remedi - who I had substituted on with 25mins left, super sub! To make things even sweeter, this result lifted us off the bottom in the Eastern Conference. Finally!"
Result Two:
Competition: Major League Soccer | Round: 24/34 | Opponent: D.C. United (USA/I) | Their Position: 12/12 (east) | Their Streak: LLDLL
Our Highest Rated Player: Fanendo Adi (NGA) - 7.4 | Our Position: 11/12 (east) | Our Points Tally: 25pts | Our Streak: WWLWD
"Disappointing to drop points at home to D.C. United, the side that replaced us at the bottom of the conference. Funnily enough, it was our first draw since the last time we faced Wayne Rooney & Co. back in April. We had 30 shots in this match, but just 6 on target."
Result Three:
Competition: U.S. Open Cup | Round: Quarter-final | Opponent: Sporting Kansas City (USA/I) | Their Position: - | Their Streak: WLDDL
Our Highest Rated Player: Fanendo Adi (NGA) - 9.6 | Our Position: - | Our Points Tally: - | Our Streak: WLWDW
"Fanendo Adi...! He netted his second hat-trick of the season to secure us a spot in the U.S. Open Cup semi-finals. It was some comeback from the boys, having gone a goal down on 63mins through Ilie Sánchez. Tremendous result, and we're now just two victories from a trophy and a spot in the CONCACAF Champions League. Still a long way to go."
Result Four:
Competition: Major League Soccer | Round: 25/34 | Opponent: Montreal Impact ([CAN]USA/I) | Their Position: 10/12 (east) | Their Streak: LLLWL
Our Highest Rated Player: Fanendo Adi (NGA) - 7.4 | Our Position: 11/12 (east) | Our Points Tally: 28pts | Our Streak: LWDWW
"Yet another win, this time producing some crucial points in Major League Soccer. Kekuta Manneh, our star man aside from Fanendo Adi, got injured early in the second half at 1-1 but his replacement, Darren Mattocks, would win us the match with a goal inside 12mins of his arrival. Very tight encounter, so great to get the victory from it."
Result Five:
Competition: Major League Soccer | Round: 26/34 | Opponent: Vancouver Whitecaps ([CAN]USA/I) | Their Position: 7/12 (west) | Their Streak: LDLWD
Our Highest Rated Player: Víctor Ulloa (MEX) - 7.1 | Our Position: 9/12 (east) | Our Points Tally: 29pts | Our Streak: WDWWD
"A second straight meeting with Canadian opposition saw us travel to British Columbia to play Vancouver Whitecaps at BC Place. It was a trip that we dropped points during, but I was honestly delighted to take a point from this; the Whitecaps are a solid team."
Result Six:
Competition: Major League Soccer | Round: 27/34 | Opponent: Orlando City (USA/I) | Their Position: 10/12 (east) | Their Streak: WWDLL
Our Highest Rated Player: Caleb Stanko (USA) - 9.1 | Our Position: 7/12 (east) | Our Points Tally: 32pts | Our Streak: DWWDW
"Wow... July concludes with an outstanding performance at Exploria Stadium against Orlando City. Goals from Emmanuel Ledesma, Caleb Stanko, Brian Rowe (o.g.) and Fanendo Adi produced a stunning four-goal away win. We absolutely silenced The Lions, limiting them to just two shots on target. This was a massive result in more ways than one, as it moves us into the Eastern Conference play-off places for the first time. Unreal."
Fixture List:
Competitions:
Squad Statistics:
Brilliant stuff, we've found fantastic form at exactly the right time. With just seven Major League Soccer regular season matches left, Cincinnati have moved into seventh place - the final play-off spot. It's going to be incredibly tough to retain it, given it's pretty much the only space remaining to fight for and teams below have games in hand; all bar Philadelphia Union in fact.
Talking of Philadelphia Union, we'll face them in the U.S. Open Cup semi-finals - with the winner playing LA Galaxy or San Jose Earthquakes, who will play out a California Clásico in the other semi-final. An intriguing end to the 2019 campaign is on the way, no matter what happens.
My Current Tactics:
The tactic hasn't changed, but the personnel has. Víctor Ulloa has suffered a fairly damaging injury, which puts him out of action for a while. Thankfully we have Eric Remedi in as a more than capable replacement, still sucks to lose Ulloa though.
Squad Dynamics:
Board Review:
As you'd imagine, everyone around the club is pleased at the moment. The Dressing Room Atmosphere is at Excellent, with the Managerial Support at Very Good.
More Transfers:
Some more transfer-related news has occurred.
