South Bay Saints, HT season 21

Masked · 11-14-2003, 08:29 PM

Welcome back for a new season of South Bay Saints Soccer. First a very quick review, and then a preview of the upcoming season.

After surviving the first season in a fairly tough series in division 4, the Saints are looking to establish themselves as one of the better teams in the series. The offseason saw a lot of movement around the series, and it will be very different this season.

A partial dynasty for the latter portion of season 20 can be found somewhere in this forum.

Backgroud
The team began play prior to week 13 in season 18 and was known as the Complex Spikes. The Spikes won their last two games of the season to take second place in V.249.

Season 19: 1st place in V.249, 12-1-1. We "defeated" the seattle vikings in a walkover to promote.

Season 20: 5th place in IV.31, 5-7-2 Defeated Ring of Fire 2-0 to avoid demotion.

Masked · 11-14-2003, 08:29 PM

Introduction to Season 21

Goals

1) Finish in 4th and break .500. Last season I entered the final with a chance to take 4th place and finish with a 6-6-2 record, but couldn't get the victory.

2) 80 NSI. Well last season I wanted to break 70, so this seems logical. I got a 78 in the qualifier, but it will be sometime before I come anywhere near that rating again.

3) Break even on the youth squad: There is nothing I can do about this but it was very frustrating to lose $231,480 on the squad that was at excellent for half a season.

Season plans:

I am set with trainees for the first half of the season. My two old midfielders (21) will be sold when they hit outstanding playmaking toward the end of the season. By then the young guys will be ready to start.

Upgrade the defense: My defense is not strong enough to compete for long in division 4. I would like to put up at least all formidables. My first major purchase will be a new keeper, either formidable or outstanding, but I will not have the money until at least midseason (since I know that youth pulls will not help). Towards the end of the season I may look for a second excellent defender to replace Tevez at wingback.

Upgrade to offense: While not as weak as my defense, the Saints offense was responsible for more missed points last season (anyone remember the 0-7 game). I can consistently put up an outstanding-excellent-excellent attack playing both winger offensively. Unfortunately, last season I needed to play one winger toward the middle to gain enough of a midfield advantage to overcome the better all around teams. With the continued development of my midfield, I should be able to go offensive more often. Also moving Toader Popa into one of the top two midfield positions will allow him to better exploit his inadequate passing. Late in the season, I hope to purchase a formidable scorer and move Tony Spicer to the B-team. I will also mix a few weeks of winger trainee in during the later rounds of the cup which will help.

Upgrade the coach: Teuvo Kaurismäki, 33 yo winger, passable experience, passable leadership -- just waiting for the experience bump and the 680K.

Offseason News
Complex Spikes Arena (historical commission is fighting a name change) was expanded to 32K seats and will open Sunday to what I am sure will be rain. I may do a second expansion if I sell out the first two matches.

Our weekly wages climbed to $33,956.

Masked · 11-15-2003, 03:29 PM

Saints Starters

Keeper Joseph Lassiter - The 22 year old American is a solid keeper who has been around since season 19. After a strong season last year, Lassiter showed up to camp out of shape (weak form) and manangement is looking into other options.

Wingback Carlos Saúl Tévez - The solid defending Argentinian is always in good form, and helps with the attack with his passable winger skill.

Center Defender Clifton Campbell - Campbell was one of the big acquisitions last season when he came over for for $429K. His excellent defense and inadequate leadership have helped to begin the building of our defense.

Wingback Matt Keyesj- One of the two original players still remaining on the roster. Keyesj is a solid defender and has solid leadership and 32.0 points towards inadequate experience. Keyesj has been very helpful with some of our young players and may have a future coaching the Saints.

Winger Clark Merritt - The FOFC 2nd teamer is still the best 100K I ever spent. Merritt joined the team in season 19 and was one week away from excellent winger. Combined with his passable passing, Merritt is a great offensive threat. He has been working on his playmaking the past few season to make him a better all-around player.

Inner midfielder Eber Basoa Rivas - The excellent playmaker is our best midfielder and should pop in about two weeks. Unfortunately he has no secondaries and this will likely be his last season with the team.

Inner midfielder Dani Mário Araújo - Another excellent playmaker who was our first trainee purchase ever. Like Rivas he has no secondaries and this will likely be his last season with the team. Since he is a few weeks behind Rivas, he might not pop to outstanding before the end of this season.

Inner midfielder Toader Popa - The 19 year old Romanian has the most popular name on the team. To go along with his solid playmaking, he has inadequate passing and will be seeing his first start in the top two inner midfield position this weekend.

Winger Jef Tadié - The Estotian has high passable winging and playmaking and will likely be solid in both by midseason. At one time, I thought he would play opposite of Merritt for years but the attack on his side has been underwealming.

Forward Tony Spicer - Spicer is the other original player who has started almost every game in team history. He is an solid scorer and inadequate passer.

Forward Joe Lond - The 20 year old American joined the Saints towards the end of last season for $439K. Despite excellent scoring and inadequate passing he hasn't quite provided the boost in the attack we were hoping for.

finkenst · 11-15-2003, 03:35 PM

go saints!

Masked · 11-15-2003, 03:43 PM

Saints Trainees

Midfielders

Joonas Vahtramäe
209 000 US$, 19 years, solid form [Unpredictable]

Stamina: solid
Playmaking: excellent
Defending: inadequate

Joonas will be starting part time this season depending on form. I wish he had bumped 2 levels in the offseason.

Carlton Blakely
123 000 US$, 18 years, passable form

Stamina: excellent
Playmaking: passable
Passing: inadequate
Defending: inadequate

By the end of the season, Carlton may be ready for some spot starts although his playmaking is the lowest on the team.

Ryszard Laguna
130 000 US$, 18 years, passable form

Stamina: passable
Playmaking: passable
Passing: passable

Wingers

Charles Montgomery
175 000 US$, 20 years, passable form [Quick]

Stamina: excellent
Playmaking: passable
Winger: passable
Passing: weak
Defending: weak

Charles is actually a co-starter with Tadie, and since he has the best form now he will get the start Sunday.

Myles Bloom
77 000 US$, 19 years, weak form [Unpredictable]

Stamina: excellent
Playmaking: poor
Passing: inadequate
Winger: solid
Set Pieces: solid

I picked Myles up last season to be another offensive option on the wing; however, he has been in bad form since I got him so I am not really sure what he is capable of.

Mikey Pham
79 000 US$, 19 years, inadequate form [Technical]

Stamina: solid
Playmaking: inadequate
Defending: inadequate

Mickey was a one time trainee who never popped and was replaced as he got a bit older. He was also a casuality of me desire for offensive midfielders. He should pop with his next training as a winger towards middle and will then be sold of.

Masked · 11-15-2003, 04:47 PM

Series IV.31

A quick preview of each team in order of predicted finish.

1. Number Munchers
NSI Avg: 81.7
NSI Best: 91

Munchers has been around since season 15 and has twice been promoted to division III only to be auto-demoted the next season. He trains forwards and has an extra-terrestrial central attack. His midfield is not overwealming and is likely the cause of his inability to stay in division 3, but will be competitive in division 4. He is not as strong as Tikkun, but I don't see anyone be able to stop his attack. Thus he should win the series and get a third shot at division 3.

2. Terps
NSI Avg: 78.8
NSI Best: 90

Terps begins their third season in IV.31 with a chance to finally win the series. The team has been around for over a year and in that time has made 15 total transfers - Havok and Qwik have more than that in a week. The owner logs in infrequently and does not always schedule friendlies or make youth pulls. He has enough of a head start though and the best midfield in the series. Last season he went 7-0-0 the first half but fell apart in the second due to injury and a likely poorly played MOTS. He has a strong defense, but a weak attack.

3. Thunderchickens
NSI Avg: 70.8
NSI Best: 80

Thunderchickens is a long shot to win the series but has the second best attack in the series. His defense is solid, but probably lacks too much in the midfield wo win the series. He could take second though. Like Munchers, TC runs a 3-4-3 and trains forwards (starting to see why my defense is a problem).

4. CC's Dragons
NSI Avg: 67.9
NSI Best: 75

CC's, SI's former nemisis, won V.62 last season after the Hippos promoted away. The Dragons are a very similar team to mine. He runs a 3-5-2 and trains midfielders. My defense is a tad better and his offense is a bit better. A new forward from Sweden joined the team in the offseason, and gives him the edge for this season.

5. South Bay Saints
NSI Avg: 63.8
NSI Best: 78

You should be familiar with this team.

6. Los Chixi Dix
NSI Avg: 62.7
NSI Best: 78

Chixi auto-promoted from V.112 last season. They put up a 78 in week one last season and then never came close again, and his total stars dropped during the season as well. Chixi is a balanced team and is only a small step below the Dragons and the Saints. Chixi is another 3-4-3 team but is only in the early stages of his training program.

7. Wisconsin Legend
NSI Avg: 51.1
NSI Best: 58

Legend is the only team that is younger than the Saints in the division. They won a very weak division last season (ranked 207) and pulled of a huge upset over Maples to promote to series IV.31. They are all defense and unless they make major changes stand no chance. They put up only a weak midfield and an inadequate attack, and thus will likely be shut out numerous times this season. He did purchase a midfielder in the offseason (likely excellent) but who appears to have very poor stamina.

8. Fraser Fire
NSI Avg: 75.6
NSI Best: 79

Line-up has been reset. Nothing more to say.

Masked · 11-15-2003, 07:17 PM

Week 1 front office report

We lost $46 971 this week and stand to be in debt by over 180K at the end of the week. The sponser's income dropped by nearly 30K as a result of the reset.

Youth pull

Orlando Escobar (20503233)
19 years, passable form, healthy
A sympathetic guy who is temperamental and dishonest.
Has disastrous experience and inadequate leadership abilities.

Nationality: USA
Assessed value: 18 000 US$
Wage: 580 US$/week
Owner: South Bay Saints
Warnings: 0

Stamina: poor Goaltending: disastrous
Playmaking: inadequate Passing: poor
Winger: weak Defending: wretched
Scoring: inadequate Set Pieces: wretched

Another week, nothing worthwhile.

I put him up with no minimum and no one wanted him.

Masked · 11-15-2003, 07:26 PM

Cup Round 1

Phoenix Wolves - South Bay Saints 0 - 5

6552 spectators arrived at Phoenix Park, where weather conditions were pretty good for football. Phoenix tactics involved an interesting 4-4-2 combination. The following players had been chosen: Omalley - Whipple, Lovelace, Cockrell, Gary - Stovall, Henderson, Brown, Faure - Farris, Smith.

Saints tactics involved an interesting 3-5-2 combination. They fielded: Lassiter - Keyesj, Campbell, Kaurismäki - Montgomery, Mário Araújo, Basoa Rivas, Popa, Merritt - Lond, Spicer.

Saints took the lead in the games 7:th minute with 0 - 1 after some elegant plays down the middle. Clark Merritt was the scorer. The visitors Joe Lond took advantage of an error due to a misunderstanding between the home side´s goalie and full backs in the 22nd minute. 0 - 2 for Saints. Tony Spicer increased the visitors lead by putting a volley shot away on a pass from the right. 0 - 3. The game had been on for 28 minutes when Tony Spicer broke through to the right, upping the score to the home crowd´s dismay. Saints´s were up 0 - 4. The teams went for a half-time break at 0 - 4. The fortyfive minutes were dominated by Saints, with an impressive 87 percent possession of the ball.

Clark Merritt managed to make an excellent pass from the flank, but Tony Spicer was not as skillfull in scoring. Tony Spicer increased Saints´s lead to 0 - 5 by a superb free kick strike, flying in just under the far top corner. By then Tony Spicer was a three time scorer - a hat trick! The structure of the game started to change as Saints decided to pull back and meet their opponents in the defensive zone. After several obvious shirt pulling incidents, Phoenix´s Rickey Brown got himself booked. After 60 minutes of game time Joe Lond received an excellent opportunity to add to the visitors lead, clipping a volley hooked in from the right, but Dave Omalley was in the right place, tipping the ball to a corner. Saints held the ball, with a clear 93 percent possession rate.

The most dominating Phoenix player was without a doubt Dave Omalley. However, Abe Henderson made a disastrous appearance. The most dominating Saints player was without a doubt Dani Mário Araújo. Joseph Lassiter on the other hand, had a terrible day. The match ends 0 - 5.

Summary
No cards an no injuries is a great way to start the season. Tony Spicer got his first hattrick in quite some time as the Saints easily defeated a bot. I am not pleased that the worst player was my keeper.

Ratings
Phoenix Wolves
Player rating and Team formation
Midfield: disastrous
Right Side Defence: inadequate
Central Defence: passable
Left Side Defence: weak
Right Side Attack: poor
Central Attack: poor
Left Side Attack: weak

South Bay Saints
Player rating and Team formation
Midfield: inadequate
Right Side Defence: solid
Central Defence: solid
Left Side Defence: excellent
Right Side Attack: excellent
Central Attack: excellent
Left Side Attack: formidable

NSI = 62

Not bad.

Individual Notes

Goals (cup total)
Tony Spicer - 3 (3)
Joe Lond - 1 (1)
Clark Merritt - 1 (1)

Cards:
None

Injuries:
None

Stars

2.5 K Joseph Lassiter

3.5 WB Matt Keyesj *
3.0 CD Clifton Campbell
2.5 WB Teuvo Kaurismaki

3.0 W Charles Montgomery
3.5 IM Eber Basoa Rivas
3.0 IM Toader Popa
3.5 IM Dani Mario Araujo
3.5 W Clark Merritt

3.0 F Tony Spicer
2.5 F Joe Lond

* personel best

Clark Merritt bumped to poor experience after the match.

Around IV.31
Rhode Island Lions - Number Munchers 0 - 6
Maine Wolves - Terps 0 - 8, Terps lost a defender to a +1 injury.
longhorns fc - Thunderchickens 0 - 9
California Bears - Fraser Fire 5 - 0
New Orleans Vikings - Wisconsin Legend 0 - 6, Lost their central defender to a +1 injury. He will be out this weekend.
Kentucky Panthers - CC's Dragons 0 - 5
Las Vegas Apaches - Los Chixi Dix 0 - 5

Masked · 11-15-2003, 07:48 PM

Week 2 front office report

The loss grows to -65 655 this week, and our accountants figure we will be at -237K by the end of the week. However, our youth pull and home league match should eliminate most of the debt. Also our sponser increased their contribution by about 10K this week.

Youth pull

Franklin Minton
14 000 US$, 17 years, passable form
Has disastrous experience and weak leadership abilities

Stamina: wretched Keeper: disastrous
Playmaking: poor Passing: weak
Winger: wretched Defending: passable
Scoring: wretched Set Pieces: poor

I really have no idea what I will get for him. I am hoping for about 30-40K.

Havok · 11-15-2003, 07:54 PM

GGGGGOOOOOOOOOO SSSAAAAIIINNNTTSSSS!!!!!

P.S. nice pull..... help ya break even this week.

DukeRulesMAB · 11-15-2003, 07:55 PM

I think you oughtta be able to get more than that for him, 50-75K, at least. Even if he is a low passable (and he appears to be that)

Masked · 11-16-2003, 01:30 AM

With as many wretched skills as he has, I think he might not be very low. I have seen passable players worth under 10K and solids in the 30's (passable form, not wingers) though it is not common. Regardless, the market will not recognize it. I just hope he gets trained and makes produces mother club money down the road.

With the help of partly cloudy weather today in the region, hopefully I will come close to selling out my expanded arena which will take care of most of the debt.

Masked · 11-16-2003, 04:28 PM

League Fixtures: Week 1 Preview

South Bay Saints - Wisconsin Legend

An early key match for the both teams. Wisconsin should struggle for points this season, and we need to beat this team if we hope to finish in the top 4. Wisconsin is a defense heavy team with a weak midfield and offense. Since we will have a significant midfield advantage, we will sacrifice a bit in order to improve our attack to get through their defense. Even with Lassiter in weak form, the Saints defense should be strong enough to stop any Legend Chances.

Saints 3-0

Number Munchers - Terps
Munchers 2-1

Thunderchicken - Fraser Fire
Walkover, TC 5-0

CC's Dragons - Los Chixi Dix
At home CC should have a significant advantage. 4-2

Masked · 11-16-2003, 11:34 PM

League Play: Week 1

We open our newly expanded arena by hosting the Wisconsin Legend who promoted after a shocking win in the qualifier against Maples.

South Bay Saints 2 - Wisconsin Legend 0

25334 spectators arrived at Complex Spikes Arena, where weather conditions were pretty good for football. Saints started off with a 3-5-2 lineup. They fielded: Lassiter - Keyesj, Campbell, Tévez - Montgomery, Mário Araújo, Basoa Rivas, Popa, Merritt - Lond, Spicer.

Wisconsin tactics involved an interesting 3-5-2 combination. The following players had been chosen: Bolden - Dumas, Zuniga, Mena - Posey, Applegate, Dean, Farkas, Perelman - Javier, Soto.

Saints had a good opportunity to take the lead as Tony Spicer came up the left side, but he struck the ball weakly and it went straight into the arms of Dan Bolden. After 9 minutes Saints´s Tony Spicer contracted a slight foot injury, but could finish the game. Charles Montgomery´s speed was made justice as he darted past his marker and struck an opening pass to Joe Lond who scored the 1-0 goal. A couple of quick and successful challenges, followed by a shot from just outside the penalty area after 12 minutes might have resulted in another goal for Saints. However, Dan Bolden made a spectacular save. Tony Spicer almost managed to score another goal for Saints, but his header was tipped to a corner by the visitors goalie. Eber Basoa Rivas almost managed to score another goal for Saints, but his header was tipped to a corner by the visitors goalie. 1 - 0 was the half-time score. The fortyfive minutes were dominated by Saints, with an impressive 69 percent possession of the ball.

A bit later, a magnificent combination in the middle resulted in Saints´s Joe Lond putting the lead up to 2 - 0. The fortyfive minutes were dominated by Saints, with an impressive 79 percent possession of the ball.

The most dominating Saints player was without a doubt Clark Merritt. Charles Montgomery on the other hand, had a terrible day. The most dominating Wisconsin player was without a doubt Dan Bolden. Assi Perelman on the other hand, had a terrible day. The match ends 2 - 0.

Summary
This matched illustrates my teams weakness on offense. We missed 4 chances in the first half that would have put this game away much sooner. Our midfield won this game for us.

The crowd was far short of our new capacity of 32K which was a bit of a disappointment.
Stars

South Bay Saints

Midfield: solid
Right Side Defence: passable
Central Defence: solid
Left Side Defence: excellent
Right Side Attack: inadequate
Central Attack: excellent
Left Side Attack: formidable

NSI = 64

Wisconsin Legend

Midfield: poor
Right Side Defence: outstanding
Central Defence: formidable
Left Side Defence: formidable
Right Side Attack: inadequate
Central Attack: inadequate
Left Side Attack: inadequate

NSI = 52

Individual Notes

Goals: (season total)
Joe Lond 2 (2)

Cards:
none

Injuries:
Tony Spicer, bruised

Stars

2.5 GK Joseph Lassiter

3.5 WB Matt Keyesj (defensive)
3.0 CD Clifton Campbell
3.0 WB Carlos Saul Tevez (defensive)

2.5 W Charles Montgomery (Towards middle)
3.0 IM Eber Basoa Rivas (Defensive)
3.0 IM Dani Mario Araujo
3.5 IM Toader Popa (offensive) *
3.5 W Clark Merritt

2.5 F Tony Spicer
2.5 F Joe Lond

* personal best

Around IV.31

Number Munchers - Terps 6 - 2 (NSI 85 - 76)
Munchers pulled a very low formidable midfield which was better than I thought they could.

