(Just in Case) On the Brink of Mutiny (CM01/02)

[Easy Mac]

Just in case it doesn't import corerctly.

This is a dynasty detailing my life as the manager of the Tampa Bay Mutiny. This is of course a CM 01/02 dynasty. As some of you may know, the Mutiny and Miami Fusion were contracted prior to the season. 2 new investors came in and saved the franchise however. They are remaining anonymous for the time being, at least until I lose for a few seasons, when they will make themselves known.
The Mutiny are starting, to borrow a QS term, "empty cupboard" style. That is, they have no players. This is the data the game gave me. To help keep this challenging, I've made some general house rules.

House Rules
*Can't go into debt by over $1 million. If I do, I have to transfer list my top 3 players.
*Can only use the "Find Player" screen until my team gets 15 players. Cannot find players from Sweden or Portugal, those guys are far too good. After that, I have to trust my scouts and the search feature, which may also be outlawed if it gets too easy. I can scour other teams in the MLS and A-League, but not teams in other countries.
*I'm sure there are others, but I cannot really think of them right now.

Here is a look at my coaches and whatnot:

Coaches
Chad Gomez, USA, 51 years old: He is pretty good at working with youngsters, and has a 20 in discipline. He likes an attacking 3-5-2. He is a little better at coaching the outfield players, but not by much.

Dan Johnson, USA, 53: Very Good at working with youngsters, something that will be valued with what will be a young squad. He is decent at motivating and coaching outfield players. He likes to play a 5-3-2.

Scouts
Greg Johnson, USA, 46: He is a very good scout, with 20 in potential, but he'd also make a pretty good coach, so he may get a new job in the club. Would definitely be my top scout.

Joe Perez, USA, 39: My 2nd best scout. Pretty good at judging ability and decent at potential.

Sean Campbell, USA, 46: A 15 in ability and 14 in potential. A decent scout, definitely serviceable.

Physio (Trainer)
Tom Morris, USA, 59: A 20 in Physiotherapy, so he's good enough.

Thats the staff. I may add a coach, or another scout and switch Johnson #2. Not a bad staff overall, and they should be good at looking for talent.

Balance: $2,712,161
Transfer Funds: $1,400,000

I don't have a lot of money to work with, so I may have to get fringe players to come over.

Well, I guess its time to start and to arrange some friendlies. This should be fun and challenging.

[Easy Mac]

Cursed this board, why can it not import the ubb code, now i have to redo all the bold and stuff i used.

My first order of business as manager is to arrange friendlies prior to the season. I decide to set up a tournament, tentatively named the TB Cup. I sent feelers to Tampico Madero of the Mexican D1A league, and Toronto and Hershey of the A-League. Lets hope they accept.
Now its time to scour the coaches list and see if anyone is available, and willing to coach for peanuts.

I offerred the Assistant Manager's position to Stewat Robson of England. He is very good at controlling the team, though I may need another coach to coach keepers.

I offer a job as coach to Lars Winfield of Denmark, who is very good in a lot of areas. Here's hoping these guys will sign.

I also try to sign Alin Dimitriu of Romania as a scout, and I'll owe his club $35K if I get him.

Now its time to try and find a team. I assign my scouts to cover North America, the youth, and Oceania... only for interested players.

Time to look through the Americans player list for some freebies. I make some offers. I don't give signing bonuses unless the player is World Class.

I'll probably update the thread once every game week or so, depends on how things are moving.

Well, I've done enough scouring for one day, so lets just sim and see what may come.

[Easy Mac]

Sunday, 17th of March 2002
All 3 teams accept my friendly proposals, so the TB Cup is all set.

I signed a new coach named Julio Morales. He is a Costa Rican and will coach the GK and tactics. Thankfully he knows English.

I also signed Guy Newman to be my Assistant Manager. He is good at discipline and managing the team.

I released Chad Gomez from coaching.

I signed Alin Dimitriu as a scout. He is young and a very good scout, 20/20 in judging talent and ability.