Tomasz Kuszczak received three offers from Ekstraklasa clubs but, thankfully, wasn't interested in Legia Warsaw, Lech Poznań (who must be desperate for a new 'keeper, see: Przemysław Tytoń) and Lechia Gdańsk. Talking of Tyton, he has completed a u-turn and decided to remain with us in Ohio. Good news on both fronts!
Elsewhere, two departures have been confirmed. Roland Lamah and Blake Smith will be leaving at the expiration of their contracts, with the former heading to Denmark with Brøndby while the latter will go to the United Arab Emirates with Hatta. Lamah, despite being on a fairly hefty wage, hasn't featured much so won't be missed, while Smith has been out on loan in the Canadian Premier League with Pacific FC.
MLS All-Star Game:
Sporting CP travelled over from Portugal to face the MLS All-Stars. Only Eric Remedi was picked from our squad, so Fanendo Adi can feel robbed.
More Award Recognition:
Who are you and what have you done with the real Cincinnati? What a turnaround, we've just gone a whole month without a defeat to find ourselves in the play-off places and in the U.S. Open Cup semi-finals. Still a long way to go, but it could all of a sudden become a sensational season.
Next month sees home matches in MLS with New England Revolution and New York City FC, placed either side of the cup semi-final with Philadelphia Union. We'll end August/start September with friendlies with New York Red Bulls II, New York Cosmos and Toronto II.
Thank you for reading!
Next? Update 008: August Round-Up!
#500097 [FM20] Trip to: United States (w/ Cincinnati)
TinakoFM
Cheers, Dan! Definitely, I wasn't expecting such a rapid change of fortunes - but it will need to continue into July + beyond to mean anything.
#500030 [FM20] Trip to: United States (w/ Cincinnati)
TinakoFM
Trip to: United States (w/ Cincinnati):
Team: Cincinnati (Major League Soccer) | My Team Record: W:4 D:3 L:12 | Honours: 0
This Season's (2019) Expectation(s): Be Competitive/Reach Cup R5
Club Vision: click here
Update 006: June Round-Up!
May 2019 saw two wins in five matches for my Cincinnati team, with even the defeats seeing us perform fairly well - much improved, at least. June sees U.S. Open Cup join Major League Soccer on our schedule, so let's see how we got on:
Match Round-Up:
Result One:
Competition: Friendly | Round: - | Opponent: Cincinnati Dutch Lions (USA/IV) | Their Position: - | Their Streak: -
Our Highest Rated Player: Emmanuel Ledesma (ARG) - 8.3 | Our Position: - | Our Points Tally: - | Our Streak: -
"OK win in our first friendly since pre-season, as we met fourth tier and city rivals Cincinnati Dutch Lions."
Result Two:
Competition: Major League Soccer | Round: 20/34 | Opponent: LA Galaxy (USA/I) | Their Position: 1/12 (west) | Their Streak: DDDWW
Our Highest Rated Player: Fanendo Adi (NGA) - 9.6 | Our Position: 12/12 (east) | Our Points Tally: 18pts | Our Streak: WWLLW
"What in the world happened here? As if we put five goals (!) past Western Conference leaders LA Galaxy! Our main man Fanendo Adi with a hat-trick, which gave him a 9.6 match rating. He initially gave us the lead, before Sebastian Lletget and Zlatan Ibrahimović gave the visitors a half-time advantage. However, the boys came out for the second half flying and scored four unanswered goals to win 5-2. Unbelievable result!"
Result Three:
Competition: U.S. Open Cup | Round: Fourth | Opponent: Chicago Fire (USA/I) | Their Position: - | Their Streak: WDLWW
Our Highest Rated Player: Alvas Powell (JAM) - 8.3 | Our Position: - | Our Points Tally: - | Our Streak: WLLWW
"Another good result, this time in cup action against Chicago Fire. We eliminated them from the U.S. Open Cup after a dramatic late winner from right-back Alvas Powell. Into round five, which was the board's expectation."
Result Four:
Competition: Major League Soccer | Round: 21/34 | Opponent: FC Dallas (USA/I) | Their Position: 10/12 (west) | Their Streak: DLLWL
Our Highest Rated Player: Fanendo Adi (NGA) - 8.9 | Our Position: 12/12 (east) | Our Points Tally: 21pts | Our Streak: LLWWW
"Three. Straight. Wins! Not entirely sure where this form has come from, but ain't no way I'm complaining! Dallas were defeated at Nippert Stadium on 15 June 2019, with Keisuke Honda notably scoring his first goal of the campaign; his signing hasn't worked out tremendously, not played the most but he has won his place back recently which has coincided with a change in our fortunes."