Thunderchickens - Fraser Fire 5 - 0
Walkover

CC's Dragons - Los Chixi Dix 1 - 2 (NSI 67 - 63)
Chixi pulled off a big win on the road in an early season upset.

GoldenEagle · 11-16-2003, 11:41 PM

Congrats on the win!!

Masked · 11-17-2003, 05:36 PM

Team Notes: 11/17

I just logged in to hattrick and found this message

Vitesse_ offered 75 000 US$ for Franklin Minton and thereby took the lead in the bidding.

Gotta love the 60K raise. This will put me back in the black for next weeks update.

DukeRulesMAB was right. Vitesse_ is a division 6 who appears to be building a defense training program consisting of mostly American low passables. Franklin Minton is perfect for him. Although his team has been around since April, he doesn't seem to have a strong track record of training and he runs a 4-5-1. At least he has a solid coach. The two previous bidders had more established programs and ran 5-4-1's, so I am hope one of them steps up. The real money I will get out of this pull will be in the future.

After the 2-0 win to start league play, 12 new supporters signed up. Since my supporters are high on life, I fear I might be seeing an early effect of the soft cap for division 4. Last season I would get 13 per update if my team was doing well. Maybe it will rise 1 more after the next cup match. Currently I have 1336 supporters.

Masked · 11-18-2003, 07:38 PM

Team Notes: No More Debt!!!

This weeks youth pull, Franklin Minton, sold for $79,000 to Vitesse, a 6th division team in the Netherlands. This raises the teams coffers to $3,252 - still a tad short for that outstanding keeper.

After one week of play, Joe Lond sits atop the scoring table for series IV.31. He will probably lose his spot this weekend since we have a walkover.

Masked · 11-20-2003, 12:47 AM

Cup round 2

Vermont Gladiators - South Bay Saints 0 - 9

A scorching day at Vermont Dome, where 7000 spectators were in place for today´s match. Gladiators tactics involved an interesting 4-4-2 combination. The following players had been chosen: Keen - Cahill, Timmons, Kessler, San Germán - Medda, Lorenz, Sullivan, Adams - Jordan, Hita.

Saints tactics involved an interesting 3-5-2 combination. The following players had been chosen: Lassiter - Keyesj, Hyypiä, Kaurismäki - Tadié, Vahtramäe, Laguna, Blakely, Pham - Lond, Spicer.

Saints mostly ignored the flanks in favour of attacks in the middle. Saints´s Joe Lond gave the visitors a 0 - 1 lead in the 10:th minute with a superb strike from the right. Some fine manouvering on the left lead to an 28:th minute Saints goal, making it 0 - 2. Ryszard Laguna was noted down as the scorer. Some fine manouvering on the left lead to an 32nd minute Saints goal, making it 0 - 3. Joe Lond was noted down as the scorer. By now Saints were drawing the troops back in order to defend their lead. After 38 minutes a combination in the middle resulted in a through ball for Teuvo Kaurismäki who increased Saints´s lead to 0 - 4. Jef Tadié was dominating his wing and kept sending fine balls into the enemy box - Mikey Pham managed to kick one of them into 0 - 5 in the 40:th minute. In the 41st minute the visitors put themselves ahead 0 - 6 as Tony Spicer finished off an attack from the left with a spectacular scissors kick. The teams went for a half-time break at 0 - 6. The fortyfive minutes were dominated by Saints, with an impressive 84 percent possession of the ball.

Saints had, after 64 minutes of the game, worked the left side industriously, creating several opportunities to add to their lead, but somehow didn´t achieve closure. Gladiators´s Travis Timmons refused to leave the field after injuring his achilles tendon in the 66:th minute. After 69 minutes a combination in the middle resulted in a through ball for Tony Spicer who increased Saints´s lead to 0 - 7. After 69 minutes a combination in the middle resulted in a through ball for Joe Lond who increased Saints´s lead to 0 - 8. By then Joe Lond was a three time scorer - a hat trick! The referee showed Gladiatorss Daniel San Germán the yellow card after a particularly nasty challenge. After 71 minutes a combination in the middle resulted in a through ball for [i]Matt Keyesj[i] who increased Saints´s lead to 0 - 9. The fortyfive minutes were dominated by Saints, with an impressive 91 percent possession of the ball.

Gladiators´s best player was Christopher Jordan. Donny Adams was a disappointment, however. The most dominating Saints player was without a doubt Joonas Vahtramäe. However, Mikey Pham made a disastrous appearance. The match ends 0 - 9.

Summary
It was a bot -- we destroyed them. Joe Lond had his first hattrick as a member of the Saints and the offense converted 9 of 10 chances in our best offense output since leaving series V.249.

Ratings

Vermont Gladiators

Midfield: disastrous
Right Side Defence: weak
Central Defence: inadequate
Left Side Defence: inadequate
Right Side Attack: inadequate
Central Attack: inadequate
Left Side Attack: poor

NSI = 30

South Bay Saints

Midfield: inadequate
Right Side Defence: inadequate
Central Defence: solid
Left Side Defence: solid
Right Side Attack: excellent
Central Attack: excellent
Left Side Attack: weak

NSI = 54

Individual Performances

Goals (Cup Total)

Joe Lond 3 (4)
Tony Spicer 2 (5)
Matt Keyesj 1 (1)
Teuvo Kaurismäki 1 (1)
Mickey Pham 1 (1)
Ryszard Laguna 1 (1)

Cards: none

Injuries: none

Stars

2.5 GK Joseph Lassiter

3.5 WB Matt Keyesj (Defensive)
3.0 CD Yki Hyppia
2.5 WB Teuvo Kaurismaki (Defensive)

2.0 W Jef Tadie (Offensive)
2.5 IM Ryszard Laguna
2.5 IM Carlton Blakely (Offensive)
3.5 IM Joonas Vahtramae * (Defensive)
1.5 W Mikey Pham (Towards Middle)

2.5 F Tony Spicer
2.5 F Joe Lond

* Personal best

Around IV.31

Twin Cities Wolves - Thunderchickens 0 - 9
Virginia Lions - Number Munchers 0 - 8
Minnesota Wolves - Los Chixi Dix 1 - 5
Kansas Samurais - CC's Dragons 2 - 6
Puerto Rico Heroes - Wisconsin Legend 0 - 3
Twin Cities Indians - Terps 0 - 9

CC's Dragons and Los Chixi Dix were in tight matches for awhile before running up the scores late.

Masked · 11-20-2003, 11:04 PM

Training

About time

Jef Tadié (12578211)
19 years, inadequate form, healthy

A pleasant guy who is balanced and honest.
Has disastrous experience and poor leadership abilities.

Nationality: België
Assessed value: 133 000 US$

Stamina: excellent Goaltending: disastrous
Playmaking: solid Passing: inadequate
Winger: passable Defending: poor
Scoring: wretched Set Pieces: wretched

Perfect - I'll probably stop playing him toward the middle soon. After next week, I'll train winger for 2-3 weeks until I am eliminated from the cup. Since Jef has already had 3 weeks of winger training he should pop to solid winger.

There were no other pops, but next week could be a biggie.

Form: +5/-2 - Not bad for one week removed from stamina training.

Notable increases: Clark Merritt to solid, Eber Basoa Rivas to solid, and Joe Lond to inadequate.

Masked · 11-24-2003, 12:54 AM

League Play: Week 2

I must really be slacking off as this dynasty slipped to page two.

This week is perhaps the most boring of the season for the Saints. We faced Fraser Fire on the road and started are most unique lineup ever. Backup winger Myles Bloom picked up 0.0 stars in his first start in goal.

And on with the report...

Fraser Fire 0 - South Bay Saints 5

12033 spectators arrived at Fraser Fire Arena, where weather conditions were pretty good for football. Fraser started off with a 0-0-0 lineup. The following players had been chosen: - - - .

Saints had chosen a strategic 3-5-2 formation. They fielded: Bloom - Keyesj, Kaurismäki, Popa - Pham, Mário Araújo, Laguna, Blakely, Tadié - Lond, Vahtramäe.

The game couldn´t be played as the home side didn´t have 9 players. The referee had to report a walkover and 5-0 to the visitors. The spectators were very disappointed with their home team. The match ends 0 - 5.

Summary

Walkover's are great for team management but otherwise suck.

Ratings

South Bay Saints
Player rating and Team formation
Midfield: disastrous
Right Side Defence: disastrous
Central Defence: disastrous
Left Side Defence: disastrous
Right Side Attack: disastrous
Central Attack: disastrous
Left Side Attack: disastrous

According to my calculator, that is a rating of 9.0 (significant digits are important).

Stars

This should be intereseting -- Outside of my trainees in the midfield, I played players who needed the help with form or experience.

0.0 GK Myles Bloom

3.5 WB Matt Keyesj
2.5 CD Teuvo Kaurismaki
1.5 WB Toader Popa (interesting - weak defender in solid form - high weak?)

1.5 W Mikey Pham
3.0 IM Rysard Laguna (offensive) - only passable stamina
2.5 IM Carlton Blakely
3.5 IM Dani Mario Araujo
2.5 W Jef Tadie

1.5 F Joonas Vahtramae
3.0 F Joe Lond

Around IV.31
Wisconsin Legend - Number Munchers 2 - 5
NSI 59 - 74
Munchers scored two goals in the final 6 minutes to avoid a potentially huge upset. The final goal also moved Munchers into first place in the division. Munchers ordered his players to attack in the middle where they put up a supernatural rating.

Los Chixi Dix - Thunderchickens 2 - 1
NSI 66 - 74
Chixi pulled of their second straight upset using their pressing strategy to block Chickens attempts to attack up the middle with their titanic central attack. Thunderchickens were hampered by losing one of their midfielders in the second half after he picked up his second yellow.

Terps - CC's Dragons 4 - 1
NSI 84 - 67
If Terps ever got a decent attack to go with their brilliant midfield and outstanding+ defense, they would win the division. The Dragons defense were unable to keep the game close and they dropped to 0-2 and must face Number Munchers next week. Terps million dollar middie (to distinguish from the $2M middie) picked up his second yellow of the season - we play them in two weeks.

Series Table



Team 			Played 	Goals 	Points 

1. Number Munchers 	2 	11 - 4 	6 

 

2. South Bay Saints 	2 	7 - 0 	6 

3. Los Chixi Dix 	2 	4 - 2 	6 

4. Thunderchickens 	2 	6 - 2 	3 

 

5. Terps 		2 	6 - 7 	3 

6. CC's Dragons 	2 	2 - 6 	0 

 

7. Wisconsin Legend 	2 	2 - 7 	0 

8. Fraser Fire 		2 	0 - 10 	0

sterlingice · 11-24-2003, 04:30 PM

Man, rough go for the Dragons early on. The Saints, on the other hand, are in pretty good shape.

SI

Masked · 11-24-2003, 05:10 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by sterlingice
Man, rough go for the Dragons early on. The Saints, on the other hand, are in pretty good shape.

SI

The only catch for us is we have beaten the worst two teams in the league.

Dragons are in bad shape and has to play the best team this week. The loss this past week was expected, but getting beat at home the first week is really going to hurt them this season. I wonder if at some point they will panic and try an ill advised MOTS.

Masked · 11-28-2003, 06:56 PM

US Open Cup: Round 3

The Saints face the first human controlled team in this seasons cup. Dragsters owner has not been seen in several weeks and the team is likely dead. Before departing he brought in several players and set a default 3-5-2 lineup. With a walkover this past Sunday, my trainees have already played so this match should not be a problem.

Dragsters - South Bay Saints 1-7

A brilliantly sunny day had enticed a crowd of 7000 to Dragsters Arena. Dragsters tactics involved an interesting 3-5-2 combination. Lineup: Lindby - Ridgeway, Gobbo, Ohara - Almland, Healy, Cooley, Nicholas, Hitchcock - Almblad, Huey.

Saints started off with a 3-5-2 lineup. They fielded: Lassiter - Campbell, Keyesj, Tévez - Montgomery, Basoa Rivas, Popa, Vahtramäe, Merritt - Lond, Spicer.

In the 26:th minute the home side managed to get a 1 - 0 lead as Jonas Almblad flipped the ball after a cross pass from the right. 31 minutes into the game Saints´s Joe Lond found a gap in the home sides central defense scoring with a long shot, making it 1 - 1. Matt Keyesj sailed high, high above the opponents as he headed the 1-2 in after a corner kick after 42 minutes of play. In the 43rd minute Saints put themselves up 1 - 3 after an attack from the right, caused by a defensive blunder. Scorer was Joonas Vahtramäe. Some fine manouvering on the left lead to an 44:th minute Saints goal, making it 1 - 4. Eber Basoa Rivas was noted down as the scorer. The structure of the game started to change as Saints decided to pull back and meet their opponents in the defensive zone. The game had been on for 44 minutes when Joe Lond broke through to the right, upping the score to the home crowd´s dismay. Saints´s were up 1 - 5. The teams went for a half-time break at 1 - 5. Saints, bringing the final ball possession rate to 62 percent, dominated the battle.

After 55 minutes a combination in the middle resulted in a through ball for Tony Spicer who increased Saints´s lead to 1 - 6. In the games 59:th minute Saints´s Carlos Saúl Tévez fell dramatically just outside the penalty area. However, the referee booked Carlos Saúl Tévez for taking a dive. In the games 61st minute Toader Popa nearly put the visitors another one up as he broke through and fired from just outside the box, his shot passed just over the bar. The referee showed Dragsterss Benjamin Ohara the yellow card after a particularly nasty challenge. Due to a severely mistimed tackle,Joseph Lassiter spent some time on the grass writhing in agony before he could get up and continue the game. Clark Merritt of Saints received a yellow card in the 65:th minute for unsportsmanlike behaviour. The visitors Tony Spicer took advantage of an error due to a misunderstanding between the home side´s goalie and full backs in the 76:th minute. 1 - 7 for Saints. Saints held the ball, with a clear 63 percent possession rate.

The most dominating Dragsters player was without a doubt Austin Huey. Jonas Almblad on the other hand, had a terrible day. The most dominating Saints player was without a doubt Clark Merritt. Carlos Saúl Tévez was a disappointment, however. The match ends 1 - 7.

Summary
The team started out slowly and gave up an early goal to the overmatched Dragsters. The Saints put the game away in the final minutes of the first half scoring 4 goals in the 42st-44 minutes.

Ratings

Dragsters

Midfield: weak
Right Side Defence: weak
Central Defence: weak
Left Side Defence: inadequate
Right Side Attack: excellent
Central Attack: solid
Left Side Attack: passable

NSI = 46

South Bay Saints

Midfield: solid
Right Side Defence: solid
Central Defence: solid
Left Side Defence: solid
Right Side Attack: excellent
Central Attack: excellent
Left Side Attack: outstanding

NSI = 68 (season high)

Individual Notes

Goals: (cup total)

Joe Lond 2 (6)
Tony Spicer 2 (7)
Matt Keyesj 1 (2)
Eber Basoa Rivas 1 (1)
Joonas Vahtramäe 1 (1)

Cards: (total)

Clark Merritt - yellow (1)
Carlos Saúl Tévez - yellow (1)

Injuries:

Joseph Lassiter - bruised by training

Up Next

The Saints drew a very tough opponent in round 4. We visit MIT FC who put up a NSI of 75 in round 3 and currently sits in first place in series IV.51. However, like us, they had a walkover in league play this week, so we wouldn't expect them (or us) to perform as well in next week. MIT FC is a defense trainer and employes a 4-4-2 formation. More to come when HT is back up.

Masked · 11-30-2003, 01:58 AM

Training

It was such a great week, we did it twice.

Two big playmaking pops

Eber Basoa Rivas
303 000 US$, 21 years, solid form
Has wretched experience and solid leadership abilities

Stamina: excellent Keeper: disastrous
Playmaking: formidable Passing: poor
Winger: poor Defending: wretched
Scoring: inadequate Set Pieces: wretched

Eber is our first formidable player (except for Keyesj's stamina). He also breaks 300K in value for the first time.

Ryszard Laguna
159 000 US$, 18 years, solid form
Has disastrous experience and poor leadership abilities

Stamina: passable Keeper: disastrous
Playmaking: solid Passing: passable
Winger: weak Defending: wretched
Scoring: poor Set Pieces: weak

Ryszard is one of my most promising trainees and will easily make excellent by the end of the season. He should be a starter next season.

Form

A great week for the Saints - 9 up, 3 down

All 6 IMs are in solid or better form. Defender Matt Keyesj hit excellent for the first time, and both forwards are finally in passable form at the same time.

Masked · 11-30-2003, 02:01 AM

Week 4 Youth Pull

Jorge Block
1 000 US$, 17 years, passable form
Has disastrous experience and weak leadership abilities [Unpredictable]

Stamina: wretched Keeper: disastrous
Playmaking: wretched Passing: wretched
Winger: wretched Defending: poor
Scoring: weak Set Pieces: wretched

Second straight week with a player valued at only 1K.

Front office

We are at -$18,919 but will be well in the black after our home match tomorrow.

Masked · 11-30-2003, 02:13 AM

Around IV.31

My opponent this week, Los Chixi Dix, bought Gerhard Olsson for $450,000. Olsson is likely an excellent forward who put up 3* is his cup match this week. Los Chixi often runs a 3-4-3 in league play but has does not have a particularly strong attack. I'll probably fave a formadable central attack tomorrow instead of an excellent.

Wisconsin Legend was the first managed team to be eliminated from the cup. They lost 2-0 to a rather strong division 5 team.

Masked · 11-30-2003, 02:41 AM

League Play: Round 3 preview

Series IV.31 Standings
1. Number Munchers 2 11 - 4 6
2. South Bay Saints 2 7 - 0 6
3. Los Chixi Dix 2 4 - 2 6

South Bay Saints - Los Chixi Dix

The Saints are at home this week facing Los Chixi Dix. At the beginning of the season I predicted that Los Chixi would finish in 6th place, but two straight upsets has put them in a very strong position. They promoted into the series this season, and I have not gotten a good feeling for them yet. They finished last season playing a 3-4-3 exclusively, but have switched, seemingly at random between a 3-4-3 and a 3-5-2 this season. They just bought a forward for 450K, but he is 23 years old. I have no idea what he trains which makes predicting his formations and lineups a bit tough. I should have a nice midfield advantage. His defense is a bit stronger, but my attack should be slightly better - so basically that's a wash.

Prediction 3-2

Other matches in the series

Thunderchickens - Terps

These two teams figured to be fighting for second and had an outside chance at taking the series. After 2 weeks they sit in 4 and 5th place. Terps has the best midfield in the series and should have a couple level advantage but their attack is weak. Chickens on the other hand have a very good offense which should be enough to earn a draw. Prediction 2-2

CC's Dragons - Number Munchers

SI's former nemisis should drop to 0-3 since moving up to division 4 as they face the top team in the series. Munchers has been without their top player, a magnificent forward, all season but he should be ready to go for this match. The midfield should be about equal which will give Munchers more than enough chances.
Prediction 1-4

Masked · 12-01-2003, 01:04 AM

League matches: week 3

South Bay Saints - Los Chixi Dix 3 - 0

32000 spectators had come to Complex Spikes Arena this cloudy day. Saints tactics involved an interesting 3-5-2 combination. They fielded: Lassiter - Tévez, Campbell, Keyesj - Merritt, Mário Araújo, Basoa Rivas, Vahtramäe, Montgomery - Lond, Spicer.

