Uncle Sam Activity

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 f...

2016 MLS PLAYOFFS 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...

2016 REGULAR SEASON 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...

SQUAD ROTATION 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. I...

WAIVER DRAFT 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 pro...

2016 Preseason 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, Eric...

FIRST BIG SIGNING 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...

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. The Squad Goalkeepers Tyler Deric is the clear starter. Joe Willis can step in in a...

Uncle Sam just completed the season in the year 2016 managing Houston in the Major League Soccer in their FM Career Uncle Sam's FM 17 Career

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THE MANAGER 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 looki...

My last FM17 career (no, for real) using my own USA Expansion DB update.

You are welcome try. I always make all of add-ons open source. But you're going to have to go to each league and change the way it selects its teams. To make sure the game didn't reshuffle teams into different divisions, I set it up so that each...

Like everything else, there are a lot more moving parts in the transfer and player acquisition process than in your typical league. Let's start by looking at the different methods: Before I dive in to each method, let me explain the unique structu...

If you’re new to MLS on Football Manager, it can all seem ridiculous trying to figure out all the squad contract types. So let’s break it down. Essentially, the MLS squad can be broken down into two: The Senior Squad (First 20 Roster slots), a...

A guide on how to make sense out of the nonsense that is MLS

Uncle Sam just completed the season in the year 2017 managing Houston in the Major League Soccer in their FM Career Uncle Sam's FM 17 Career

So here is where playing in MLS is interesting (and probably confusing for outsiders). This only takes place following the 2016 season, but in 2017 the league is adding 2 expansion teams (4 in the file I created). The league wants those expansion teams t...

Disappointed not to win the MLS Cup, but our players brought home some awards: Player - Award Tomas Martinez -MLS Landon Donovan Most Valuable Player Tyler Deric- MLS Allstate Goalkeeper of the Year DaMarcus Beasley- MLS Defender of the Year Me- MLS Coa...

Well that is a tough pill to swallow. We clearly controlled the match, only to be undone by poor finishing and an Andrea Pirlo free kick in extra time. We've been plagued by injuries in the last few weeks, and this game was no different. DeLaGarza...

Before the MLS Cup, a quick look at the Professional lower divisions. Spring Season Champions: Miami FC Fall Season Champions: Indy Eleven Regular Season Champions: Indy Eleven Semi Final: Indy Eleven 2:2 (3-1p) Minnesota United Miami FC 1:0 North Caro...

And here is the Western Conference Second Leg: So this was actually a pretty heroic story. As the regular season wound down, I started giving Romell Quioto more time with the first team and started sitting Vincente Sanchez on the bench. Quioto had imp...

In between legs, let's see how the Academy season went: USSDA Frontier Division: 2nd (16-10-4, 51 GF - 24 GA, +27 GD, 58 PTS) USSDA Championship: Eliminated in Group Stage (0-1-2) The lads took a beating at the Championship, losing 0-5 to Seacoas...

First Leg of the MLS Western Conference Final: It was an intense game with both teams squandering chances, although I feel that we were the better team over the course of the 90 minutes. Romell Quioto had taken a knock during the week, so I sat him in...

So my USL affiliate had a pretty good season. They finished the season in 3rd place in the Western Conference, only point off the pace. They finished fourth place in the overall table (Commissioners Cup). Their position qualified them for the Western...

Well we got some bad news between legs, as one of our starting DCs Leonardo suffered torn knee ligaments and will be out 2-3 months. This means I'm having to start Jalil Anibaba in his place. Anibaba is not a starting-quality center back. His mark...

Also, Mauro Manotas won the MLS Player of the Month for October. He scored 5 goals in 4 appearances while averaging a 7.97 rating.

First Leg of the Western Conference Semi Final: It's great to grab an away goal and hold the clean sheet, but I would feel better with another goal or two. RSL was fatigued after having to play the Wild Card match a couple of days prior, but this...