The team is starting to take shape, and I'll give a rundown after the friendly. I have ceased using the Find function, relying solely on my scouts.

These are the scores for the friendlies:

Toronto 2-1 Tampa Bay
Hershey 1-3 Tampa Bay
Tampico Madera 1-2 Tampa Bay

We win the inagural TB Cup with 2 wins, beating Toronto and Hershey on goal differntial.

Now its time to really get the game going, as the rundown of the team comes next.

The following leagues are running in the background:
England
Spain
Germany
Italy
Sweden
Australia

[Easy Mac]

a note, the day will now appear as the subject unless otherwise noted.

And so it starts. The team is all signed and ready to start the season. The team will be broken down position by position. The team is playing a forward pushing 4-1-3-2. This means I need to get strong play out of the midfielders in order to get it to the front. A star denotes starter.

Keepers

*Rob Stojanovski, 19, Australia - A little young to bne the starting keeper, but he performed the best in the pre-season, without my best 11 out there. He looks to have potential, one to look out for in the future.

Didier Menard, 22, Hati/USA - A dual citizen, he helps me slip in an extra foreigner. A decent keeper, here's hoping he develops into a quality player. He has 2 caps for the Haitian national team.

Johnny Morton, 21, USA - No, its not the former (current?) Lions receiver. He is a good reserve keeper, which is where he'll stay unless badly needed. MAy become a starter, but it doesn't look too likely.

Defense

*Andri Nesmachny, 23, Ukraine - A left sided defender, Andri was purchased from Dinamo Kiev for $900K. A great price for such a talented player, he is being counted on as the rock for this defense. He has 18 caps for the Ukrainian national team.

*Mike Williams, 32, USA - The oldest player on the team, Williams is expected to provide stability on the back line.

*Sean Henderson, 29, USA - A veteran who can line up in either the midfield or defense. Should keep the defense secure in front of the inexperienced keepers.

*Steve McCauley, 24, Canada - A very good young Canadian (weird to say those words), he is playing on the right side (a natural center back) because the alternatives are not that great.

Dahir Mohammed, 28, USA - The only right-sided defender, will have to start if McCauley falters.

Brian O'Conner, 23, USA - Probably good enough to start, I'm just not sold on the kid yet, though he has potential. May bounce between the first team and the reserves.

Brahim Diop, 23, Senegal/USA - Another dual citizen, Diop is a very versatile player. He will probably be in the reserves this year unless injuries necessitate a call up.

Midfield
*Bryan Jackson, 19, USA - A kid with the world at his field, he is the heir to Chris Armas's D-Mid position on the national squad. I'm asking a lot of the kid, and I don't expect him to succeed. He may eventually be dropped to the reserves for more seasoning, as I have other guys who can cover for him.

*Artem Yashkin, 26, Ukraine - Bought from Dinamo Kiev for $1.2 million, he is an outstanding AM L/C. He playing on the left side of center mid for the time being, though he may move to the middle to use his creativity. A good complement to his countryman Nesmachny on the left. He has 8 caps for Ukraine.

*Josh Keller, 27, USA - Nothing stands out about him, but he played well in the friendlies and at least deserves a shot. He had 2 assists in the friendlies.

*Gabe Valencia, 23, USA/Sweden - Dual nationalities are a God-send. Especially with a player the caliber of Valencia. He is already one of the better players on the team, and I expect great things from him on the right side.

Nino Da Silva, 22, USA - He has great potential, but definitely a work in progress, may spend some time in the reserves.

Brad Jordan, 25, USA - A very talented player, I was tempted to start him at right back if he learned to tackle. As it is, he'll get his shot as the first player off the bench most games, as he is great as harrassing opposing players.

Jerome Samuels, 21, USA - A reserve player all the way, I'd be surprised if he saw any game action this year. He is a right winger who can do everything, but needs more polish in the basic aspects of the game.