Chixi had chosen a strategic 3-5-2 formation. They fielded: Way-Yen - Prentice, Jansson, Mckenna - Sampson, Andreasson, Jelic, Copeland, Ogle - Bersvendsen, Martina.

It was obvious that Chixi were using pressing as their primary tactic. At this time in the match, Chixi were using their weak skills at the press to successfully put pressure on their opponents. Chixis Will Ogle got himself booked after a foul. Due to a severely mistimed tackle,Matt Keyesj spent some time on the grass writhing in agony before he could get up and continue the game. 0 - 0 was the half-time score. Saints held the ball, with a clear 57 percent possession rate.

Saintss Joe Lond gave, after 52 minutes, the home team a 1 - 0 lead after an attack coming in from the right. Patrick Prentice got left behind when Saints´s Charles Montgomery made a sudden pull forward in the 53rd minute, finishing off with a swift strike. 2-0! In the 58:th minute Saints´s Carlos Saúl Tévez tried to nail the coffin shut, but the shot rebounded off the bar to fall behind the net. A bit later, a magnificent combination in the middle resulted in Saints´s Eber Basoa Rivas putting the lead up to 3 - 0. Clint Copeland of Chixi received a yellow card in the 78:th minute for unsportsmanlike behaviour. Saints, bringing the final ball possession rate to 59 percent, dominated the battle.

The most dominating Saints player was without a doubt Clark Merritt. Carlos Saúl Tévez was a disappointment, however. The most dominating Chixi player was without a doubt Rajko Jelic. Johan Jansson on the other hand, had a terrible day. The match ends 3 - 0.

Summary

In front of the first sell out in Spikes Arena, version 4, the Saints shut out third place Los Chixi Dix and moved into sole possession of first place in IV.31. Despite poor form accross the back line, we shut out the Chixi offense and have yet to allow a goal in league play. After a tight first half, the Chixi players didn't have the stamina to maintain their pressing and allowed us to take control.

Ratings

South Bay Saints

Midfield: excellent
Right Side Defence: solid
Central Defence: solid
Left Side Defence: solid
Right Side Attack: outstanding
Central Attack: excellent
Left Side Attack: excellent

NSI = 71, Second best rating ever

Los Chixi Dix

Midfield: passable
Right Side Defence: outstanding
Central Defence: formidable
Left Side Defence: formidable
Right Side Attack: solid
Central Attack: inadequate
Left Side Attack: excellent

NSI = 67

Individual Notes

Goals: (Season Total)
Joe Lond 1 ( 3)
Eber Basoa Rivas 1 (1)
Charles Montgomery 1 (1) *First career goal in a competitive match

Cards:
None

Injuries:
Matt Keyesj, bruised but training

Stars

2.5 GK Joseph Lassiter

2.5 WB Carlos Saul Tevez
3.0 CD Clifton Campbell
3.5 WB Matt Keyesj (defensive)

3.5 W Clark Merritt (offensive)
3.5 IM Joonas Vahtramae
3.5 IM Eber Basoa Rivas (offensive)
3.5 IM Dani Marie Araujo (offensive)
3.0 W Charles Montgomery (offensive)

3.0 F Tony Spicer
3.0 F Joe Lond

Around IV.31





Team 				Goals Points 

Team 				Goals Points 

1. South Bay Saints 		10 - 0 	9 

 

2. Number Munchers 		11 - 8 	6 

3. Los Chixi Dix 		4 - 5 	6 

4. Thunderchickens 		8 - 4 	4 

 

5. Terps 			8 - 9 	4 

6. Wisconsin Legend 		7 - 7 	3 

 

7. CC's Dragons 		6 - 6 	3 

8. Fraser Fire 			0 - 15 	0

A rather suprising day has left my team all alone in first place for the first time in division 4. I am going to be cocky while I can, because I figure to fall next week. Screen caps are coming

Thunderchickens - Terps 2 - 2
Both of these teams are thinking about a series title and this draw really hurts their chances. This one played out exactly how I expected it. Terps had the most chances, but Thunder is better and making the most of theirs.

Wisconsin Legend - Fraser Fire 5 - 0
Legend gets the walkover bonus this week in a match they really needed after getting elimating from the cup this past week.

CC's Dragons - Number Munchers 4 - 0
A shocking upset as the previously winless Dragons simply owned the previously undefeated Munchers.

CC's Dragons
Player rating and Team formation
Midfield: formidable
Right Side Defence: passable
Central Defence: formidable
Left Side Defence: excellent
Right Side Attack: formidable
Central Attack: solid
Left Side Attack: formidable

Number Munchers
Player rating and Team formation
Midfield: excellent
Right Side Defence: outstanding
Central Defence: excellent
Left Side Defence: solid
Right Side Attack: outstanding
Central Attack: mythical
Left Side Attack: outstanding

Those midfields were very close as Dragons held the ball for 51 and 53% in the first and second half respectively. I suspect Dragons simply played normally since the midfield rating is not that high. Looking at the ratings, I just have to say, offense is clearly overrated

.

KevinNU7 · 12-01-2003, 01:01 PM

WOW The Munchers should have one that match.

Masked · 12-02-2003, 07:15 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by KevinNU7
WOW The Munchers should have one that match.

He commented about that in our conference. He didn't really let go like Croats does in DataKing's series.

Masked · 12-02-2003, 07:44 PM

Cup Round 4 Preview

Suddenly the cup got much tougher. We travel to Boston to play MIT FC who are currently in first place in series IV.51 after promoting at the end of last season.

Here are their ratings from their 0 - 2 win last week over World Beaters.

MIT FC
Player rating and Team formation
Midfield: inadequate
Right Side Defence: brilliant
Central Defence: world class
Left Side Defence: brilliant
Right Side Attack: excellent
Central Attack: excellent
Left Side Attack: formidable

If they put up those ratings, my cup run is over; however, like the Saints, they had a walkover in league play in week 2 and thus they played more of their starters than usual. In the second round of the cup they put up these ratings in a win over a bot.

MIT FC
Player rating and Team formation
Midfield: poor
Right Side Defence: outstanding
Central Defence: magnificent
Left Side Defence: brilliant
Right Side Attack: solid
Central Attack: inadequate
Left Side Attack: passable

Should they employ that lineup I should ahve a good shot at surviving another round to finally get to a home match.

MIT FC trains defenders and plays either a 4-4-2 or 5-3-2. I expect to face a 4-4-2 since he used the 5-3-2 (3IMs) on sunday. He will be without one forward who is injured and another who is suspended; however, he still has at least one 3* forward left. I expect them to put up a passable midfield, which should give us a slight advantage. In a somewhat suprising move, they sat their best player, 19 yo defender Witold Zasilski, Sunday. Witold is valued inexcess of 500K and is in excellent form and put up 4.5 stars last week. Our offense will somehow have to get by him.

The Saints will play their standard 3-5-2 but with an important twist. As we have for several seasons now, we will train wingers in the last rounds of the cup. This allows us to play our starters in the midfield. I like to mix in some winger training with my playmaking program. With the speed that wingers train now, it is easy to develop well rounded wingers, and their is a good market for players with both winger and playmaking skills. the only notable absence from our normal lineup will be winger Clark Merritt who played on Sunday. In his place will be 19 yo Myles Bloom who has solid winger and inad passing. Unfortunately Myles has yet to rise above weak form since we bought him late last season.

This match should be low scoring so I am contemplating weaking my defense a bit to add a 4th solid set peice player with some experience.

My final decision is whether or not to PIC this match. Currently, the team is at POE. If I PIC, the team will maintain POE until Saturday when it will drop to delirious during the weekly update. If I play the cup match normal and give myself a big edge in midfield, ts will drop to delirious Wednesday night, but it should stay there through the match on Sunday. So Sunday I would play with either high delirious or low delirious (maybe high satisfied) team spirit. I will PIC on Sunday regardless, because I am on the road and have little chance of winning. I am leaning to playing this match normal in an effort to try and get a home cup match and the nice payday that brings.

Masked · 12-04-2003, 01:11 AM

US Open Cup: Round 4

After three relatively easy matches, the Saints face their toughest foe in this years cup with a good chance of being eliminated. MIT FC sits in first place in division IV.51 after promoting in the offseason. We expected to face a 4-4-2 and a brilliant+ defense. However, we knew that they would be without one of their middies and top forward who were injured and suspended after Sunday's league match. We were going to need a substantial advantage in possession in order to pierce their defense and to prevent their average offense from scoring on our weak defense. I considered playing this match normal in order to maximize our midfield advantage, but elected to PIC instead. Since we are training wingers this week, we started two starter at inner midfield so we figured to be strong enough.

And now for the match...

I was caught a bit off guard when MIT FC came out and clearly intended to counterattack. This is the perfect tactic to use on my team. I was going to win the midfield, but his defense was going to be able to stop many of my attacks. Any counter attack chances he got should have a pretty good chance against my relatively weak defense. In the 10th minute Myles Bloom, a backup winger, sent a perfect pass to the red hot Joe Lond who put the Saints up 1-0 and alieveated some of my concern. We got two more chances in the second half and Tony Spicer converted on one while MIT FC got none. At the half our spirits were high as we dominated possession. However, MIT came out in the second half and quickly cut the lead to one. But Myles Bloom came through again and put us up by two. We added one more late to ice the match and advance to round 5.

Match Report

30000 spectators had come to Killian Court this cloudy day. MIT had chosen a strategic 4-4-2 formation. The following players had been chosen: Humphries - Parzuch, Roman, Carson, Zasilski - Ornelas, Bengtsson, Thorstensson, Beckman - Britton, Lafleur.

Saints tactics involved an interesting 3-5-2 combination. Lineup: Lassiter - Keyesj, Campbell, Hyypiä - Tadié, Basoa Rivas, Popa, Vahtramäe, Bloom - Lond, Spicer.

MIT clearly had decided to counter-attack when they could, using their excellent talent for it. Myles Bloom was dominating his wing and kept sending fine balls into the enemy box - Joe Lond managed to kick one of them into 0 - 1 in the 10:th minute. Joonas Vahtramäe received some harsh words from his coach after he acted foolishly, probably out of lack of experience, in the 12th minute and almost caused an opponent to score. The away team´s Tony Spicer took advantage of a mistake to the home side´s right in the 20:th minute increasing Saints´s lead to 0 - 2. Toader Popa was, after 21 minutes, almost able to extend the visitors lead with a well placed diving header but home side keeper Adam Humphries saved. In the games 26:th minute Saints´s Jef Tadié fell dramatically just outside the penalty area. However, the referee booked Jef Tadié for taking a dive. Halftime score was 0 - 2. Saints held the ball, with a clear 61 percent possession rate.

The home crowd was given a certain amount of consolation when Burton Britton, after a brilliant midfield combination, put the reducing 1 - 2 goal away for MIT. The referee showed MITs Burton Britton the yellow card after a particularly nasty challenge. Due to a severely mistimed tackle,Toader Popa spent some time on the grass writhing in agony before he could get up and continue the game. Saints´s Myles Bloom received a play slashing through the home side´s defense in the 75:th minute, chipping it past the keeper scoring 1 - 3. The home crowd was not pleased with that one. The visitors Joe Lond took advantage of an error due to a misunderstanding between the home side´s goalie and full backs in the 83rd minute. 1 - 4 for Saints. Saints held the ball, with a clear 61 percent possession rate.

The most dominating MIT player was without a doubt Witold Zasilski. Fabrice Lafleur on the other hand, had a terrible day. The most dominating Saints player was without a doubt Joonas Vahtramäe. Myles Bloom was a disappointment, however. The match ends 1 - 4.

Ratings
MIT FC
Player rating and Team formation
Midfield: inadequate
Right Side Defence: brilliant
Central Defence: world class
Left Side Defence: magnificent
Right Side Attack: excellent
Central Attack: solid
Left Side Attack: solid

NSI = 73

South Bay Saints
Player rating and Team formation
Midfield: solid
Right Side Defence: excellent
Central Defence: excellent
Left Side Defence: excellent
Right Side Attack: excellent
Central Attack: excellent
Left Side Attack: excellent

NSI = 69

I was caught completely by suprise by the play of my defense. Those ratings were good enough to rank 6th all time for the Saints, while the total performance was our 8th best ever.

Individual Notes
Goals: (cup total)
Joe Lond 2 (8)
Tony Spicer 1 (8)
Myles Bloom 1 (1)

Cards: (total)
Jef Tadie 1 (1)

Injuries: NONE

Stars

2.5 Joseph Lassiter

3.5 Matt Keyesj
3.0 Clifton Campbell
3.0 Yki Hyppia

3.0 Jef Tadie
3.5 Eber Basoa Rivas
3.5 Joonas Vahtramae
3.5 Toader Popa
2.0 Myles Bloom

3.0 Tony Spicer
3.0 Joe Lond

Next Week

We host Cleveland Park United who is in 2nd place in division IV.15.

KevinNU7 · 12-04-2003, 08:46 AM

Congrats, I'm surprised that their combination of grat defense and excellent counterattack didn't produce more oppurtunites for them

Masked · 12-05-2003, 01:58 PM

Training

Having made it to the fourth round of the cup, it is time to train wingers for a few weeks. I have a couple guys that will demand a nice price on the market if I can get their winger skill to pop since I have already upped their playmaking. Also making Clark Merritt a bigger threat is always nice.

Winger pops: NONE! Both Tadie and Montgomery should be close and one almost has to pop next week (at least I hope).

Form: +4/-7

GK Joseph Lassiter finally made it back to passable form and IM Toader Popa is up to excellent (despite dropping in value?!?).

However, our offense took a big hit this week, with two wingers, Clark Merritt and Charles Montgomery, dropping to passable and both forwards, Joe Lond and Tony Spicer, dropping to inadequate.

We will train winger again next week before going back to playmaking. I want to get Charles up to solid winger this season, so if he doesn't pop next week, I will resume winger training after he pops to solid in PM (2-3 weeks away at most).

Masked · 12-05-2003, 03:53 PM

Quarterly Update

With the season now a quarter of the way done, I decided to write up a quick wrap up on the first four weeks.

US Open Cup
11/13/2003 (Cup): Phoenix Wolves - South Bay Saints 0 - 5
11/20/2003 (Cup): Vermont Gladiators - South Bay Saints 0 - 9
11/27/2003 (Cup): Dragsters - South Bay Saints 1 - 7
12/4/2003 (Cup): MIT FC - South Bay Saints 1 - 4

12/11/2003 (Cup): South Bay Saints - Cleveland Park United

From the outset, my goal was to make it to the 5th round and host at least one match. With the rather lopsided win over MIT FC on Wednesday, we achieved both. Last season we were eliminated in round 5 when we were completely over matched. This season we have a chance, but it isn't very high. However, unlike last season, we will not be conceded this match.

We have been playing mostly starters at defense and forward in order to boost some of the guys in experience. Our next two coaches are already on board, but need some more experience. After playing all starters in the first match, our midfield trainees were involved in the second and third matches. We switched to winger training in week 4 to allow us to dominate the midfield and win against MIT FC.

Series IV.31



Team  			Goals 	Points 

1. South Bay Saints  	10 - 0 	9 

 

2. Number Munchers  	11 - 8 	6 

3. Los Chixi Dix  	4 - 5 	6 

4. Thunderchickens  	8 - 4 	4 

 

5. Terps  		8 - 9 	4 

6. Wisconsin Legend  	7 - 7 	3 

 

7. CC's Dragons  	6 - 6 	3 

8. Fraser Fire  	0 - 15 	0

11/17/2003 (League): South Bay Saints - Wisconsin Legend 2 - 0
11/24/2003 (League): Fraser Fire - South Bay Saints 0 - 5 (WO)
12/1/2003 (League): South Bay Saints - Los Chixi Dix 3 - 0

After three weeks, the Saints lead the division, but we have played the three weakest teams. Los Chixi got off to a hot start with two upsets but has put up below average ratings. If we get only one more win in the next 4 weeks, the first half would have exceded my expectations. Although my defense's rankings have not been stellar, I certainly can't fault the results.

Training

Week 1: Stamina - I was hoping IM trainee Joonas Vahtramae whould jump two levels to excellent, but he didn't.
Week 2: Playmaking - Winger Jef Tadie popped to solid PM.
Week 3: Playmaking - Starting IM Eber Basoa Rivas popped to formidable PM. Even though he is 21, I decided to keep him until he pops to outstanding late this season. Trainee, Ryszard Laguna, popped to solid PM to go with his passable passing and looks to be a future star for the Saints.
Week 4: Winger - nothing, a bit disappointing.

Youth Squad
Week 1: Leroy Taylor, 18, poor def - FIRED
Week 2: Franklin Minton, 17, passable defending - sold for 79K
Week 3: Jerald Rojas, 17, weak SP - FIRED
Week 4: Jorge Block, 17, weak Scoring - FIRED

Profit to date: -15,320

With my history, I guess I should be happy that the loss is so small.

Economy
So far we have made $334,839 this season bringing us to $210,426 in the black.

91 new fans have joined growing our fan club to 1396 high on life supporters.

Purchases
None

Sales
None, outside youth pulls

GM's remarks
With a strong performance in the last cup match, and a good week of practice, the defense is finally coming around. Unfortunately, the offense seems to have lost their edge. Current;y, the team is too dependent on having good form in order to have a competitive defense and attack in league play. I am looking at brining in a new keeper and forward this season, but will not have the money for awhile yet. Our midfield has been in top form all season (I will be starting 2 exc and 1 solid form players Sunday) and can put up an excellent midfield while PICing. With four starting quality players, we are less susceptible to form fluctations. I like this arrangement, and will probably keep my current starting forward and keeper when I buy new ones to help insure against both form and injury. Both are only solid and would not bring in a lot of money on the open market anyway. Teuvo Kaurismaki will have been with the team for one season after week 7. I am not sure he will have popped to solid leadership by then, but we have still budgeting 700K for turning him into a coach. In the long term, we also have to look at upgraded the arena again. The arena currently seats 32K fans, but we will be looking at a very ambitious expansion to 50K in the offseason. Unfortunately, the cost of the coach and the expansion may prevent us from being able to address the forward position this season. At this point I would prefer to bring in an outstanding + keeper if forced to choose. I have one of the top midfields in my division so by increasing my defense I should be able to shut down most teams offenses. For offense, I can still rely simply on having enough attacks to eventually get a few goals. Thanks to everyone who is following along (in particular to my two supporters, Havok and saintjo). Advice and comments are always appreciated. I would be interested to hear what you like, dont like, and new things you might like to see. Writing the dynasty is helpful for me to keep track of my team and plan for the future.

Havok · 12-05-2003, 07:40 PM

Looking good so far this season bro.... hopfully you will get a nice youth pull to sell soon to help you get that outstanding goalie you want so bad

Masked · 12-08-2003, 02:43 AM

Thanks Havok - doesn't look like this weeks youth pull will help

From the Saints youth squad that has never resulted in a player with a skill above passable*

Marty Alvarado (21724369)
19 years, passable form, healthy
A pleasant guy who is calm and upright.
Has disastrous experience and passable leadership abilities.