Our MLS Western Conference Semi Final opponent will be Real Salt Lake. RSL defeated Seattle Sounders 4-3 in the Wild Card matchup to advance to this stage. 2016 Matches v. RSL 4/30 @ Real Salt Lake 0-2 (L) - MLS 5/15 Real Salt Lake 3-2 (W) - MLS 9/17 @ R...

Figured I'd bring these headers back. Finished the regular season easily in first place in the Western Conference as well as the Supporters Shield Table: Some notes, Mauro Manotas began coming into his own towards the end of the season. He finis...

Ha, to me the fun in MLS in FM has been about building a squad. The tactical side of the game has almost become a science. I won't say that I'm some kind of genius, but I have a few set strategies and I can tell when to employ them when I need...

Houston rebounds from loss with a 5-0 win over New York City FC. This is a big win because NYCFC is currently the first place team in the Eastern Conference, so it could have been an MLS Cup preview. Alberth Elis had a stunning performance, netting a hat...

We blew a 1-0 lead in a game that we controlled, losing to Portland 1-2. League: 1st (20-5-4, 56 GF - 21 GA, +35 GD, 65 PTS)

And after a 3-1 win at Real Salt Lake, we have officially qualified for the Semi Finals of the playoffs, rather than the Wild Card. Our next step would be to clinch the MLS Supporters Shield, which is given to the team with the best regular season record....

I haven't seen any issues that could be related to that.

The Dynamo suffer a tough 1-2 loss at Sporting Kansas City, coming only two days after the US Open Cup Final. League: 1st (19-5-3, 52 GF - 18 GA, +34 GD, 62 PTS)

US Open Cup Final Well, wow. That was anti-climatic. It was like playing against a team of schoolboys. The Red Bulls came in exhausted, having played on Sunday, which meant they only had Monday and Tuesday to recover. They also came in while on a terribl...

In news from the Lower Leagues: PDL: West Virginia Chaos defeated Lane United 3-1 in the final to win the PDL Championship. NPSL: Kitsap SC defeated New York Athletic Club 2-1 to win the NPSL Championship. USASA Amatuer Leagues: American Soccer League:...

And on the replay the lads play better and come away with a 2-1 victory to sweep the season series against FC Dallas. (I feel a little dirty, but not too bad because I didn't do it on purpose, and, well, it's FC Dallas...) League: 1st (19-5-2,...

And our great run comes to an end as the choice to rest players before the US Open Cup final costs us a defeat against archrivals FC Dallas, 1-2. League (1st, 18-5-3, 50 GF - 17 GA, +33 GD, 59 PTS)

And with the results before our match against FC Dallas, we have officially qualified for the MLS Playoffs.

Epic run continues as Dynamo defeat Seattle 2-0. League: 1st (18-5-2, 49 GF - 15 GA, +34 GD, 59 PTS)

Tomas Martinez's brace at San Jose earns him MLS Player of the Week.

Ricardo Clark scored on a corner kick to pull out a 3-2 win at San Jose. League: 1st (17-5-2, 47 GF - 15 GA, +32 GD, 56 PTS)

Dynamo get another big win, this time against Toronto FC 2-0. League: 1st (16-5-2, 44 GF - 13 GA, +31 GD, 53 PTS)

Another dominant performance as the Dynamo cruise through the LA Galaxy 4-0. -Cabezas took a knock (again), and will be out 4-5 days. This is his 4th injury THIS SEASON. He's a good player, but I doubt I'll try to make his loan from Deportivo...

The second 11 grind out a 0-0 draw at Montreal Impact. League: 1st (14-5-2, 38 GF - 13 GA, +25 GD, 47 PTS)

It took extra time, but we made it to the Final of the US Open Cup: We obviously missed Erick Torres, as Manotas isn't ready to step up and make plays yet. But my strategy of resting my Open Cup squad was certainly a big difference. We absolutely...