Dustin Sheppard, 21, USA - May find a place in the side as the season progresses, but not quite good enough to start. May also get some shots at forward if they falter. One to watch over the years.

Miles Joseph, 27, USA - The poster child for squandered talent, he could have been a great one. Now he's second string, though he looks to be a good spot starter. Has 2 US caps.

Cody Anderson, 20, USA - A player with immense potential, but who needs more practice before he can crack the team. Will spend a year or 2 in the reserves. Hell, he played for the Lazio reserves.

Forwards

*David Wagner, 30, USA/German - A player who can play any position, he is staying up top for now, but look for him to play just about anywhere. A veteran of Germany, he can still do some damage. He has 8 US caps.

*Hercules Gomez, 19, USA/Mexico - An amazing physical specimen, this kid can do it all. He was signed for $120K from San Diego of the A-League. This kid is something special and the US needs to cap him fast. He was man of the match in both friendlies he played. (Probably a made up player by the data collector, but oh well, my scout's good fortune.)

Ryan Daley, 19, USA - A youngster with potential. He'll spend most the year with the reserves learning the trade. He is the youngest player on the team.

Chad James, 21, USA - Another young player, not sold on him yet, but he may develop.

And there you have the squad, a rag tag bunch of 24 guys. Here are some other things you may need to know:

Training: (I-Intensive, M-Medium, L-Light, N-None)
Rehab (0 players): Fitness (I), Tactics (M), Shooting/Skills (L)
Defense (5): Fitness (M), Tactics (I), Shooting (L), Skill (M)
D-Mid (4): Fitness (I), Tactics (M), Shooting (L), Skills (M)
A-Mid (6): Fitness (M), Tactics (L), Shooting (M), Skills (I)
Attack (6): Fitness (M), Tactics (L), Shooting (I), Skills (M)
Goalie (3): Fitness (M), Tactics (M), Shooting (N), Skills (M), Goalkeeping (I)

Current Balance: $507,596 (I need games quick)

Transfer Kitty: $725K

Most Valuable Player: Andriy Nesmachny, $2.8 million
Highest Paid Player: Nesmachny and Gomez 190K/yr.
Lowest Paid Player: Nino Da Silva 12K/yr.

Total Wages: $1.4 million
Average Wage: 60K/yr

Average Age: 23.5

First Match is against Kansas City on the 23rd. Time to prepare for the inevitable.

[ 01-22-2003: Message edited by: Easy Mac ]

[Easy Mac]

Originally said by Condors:
good luck with the mutiny always nice to read about a mls dynasty.

[Easy Mac]

Kansas City Wizards @ Tampa Bay Mutiny

Its 2 hours before kickoff. I've been told by my trainers that Brad Jordan is out and Miles Joseph is doubtful. Brian O'Connor and Nino Da Silva come up from the reserves to take their spots. O'Connor also replaces a tired Bryan Jackson as the D-Mid. My team looks like this:

        Wagner(c)   Gomez      

        Yashkin Keller Valencia             

              O'Connor

Nesmachny Henderson Williams McCauley             

             Stojanovski

Bench:  Mohammed, Jackson, Sheppard, Da Silva, Menard

oh well, it didn't format correctly.

Its 17° Celcius at beautiful Raymond James here in Tampa. The referee today is Arthur Reed. The Wizards control the ball early and score on a 26th minute goal from Preki. Chris Henderson is injured in the 30th minute and needs to be taken off, Mohammed comes on and moves to right back switching with McCauley. And in the 40th minute the substitution pays off. Josh Keller scores on a give and go with Mohammed to tie the game at 1 a piece, this being the first goal in the rebirth of the Mutiny. Tampa is really taking it to KC, as the Wiz seem intent on playing the counter. We lead in shots 12-4 at the half, with Meola playing a blinder.
Mike Williams is shown the yellow card 4 minutes after the half. Tampa is thoroughly controlling the 2nd half, and the hard work pays off in the 62nd minute with a rebound goal by Artem Yashkin. Valencia is also taken off at this time for the fresher legs of Dustin Sheppard. Great end to end action with spectacular stops on both ends leads to a heated tackle by Yashkin, and a Yellow card in the 75th. The gameis into the last 10 minutes and the Mutiny are looking for an insurance goal. Keller plays a beautiful ball to a streaking Wagner who puts in a clinical finish. 3-1 Tampa. KC pulls one back off the foot of Peter Vermes in the 89th minute. Now the sweating begins.