Nationality: USA
Assessed value: 0 US$
Wage: 500 US$/week
Owner: South Bay Saints
Warnings: 0

Stamina: inadequate Goaltending: disastrous
Playmaking: wretched Passing: wretched
Winger: poor Defending: wretched
Scoring: wretched Set Pieces: formidable

* except for that worthless player with formidable set peices.

This pull was so bad that it even killed my ability to bitch about my youth squad. That just hurts.

Masked · 12-08-2003, 06:46 PM

League Matches: Week 4

The first place Saints were on the road against the fifth place Terps in week 4. Dispite the early season results, the Terps are the strong favorites. I decided to tinker with my lineup a bit to see if I could some how steal a point. All four offensive starters (forwards and wings) from last week saw their form drop on Tuesday. Since my wings were still at passable, I decided to try to attack on the wings and hope Clark Merritt would carry the team. To compensate for the hit this tactic causes to my central defense, I shifted Matt Keyesj from his typical wingback position to the center. Paired with defensive standout, Clifton Cambell, and Keeper Lassiter's bump to passable form, I should easily shut down my opponents solid central attack. Against the abadonned wing, the Terps only put up a passable attack, so we are not particullarly vulnerable there. I expected a low scoring match. The Terps should have a 2-3 level advantage in the midfield, but I would have the best offensive matchup with Clark Merritt's wing. Hopefully, the Saints could pull of the upset.

So how did it go down...

The Saints were in trouble earlier when winger Jef Tadie went down after a nasty challenge by one of the oppsing players. Jef was able to continue but was going to be less effective than usual. Only a few minutes into the match, one of the wing attacks I was counting on was already crippled. The first half went basically as I hoped. The only reported chance went to the Terps but they were unable to score. Late in the first half, our central defense too a big hit when Matt Keyesj injured his foot. Like Jef, he was able to continue, but at a reduced effectiveness.

The Terps obviously noticed Keyesj limping around and came out in the second half and went right at him. Terps forward Daniel Weber got through the central defenders and gave his team a 1-0 lead. In the 79th minute, we got the matchup we wanted. Clark Merritt made a quick move on his defender, but the wingback just managed to get a foot in the way and prevent to tying goal. The Terps put the game away late when the got through the central defense a second time and went up 2-0. They nearly added another in the middle in the closing minutes, but we finally stopped one.

We ended up losing 2-0. My tactic to attack on the wings was derailed by the two costly injuries which crippled one wing attack and my central defense. They held a 60/40% advantage in possession and had 4/1 advantage in reported chances. The from hit to both forwards was also evident, while the gain by the keeper was not. This loss really derailed our fans optimism after the fast start, and only 4 fans joined the club after having received 12 the last several updates.

I have changed my format once again. I added the detailed summary of the match and my tactics which is aimed towards those who already know the outcome. I will keep pasting the report in for now.

Match Report
Overcast weather free of rain made for a crowd turnout of 43311 at Terps Arena today. Terps started off with a 3-5-2 lineup. The following players had been chosen: Forsér - Davis, Ramey, Pool - Glenn, Gardner, Fennell, Bröker, Grant - Stjernbo, Weber.

Saints had chosen a strategic 3-5-2 formation. They fielded: Lassiter - Campbell, Keyesj, Tévez - Tadié, Basoa Rivas, Popa, Vahtramäe, Merritt - Lond, Spicer.

Saints were mostly trying to use the flanks for their attacks. The referee showed Terpss Björn Bröker the yellow card after a particularly nasty challenge. The player down was Jef Tadié. The Saints bench looked worried a while but in the end he managed to get up. 11 minutes into the game a free kick combination hooked into the box almost resulted in the home team taking the lead, but the last header went wide. After 39 minutes Saints´s Matt Keyesj contracted a slight foot injury, but could finish the game. 0 - 0 was the half-time score. Terps, bringing the final ball possession rate to 60 percent, dominated the battle.

Delbert Weber gave his Terps the lead with 1 - 0, as he successfully challenged both the guests central defenders, then placed the ball unreachably at the goaltenders right post. Terps will have to do without Delbert Weber for a time due to a bad foot injury. He was substituted by Tommy Banda. Always quick and a menace to his opponents,Clark Merritt was in the 79:th minute very close to getting through, but Richard Davis managed to avert the attack. After 80 minutes Terps´s Björn Bröker contracted a slight foot injury, but could finish the game. A bit later, a magnificent combination in the middle resulted in Terps´s Martin Stjernbo putting the lead up to 2 - 0. After this Terps lowered the tempo in order to concentrate on their defensive efforts. The referee showed Terpss Ivan Ramey the yellow card after a particularly nasty challenge. The referee showed Terpss Terrance Gardner the yellow card after a particularly nasty challenge. After an industrious effort down the middle Martin Stjernbo could have closed the game off in the 86:th minute, but his finishing shot hit the post. Terps held the ball, with a clear 59 percent possession rate.

Most important Terps player was Benjamin Fennell. Tommy Banda on the other hand, had a terrible day. Saints´s best player was Eber Basoa Rivas. Joe Lond on the other hand, had a terrible day.

Ratings

Terps

Midfield: outstanding
Right Side Defence: outstanding
Central Defence: magnificent
Left Side Defence: world class
Right Side Attack: solid
Central Attack: solid
Left Side Attack: passable

NSI = 85

South Bay Saints

Midfield: solid
Right Side Defence: passable
Central Defence: excellent
Left Side Defence: excellent
Right Side Attack: solid
Central Attack: solid
Left Side Attack: outstanding

NSI = 67

I was expecting an (hoping for) outstanding central defense, but the injury, tactics, and form prevented that. My right and central attacks were also hampered by form and injury. Assuming I can add, the 85 is a season's best for the Terps.

Individual Notes

Goals: None
Cards: None
Injuries: Matt Keyesj and Jef Tadie, bruised but training

Stars

3.0 GK Joseph Lassiter

3.0 CD Matt Keyesj (injured)
3.0 CD Clifton Campbell
2.5 WB Carlos Saul Tevez (Defensive)

3.0 W Jef Tadie (offensive, injured)
3.5 IM Eber Basoa Rivas
3.5 IM Joonas Vahtramae (defensive)
3.5 IM Toader Popa (offensive)
3.5 W Clark Merritt (offensive)

3.0 F Tony Spicer
2.5 F Joe Lond

Around IV.31



Team 			Goals 	Points 

1. Number Munchers 	16 - 8 	9 

 

2. South Bay Saints  	10 - 2 	9 

3. Los Chixi Dix  	9 - 5 	9 

4. Terps  		10 - 9 	7 

 

5. CC's Dragons  	13 - 6 	6 

6. Thunderchickens  	8 - 11 	4 

 

7. Wisconsin Legend  	7 - 12 	3 

8. Fraser Fire  	0 - 20 	0

Number Munche - Fraser Fire 5 - 0
Walkover

Los Chixi Dix - Wisconsin Leg 5 - 0
NSI 63 - 55
After their loss to us last week, Los Chixi went back to their lucky ways with this match. While they should have won this one (easily) putting in 5 goals with an inadequate attack on an formidable defense is lucky.

CC's Dragons - Thunderchicke 7 - 0
NSI 70 - 70
Thunderchickens suffered a significant injuries during the match and played an 4-3-3, an unusual formation for them (possibly an error), but I was shocked at this result. Dragons had a hug midfield advantage (67% possession) and clearly that was it. Chickens will be without their 500K valued 19yo forward for up to three weeks. I play them in two.

Final Thoughts
I'm a bit frustrated with my inability to do much about my offense and defense right now. I am a disappointed with the contributions that IMs Vahtramae and Popa are making with their inadequate defense and passing respectively. Originally I planned to keep Dani Mario Araujo until he hit outstanding PM next season, but am now leaning toward selling him at formidable to get a quick infusion of cash to make some move. Araujo is 21, still trainable, but not optimal.

Attack on the wings sucks for my team. I simply can't take the hit on my central defense.

Masked · 12-11-2003, 02:39 AM

US Open Cup: Round 5

After four weeks on the road, the Saints returned home to face Cleveland Park United. United sits in first place in IV.15 after beating Franklinnobles Calvary Crusaders on Sunday.

Since the Saints training wingers this week, we will be playing our top three midfielders. Winger Charles Montgomery will also be ordered towards the middle as we try to control the midfield since we cannot match their attack or defense. Unfortunately, Matt Keyesj is still day to day with his foot injury and will sit this match out. Teuvo Kaurismaki, our future coach, will start in his place and hopefully get a much needed experience boost. Outside of Teuvo and our wings, we will be playing all starters.

The Saints came out hot and sent the near capacitu crowd into a frenzy when Charles Montogomery raced past his defender and sit a perfect pass to Tony Spicer who gave the Saints the lead only three minutes into the match. In the next few minutes, the Saints came twice close to extending their lead but great saves by United's keeper kept them in the game. Perhaps the Saints dwelled on their missed chances for too long as the game made a sudden turn. 28 minutes in, Charles Montgomery suffered a nasty shin injury and was forced out of the match. While he was being attended to on the sidelines, United tied the game up. They added another shortly before the half, and injured inner midfielder Joonas Vahtramae. In the second half, United just fired shot after shot on goal and Lassiter was unable to do much of anything. United went on to win 5-1 in a blowout, that left the Saints teams and fans confidence shattered.

Ratings

South Bay Saints

Midfield: excellent
Right Side Defence: passable
Central Defence: solid
Left Side Defence: solid
Right Side Attack: excellent
Central Attack: solid
Left Side Attack: weak

NSI = 63, the two injuries really hurt our wing attack

Cleveland Park United

Midfield: formidable
Right Side Defence: excellent
Central Defence: formidable
Left Side Defence: formidable
Right Side Attack: formidable
Central Attack: excellent
Left Side Attack: world class

NSI = 83, United played their A-team apparently decided to forgo training this week. Had I known I had no chance, I would not have played as many starters as I did.

Individual Notes

Goals:
Tony Spicer 1 (total in cup, 9)

Cards:
Joonas Vahtramae, yellow (first of the season)

Injuries:
Joonas Vahtramae, bruised but training
Charles Montgomery, +2. This one really hurts since I was training winger this week hoping to get him specifically to pop.

Stars

3.0 Joseph Lassiter

2.5 Carlos Saul Tevez
3.0 Clifton Campbell
2.5 Teuvo Kaurismaki

2.0 Myles Bloom
3.5 Dani Mario Araujo
3.5 Eber Basoa Rivas
3.0 Joonas Vahtramae
0.5 Marty Alvarado
(2.0 Charles Montgomery, injured)

3.0 Tony Spicer
2.5 Joe Lond

Final Thoughts

5-1, Damn. My team confidence is at poor heading into one of my biggest matches of the season. My supporters are content heading into a home match. My winger goes down during one of the two weeks that I was planning on training winger.

Now for some good news. After going most of last season without any experience pops, they are rolling in this year.

Forward Tony Spicer to inadequate.
Forward Joe Lond to wretched.
Central Defender Clifton Campbell to passable.

Masked · 12-11-2003, 02:41 AM

Ah good news, just checked the nightly updates. We gained 3 supporters brining us to 1403, and most importantly, Charles Montgomery dropped to +1 and will get training this week.

We also hired several shrinks in order to get the teams confidence up before a huge match this Sunday against CC's Dragons.

Masked · 12-11-2003, 11:44 PM

Training

This is our second, and hopefully final week of winger training for some time. We were hoping for several pops, and well WE GOT 'EM!

Jef Tadié
174 000 US$, 19 years, passable form
Has wretched experience and poor leadership abilities

Stamina: excellent Keeper: disastrous
Playmaking: solid Passing: inadequate
Winger: solid Defending: poor
Scoring: wretched Set Pieces: wretched

And we hired just enough doctors to get Montgomery to +1 after sustaining an injury in yesterday's debacle.

Charles Montgomery 1
160 000 US$, 20 years, passable form
Has disastrous experience and weak leadership abilities [Quick]

Stamina: excellent Keeper: disastrous
Playmaking: passable Passing: weak
Winger: solid Defending: weak
Scoring: inadequate Set Pieces: weak

Charles will be sold in a few weeks we he is healed, and hits solid playmaking. We will keep Jef until he hits at least excellent PM which is probably a season away.

Form: Team +5/-4
Starters: +4/-1

My defense is finally in good form. Keeper Joseph Lassiter had another big value increase as he moved to solid, central defender Clifton Campbell and wingback Carlos Saul Tevez are both back to passable. Unfortunately, forward Joe Lond dropped to weak. with a very important league match this week, I am going to be looking on the transfer wire hoping to find an experienced solid scorer at a good price. However, I likely will not buy anything becuase I am desparately trying to save money in order to stop all the FOFC teams (like those damn Misfits and Eagles) from passing me.

Masked · 12-14-2003, 09:47 PM

Weekly Update

Good News
Our youth pull from last week sold for 9K. A mini-bidding war erupted for a poor winger, formidable set peice guy. The buyer is even trying to daytrade him for $100,000.

Bad News
My fans are fickle. Despite being in second place in IV.31, the fans which had been lined up around the block for tickets, all decided to go home. After getting 24 a week, this week we got only 5.

Weekly Updates
Sponsers up to $80,025.

Cash funds: 312 452 US$ (416 151) US$ (after league match)

Youth Pull

Lesley Hayden (22041014)
19 years, passable form, healthy
A controversial person who is tranquil and upright.
Has disastrous experience and poor leadership abilities.

Speciality: Powerful

Nationality: USA
Assessed value: 55 000 US$
Wage: 780 US$/week
Owner: South Bay Saints
Warnings: 0

Stamina: inadequate Goaltending: disastrous
Playmaking: passable Passing: poor
Winger: wretched Defending: passable
Scoring: poor Set Pieces: inadequate

A very nice pull. Too bad he isn't 17, but should bring in about 30K.

Masked · 12-14-2003, 10:32 PM

Week 5: League Matches

This week we host the CC's Dragons in one of our biggest matches of the season. The two teams are very similar in talent and will be fighting for position and avoiding a qualifier. Since we are at home this week, we can't afford not to get 3 points. Therefore, we will finally play a match normal. Up to this point, we have PICed every match and have delirious team spirit. Forwards Joe Lond and Tony Spicer are in weak and inadequate form respectively so I am a little concerned about our ability to finish the chances we get. However, our defense is in the best form it has been this season so we should be able to pull this one out.

The Match

Only 24,926 fans showed up, far short of a sell out (capacity 32K), thanks to a shut out loss last week to the Terps and the blowout loss in the cup at home on Wednesday. Havok called it - Clark Merritt made a great move and spend by his defender and fired a perfect pass to Tony Spicer who put the Saints up 1-0 early. The dragons quickly replied and tied the game up. This one was going exactly how I expected. Then something funny happened, Joe Lond retook the series lead in scoring with two quick strikes putting the Saints up 3-1. After the break, the Dragons got back in the game with a goal in the 50th minute. The defense took over, and shut out the Dragons for the next 40 minutes, while our midfielders kept feeding balls to the forwards, and we added 3 more goals to run away with it.

Match Report
At Complex Spikes Arena, 24926 punters turned up, and despite threatening clouds at the horizon, no rain came. Saints started off with a 3-5-2 lineup. The following players had been chosen: Lassiter - Keyesj, Campbell, Tévez - Merritt, Mário Araújo, Basoa Rivas, Vahtramäe, Tadié - Lond, Spicer.

Dragons tactics involved an interesting 3-5-2 combination. They fielded: Bauer - Mansur, Land, Adler - Link, Talley, MacElheran, Jamison, Ulfsson - Lifgren, Pettit.

In a rapid move, Clark Merritt of Saints lost his man, passed the ball to the unmarked Tony Spicer who easily hit it home for the 1-0 goal. Dragons could level the score in the 14:th minute at 1 - 1, as Mattias Lifgren struck home after a fine midfield combination, leaving him completely unmarked. Saintss Eber Basoa Rivas got himself booked after a foul. With 26 minutes played Tony Spicer almost gave the home side the lead with an unexpected free kick set up, but visitors Gil Bauer was onto it, grabbing the would be break through ball. The referee showed Saintss Clark Merritt the yellow card after a particularly nasty challenge. The home side put themselves ahead 2 - 1 in the 31st by a breakthrough from Joe Lond, who unaided came in out of the right wing hooking the ball over the visitors keeper. A speedy charge from the left side of the field put Saints lead up with 3 - 1. Joe Lond finished that one off competently, firing from an acute angle. The referee showed Dragonss Andrew MacElheran the yellow card after a particularly nasty challenge. Halftime score was 3 - 1. Saints held the ball, with a clear 58 percent possession rate.

A bit later Dragons´s Carl Adler easily reduced to 3 - 2 after a misunderstanding in the home sides central defense line. A speedy charge from the left side of the field put Saints lead up with 4 - 2. Eber Basoa Rivas finished that one off competently, firing from an acute angle. The referee showed Saintss Carlos Saúl Tévez the yellow card after a particularly nasty challenge. Dragons were forced to a substitution as Per Land couldn´t continue playing due to the rough treatment, forcing Gough Fitter to come in from the sidelines. A speedy charge from the left side of the field put Saints lead up with 5 - 2. Eber Basoa Rivas finished that one off competently, firing from an acute angle. In the 83rd minute Dragonss Ricky Pettit received a yellow card for going into a challenge studs first. In the 83rd minute of the match the visitors central line of defence had to look on as Carlos Saúl Tévez dashed through, knocking home 6 - 2 for Saints. Saints held the ball, with a clear 58 percent possession rate.

The most dominating Saints player was without a doubt Clark Merritt. Joe Lond on the other hand, had a terrible day. Most important Dragons player was Jonathan Talley. However, Carl Adler made a disastrous appearance. The match ends 6 - 2.

Ratings

South Bay Saints

Midfield: outstanding
Right Side Defence: excellent
Central Defence: excellent
Left Side Defence: formidable
Right Side Attack: outstanding
Central Attack: solid
Left Side Attack: excellent

NSI 80 - ***TEAM RECORD*** (played normal!!!)

CC's Dragons

Midfield: solid
Right Side Defence: passable
Central Defence: formidable
Left Side Defence: solid
Right Side Attack: formidable
Central Attack: solid
Left Side Attack: formidable

NSI 68

Individual Notes

Goals (Season total)
Joe Lond 2 (5)
Eber Basoa Rivas 2 (3)
Tony Spicer 1 (1)
Carlos Saul Tevez 1 (1)

Cards (total)
Clark Merritt - yellow (2)
Carlos Saul Tevez - yellow (2)
Eber Basoa Rivas - yellow (1)

Injuries: none

Stars
3.5 Joseph Lassiter *

3.5 Matt Keyesj
3.5 Clifton Campbell
3.0 Carlos Saul Tevez

4.0 Clark Merritt
3.5 Dani Mario Araujo
3.5 Joonas Vahtramae
3.5 Eber Basoa Rivas
3.0 Jef Tadie

2.5 Tony Spicer
2.5 Joe Lond

* personal best
36.0 total - ***team record***

Around IV.31
Thunderchickens - Number Munchers 4 - 6
NSI 76 - 79
If either of these teams could ever get a defense...both teams had a titantic central attach an average of a formidable defense.