Result Five:
Competition: U.S. Open Cup | Round: Fifth | Opponent: Chattanooga Red Wolves (USA/III) | Their Position: - | Their Streak: -
Our Highest Rated Player: Kekuta Manneh (GAM) - 8.8 | Our Position: - | Our Points Tally: - | Our Streak: LWWWW
"The winning streak continues! This one was to be expected, as we were drawn with USL League One outfit Chattanooga Red Wolves; a team, you may remember, we actually played in pre-season, though did draw with - and they beat Houston Dynamo, of MLS, in the fourth round. Therefore, it probably wasn't a surprise to see a tight encounter but it would be one we'd win thanks to in-form Kekuta Manneh. QFs, here we come!"
Result Six:
Competition: Major League Soccer | Round: 22/34 | Opponent: Atlanta United (USA/I) | Their Position: 2/12 (east) | Their Streak: LWDWL
Our Highest Rated Player: Fanendo Adi (NGA) - 7.8 | Our Position: 12/12 (east) | Our Points Tally: 21pts | Our Streak: WWWWL
"Back to reality! We did lose heavily to second place Atlanta United away from home, but that scoreline flattered them massively; three of their four goals were scored within ten minutes of each other, while we edged the number of shots. Not a terrible performance, just found the beast that is Josef Martínez in outstanding form."
Fixture List:
Competitions:
Squad Statistics:
What a great month! If you had offered me four competitive wins in five matches, I'd have bitten your hand off. Admittedly, only two of those victories came in Major League Soccer but I'm still more than happy - into the quarter-finals of the U.S. Open Cup too, if we can get lucky then you never know what can occur.
Frustratingly, we haven't moved a jot in our Eastern Conference as we are 3pts off D.C. United and 8pts from the play-off line. Supporters' Shield is a different story, as we've moved up to 20th with four clubs doing worse than my Cincinnati lot. It's kinda strange how all four of those are playing in the Western Conference, so I'd say we're unfortunate to be last in the East.
My Current Tactics:
That's the magical tactic! Just one change from how we ended last month, with Keisuke Honda coming in at LCM as a DLP. That means Eric Remedi has found himself out the squad, not my plan but I'd be an idiot to drop Honda, Caleb Stanko or Victor Ulloa in this form.
Squad Dynamics:
Board Review:
All good on the board/player front, though a few more 'notable criticisms' have occurred despite us actually winning football matches nowadays. I've got an 'E' for tactics due to the "negative impact the team's tactics have had in recent matches". Damn tactics, making us win and stuff.
Transfers:
Bit of a transfer update to share, outgoing-related regarding three players.
Derrick Etienne's loan from the New York Red Bulls has been terminated. He had been signed before my arrival and only featured three times, he wanted out so I let him go. Another one to go was young DP Allan Cruz, who has been loaned back to his homeland with Saprissa; as mentioned, he's unregistered due to other arrivals so made sense to give him game time before, possibly, bringing him back into the first-team in 2020. Lastly, Polish goalkeeper Przemysław Tytoń could be heading out soon after becoming unsettled due to an offer from Lech Poznań; which I rejected, but he wishes to go for family reasons - if a fair offer comes, he'll leave.
More Takeover Talk:
Award Recognition:
June 2019 was most certainly a terrific month, hopefully we can bring that form with us to July which has five MLS matches and that U.S. Open Cup quarter-final with Sporting Kansas City.
Fixture List:
Thank you for reading!
Next? Update 007: July Round-Up!
#500020 Your FM20 saves
TinakoFM
That's unfortunate! Thankfully I've not had any of those issues... yet.
#500015 Your FM20 saves
TinakoFM
That's happened a lot in my Cincinnati save, pretty sure I've not seen a player (even ai) square a 2v1 yet.
#500012 (FM20 BETA) I've Had Enough Of Emery FFS
TinakoFM
#499887 Heartbreak, misery, but hope on the horizon
TinakoFM
#499885 [FM20] Trip to: United States (w/ Cincinnati)
TinakoFM
Better than I thought I would, only had issues with the tight registration rules. Slowly learning!
#499884 [FM20] Trip to: United States (w/ Cincinnati)
TinakoFM
We sure do. Honestly, my main aim is to not finish bottom of our conference and then build next season - as long as I'm not sacked of course!
#499860 [FM20] Trip to: United States (w/ Cincinnati)
TinakoFM
Trip to: United States (w/ Cincinnati):
Team: Cincinnati (Major League Soccer) | My Team Record: W:2 D:3 L:9 | Honours: 0
This Season's (2019) Expectation(s): Be Competitive/Reach Cup R5
Club Vision: click here
Update 005: May Round-Up!
After claiming victory over Toronto on the last matchday of April, I took Cincinnati into May looking to gain as many points as possible; especially given we would meet Colorado Rapids and Portland Timbers, both of whom are just as bad as us.