And the whistle blows, Tampa win their first game back! A hard fought win, 3-2. Tampa had 22 shots, 15 on target. They won time of possession 51-49, though I wouldn't call that winning it. Josh Keller was the Man of the Match with a goal and an assist. The board was verry pleased with the match, though I didn't know I had a board. On a downer, Sean Henderson is out 3 weeks with a "damaged foot." I love how descriptive my physio is.

Overall a nice win for Tampa, and a great way to begin the season. I doubt all match reports will be this long, and they'll normally be 3-4 a posting, but since it was the first game, I wanted to be extravagant.

[Easy Mac]

Our next match is against Columbus on the 30th (today). In the week in between, Brad Jordan came back from his injury. I was refused a transfer because I've reached the foreigner limit. On Wednesday 3 players were promoted from my youth squad:

Tom Edwards, 16, USA - He is a right sided midfielder with at least a 7 rating in most important categories. He looks like a decent player, with room to improve.

Greg Conway, 15, USA - Wow, an amazingly skilled player who is only 15, he can play 3 positions, and may displace Jackson as my promising young D-Mid. He should probably be a starter, but probably only will play every once and again. I can't afford to burn him out. A star, no doubt.

Aaron Glick, 16, USA - A decent youngs defender, should improve, and is great in the air and fast, a deadly combo.

There are now 27 players on the squad, and I am not looking to add more for a while. I have a starting 11 set for the reserves, so hopefully they'll actually get some games in.

On Friday the reserves blanked the Columbus Crew reserves 1-0 on a goal by Cody Anderson in the 62nd on an assist to Ryan Daley.. The new kids all rated at least a 7, so thats positive. Meanwhile after the game, Garlick and Conway signed pro contracts. It's also looking like Jordan won't be fully healthy for the game.

Columbus Crew @ Tampa Bay Mutiny

Seeing as how the formation took 10 minutes to format, it goes like this from now on:
G: Stojanovski
D: Nesmachny, McCauley, Williams, Mohammad
D-Mid: O'Connor
M: Yashkin, Keller, Valencia
F: Wagner, Gomez
Bench: Joseph, Diop, Sheppard, Da Silva, Menard

Lovely Raymond James Stadium is once again the backdrop for a division matchup. Both teams are tied at the top of the division. Chad McCarty of the Crew is shown Yellow in the 18th. Thankfully the Crew couldn't hit air, lest this be a blowout. Gomez with the goal! A strike in the 21st minute on the assist from Wagner. Gomez, 2 for Gomez!! A header in the 27th minute on the assist from Wagner. Columbus pull one back in the 35th on a rebound by Perez. I've never been a "switch formationsif winning" guy, so I stay with my formation regardless. Goal GOMEZ, Its A Hat Trick!!!, and its not even half-time Wow, a great volley off the pass from Yashkin in the 4th minute of extra-time. What a way to close the half. Up 3-1, but hardly dominating, I'm looking for better inside defense, though I control possession.

Goal for Columbus 4 minutes in off the head of McBride, but he was offsides. Both teams are applying constant pressure in a back and forth game. I bring in Brahim Diop for a struggling Williams. Dunseth of the Crew is given a Yellow for a bad tackle in the 82nd. And the whistles blows, as the Mutiny escape with a win.

Gomez was man of the match with a 10 rating, including the first hat-trick in the MLS this year. Wagner also got a 10 rating as the offense clicked. We outshot them 16-12 and had more possession 53-47. Once again the board is delighted.