Wisconsin Legend - Terps 0 - 2
NSI 47 - 77
This game was close because Legend has a great defense, and Terps has no attack. They missed a ton of shots with a passable attack going against a magnificent defense.

Fraser Fire - Los Chixi Dix 0 - 5
Walkover.

Standings

1. South Bay Saints 5 16 - 4 12

2. Number Munchers 5 22 - 12 12
3. Los Chixi Dix 5 14 - 5 12
4. Terps 5 12 - 9 10

5. CC's Dragons 5 15 - 12 6
6. Thunderchickens 5 12 - 17 4

7. Wisconsin Legend 5 7 - 14 3
8. Fraser Fire 5 0 - 25 0

vex · 12-15-2003, 11:18 AM

Nice start to the season so far!

Masked · 12-18-2003, 02:42 AM

Thanks! I have the two toughest teams over the next 4 weeks. Be interesting to see where I stand after that.

Masked · 12-18-2003, 03:11 AM

Friendly

We are taking a short ride across town to face Doug's Lousiana Cyclones. The Cyclones and the Spikes, as we were known then, faced of once before and fought to a 0-0 tie as both teams went defensive. The Saints at least will not make that mistake again

Now that I have been eliminated from the cup, I will play the full B-team for the first time this season. Form remains solid despite the layover of several weeks for some of the players.

Since it is a friendly match, there is no strategy to discuss.

Match Report

2038 spectators arrived at The Cyclone Center, where weather conditions were pretty good for football. Louisiana started off with a 5-4-1 lineup. Lineup: Glenn - Gupta, Blalock, Knight, Jones, Persson - Pereira, Roslind, Quigley, Nafziger - Martínez.

Saints started off with a 3-5-2 lineup. Lineup: Lastra - Kaurismäki, Hyypiä, Noel - Montgomery, Popa, Laguna, Blakely, Pham - Alberti Rovira, Bloom.

After 2 minutes Saints put themselves up by 0 - 1 as Eduard Alberti Rovira finished off a strike from the left with a real cannon placed at the far post. Mike Knight received some harsh words from his coach after he acted foolishly, probably out of lack of experience, in the 5:th minute and almost caused an opponent to score. In the games 15:th minute Louisiana´s José Luis Martínez fell dramatically just outside the penalty area. However, the referee booked José Luis Martínez for taking a dive. 17 minutes into the game Saints were awarded a penalty and Yki Hyypiä was able to increase the visitors lead to 0 - 2 rolling the ball in by the right post. 0 - 2 was the half-time score. The fortyfive minutes were dominated by Saints, with an impressive 68 percent possession of the ball.

In the 58:th minute [b]the visitors put themselves ahead 0 - 3 as Eduard Alberti Rovira[b]finished off an attack from the left with a spectacular scissors kick. 66 minutes into the game Saints were awarded a penalty and Hyypiä was able to increase the visitors lead to 0 - 4 rolling the ball in by the right post. Louisiana had a brilliant opportunity to reply as Niklas Roslind received a high ball from the right, striking the ball still in the air. Only Enrique Lastra´s reflexes saved him. José Luis Martínez had a good opportunity to reduce in the 80:th minute but wasn´t cool enough. The ball went miles over the bar. Saints held the ball, with a clear 67 percent possession rate.

The most dominating Louisiana player was without a doubt Jeffrey Quigley. José Luis Martínez was a disappointment, however. Most important Saints player was Toader Popa. Myles Bloom on the other hand, had a terrible day. The match ends 0 - 4.

Summary
Backup defender Yki Hyppia's experience and solid set peice skill gave us two easy goals against the tough Louisiana defense. Forward Rovara, who is in excellent form, scored the other two. Our trainees in midfield, performed exceptionally well, and kept giving the attackers great chances.

Ratings
Louisiana Cyclones

Midfield: weak
Right Side Defence: formidable
Central Defence: outstanding
Left Side Defence: excellent
Right Side Attack: poor
Central Attack: poor
Left Side Attack: wretched

NSI 47

South Bay Saints

Midfield: excellent
Right Side Defence: inadequate
Central Defence: passable
Left Side Defence: passable
Right Side Attack: excellent
Central Attack: solid
Left Side Attack: weak

NSI 60

Incredible midfield by the youngsters (match was a derby). The solid central attack is amazing considering one of my forwards is really a winger with weak scoring, and my A-team only put up a solid over the weekend. Midfielders with passing skills are very nice (trainees are pass, inad, inad passing).

Stars
1.5 Enrique Lastra

2.5 Teuvo Kaurismaki
2.5 Yki Hyppia
2.0 Alan Noel

3.0 Charles Montgomery
3.5 Toader Popa
3.0 Ryszard Laguna (going to be great when I get him to exc stamina)
2.5 Carlton Blakely
1.5 Mikey Pham (please pop so I can get rid of you)

2.5 Eduard Alberti Rovira
1.0 Myles Bloom

Masked · 12-19-2003, 01:49 PM

Training

Back to training playmaking after a couple weeks of winger training. Now, I am just waiting for Charles Montgomery to pop to solid playmaking to go along with his solid winger.

This week, two players stood out in practice.

Toader Popa (11012377)
19 years, excellent form, healthy
I speak Romanian!

A controversial person who is balanced and righteous.
Has wretched experience and poor leadership abilities.

Speciality: Technical

Nationality: România
Assessed value: 224 000 US$
Wage: 1 572 US$/week including 20% Bonus
Owner: South Bay Saints
Warnings: 0

Stamina: excellent Goaltending: disastrous
Playmaking: excellent Passing: inadequate
Winger: poor Defending: weak
Scoring: weak Set Pieces: poor

Mikey Pham (12422430)
19 years, weak form, healthy
A popular guy who is temperamental and honest.
Has disastrous experience and weak leadership abilities.

Speciality: Technical

Nationality: USA
Assessed value: 70 000 US$
Wage: 900 US$/week
Owner: South Bay Saints
Warnings: 0

Stamina: solid Goaltending: disastrous
Playmaking: passable Passing: weak
Winger: weak Defending: inadequate
Scoring: weak Set Pieces: poor

Toader is a part time starter who actually didn't start this past week as all my midfielders had incredible form. Mikey was a one time trainee who was replaced when he failed to pop quickly. He has played as a toward middle winger for several weeks and will now be sold off. HAM's transfer price evaluation suggest I should get $48,000 for him. That would be great, but I would be suprised to get that much. I will probably start him at 35K, and hope for a bidding war.

Form: +1/-7 although this was not as bad as it looks. Two starters dropped from solid to passable form, and one rose from passable to solid. Trainee Ryszard Laguna dropped from excellent to inadequate form (-3). Two other backups also dropped. After the past several good weeks, this was not unexpected.

Both forwards remain in bad form. Tony Spicer's value increased slightly but he is still in inadequate form. Joe Lond has another substantial drop in form and remains in weak. I might have to start him twice next week, in order to give him the extra boost in form which may actually be real.

Masked · 12-19-2003, 04:08 PM

Within an hour of going on the transfer wire, Mikey Pham has a bid for 35K.

Masked · 12-19-2003, 04:43 PM

Rate my buy

So I had accumulated a bit of cash, and well I had to buy somebody.

Zvonko Andric (10650244)
29 years, weak form, healthy
A nasty fellow who is balanced and upright.
Has weak experience and inadequate leadership abilities.

Nationality: Hrvatska
Assessed value: 20 000 US$
Wage: 876 US$/week including 20% Bonus
Owner: South Bay Saints
Warnings: 0

Stamina: weak Goaltending: wretched
Playmaking: weak Passing: weak
Winger: weak Defending: weak
Scoring: passable Set Pieces: world class

Paid 12K. There were several players on the Hrvastka wire with great SP skills at the same time. A small bidding war erupted for the first two I targets, a 33yo supernatural, and another 29 brilliant. The 33yo went for 49K and the 29 yo went for 41K. All three had passable scoring. The 33yo also had inadequate passing. While the nasty personality will drive his value down a bit, I think this guy simply got overlooked. Zvonko did not cause a drop in team spirit either so no loss for me.

He will replace one of of old B team forwards who has dropped to inadequate scoring.

Basically, I just want to see how a player with a high set piece skill does.

sterlingice · 12-19-2003, 04:58 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Masked
Paid 12K. There were several players on the Hrvastka wire with great SP skills at the same time. A small bidding war erupted for the first two I targets, a 33yo supernatural, and another 29 brilliant. The 33yo went for 49K and the 29 yo went for 41K. All three had passable scoring. The 33yo also had inadequate passing. While the nasty personality will drive his value down a bit, I think this guy simply got overlooked. Zvonko did not cause a drop in team spirit either so no loss for me.

Aw, man! You gotta share the wealth next time you see something like that. Not all of us can afford to go get players from Becky's Babes when lytic posts.

SI

11-15-2003, 03:29 PM	#3
Masked College Starter Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Bay Area	Saints Starters Keeper Joseph Lassiter - The 22 year old American is a solid keeper who has been around since season 19. After a strong season last year, Lassiter showed up to camp out of shape (weak form) and manangement is looking into other options. Wingback Carlos Saúl Tévez - The solid defending Argentinian is always in good form, and helps with the attack with his passable winger skill. Center Defender Clifton Campbell - Campbell was one of the big acquisitions last season when he came over for for $429K. His excellent defense and inadequate leadership have helped to begin the building of our defense. Wingback Matt Keyesj- One of the two original players still remaining on the roster. Keyesj is a solid defender and has solid leadership and 32.0 points towards inadequate experience. Keyesj has been very helpful with some of our young players and may have a future coaching the Saints. Winger Clark Merritt - The FOFC 2nd teamer is still the best 100K I ever spent. Merritt joined the team in season 19 and was one week away from excellent winger. Combined with his passable passing, Merritt is a great offensive threat. He has been working on his playmaking the past few season to make him a better all-around player. Inner midfielder Eber Basoa Rivas - The excellent playmaker is our best midfielder and should pop in about two weeks. Unfortunately he has no secondaries and this will likely be his last season with the team. Inner midfielder Dani Mário Araújo - Another excellent playmaker who was our first trainee purchase ever. Like Rivas he has no secondaries and this will likely be his last season with the team. Since he is a few weeks behind Rivas, he might not pop to outstanding before the end of this season. Inner midfielder Toader Popa - The 19 year old Romanian has the most popular name on the team. To go along with his solid playmaking, he has inadequate passing and will be seeing his first start in the top two inner midfield position this weekend. Winger Jef Tadié - The Estotian has high passable winging and playmaking and will likely be solid in both by midseason. At one time, I thought he would play opposite of Merritt for years but the attack on his side has been underwealming. Forward Tony Spicer - Spicer is the other original player who has started almost every game in team history. He is an solid scorer and inadequate passer. Forward Joe Lond - The 20 year old American joined the Saints towards the end of last season for $439K. Despite excellent scoring and inadequate passing he hasn't quite provided the boost in the attack we were hoping for. Last edited by Masked : 11-15-2003 at 03:30 PM.

11-15-2003, 04:47 PM	#6
Masked College Starter Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Bay Area	Series IV.31 A quick preview of each team in order of predicted finish. 1. Number Munchers NSI Avg: 81.7 NSI Best: 91 Munchers has been around since season 15 and has twice been promoted to division III only to be auto-demoted the next season. He trains forwards and has an extra-terrestrial central attack. His midfield is not overwealming and is likely the cause of his inability to stay in division 3, but will be competitive in division 4. He is not as strong as Tikkun, but I don't see anyone be able to stop his attack. Thus he should win the series and get a third shot at division 3. 2. Terps NSI Avg: 78.8 NSI Best: 90 Terps begins their third season in IV.31 with a chance to finally win the series. The team has been around for over a year and in that time has made 15 total transfers - Havok and Qwik have more than that in a week. The owner logs in infrequently and does not always schedule friendlies or make youth pulls. He has enough of a head start though and the best midfield in the series. Last season he went 7-0-0 the first half but fell apart in the second due to injury and a likely poorly played MOTS. He has a strong defense, but a weak attack. 3. Thunderchickens NSI Avg: 70.8 NSI Best: 80 Thunderchickens is a long shot to win the series but has the second best attack in the series. His defense is solid, but probably lacks too much in the midfield wo win the series. He could take second though. Like Munchers, TC runs a 3-4-3 and trains forwards (starting to see why my defense is a problem). 4. CC's Dragons NSI Avg: 67.9 NSI Best: 75 CC's, SI's former nemisis, won V.62 last season after the Hippos promoted away. The Dragons are a very similar team to mine. He runs a 3-5-2 and trains midfielders. My defense is a tad better and his offense is a bit better. A new forward from Sweden joined the team in the offseason, and gives him the edge for this season. 5. South Bay Saints NSI Avg: 63.8 NSI Best: 78 You should be familiar with this team. 6. Los Chixi Dix NSI Avg: 62.7 NSI Best: 78 Chixi auto-promoted from V.112 last season. They put up a 78 in week one last season and then never came close again, and his total stars dropped during the season as well. Chixi is a balanced team and is only a small step below the Dragons and the Saints. Chixi is another 3-4-3 team but is only in the early stages of his training program. 7. Wisconsin Legend NSI Avg: 51.1 NSI Best: 58 Legend is the only team that is younger than the Saints in the division. They won a very weak division last season (ranked 207) and pulled of a huge upset over Maples to promote to series IV.31. They are all defense and unless they make major changes stand no chance. They put up only a weak midfield and an inadequate attack, and thus will likely be shut out numerous times this season. He did purchase a midfielder in the offseason (likely excellent) but who appears to have very poor stamina. 8. Fraser Fire NSI Avg: 75.6 NSI Best: 79 Line-up has been reset. Nothing more to say. Last edited by Masked : 11-15-2003 at 04:49 PM.

11-15-2003, 07:54 PM	#10
Havok College Starter Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Florida	GGGGGOOOOOOOOOO SSSAAAAIIINNNTTSSSS!!!!! P.S. nice pull..... help ya break even this week. __________________ Maniacal Misfitz - We're better than you and we know it!

11-15-2003, 07:55 PM	#11
DukeRulesMAB College Prospect Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Alexandria, VA	I think you oughtta be able to get more than that for him, 50-75K, at least. Even if he is a low passable (and he appears to be that) __________________ FOBL: Where anyone not in IAP FOFL: I may be the commish, but it's still pretty good.

11-16-2003, 04:28 PM	#13
Masked College Starter Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Bay Area	League Fixtures: Week 1 Preview South Bay Saints - Wisconsin Legend An early key match for the both teams. Wisconsin should struggle for points this season, and we need to beat this team if we hope to finish in the top 4. Wisconsin is a defense heavy team with a weak midfield and offense. Since we will have a significant midfield advantage, we will sacrifice a bit in order to improve our attack to get through their defense. Even with Lassiter in weak form, the Saints defense should be strong enough to stop any Legend Chances. Saints 3-0 Number Munchers - Terps Munchers 2-1 Thunderchicken - Fraser Fire Walkover, TC 5-0 CC's Dragons - Los Chixi Dix At home CC should have a significant advantage. 4-2 Last edited by Masked : 11-16-2003 at 04:29 PM.

11-14-2003, 08:29 PM	#2
Masked College Starter Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Bay Area	Introduction to Season 21 Goals 1) Finish in 4th and break .500. Last season I entered the final with a chance to take 4th place and finish with a 6-6-2 record, but couldn't get the victory. 2) 80 NSI. Well last season I wanted to break 70, so this seems logical. I got a 78 in the qualifier, but it will be sometime before I come anywhere near that rating again. 3) Break even on the youth squad: There is nothing I can do about this but it was very frustrating to lose $231,480 on the squad that was at excellent for half a season. Season plans: I am set with trainees for the first half of the season. My two old midfielders (21) will be sold when they hit outstanding playmaking toward the end of the season. By then the young guys will be ready to start. Upgrade the defense: My defense is not strong enough to compete for long in division 4. I would like to put up at least all formidables. My first major purchase will be a new keeper, either formidable or outstanding, but I will not have the money until at least midseason (since I know that youth pulls will not help). Towards the end of the season I may look for a second excellent defender to replace Tevez at wingback. Upgrade to offense: While not as weak as my defense, the Saints offense was responsible for more missed points last season (anyone remember the 0-7 game). I can consistently put up an outstanding-excellent-excellent attack playing both winger offensively. Unfortunately, last season I needed to play one winger toward the middle to gain enough of a midfield advantage to overcome the better all around teams. With the continued development of my midfield, I should be able to go offensive more often. Also moving Toader Popa into one of the top two midfield positions will allow him to better exploit his inadequate passing. Late in the season, I hope to purchase a formidable scorer and move Tony Spicer to the B-team. I will also mix a few weeks of winger trainee in during the later rounds of the cup which will help. Upgrade the coach: Teuvo Kaurismäki, 33 yo winger, passable experience, passable leadership -- just waiting for the experience bump and the 680K. Offseason News Complex Spikes Arena (historical commission is fighting a name change) was expanded to 32K seats and will open Sunday to what I am sure will be rain. I may do a second expansion if I sell out the first two matches. Our weekly wages climbed to $33,956.

11-15-2003, 03:43 PM	#5
Masked College Starter Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Bay Area	Saints Trainees Midfielders Joonas Vahtramäe 209 000 US$, 19 years, solid form [Unpredictable] Stamina: solid Playmaking: excellent Defending: inadequate Joonas will be starting part time this season depending on form. I wish he had bumped 2 levels in the offseason. Carlton Blakely 123 000 US$, 18 years, passable form Stamina: excellent Playmaking: passable Passing: inadequate Defending: inadequate By the end of the season, Carlton may be ready for some spot starts although his playmaking is the lowest on the team. Ryszard Laguna 130 000 US$, 18 years, passable form Stamina: passable Playmaking: passable Passing: passable Wingers Charles Montgomery 175 000 US$, 20 years, passable form [Quick] Stamina: excellent Playmaking: passable Winger: passable Passing: weak Defending: weak Charles is actually a co-starter with Tadie, and since he has the best form now he will get the start Sunday. Myles Bloom 77 000 US$, 19 years, weak form [Unpredictable] Stamina: excellent Playmaking: poor Passing: inadequate Winger: solid Set Pieces: solid I picked Myles up last season to be another offensive option on the wing; however, he has been in bad form since I got him so I am not really sure what he is capable of. Mikey Pham 79 000 US$, 19 years, inadequate form [Technical] Stamina: solid Playmaking: inadequate Defending: inadequate Mickey was a one time trainee who never popped and was replaced as he got a bit older. He was also a casuality of me desire for offensive midfielders. He should pop with his next training as a winger towards middle and will then be sold of.

11-15-2003, 07:17 PM	#7
Masked College Starter Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Bay Area	Week 1 front office report We lost $46 971 this week and stand to be in debt by over 180K at the end of the week. The sponser's income dropped by nearly 30K as a result of the reset. Youth pull Orlando Escobar (20503233) 19 years, passable form, healthy A sympathetic guy who is temperamental and dishonest. Has disastrous experience and inadequate leadership abilities. Nationality: USA Assessed value: 18 000 US$ Wage: 580 US$/week Owner: South Bay Saints Warnings: 0 Stamina: poor Goaltending: disastrous Playmaking: inadequate Passing: poor Winger: weak Defending: wretched Scoring: inadequate Set Pieces: wretched Another week, nothing worthwhile. I put him up with no minimum and no one wanted him.