Here's May's Round-up:
Match Round-Up:
Result One:
Competition: Major League Soccer | Round: 15/34 | Opponent: New York City FC (USA/I) | Their Position: 9/12 (east) | Their Streak: WWWDL
Our Highest Rated Player: four players - 6.9 | Our Position: 12/12 (east) | Our Points Tally: 9pts | Our Streak: LLLWL
"Decent showing at Yankee Stadium versus NYCFC, but it would be a fourth defeat in five games for us."
Result Two:
Competition: Major League Soccer | Round: 16/34 | Opponent: San Jose Earthquakes (USA/I) | Their Position: 7/12 (west) | Their Streak: LLWLW
Our Highest Rated Player: Kekuta Manneh (GAM) - 9.1 | Our Position: 12/12 (east) | Our Points Tally: 12pts | Our Streak: LLWLW
"Our best performance of the season! We battered San Jose Earthquakes over in California by four goals to one, having notably taken a three-goal lead after 41mins. Fanendo Adi, of course, scored but Kekuta Manneh starred with a 9.1 rating. Two victories in three now."
Result Three:
Competition: Major League Soccer | Round: 17/34 | Opponent: Portland Timbers (USA/I) | Their Position: 11/12 (west) | Their Streak: WLLWD
Our Highest Rated Player: Caleb Stanko (USA) - 8.3 | Our Position: 12/12 (east) | Our Points Tally: 15pts | Our Streak: LWLWW
"Well, would you look at us! Consecutive wins for the first time in 2019, as we beat fellow strugglers Portland Timbers 1-0 at Nippert Stadium. Man of the match Caleb Stanko scored the winner to secure a crucial three points."
Result Four:
Competition: Major League Soccer | Round: 18/34 | Opponent: Colorado Rapids (USA/I) | Their Position: 12/12 (west) | Their Streak: LLLDL
Our Highest Rated Player: Kendall Waston (CRC) - 7.2 | Our Position: 12/12 (east) | Our Points Tally: 15pts | Our Streak: WLWWL
"That should've been four wins in five matches, but sadly Colorado Rapids would win the battle between the East and West's bottom clubs. Kei Kamara struck late on to give them the win in an even encounter. An opportunity missed."
Result Five:
Competition: Major League Soccer | Round: 19/34 | Opponent: Los Angeles FC (USA/I) | Their Position: 9/12 (west) | Their Streak: WLDLL
Our Highest Rated Player: Alvas Powell (JAM) - 7.2 | Our Position: 12/12 (east) | Our Points Tally: 15pts | Our Streak: LWWLL
"An under-performing LAFC defeated us on 24 May 2019 at the Banc of California Stadium, winning 2-1 after Dejan Jakovic and Danilo Silva goals. We were very unlucky, having dominated and gone ahead through Victor Ulloa. Two narrow losses on the bounce."
Fixture List:
Competitions:
Squad Statistics:
Two green circles in one month? Blasphemy! We did lose twice in a row to end May, but both were decent performances with narrow scorelines. It all leaves Cincinnati still bottom of our Eastern Conference, but we do move up a place in Supporters' Shield after going above FC Dallas. Three teams are doing worse than us, but naturally they aren't in my conference - where we're five points adrift of the nearest position.
My Current Tactics:
The 4-5-1/4-3-3 tactic has remained largely the same, though we now have two CMs with a BWM after snapping up a player from the waivers; more on that shortly.
Squad Dynamics:
Board Review:
Board and players remain pleased with me, though my board rating has gone down a tad despite taking more points in May than we had at any time previous.
Registration Mishap (Partially) Corrected:
Turns out we have been able to register Przemysław Tytoń after all. It allowed me to do so once he was completely injury-free. Not entirely sure what went on to be honest, but at least we now have two goalkeepers to pick from. Of course we still lose Maikel van der Werff which is annoying, as we only have two 'proper' centre-backs.
Takeover Talk:
New Signing:
Argentine midfielder Eric Remedi has joined the club, soon after his waiver from Atlanta United. I've watched this guy (on tv) for Atlanta in real life and have been impressed, surprised he was waived to be honest.
Due to the salary caps et al. I've had to unregister young DP midfielder Allan Cruz. He performed good early on but hasn't really done anything across the recent months, Remedi does different roles but is arguably the better player and has impressed since debuting against NYCFC with a 7.06 average rating.
A mixed May, I think it's safe to say. Hopefully we can pick up some momentum in June, which sees four Major League League games scheduled along with the U.S. Open Cup getting underway with a tie on the road against Chicago Fire. The month will actually begin with an exhibition match with Cincinnati Dutch Lions of USL League Two.
Thank you for reading!
Next? Update 006: June Round-Up!