Oh yeah, and attendances so far: 1.13,804 2. 12,373

I may a game/by game, or at least a weekly update (if there's more than 1 game a week). Do you guys like that, or is it better to do a few games at once, for reading purposes. Plus, with my slow computer it takes forever to sim a week, so...

[Easy Mac]

Originally said by Condors:
i like frequent updates

[Easy Mac]

Today we play at LA, our first away game of the year. But first, lets look at the week that was:

Conway signs his pro contract Sunday. My scout I assigned to youths also finishes his report, offering 1 player who is already being transferred elsewhere, cracking work. He's off to Scandanavia. On Monday the board stated their pleasure over my start. The reserves lost 4-1 with the lone goal coming from Chad James.

Tampa Bay Mutiny @ Los Angeles Galaxy

G: Stojanovski
D: Nesmachny, McCauley, Williams, Mohammed
D-Mid: O'Connor
M: Yashkin, Keller, Valencia
F: Wagner, Gomez

Welcome to the Rose Bowl in lovely Pasadena. LA is currently on top of their division with 4 points, while Tampa tops their's with 6. 8 minutes in Nemachny picks up an injury and has to go out, Jordan comes in, and the back 5 are restructured to make room. LA makes it one-nil in the 20th minute with a goal by Sasha Victorine. Victorine makes it 2 with a 27th minute strike. This may get ugly. And in the 30th minute Victorine completes the hat-trick. 3-0 LA. O'Connor pulls down Victorine for a yellow in the 37th minute. Victorine returns the favor in the 45th. So its half-time. Not really much to say, outshot 7-2 and being destroyed in time of possession.

And 4 minutes in, Jordan brings one back, on a pass from Valencia. 3-1. I see a rally dolphin. GOAL!! in the 54th minute by Valencia, with Jordan providing the service this time. 3-2. The rally dolphin in wagging its fins. And the dolphin is dead. Simon Elliot scores in the 68th minute to give LA a 4-2 lead. I bring in Sheppard for O'connor, who is having a piss poor game. And thats the way it ends.

An atrocious game by the D. Jordan sparked something and was Tampa's MOM (Victorine overall), but the poor play of O'Connor at the D-mid position really hurt us. He's getting a stern talking to about his poor performance. Overall, outshot 10-6, and beat in possession 56-44. And Nemachny is out 3 weeks with a twisted knee. O'Connor decided not to comment on his official warning for poor performance.

Until next week.

--------------------

[Easy Mac]

And now, the dynasty is all caught up, i hope this was not all in vain.

[Easy Mac]

We've got a home game coming up against San Jose. This should be a very difficult game. Here's some interesting things from the past week.

Guy Newman says Didier Menard is showing signs of developing into a quality player. Surprising me.

My Oceania scout reccomends an excellent signing, thank god the transfer to another squad is already set. He's done over there and goes to North America for a while.

The reserves drew nil-nil. And Sean Henderson is fully healthy. Brian O'Connor turns 24 and wants to know his future. I tell him he'll be in and out of the lineup.

San Jose Earthquakes @ Tampa Bay Mutiny

G: Stojanovski
D: Henderson, McCauley, Williams, Mohammed
D-Mid: O'Connor
M: Yashkin, Keller, Valencia
F: Wagner, Gomez

It's a lovely 16° C, 61° F, at Raymond James. Frank Gorog is refereeing his first game of the season and is thought to be a fair referee. A slow first 15 comes to an end with a great volley by Gomez!!! But no goal, Gorog signals offside. In the 23rd minute Ian Russell puts one in for San Jose, 1-0. Goal Graziani in the 25th, 2-0. The rest of the half is uneventful with shots here and there. At the half, Tampa is outshot 3-7, and outpossessed 53-47. They report the attendance at 13,815, the highest of the year.