11-15-2003, 07:26 PM	#8
Masked College Starter Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Bay Area	Cup Round 1 Phoenix Wolves - South Bay Saints 0 - 5 6552 spectators arrived at Phoenix Park, where weather conditions were pretty good for football. Phoenix tactics involved an interesting 4-4-2 combination. The following players had been chosen: Omalley - Whipple, Lovelace, Cockrell, Gary - Stovall, Henderson, Brown, Faure - Farris, Smith. Saints tactics involved an interesting 3-5-2 combination. They fielded: Lassiter - Keyesj, Campbell, Kaurismäki - Montgomery, Mário Araújo, Basoa Rivas, Popa, Merritt - Lond, Spicer. Saints took the lead in the games 7:th minute with 0 - 1 after some elegant plays down the middle. Clark Merritt was the scorer. The visitors Joe Lond took advantage of an error due to a misunderstanding between the home side´s goalie and full backs in the 22nd minute. 0 - 2 for Saints. Tony Spicer increased the visitors lead by putting a volley shot away on a pass from the right. 0 - 3. The game had been on for 28 minutes when Tony Spicer broke through to the right, upping the score to the home crowd´s dismay. Saints´s were up 0 - 4. The teams went for a half-time break at 0 - 4. The fortyfive minutes were dominated by Saints, with an impressive 87 percent possession of the ball. Clark Merritt managed to make an excellent pass from the flank, but Tony Spicer was not as skillfull in scoring. Tony Spicer increased Saints´s lead to 0 - 5 by a superb free kick strike, flying in just under the far top corner. By then Tony Spicer was a three time scorer - a hat trick! The structure of the game started to change as Saints decided to pull back and meet their opponents in the defensive zone. After several obvious shirt pulling incidents, Phoenix´s Rickey Brown got himself booked. After 60 minutes of game time Joe Lond received an excellent opportunity to add to the visitors lead, clipping a volley hooked in from the right, but Dave Omalley was in the right place, tipping the ball to a corner. Saints held the ball, with a clear 93 percent possession rate. The most dominating Phoenix player was without a doubt Dave Omalley. However, Abe Henderson made a disastrous appearance. The most dominating Saints player was without a doubt Dani Mário Araújo. Joseph Lassiter on the other hand, had a terrible day. The match ends 0 - 5. Summary No cards an no injuries is a great way to start the season. Tony Spicer got his first hattrick in quite some time as the Saints easily defeated a bot. I am not pleased that the worst player was my keeper. Ratings Phoenix Wolves Player rating and Team formation Midfield: disastrous Right Side Defence: inadequate Central Defence: passable Left Side Defence: weak Right Side Attack: poor Central Attack: poor Left Side Attack: weak South Bay Saints Player rating and Team formation Midfield: inadequate Right Side Defence: solid Central Defence: solid Left Side Defence: excellent Right Side Attack: excellent Central Attack: excellent Left Side Attack: formidable NSI = 62 Not bad. Individual Notes Goals (cup total) Tony Spicer - 3 (3) Joe Lond - 1 (1) Clark Merritt - 1 (1) Cards: None Injuries: None Stars 2.5 K Joseph Lassiter 3.5 WB Matt Keyesj * 3.0 CD Clifton Campbell 2.5 WB Teuvo Kaurismaki 3.0 W Charles Montgomery 3.5 IM Eber Basoa Rivas 3.0 IM Toader Popa 3.5 IM Dani Mario Araujo 3.5 W Clark Merritt 3.0 F Tony Spicer 2.5 F Joe Lond * personel best Clark Merritt bumped to poor experience after the match. Around IV.31 Rhode Island Lions - Number Munchers 0 - 6 Maine Wolves - Terps 0 - 8, Terps lost a defender to a +1 injury. longhorns fc - Thunderchickens 0 - 9 California Bears - Fraser Fire 5 - 0 New Orleans Vikings - Wisconsin Legend 0 - 6, Lost their central defender to a +1 injury. He will be out this weekend. Kentucky Panthers - CC's Dragons 0 - 5 Las Vegas Apaches - Los Chixi Dix 0 - 5

11-15-2003, 07:48 PM	#9
Masked College Starter Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Bay Area	Week 2 front office report The loss grows to -65 655 this week, and our accountants figure we will be at -237K by the end of the week. However, our youth pull and home league match should eliminate most of the debt. Also our sponser increased their contribution by about 10K this week. Youth pull Franklin Minton 14 000 US$, 17 years, passable form Has disastrous experience and weak leadership abilities Stamina: wretched Keeper: disastrous Playmaking: poor Passing: weak Winger: wretched Defending: passable Scoring: wretched Set Pieces: poor I really have no idea what I will get for him. I am hoping for about 30-40K.

11-16-2003, 01:30 AM	#12
Masked College Starter Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Bay Area	With as many wretched skills as he has, I think he might not be very low. I have seen passable players worth under 10K and solids in the 30's (passable form, not wingers) though it is not common. Regardless, the market will not recognize it. I just hope he gets trained and makes produces mother club money down the road. With the help of partly cloudy weather today in the region, hopefully I will come close to selling out my expanded arena which will take care of most of the debt.

11-16-2003, 11:34 PM	#14
Masked College Starter Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Bay Area	League Play: Week 1 We open our newly expanded arena by hosting the Wisconsin Legend who promoted after a shocking win in the qualifier against Maples. South Bay Saints 2 - Wisconsin Legend 0 25334 spectators arrived at Complex Spikes Arena, where weather conditions were pretty good for football. Saints started off with a 3-5-2 lineup. They fielded: Lassiter - Keyesj, Campbell, Tévez - Montgomery, Mário Araújo, Basoa Rivas, Popa, Merritt - Lond, Spicer. Wisconsin tactics involved an interesting 3-5-2 combination. The following players had been chosen: Bolden - Dumas, Zuniga, Mena - Posey, Applegate, Dean, Farkas, Perelman - Javier, Soto. Saints had a good opportunity to take the lead as Tony Spicer came up the left side, but he struck the ball weakly and it went straight into the arms of Dan Bolden. After 9 minutes Saints´s Tony Spicer contracted a slight foot injury, but could finish the game. Charles Montgomery´s speed was made justice as he darted past his marker and struck an opening pass to Joe Lond who scored the 1-0 goal. A couple of quick and successful challenges, followed by a shot from just outside the penalty area after 12 minutes might have resulted in another goal for Saints. However, Dan Bolden made a spectacular save. Tony Spicer almost managed to score another goal for Saints, but his header was tipped to a corner by the visitors goalie. Eber Basoa Rivas almost managed to score another goal for Saints, but his header was tipped to a corner by the visitors goalie. 1 - 0 was the half-time score. The fortyfive minutes were dominated by Saints, with an impressive 69 percent possession of the ball. A bit later, *a magnificent combination in the middle resulted in Saints´s Joe Lond* putting the lead up to 2 - 0. The fortyfive minutes were dominated by Saints, with an impressive 79 percent possession of the ball. The most dominating Saints player was without a doubt Clark Merritt. Charles Montgomery on the other hand, had a terrible day. The most dominating Wisconsin player was without a doubt Dan Bolden. Assi Perelman on the other hand, had a terrible day. The match ends 2 - 0. Summary This matched illustrates my teams weakness on offense. We missed 4 chances in the first half that would have put this game away much sooner. Our midfield won this game for us. The crowd was far short of our new capacity of 32K which was a bit of a disappointment. Stars South Bay Saints Midfield: solid Right Side Defence: passable Central Defence: solid Left Side Defence: excellent Right Side Attack: inadequate Central Attack: excellent Left Side Attack: formidable NSI = 64 Wisconsin Legend Midfield: poor Right Side Defence: outstanding Central Defence: formidable Left Side Defence: formidable Right Side Attack: inadequate Central Attack: inadequate Left Side Attack: inadequate NSI = 52 Individual Notes Goals: (season total) Joe Lond 2 (2) Cards: none Injuries: Tony Spicer, bruised Stars** 2.5 GK Joseph Lassiter 3.5 WB Matt Keyesj (defensive) 3.0 CD Clifton Campbell 3.0 WB Carlos Saul Tevez (defensive) 2.5 W Charles Montgomery (Towards middle) 3.0 IM Eber Basoa Rivas (Defensive) 3.0 IM Dani Mario Araujo 3.5 IM Toader Popa (offensive) * 3.5 W Clark Merritt 2.5 F Tony Spicer 2.5 F Joe Lond * personal best Around IV.31 Number Munchers - Terps 6 - 2 (NSI 85 - 76) Munchers pulled a very low formidable midfield which was better than I thought they could. Thunderchickens - Fraser Fire 5 - 0 Walkover CC's Dragons - Los Chixi Dix 1 - 2 (NSI 67 - 63) Chixi pulled off a big win on the road in an early season upset. Last edited by Masked : 11-16-2003 at 11:39 PM.

11-16-2003, 11:41 PM	#15
GoldenEagle Grizzled Veteran Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Little Rock, AR	Congrats on the win!! __________________ Xbox 360 Gamer Tag: GoldenEagle014

11-17-2003, 05:36 PM	#16
Masked College Starter Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Bay Area	Team Notes: 11/17 I just logged in to hattrick and found this message Vitesse_ offered 75 000 US$ for Franklin Minton and thereby took the lead in the bidding. Gotta love the 60K raise. This will put me back in the black for next weeks update. DukeRulesMAB was right. Vitesse_ is a division 6 who appears to be building a defense training program consisting of mostly American low passables. Franklin Minton is perfect for him. Although his team has been around since April, he doesn't seem to have a strong track record of training and he runs a 4-5-1. At least he has a solid coach. The two previous bidders had more established programs and ran 5-4-1's, so I am hope one of them steps up. The real money I will get out of this pull will be in the future. After the 2-0 win to start league play, 12 new supporters signed up. Since my supporters are high on life, I fear I might be seeing an early effect of the soft cap for division 4. Last season I would get 13 per update if my team was doing well. Maybe it will rise 1 more after the next cup match. Currently I have 1336 supporters. Last edited by Masked : 11-17-2003 at 05:40 PM.

11-18-2003, 07:38 PM	#17
Masked College Starter Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Bay Area	Team Notes: No More Debt!!! This weeks youth pull, Franklin Minton, sold for $79,000 to Vitesse, a 6th division team in the Netherlands. This raises the teams coffers to $3,252 - still a tad short for that outstanding keeper. After one week of play, Joe Lond sits atop the scoring table for series IV.31. He will probably lose his spot this weekend since we have a walkover. Last edited by Masked : 11-18-2003 at 07:38 PM.

11-20-2003, 12:47 AM	#18
Masked College Starter Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Bay Area	Cup round 2 Vermont Gladiators - South Bay Saints 0 - 9 A scorching day at Vermont Dome, where 7000 spectators were in place for today´s match. Gladiators tactics involved an interesting 4-4-2 combination. The following players had been chosen: Keen - Cahill, Timmons, Kessler, San Germán - Medda, Lorenz, Sullivan, Adams - Jordan, Hita. Saints tactics involved an interesting 3-5-2 combination. The following players had been chosen: Lassiter - Keyesj, Hyypiä, Kaurismäki - Tadié, Vahtramäe, Laguna, Blakely, Pham - Lond, Spicer. Saints mostly ignored the flanks in favour of attacks in the middle. *Saints´s Joe Lond* gave the visitors a 0 - 1 lead in the 10:th minute with a superb strike from the right. Some fine manouvering on the left lead to an 28:th minute Saints goal, making it 0 - 2. Ryszard Laguna was noted down as the scorer. Some fine manouvering on the left lead to an 32nd minute Saints goal, making it 0 - 3. Joe Lond was noted down as the scorer*. By now Saints were drawing the troops back in order to defend their lead. After 38 minutes a combination in the middle resulted in a through ball for Teuvo Kaurismäki* who increased Saints´s lead to 0 - 4. Jef Tadié was dominating his wing and kept sending fine balls into the enemy box - Mikey Pham managed to kick one of them into 0 - 5 in the 40:th minute. In the 41st minute the visitors put themselves ahead *0 - 6 as Tony Spicer* finished off an attack from the left with a spectacular scissors kick*. The teams went for a half-time break at 0 - 6. The fortyfive minutes were dominated by Saints, with an impressive 84 percent possession of the ball. Saints had, after 64 minutes of the game, worked the left side industriously, creating several opportunities to add to their lead, but somehow didn´t achieve closure. Gladiators´s Travis Timmons refused to leave the field after injuring his achilles tendon in the 66:th minute. After 69 minutes a combination in the middle resulted in a through ball for Tony Spicer* who increased Saints´s lead to 0 - 7. After 69 minutes a combination in the middle resulted in a through ball for Joe Lond who increased Saints´s lead to 0 - 8. By then Joe Lond was a three time scorer - a hat trick! The referee showed Gladiatorss Daniel San Germán the yellow card after a particularly nasty challenge. After 71 minutes a combination in the middle resulted in a through ball for [i]Matt Keyesj[i] who increased Saints´s lead to 0 - 9. The fortyfive minutes were dominated by Saints, with an impressive 91 percent possession of the ball. Gladiators´s best player was Christopher Jordan. Donny Adams was a disappointment, however. The most dominating Saints player was without a doubt Joonas Vahtramäe. However, Mikey Pham made a disastrous appearance. The match ends 0 - 9. Summary It was a bot -- we destroyed them. Joe Lond had his first hattrick as a member of the Saints and the offense converted 9 of 10 chances in our best offense output since leaving series V.249. Ratings Vermont Gladiators Midfield: disastrous Right Side Defence: weak Central Defence: inadequate Left Side Defence: inadequate Right Side Attack: inadequate Central Attack: inadequate Left Side Attack: poor NSI = 30 South Bay Saints Midfield: inadequate Right Side Defence: inadequate Central Defence: solid Left Side Defence: solid Right Side Attack: excellent Central Attack: excellent Left Side Attack: weak NSI = 54 Individual Performances Goals (Cup Total) Joe Lond 3 (4) Tony Spicer 2 (5) Matt Keyesj 1 (1) Teuvo Kaurismäki 1 (1) Mickey Pham 1 (1) Ryszard Laguna 1 (1) Cards: none Injuries: none Stars 2.5 GK Joseph Lassiter 3.5 WB Matt Keyesj (Defensive) 3.0 CD Yki Hyppia 2.5 WB Teuvo Kaurismaki (Defensive) 2.0 W Jef Tadie (Offensive) 2.5 IM Ryszard Laguna 2.5 IM Carlton Blakely (Offensive) 3.5 IM Joonas Vahtramae * (Defensive) 1.5 W Mikey Pham (Towards Middle) 2.5 F Tony Spicer 2.5 F Joe Lond * Personal best Around IV.31 Twin Cities Wolves - Thunderchickens 0 - 9 Virginia Lions - Number Munchers 0 - 8 Minnesota Wolves - Los Chixi Dix 1 - 5 Kansas Samurais - CC's Dragons 2 - 6 Puerto Rico Heroes - Wisconsin Legend 0 - 3 Twin Cities Indians - Terps 0 - 9 CC's Dragons and Los Chixi Dix were in tight matches for awhile before running up the scores late. Last edited by Masked : 11-20-2003 at 12:47 AM.

11-20-2003, 11:04 PM	#19
Masked College Starter Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Bay Area	Training About time Jef Tadié (12578211) 19 years, inadequate form, healthy A pleasant guy who is balanced and honest. Has disastrous experience and poor leadership abilities. Nationality: België Assessed value: 133 000 US$ Stamina: excellent Goaltending: disastrous Playmaking: solid Passing: inadequate Winger: passable Defending: poor Scoring: wretched Set Pieces: wretched Perfect - I'll probably stop playing him toward the middle soon. After next week, I'll train winger for 2-3 weeks until I am eliminated from the cup. Since Jef has already had 3 weeks of winger training he should pop to solid winger. There were no other pops, but next week could be a biggie. Form: +5/-2 - Not bad for one week removed from stamina training. Notable increases: Clark Merritt to solid, Eber Basoa Rivas to solid, and Joe Lond to inadequate.

11-24-2003, 12:54 AM	#20
Masked College Starter Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Bay Area	League Play: Week 2 I must really be slacking off as this dynasty slipped to page two. This week is perhaps the most boring of the season for the Saints. We faced Fraser Fire on the road and started are most unique lineup ever. Backup winger Myles Bloom picked up 0.0 stars in his first start in goal. And on with the report... Fraser Fire 0 - South Bay Saints 5 12033 spectators arrived at Fraser Fire Arena, where weather conditions were pretty good for football. Fraser started off with a 0-0-0 lineup. The following players had been chosen: - - - . Saints had chosen a strategic 3-5-2 formation. They fielded: Bloom - Keyesj, Kaurismäki, Popa - Pham, Mário Araújo, Laguna, Blakely, Tadié - Lond, Vahtramäe. The game couldn´t be played as the home side didn´t have 9 players. The referee had to report a walkover and 5-0 to the visitors. The spectators were very disappointed with their home team. The match ends 0 - 5. Summary Walkover's are great for team management but otherwise suck. Ratings South Bay Saints Player rating and Team formation Midfield: disastrous Right Side Defence: disastrous Central Defence: disastrous Left Side Defence: disastrous Right Side Attack: disastrous Central Attack: disastrous Left Side Attack: disastrous According to my calculator, that is a rating of 9.0 (significant digits are important). Stars This should be intereseting -- Outside of my trainees in the midfield, I played players who needed the help with form or experience. 0.0 GK Myles Bloom 3.5 WB Matt Keyesj 2.5 CD Teuvo Kaurismaki 1.5 WB Toader Popa (interesting - weak defender in solid form - high weak?) 1.5 W Mikey Pham 3.0 IM Rysard Laguna (offensive) - only passable stamina 2.5 IM Carlton Blakely 3.5 IM Dani Mario Araujo 2.5 W Jef Tadie 1.5 F Joonas Vahtramae 3.0 F Joe Lond Around IV.31 Wisconsin Legend - Number Munchers 2 - 5 NSI 59 - 74 Munchers scored two goals in the final 6 minutes to avoid a potentially huge upset. The final goal also moved Munchers into first place in the division. Munchers ordered his players to attack in the middle where they put up a supernatural rating. Los Chixi Dix - Thunderchickens 2 - 1 NSI 66 - 74 Chixi pulled of their second straight upset using their pressing strategy to block Chickens attempts to attack up the middle with their titanic central attack. Thunderchickens were hampered by losing one of their midfielders in the second half after he picked up his second yellow. Terps - CC's Dragons 4 - 1 NSI 84 - 67 If Terps ever got a decent attack to go with their brilliant midfield and outstanding+ defense, they would win the division. The Dragons defense were unable to keep the game close and they dropped to 0-2 and must face Number Munchers next week. Terps million dollar middie (to distinguish from the $2M middie) picked up his second yellow of the season - we play them in two weeks. Series Table Team Played Goals Points 1. Number Munchers 2 11 - 4 6 2. South Bay Saints 2 7 - 0 6 3. Los Chixi Dix 2 4 - 2 6 4. Thunderchickens 2 6 - 2 3 5. Terps 2 6 - 7 3 6. CC's Dragons 2 2 - 6 0 7. Wisconsin Legend 2 2 - 7 0 8. Fraser Fire 2 0 - 10 0 Last edited by Masked : 11-24-2003 at 12:58 AM.