A slow 2nd half leads Valencia to be subbed in the 69th minute, with Sheppard taking his place. Goal Keller!!! A beautiful free kick that was just out of the reach of the San Jose keeper in the 72nd. 2-1. An Landon Donovan ends any thought of a comeback with a goal in the 75th minute. 3-1.

And thats the way it ends. Outshot 11-9, though we controlled possession 52-48. Wagner was our player of the game (Ian Russell overall). Tampa stays 2nd in the division despite another loss.

Team        W  T  L  GF  GA  PTS

Dallas      3  0  1  10   8  9

Tampa Bay   2  0  2   9  10  6

Columbus    2  0  2   8   9  6

Chicago     0  2  2   8  11  2

[Easy Mac]

The next match is at Chicago, so here's what happened in the intermediary.

I had my scouts watch an American named Steve Butcher who plays for Toronto. They think he is a fairly good player, so I offer $220K for him. I also offer a loan to Evan Whitfield, who my scout rates as excellent. My main scout is done in America, so he's off to the Carribean.

The reserves lost 3-2 Thursday. Nino Da Silva scored the goal, the other being an own goal. Toronto accepts my offer for Butcher. I offer him 240K a year, kind of pricy, but so is life.

Tampa Bay Mutiny @ Chicago Fire

G: Stojanovski
D: Henderson, McCauley, Williams, Mohammed
D-Mid: O'Connor
M: Yashkin, Keller, Valencia
F: Wagner, Gomez

Its 8° C, 46° F, at Soldier Field. Alan Shepard is the referee, its his 3rd game. He's given 1 Yellow and has a 7.5 rating. Chris Armas of Chicago gets a Yellow Card in the 5th. A slow half ends in a flurry in front of Stojanovski. He made 4 save in about 2 minutes to keep the game scoreless. Chicago leads in shots 6-1, possession 56-44. 0-0.

The 2nd half starts the way it begins, except Chicago puts one through in the 47th off the foot of Stoichkov. 1-0. Goal #2 for Stoichkov in the 65th. 2-0. McCauley and Valencia come off for Joseph and Jordan. And the whistle blows.

A fairly uneventful game offense wise for Tampa. Outshot 12-7, outpossessed 56-44. It's hard to pick a MOM for Tampa, as they all played poorly, but Stoichkov was MOM.

[condors]

Didier Menard- don't discount him he was a stop gap goalie for my columbus crew team for several seasons and he may not be tim howard but he did a good job(but got upset when was no longer 1st selection)

[Easy Mac]

The next game is at the other revivalist franchise Miami.

Immiediately after the game, Gabe Valencia asks me to define his future on his 24th birthday. I tell him he'll be part of a squad rotation system.

We're now about 1/5th of the way through the year, with Tampa sitting in 3rd in the Central at 6 points. We're in 7th for the race for the playoffs, 2 ahead of the 9th place team. The finances have us plus $679,092, so thats good.

I figured I'd help out with some stats to give a look at how the team is doing. Menard is the only player on the main squad who has yet to see action, though Stojanovski's recent poor form may lead to him being replaced.

My offensive player have the best avg. rating, with Wagner leadingthe team at 7.8.

Here is a rundown by position (starts/games in parenthesis):

G:  Stojanovski 7.00  (5/5)

D:  Mohammed    7.00  (4/5)

    Nesmachny   7.00  (3/3)

    McCauley    6.80  (5/5)

    Williams    6.80  (5/5)

    O'Connor    6.60  (5/5) (D-mid)

    Diop        6.00  (0/1)

    Henderson   6.00  (3/3)

M:  Yashkin     7.60  (5/5)

    Jordan      7.50  (0/2)

    Keller      7.40  (5/5)

    Sheppard    7.00  (0/3)

    Valencia    7.00  (5/5)

    Joseph      6.00  (0/1)

F:  Wagner      7.80  (5/5)

    Gomez       7.60  (5/5)