11-24-2003, 04:30 PM	#21
sterlingice Hall Of Famer Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Back in Houston!	Man, rough go for the Dragons early on. The Saints, on the other hand, are in pretty good shape. SI __________________ Houston Hippopotami, III.3: 20th Anniversary Thread - All former HT players are encouraged to check it out! Janos: "Only America could produce an imbecile of your caliber!" Freakazoid: "That's because we make lots of things better than other people!"

11-28-2003, 06:56 PM	#23
Masked College Starter Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Bay Area	US Open Cup: Round 3 The Saints face the first human controlled team in this seasons cup. Dragsters owner has not been seen in several weeks and the team is likely dead. Before departing he brought in several players and set a default 3-5-2 lineup. With a walkover this past Sunday, my trainees have already played so this match should not be a problem. Dragsters - South Bay Saints 1-7 A brilliantly sunny day had enticed a crowd of 7000 to Dragsters Arena. Dragsters tactics involved an interesting 3-5-2 combination. Lineup: Lindby - Ridgeway, Gobbo, Ohara - Almland, Healy, Cooley, Nicholas, Hitchcock - Almblad, Huey. Saints started off with a 3-5-2 lineup. They fielded: Lassiter - Campbell, Keyesj, Tévez - Montgomery, Basoa Rivas, Popa, Vahtramäe, Merritt - Lond, Spicer. In the 26:th minute the home side managed to get a 1 - 0 lead as Jonas Almblad flipped the ball after a cross pass from the right. 31 minutes into the game Saints´s Joe Lond found a gap in the home sides central defense scoring with a long shot, making it 1 - 1. Matt Keyesj sailed high, high above the opponents as he headed the 1-2 in after a corner kick after 42 minutes of play. In the 43rd minute Saints put themselves up 1 - 3 after an attack from the right, caused by a defensive blunder. Scorer was Joonas Vahtramäe. Some fine manouvering on the left lead to an 44:th minute Saints goal, making it 1 - 4. Eber Basoa Rivas was noted down as the scorer. The structure of the game started to change as Saints decided to pull back and meet their opponents in the defensive zone. The game had been on for 44 minutes when Joe Lond broke through to the right, upping the score to the home crowd´s dismay. Saints´s were up 1 - 5. The teams went for a half-time break at 1 - 5. Saints, bringing the final ball possession rate to 62 percent, dominated the battle. After 55 minutes a combination in the middle resulted in a through ball for Tony Spicer who increased Saints´s lead to 1 - 6. In the games 59:th minute Saints´s Carlos Saúl Tévez fell dramatically just outside the penalty area. However, the referee booked Carlos Saúl Tévez for taking a dive. In the games 61st minute Toader Popa nearly put the visitors another one up as he broke through and fired from just outside the box, his shot passed just over the bar. The referee showed Dragsterss Benjamin Ohara the yellow card after a particularly nasty challenge. Due to a severely mistimed tackle,Joseph Lassiter spent some time on the grass writhing in agony before he could get up and continue the game. Clark Merritt of Saints received a yellow card in the 65:th minute for unsportsmanlike behaviour. The visitors Tony Spicer took advantage of an error due to a misunderstanding between the home side´s goalie and full backs in the 76:th minute. 1 - 7 for Saints. Saints held the ball, with a clear 63 percent possession rate. The most dominating Dragsters player was without a doubt Austin Huey. Jonas Almblad on the other hand, had a terrible day. The most dominating Saints player was without a doubt Clark Merritt. Carlos Saúl Tévez was a disappointment, however. The match ends 1 - 7. Summary The team started out slowly and gave up an early goal to the overmatched Dragsters. The Saints put the game away in the final minutes of the first half scoring 4 goals in the 42st-44 minutes. Ratings Dragsters Midfield: weak Right Side Defence: weak Central Defence: weak Left Side Defence: inadequate Right Side Attack: excellent Central Attack: solid Left Side Attack: passable NSI = 46 South Bay Saints Midfield: solid Right Side Defence: solid Central Defence: solid Left Side Defence: solid Right Side Attack: excellent Central Attack: excellent Left Side Attack: outstanding NSI = 68 (season high) Individual Notes Goals: (cup total) Joe Lond 2 (6) Tony Spicer 2 (7) Matt Keyesj 1 (2) Eber Basoa Rivas 1 (1) Joonas Vahtramäe 1 (1) Cards: (total) Clark Merritt - yellow (1) Carlos Saúl Tévez - yellow (1) Injuries: Joseph Lassiter - bruised by training Up Next The Saints drew a very tough opponent in round 4. We visit MIT FC who put up a NSI of 75 in round 3 and currently sits in first place in series IV.51. However, like us, they had a walkover in league play this week, so we wouldn't expect them (or us) to perform as well in next week. MIT FC is a defense trainer and employes a 4-4-2 formation. More to come when HT is back up.

11-30-2003, 01:58 AM	#24
Masked College Starter Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Bay Area	Training It was such a great week, we did it twice. Two big playmaking pops Eber Basoa Rivas 303 000 US$, 21 years, solid form Has wretched experience and solid leadership abilities Stamina: excellent Keeper: disastrous Playmaking: formidable Passing: poor Winger: poor Defending: wretched Scoring: inadequate Set Pieces: wretched Eber is our first formidable player (except for Keyesj's stamina). He also breaks 300K in value for the first time. Ryszard Laguna 159 000 US$, 18 years, solid form Has disastrous experience and poor leadership abilities Stamina: passable Keeper: disastrous Playmaking: solid Passing: passable Winger: weak Defending: wretched Scoring: poor Set Pieces: weak Ryszard is one of my most promising trainees and will easily make excellent by the end of the season. He should be a starter next season. Form A great week for the Saints - 9 up, 3 down All 6 IMs are in solid or better form. Defender Matt Keyesj hit excellent for the first time, and both forwards are finally in passable form at the same time.

11-30-2003, 02:01 AM	#25
Masked College Starter Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Bay Area	Week 4 Youth Pull Jorge Block 1 000 US$, 17 years, passable form Has disastrous experience and weak leadership abilities [Unpredictable] Stamina: wretched Keeper: disastrous Playmaking: wretched Passing: wretched Winger: wretched Defending: poor Scoring: weak Set Pieces: wretched Second straight week with a player valued at only 1K. Front office We are at -$18,919 but will be well in the black after our home match tomorrow.

11-30-2003, 02:13 AM	#26
Masked College Starter Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Bay Area	Around IV.31 My opponent this week, Los Chixi Dix, bought Gerhard Olsson for $450,000. Olsson is likely an excellent forward who put up 3* is his cup match this week. Los Chixi often runs a 3-4-3 in league play but has does not have a particularly strong attack. I'll probably fave a formadable central attack tomorrow instead of an excellent. Wisconsin Legend was the first managed team to be eliminated from the cup. They lost 2-0 to a rather strong division 5 team.

11-30-2003, 02:41 AM	#27
Masked College Starter Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Bay Area	League Play: Round 3 preview Series IV.31 Standings 1. Number Munchers 2 11 - 4 6 2. South Bay Saints 2 7 - 0 6 3. Los Chixi Dix 2 4 - 2 6 South Bay Saints - Los Chixi Dix The Saints are at home this week facing Los Chixi Dix. At the beginning of the season I predicted that Los Chixi would finish in 6th place, but two straight upsets has put them in a very strong position. They promoted into the series this season, and I have not gotten a good feeling for them yet. They finished last season playing a 3-4-3 exclusively, but have switched, seemingly at random between a 3-4-3 and a 3-5-2 this season. They just bought a forward for 450K, but he is 23 years old. I have no idea what he trains which makes predicting his formations and lineups a bit tough. I should have a nice midfield advantage. His defense is a bit stronger, but my attack should be slightly better - so basically that's a wash. Prediction 3-2 Other matches in the series Thunderchickens - Terps These two teams figured to be fighting for second and had an outside chance at taking the series. After 2 weeks they sit in 4 and 5th place. Terps has the best midfield in the series and should have a couple level advantage but their attack is weak. Chickens on the other hand have a very good offense which should be enough to earn a draw. Prediction 2-2 CC's Dragons - Number Munchers SI's former nemisis should drop to 0-3 since moving up to division 4 as they face the top team in the series. Munchers has been without their top player, a magnificent forward, all season but he should be ready to go for this match. The midfield should be about equal which will give Munchers more than enough chances. Prediction 1-4 Last edited by Masked : 11-30-2003 at 02:41 AM.

12-01-2003, 01:04 AM	#28
Masked College Starter Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Bay Area	League matches: week 3 South Bay Saints - Los Chixi Dix 3 - 0 32000 spectators had come to Complex Spikes Arena this cloudy day. Saints tactics involved an interesting 3-5-2 combination. They fielded: Lassiter - Tévez, Campbell, Keyesj - Merritt, Mário Araújo, Basoa Rivas, Vahtramäe, Montgomery - Lond, Spicer. Chixi had chosen a strategic 3-5-2 formation. They fielded: Way-Yen - Prentice, Jansson, Mckenna - Sampson, Andreasson, Jelic, Copeland, Ogle - Bersvendsen, Martina. It was obvious that Chixi were using pressing as their primary tactic. At this time in the match, Chixi were using their weak skills at the press to successfully put pressure on their opponents. Chixis Will Ogle got himself booked after a foul. Due to a severely mistimed tackle,Matt Keyesj spent some time on the grass writhing in agony before he could get up and continue the game. 0 - 0 was the half-time score. Saints held the ball, with a clear 57 percent possession rate. *Saintss Joe Lond* gave, after 52 minutes, the home team a 1 - 0** lead after an attack coming in from the right. Patrick Prentice got left behind when Saints´s Charles Montgomery made a sudden pull forward in the 53rd minute, finishing off with a swift strike. 2-0! In the 58:th minute Saints´s Carlos Saúl Tévez tried to nail the coffin shut, but the shot rebounded off the bar to fall behind the net. A bit later, *a magnificent combination in the middle resulted in Saints´s Eber Basoa Rivas* putting the lead up to 3 - 0. Clint Copeland of Chixi received a yellow card in the 78:th minute for unsportsmanlike behaviour. Saints, bringing the final ball possession rate to 59 percent, dominated the battle. The most dominating Saints player was without a doubt Clark Merritt. Carlos Saúl Tévez was a disappointment, however. The most dominating Chixi player was without a doubt Rajko Jelic. Johan Jansson on the other hand, had a terrible day. The match ends 3 - 0. Summary In front of the first sell out in Spikes Arena, version 4, the Saints shut out third place Los Chixi Dix and moved into sole possession of first place in IV.31. Despite poor form accross the back line, we shut out the Chixi offense and have yet to allow a goal in league play. After a tight first half, the Chixi players didn't have the stamina to maintain their pressing and allowed us to take control. Ratings South Bay Saints Midfield: excellent Right Side Defence: solid Central Defence: solid Left Side Defence: solid Right Side Attack: outstanding Central Attack: excellent Left Side Attack: excellent NSI = 71, Second best rating ever Los Chixi Dix Midfield: passable Right Side Defence: outstanding Central Defence: formidable Left Side Defence: formidable Right Side Attack: solid Central Attack: inadequate Left Side Attack: excellent NSI = 67 Individual Notes** Goals: (Season Total) Joe Lond 1 ( 3) Eber Basoa Rivas 1 (1) Charles Montgomery 1 (1) First career goal in a competitive match Cards: None Injuries: Matt Keyesj, bruised but training Stars* 2.5 GK Joseph Lassiter 2.5 WB Carlos Saul Tevez 3.0 CD Clifton Campbell 3.5 WB Matt Keyesj (defensive) 3.5 W Clark Merritt (offensive) 3.5 IM Joonas Vahtramae 3.5 IM Eber Basoa Rivas (offensive) 3.5 IM Dani Marie Araujo (offensive) 3.0 W Charles Montgomery (offensive) 3.0 F Tony Spicer 3.0 F Joe Lond Around IV.31 Team Goals Points Team Goals Points 1. South Bay Saints 10 - 0 9 2. Number Munchers 11 - 8 6 3. Los Chixi Dix 4 - 5 6 4. Thunderchickens 8 - 4 4 5. Terps 8 - 9 4 6. Wisconsin Legend 7 - 7 3 7. CC's Dragons 6 - 6 3 8. Fraser Fire 0 - 15 0 A rather suprising day has left my team all alone in first place for the first time in division 4. I am going to be cocky while I can, because I figure to fall next week. Screen caps are coming Thunderchickens - Terps 2 - 2 Both of these teams are thinking about a series title and this draw really hurts their chances. This one played out exactly how I expected it. Terps had the most chances, but Thunder is better and making the most of theirs. Wisconsin Legend - Fraser Fire 5 - 0 Legend gets the walkover bonus this week in a match they really needed after getting elimating from the cup this past week. CC's Dragons - Number Munchers 4 - 0 A shocking upset as the previously winless Dragons simply owned the previously undefeated Munchers. CC's Dragons Player rating and Team formation Midfield: formidable Right Side Defence: passable Central Defence: formidable Left Side Defence: excellent Right Side Attack: formidable Central Attack: solid Left Side Attack: formidable Number Munchers Player rating and Team formation Midfield: excellent Right Side Defence: outstanding Central Defence: excellent Left Side Defence: solid Right Side Attack: outstanding Central Attack: mythical Left Side Attack: outstanding Those midfields were very close as Dragons held the ball for 51 and 53% in the first and second half respectively. I suspect Dragons simply played normally since the midfield rating is not that high. Looking at the ratings, I just have to say, offense is clearly overrated . Last edited by Masked : 12-01-2003 at 01:08 AM.

12-01-2003, 01:01 PM	#29
KevinNU7 College Starter Join Date: May 2003 Location: Beantown	WOW The Munchers should have one that match. __________________ Boston Bashers - III.14 - (8347)

12-02-2003, 07:44 PM	#31
Masked College Starter Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Bay Area	Cup Round 4 Preview Suddenly the cup got much tougher. We travel to Boston to play MIT FC who are currently in first place in series IV.51 after promoting at the end of last season. Here are their ratings from their 0 - 2 win last week over World Beaters. MIT FC Player rating and Team formation Midfield: inadequate Right Side Defence: brilliant Central Defence: world class Left Side Defence: brilliant Right Side Attack: excellent Central Attack: excellent Left Side Attack: formidable If they put up those ratings, my cup run is over; however, like the Saints, they had a walkover in league play in week 2 and thus they played more of their starters than usual. In the second round of the cup they put up these ratings in a win over a bot. MIT FC Player rating and Team formation Midfield: poor Right Side Defence: outstanding Central Defence: magnificent Left Side Defence: brilliant Right Side Attack: solid Central Attack: inadequate Left Side Attack: passable Should they employ that lineup I should ahve a good shot at surviving another round to finally get to a home match. MIT FC trains defenders and plays either a 4-4-2 or 5-3-2. I expect to face a 4-4-2 since he used the 5-3-2 (3IMs) on sunday. He will be without one forward who is injured and another who is suspended; however, he still has at least one 3* forward left. I expect them to put up a passable midfield, which should give us a slight advantage. In a somewhat suprising move, they sat their best player, 19 yo defender Witold Zasilski, Sunday. Witold is valued inexcess of 500K and is in excellent form and put up 4.5 stars last week. Our offense will somehow have to get by him. The Saints will play their standard 3-5-2 but with an important twist. As we have for several seasons now, we will train wingers in the last rounds of the cup. This allows us to play our starters in the midfield. I like to mix in some winger training with my playmaking program. With the speed that wingers train now, it is easy to develop well rounded wingers, and their is a good market for players with both winger and playmaking skills. the only notable absence from our normal lineup will be winger Clark Merritt who played on Sunday. In his place will be 19 yo Myles Bloom who has solid winger and inad passing. Unfortunately Myles has yet to rise above weak form since we bought him late last season. This match should be low scoring so I am contemplating weaking my defense a bit to add a 4th solid set peice player with some experience. My final decision is whether or not to PIC this match. Currently, the team is at POE. If I PIC, the team will maintain POE until Saturday when it will drop to delirious during the weekly update. If I play the cup match normal and give myself a big edge in midfield, ts will drop to delirious Wednesday night, but it should stay there through the match on Sunday. So Sunday I would play with either high delirious or low delirious (maybe high satisfied) team spirit. I will PIC on Sunday regardless, because I am on the road and have little chance of winning. I am leaning to playing this match normal in an effort to try and get a home cup match and the nice payday that brings.

12-04-2003, 01:11 AM	#32
Masked College Starter Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Bay Area	US Open Cup: Round 4 After three relatively easy matches, the Saints face their toughest foe in this years cup with a good chance of being eliminated. MIT FC sits in first place in division IV.51 after promoting in the offseason. We expected to face a 4-4-2 and a brilliant+ defense. However, we knew that they would be without one of their middies and top forward who were injured and suspended after Sunday's league match. We were going to need a substantial advantage in possession in order to pierce their defense and to prevent their average offense from scoring on our weak defense. I considered playing this match normal in order to maximize our midfield advantage, but elected to PIC instead. Since we are training wingers this week, we started two starter at inner midfield so we figured to be strong enough. And now for the match... I was caught a bit off guard when MIT FC came out and clearly intended to counterattack. This is the perfect tactic to use on my team. I was going to win the midfield, but his defense was going to be able to stop many of my attacks. Any counter attack chances he got should have a pretty good chance against my relatively weak defense. In the 10th minute Myles Bloom, a backup winger, sent a perfect pass to the red hot Joe Lond who put the Saints up 1-0 and alieveated some of my concern. We got two more chances in the second half and Tony Spicer converted on one while MIT FC got none. At the half our spirits were high as we dominated possession. However, MIT came out in the second half and quickly cut the lead to one. But Myles Bloom came through again and put us up by two. We added one more late to ice the match and advance to round 5. Match Report 30000 spectators had come to Killian Court this cloudy day. MIT had chosen a strategic 4-4-2 formation. The following players had been chosen: Humphries - Parzuch, Roman, Carson, Zasilski - Ornelas, Bengtsson, Thorstensson, Beckman - Britton, Lafleur. Saints tactics involved an interesting 3-5-2 combination. Lineup: Lassiter - Keyesj, Campbell, Hyypiä - Tadié, Basoa Rivas, Popa, Vahtramäe, Bloom - Lond, Spicer. MIT clearly had decided to counter-attack when they could, using their excellent talent for it. Myles Bloom was dominating his wing and kept sending fine balls into the enemy box - Joe Lond managed to kick one of them into 0 - 1 in the 10:th minute. Joonas Vahtramäe received some harsh words from his coach after he acted foolishly, probably out of lack of experience, in the 12th minute and almost caused an opponent to score. The away team´s Tony Spicer took advantage of a mistake to the home side´s right in the 20:th minute increasing Saints´s lead to 0 - 2. Toader Popa was, after 21 minutes, almost able to extend the visitors lead with a well placed diving header but home side keeper Adam Humphries saved. In the games 26:th minute Saints´s Jef Tadié fell dramatically just outside the penalty area. However, the referee booked Jef Tadié for taking a dive. Halftime score was 0 - 2. Saints held the ball, with a clear 61 percent possession rate. The home crowd was given a certain amount of consolation when Burton Britton, after a brilliant midfield combination, put the reducing 1 - 2 goal away for MIT. The referee showed MITs Burton Britton the yellow card after a particularly nasty challenge. Due to a severely mistimed tackle,Toader Popa spent some time on the grass writhing in agony before he could get up and continue the game. Saints´s Myles Bloom received a play slashing through the home side´s defense in the 75:th minute, chipping it past the keeper scoring 1 - 3. The home crowd was not pleased with that one. The visitors Joe Lond took advantage of an error due to a misunderstanding between the home side´s goalie and full backs in the 83rd minute. 1 - 4 for Saints. Saints held the ball, with a clear 61 percent possession rate. The most dominating MIT player was without a doubt Witold Zasilski. Fabrice Lafleur on the other hand, had a terrible day. The most dominating Saints player was without a doubt Joonas Vahtramäe. Myles Bloom was a disappointment, however. The match ends 1 - 4. Ratings MIT FC Player rating and Team formation Midfield: inadequate Right Side Defence: brilliant Central Defence: world class Left Side Defence: magnificent Right Side Attack: excellent Central Attack: solid Left Side Attack: solid NSI = 73 South Bay Saints Player rating and Team formation Midfield: solid Right Side Defence: excellent Central Defence: excellent Left Side Defence: excellent Right Side Attack: excellent Central Attack: excellent Left Side Attack: excellent NSI = 69 I was caught completely by suprise by the play of my defense. Those ratings were good enough to rank 6th all time for the Saints, while the total performance was our 8th best ever. Individual Notes Goals: (cup total) Joe Lond 2 (8) Tony Spicer 1 (8) Myles Bloom 1 (1) Cards: (total) Jef Tadie 1 (1) Injuries: NONE Stars 2.5 Joseph Lassiter 3.5 Matt Keyesj 3.0 Clifton Campbell 3.0 Yki Hyppia 3.0 Jef Tadie 3.5 Eber Basoa Rivas 3.5 Joonas Vahtramae 3.5 Toader Popa 2.0 Myles Bloom 3.0 Tony Spicer 3.0 Joe Lond Next Week We host Cleveland Park United who is in 2nd place in division IV.15. Last edited by Masked : 12-04-2003 at 01:12 AM.

12-04-2003, 08:46 AM	#33
KevinNU7 College Starter Join Date: May 2003 Location: Beantown	Congrats, I'm surprised that their combination of grat defense and excellent counterattack didn't produce more oppurtunites for them __________________ Boston Bashers - III.14 - (8347)

12-05-2003, 01:58 PM	#34
Masked College Starter Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Bay Area	Training Having made it to the fourth round of the cup, it is time to train wingers for a few weeks. I have a couple guys that will demand a nice price on the market if I can get their winger skill to pop since I have already upped their playmaking. Also making Clark Merritt a bigger threat is always nice. Winger pops: NONE! Both Tadie and Montgomery should be close and one almost has to pop next week (at least I hope). Form: +4/-7 GK Joseph Lassiter finally made it back to passable form and IM Toader Popa is up to excellent (despite dropping in value?!?). However, our offense took a big hit this week, with two wingers, Clark Merritt and Charles Montgomery, dropping to passable and both forwards, Joe Lond and Tony Spicer, dropping to inadequate. We will train winger again next week before going back to playmaking. I want to get Charles up to solid winger this season, so if he doesn't pop next week, I will resume winger training after he pops to solid in PM (2-3 weeks away at most). Last edited by Masked : 12-05-2003 at 01:58 PM.

12-05-2003, 03:53 PM	#35
Masked College Starter Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Bay Area	Quarterly Update With the season now a quarter of the way done, I decided to write up a quick wrap up on the first four weeks. US Open Cup 11/13/2003 (Cup): Phoenix Wolves - South Bay Saints 0 - 5 11/20/2003 (Cup): Vermont Gladiators - South Bay Saints 0 - 9 11/27/2003 (Cup): Dragsters - South Bay Saints 1 - 7 12/4/2003 (Cup): MIT FC - South Bay Saints 1 - 4 12/11/2003 (Cup): South Bay Saints - Cleveland Park United From the outset, my goal was to make it to the 5th round and host at least one match. With the rather lopsided win over MIT FC on Wednesday, we achieved both. Last season we were eliminated in round 5 when we were completely over matched. This season we have a chance, but it isn't very high. However, unlike last season, we will not be conceded this match. We have been playing mostly starters at defense and forward in order to boost some of the guys in experience. Our next two coaches are already on board, but need some more experience. After playing all starters in the first match, our midfield trainees were involved in the second and third matches. We switched to winger training in week 4 to allow us to dominate the midfield and win against MIT FC. Series IV.31 Team Goals Points 1. South Bay Saints 10 - 0 9 2. Number Munchers 11 - 8 6 3. Los Chixi Dix 4 - 5 6 4. Thunderchickens 8 - 4 4 5. Terps 8 - 9 4 6. Wisconsin Legend 7 - 7 3 7. CC's Dragons 6 - 6 3 8. Fraser Fire 0 - 15 0 11/17/2003 (League): South Bay Saints - Wisconsin Legend 2 - 0 11/24/2003 (League): Fraser Fire - South Bay Saints 0 - 5 (WO) 12/1/2003 (League): South Bay Saints - Los Chixi Dix 3 - 0 After three weeks, the Saints lead the division, but we have played the three weakest teams. Los Chixi got off to a hot start with two upsets but has put up below average ratings. If we get only one more win in the next 4 weeks, the first half would have exceded my expectations. Although my defense's rankings have not been stellar, I certainly can't fault the results. Training Week 1: Stamina - I was hoping IM trainee Joonas Vahtramae whould jump two levels to excellent, but he didn't. Week 2: Playmaking - Winger Jef Tadie popped to solid PM. Week 3: Playmaking - Starting IM Eber Basoa Rivas popped to formidable PM. Even though he is 21, I decided to keep him until he pops to outstanding late this season. Trainee, Ryszard Laguna, popped to solid PM to go with his passable passing and looks to be a future star for the Saints. Week 4: Winger - nothing, a bit disappointing. Youth Squad Week 1: Leroy Taylor, 18, poor def - FIRED Week 2: Franklin Minton, 17, passable defending - sold for 79K Week 3: Jerald Rojas, 17, weak SP - FIRED Week 4: Jorge Block, 17, weak Scoring - FIRED Profit to date: -15,320 With my history, I guess I should be happy that the loss is so small. Economy So far we have made $334,839 this season bringing us to $210,426 in the black. 91 new fans have joined growing our fan club to 1396 high on life supporters. Purchases None Sales None, outside youth pulls GM's remarks With a strong performance in the last cup match, and a good week of practice, the defense is finally coming around. Unfortunately, the offense seems to have lost their edge. Current;y, the team is too dependent on having good form in order to have a competitive defense and attack in league play. I am looking at brining in a new keeper and forward this season, but will not have the money for awhile yet. Our midfield has been in top form all season (I will be starting 2 exc and 1 solid form players Sunday) and can put up an excellent midfield while PICing. With four starting quality players, we are less susceptible to form fluctations. I like this arrangement, and will probably keep my current starting forward and keeper when I buy new ones to help insure against both form and injury. Both are only solid and would not bring in a lot of money on the open market anyway. Teuvo Kaurismaki will have been with the team for one season after week 7. I am not sure he will have popped to solid leadership by then, but we have still budgeting 700K for turning him into a coach. In the long term, we also have to look at upgraded the arena again. The arena currently seats 32K fans, but we will be looking at a very ambitious expansion to 50K in the offseason. Unfortunately, the cost of the coach and the expansion may prevent us from being able to address the forward position this season. At this point I would prefer to bring in an outstanding + keeper if forced to choose. I have one of the top midfields in my division so by increasing my defense I should be able to shut down most teams offenses. For offense, I can still rely simply on having enough attacks to eventually get a few goals. Thanks to everyone who is following along (in particular to my two supporters, Havok and saintjo). Advice and comments are always appreciated. I would be interested to hear what you like, dont like, and new things you might like to see. Writing the dynasty is helpful for me to keep track of my team and plan for the future.

12-05-2003, 07:40 PM	#36
Havok College Starter Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Florida	Looking good so far this season bro.... hopfully you will get a nice youth pull to sell soon to help you get that outstanding goalie you want so bad __________________ Maniacal Misfitz - We're better than you and we know it!

12-08-2003, 02:43 AM	#37
Masked College Starter Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Bay Area	Thanks Havok - doesn't look like this weeks youth pull will help From the Saints youth squad that has never resulted in a player with a skill above passable* Marty Alvarado (21724369) 19 years, passable form, healthy A pleasant guy who is calm and upright. Has disastrous experience and passable leadership abilities. Nationality: USA Assessed value: 0 US$ Wage: 500 US$/week Owner: South Bay Saints Warnings: 0 Stamina: inadequate Goaltending: disastrous Playmaking: wretched Passing: wretched Winger: poor Defending: wretched Scoring: wretched Set Pieces: formidable * except for that worthless player with formidable set peices. This pull was so bad that it even killed my ability to bitch about my youth squad. That just hurts.

12-08-2003, 06:46 PM	#38
Masked College Starter Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Bay Area	League Matches: Week 4 The first place Saints were on the road against the fifth place Terps in week 4. Dispite the early season results, the Terps are the strong favorites. I decided to tinker with my lineup a bit to see if I could some how steal a point. All four offensive starters (forwards and wings) from last week saw their form drop on Tuesday. Since my wings were still at passable, I decided to try to attack on the wings and hope Clark Merritt would carry the team. To compensate for the hit this tactic causes to my central defense, I shifted Matt Keyesj from his typical wingback position to the center. Paired with defensive standout, Clifton Cambell, and Keeper Lassiter's bump to passable form, I should easily shut down my opponents solid central attack. Against the abadonned wing, the Terps only put up a passable attack, so we are not particullarly vulnerable there. I expected a low scoring match. The Terps should have a 2-3 level advantage in the midfield, but I would have the best offensive matchup with Clark Merritt's wing. Hopefully, the Saints could pull of the upset. So how did it go down... The Saints were in trouble earlier when winger Jef Tadie went down after a nasty challenge by one of the oppsing players. Jef was able to continue but was going to be less effective than usual. Only a few minutes into the match, one of the wing attacks I was counting on was already crippled. The first half went basically as I hoped. The only reported chance went to the Terps but they were unable to score. Late in the first half, our central defense too a big hit when Matt Keyesj injured his foot. Like Jef, he was able to continue, but at a reduced effectiveness. The Terps obviously noticed Keyesj limping around and came out in the second half and went right at him. Terps forward Daniel Weber got through the central defenders and gave his team a 1-0 lead. In the 79th minute, we got the matchup we wanted. Clark Merritt made a quick move on his defender, but the wingback just managed to get a foot in the way and prevent to tying goal. The Terps put the game away late when the got through the central defense a second time and went up 2-0. They nearly added another in the middle in the closing minutes, but we finally stopped one. We ended up losing 2-0. My tactic to attack on the wings was derailed by the two costly injuries which crippled one wing attack and my central defense. They held a 60/40% advantage in possession and had 4/1 advantage in reported chances. The from hit to both forwards was also evident, while the gain by the keeper was not. This loss really derailed our fans optimism after the fast start, and only 4 fans joined the club after having received 12 the last several updates. I have changed my format once again. I added the detailed summary of the match and my tactics which is aimed towards those who already know the outcome. I will keep pasting the report in for now. Match Report Overcast weather free of rain made for a crowd turnout of 43311 at Terps Arena today. Terps started off with a 3-5-2 lineup. The following players had been chosen: Forsér - Davis, Ramey, Pool - Glenn, Gardner, Fennell, Bröker, Grant - Stjernbo, Weber. Saints had chosen a strategic 3-5-2 formation. They fielded: Lassiter - Campbell, Keyesj, Tévez - Tadié, Basoa Rivas, Popa, Vahtramäe, Merritt - Lond, Spicer. Saints were mostly trying to use the flanks for their attacks. The referee showed Terpss Björn Bröker the yellow card after a particularly nasty challenge. The player down was Jef Tadié. The Saints bench looked worried a while but in the end he managed to get up. 11 minutes into the game a free kick combination hooked into the box almost resulted in the home team taking the lead, but the last header went wide. After 39 minutes Saints´s Matt Keyesj contracted a slight foot injury, but could finish the game. 0 - 0 was the half-time score. Terps, bringing the final ball possession rate to 60 percent, dominated the battle. Delbert Weber gave his Terps the lead with 1 - 0, as he successfully challenged both the guests central defenders, then placed the ball unreachably at the goaltenders right post. Terps will have to do without Delbert Weber for a time due to a bad foot injury. He was substituted by Tommy Banda. Always quick and a menace to his opponents,Clark Merritt was in the 79:th minute very close to getting through, but Richard Davis managed to avert the attack. After 80 minutes Terps´s Björn Bröker contracted a slight foot injury, but could finish the game. A bit later, a magnificent combination in the middle resulted in Terps´s Martin Stjernbo putting the lead up to 2 - 0. After this Terps lowered the tempo in order to concentrate on their defensive efforts. The referee showed Terpss Ivan Ramey the yellow card after a particularly nasty challenge. The referee showed Terpss Terrance Gardner the yellow card after a particularly nasty challenge. After an industrious effort down the middle Martin Stjernbo could have closed the game off in the 86:th minute, but his finishing shot hit the post. Terps held the ball, with a clear 59 percent possession rate. Most important Terps player was Benjamin Fennell. Tommy Banda on the other hand, had a terrible day. Saints´s best player was Eber Basoa Rivas. Joe Lond on the other hand, had a terrible day. Ratings Terps Midfield: outstanding Right Side Defence: outstanding Central Defence: magnificent Left Side Defence: world class Right Side Attack: solid Central Attack: solid Left Side Attack: passable NSI = 85 South Bay Saints Midfield: solid Right Side Defence: passable Central Defence: excellent Left Side Defence: excellent Right Side Attack: solid Central Attack: solid Left Side Attack: outstanding NSI = 67 I was expecting an (hoping for) outstanding central defense, but the injury, tactics, and form prevented that. My right and central attacks were also hampered by form and injury. Assuming I can add, the 85 is a season's best for the Terps. Individual Notes Goals: None Cards: None Injuries: Matt Keyesj and Jef Tadie, bruised but training Stars 3.0 GK Joseph Lassiter 3.0 CD Matt Keyesj (injured) 3.0 CD Clifton Campbell 2.5 WB Carlos Saul Tevez (Defensive) 3.0 W Jef Tadie (offensive, injured) 3.5 IM Eber Basoa Rivas 3.5 IM Joonas Vahtramae (defensive) 3.5 IM Toader Popa (offensive) 3.5 W Clark Merritt (offensive) 3.0 F Tony Spicer 2.5 F Joe Lond Around IV.31 Team Goals Points 1. Number Munchers 16 - 8 9 2. South Bay Saints 10 - 2 9 3. Los Chixi Dix 9 - 5 9 4. Terps 10 - 9 7 5. CC's Dragons 13 - 6 6 6. Thunderchickens 8 - 11 4 7. Wisconsin Legend 7 - 12 3 8. Fraser Fire 0 - 20 0 Number Munche - Fraser Fire 5 - 0 Walkover Los Chixi Dix - Wisconsin Leg 5 - 0 NSI 63 - 55 After their loss to us last week, Los Chixi went back to their lucky ways with this match. While they should have won this one (easily) putting in 5 goals with an inadequate attack on an formidable defense is lucky. CC's Dragons - Thunderchicke 7 - 0 NSI 70 - 70 Thunderchickens suffered a significant injuries during the match and played an 4-3-3, an unusual formation for them (possibly an error), but I was shocked at this result. Dragons had a hug midfield advantage (67% possession) and clearly that was it. Chickens will be without their 500K valued 19yo forward for up to three weeks. I play them in two. Final Thoughts I'm a bit frustrated with my inability to do much about my offense and defense right now. I am a disappointed with the contributions that IMs Vahtramae and Popa are making with their inadequate defense and passing respectively. Originally I planned to keep Dani Mario Araujo until he hit outstanding PM next season, but am now leaning toward selling him at formidable to get a quick infusion of cash to make some move. Araujo is 21, still trainable, but not optimal. Attack on the wings sucks for my team. I simply can't take the hit on my central defense. Last edited by Masked : 12-08-2003 at 07:02 PM.

12-11-2003, 02:39 AM	#39
Masked College Starter Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Bay Area	US Open Cup: Round 5 After four weeks on the road, the Saints returned home to face Cleveland Park United. United sits in first place in IV.15 after beating Franklinnobles Calvary Crusaders on Sunday. Since the Saints training wingers this week, we will be playing our top three midfielders. Winger Charles Montgomery will also be ordered towards the middle as we try to control the midfield since we cannot match their attack or defense. Unfortunately, Matt Keyesj is still day to day with his foot injury and will sit this match out. Teuvo Kaurismaki, our future coach, will start in his place and hopefully get a much needed experience boost. Outside of Teuvo and our wings, we will be playing all starters. The Saints came out hot and sent the near capacitu crowd into a frenzy when Charles Montogomery raced past his defender and sit a perfect pass to Tony Spicer who gave the Saints the lead only three minutes into the match. In the next few minutes, the Saints came twice close to extending their lead but great saves by United's keeper kept them in the game. Perhaps the Saints dwelled on their missed chances for too long as the game made a sudden turn. 28 minutes in, Charles Montgomery suffered a nasty shin injury and was forced out of the match. While he was being attended to on the sidelines, United tied the game up. They added another shortly before the half, and injured inner midfielder Joonas Vahtramae. In the second half, United just fired shot after shot on goal and Lassiter was unable to do much of anything. United went on to win 5-1 in a blowout, that left the Saints teams and fans confidence shattered. Ratings South Bay Saints Midfield: excellent Right Side Defence: passable Central Defence: solid Left Side Defence: solid Right Side Attack: excellent Central Attack: solid Left Side Attack: weak NSI = 63, the two injuries really hurt our wing attack Cleveland Park United Midfield: formidable Right Side Defence: excellent Central Defence: formidable Left Side Defence: formidable Right Side Attack: formidable Central Attack: excellent Left Side Attack: world class NSI = 83, United played their A-team apparently decided to forgo training this week. Had I known I had no chance, I would not have played as many starters as I did. Individual Notes Goals: Tony Spicer 1 (total in cup, 9) Cards: Joonas Vahtramae, yellow (first of the season) Injuries: Joonas Vahtramae, bruised but training Charles Montgomery, +2. This one really hurts since I was training winger this week hoping to get him specifically to pop. Stars 3.0 Joseph Lassiter 2.5 Carlos Saul Tevez 3.0 Clifton Campbell 2.5 Teuvo Kaurismaki 2.0 Myles Bloom 3.5 Dani Mario Araujo 3.5 Eber Basoa Rivas 3.0 Joonas Vahtramae 0.5 Marty Alvarado (2.0 Charles Montgomery, injured) 3.0 Tony Spicer 2.5 Joe Lond Final Thoughts 5-1, Damn. My team confidence is at poor heading into one of my biggest matches of the season. My supporters are content heading into a home match. My winger goes down during one of the two weeks that I was planning on training winger. Now for some good news. After going most of last season without any experience pops, they are rolling in this year. Forward Tony Spicer to inadequate. Forward Joe Lond to wretched. Central Defender Clifton Campbell to passable.