Goals:
Gomez 3
Keller 2
Jordan 1
Valencia 1
Wagner 1
Yashkin 1

Assists:
Wagner 2
Jordan 1
Keller 1
Mohammed 1
Valencia 1
Yashkin 1

MOM (overall):
Gomez 1
Keller 1

Top 3 passers:
Sheppard 87%
Williams 83%
McCauley 80%

Top 3 tacklers:
McCauley 3.4
Williams 3.2
Stojanovski 2.2

Top 3 dribblers:
Yashkin 2.2
Keller 1.6
Gomez 0.8

Goals Allowed:
Stojanovski 12

Yellows:
O'Connor 1
Williams 1
Yashkin 1

League Leaders
Avg. Rating:
Russell 8.80 (SJ)
Cerritos 8.40 (Dal)
Corrales 8.25 (SJ)

Goals:
Carrieri 5 (Col)
Russell 5 (SJ)
Victorine 5 (LA)

Assists:
Lagos 5 (SJ)
4 tied @ 4

So there is some statistics, let me know if you want some more in depth stats.

On Sunday Butcher agrees to terms, and I say welcome. My scout starts his Central Amerca search. Good luck.

During the week I get a few player reccomendations, but nothing I feel warrants my attention.

The reserves lose 2-1 on Thursday with the goal by Anderson. Garlick and Samuels suffer injuries.

Tampa Bay Mutiny @ Miami Fusion F.C.

G: Menard
D: Nesmachny, McCauley, Williams, Mohammed
D-Mid: O'Connor
M: Yashkin, Keller, Valencia
F: Wagner, Gomez
Bench: Butcher, Jordan, Sheppard, Henderson, Stojanovski

Stojanovski heads to the pine after a poor run of form, and the promising Menard takes his place. Welcome to Miami, where its 18° C, 64° F, at Lockhart Stadium here in Miami. Steve Olson is the referee, this is his 4th game, and he's given 1 red and 3 yellows this year. Gomez with the GOAL!!! An 18th minute goal on the pass from Yashkin, its 1-nil. Miami ties it with a goal by C.J. Robinson in the 27th. 1-1. A relatively uneventful half leaves the game tied at 1-1. We lead in shots 6-2 and possession we trail 44-56.

In the 54th minute, Wagner steals the ball and is all alone... GOAL!!!!. Tampa leads 2-1. Goal #3, this time its Keller He hits in a header in the 65th on a beautiful cross from Gomez. 3-1. Jordan comes on for a tired Valencia in the 68th minute. Wagner is making a run at goal... Petkov brings him down in the box... Penalty Kick, Petkov is sent off!!!. A minute prior Butcher came in for Yashkin, and now he gets to take the kick. What pressure, a chance for a goal in his first minute with the team....... He shoots.... GOAL!! Butcher scores on his first touch. Tampa with a 4-1 lead with 12 left to play. 4 minutes later Miami makes it 4-2 with a goal from Robinson again. Hercules, Hercules, Hercules... Gomez with his 2nd goal, this one coming in the 85th minute 5-2 Tampa. And thats the way it ends... wow, what an exciting game!

In the end, Tampa outshot Miami 13-3, but lost the possession battle 58-42. But that doesn't matter, because Tampa puts on an amazing offensive display to win 5-2. Gomez is man of the match after a 2 goal, 1 assist game. The win has moved Tampa into a tie for 1st in the central, taking the lead on goal differential. Naturally the board are delighted.

[BigDPW]

I enjoy this dynasty and hope you return too it soon!

[Easy Mac]

Sorry man, I've been quite busy. But thankfully my girl is going out of town for a few days, so I'll have time to play games. But now I have to cook for myself

[Easy Mac]

The week goes on as normal, despite the pasting of our main rival 5-2. Gomez is turning into a real find after collecting his 4th and 5th goals over the weekend. We are now training fo this week's home game versus Dalas. The month ends with the board telling me they are pleased with my performance. Ian Russell of San Jose was named player of the month.

Once again the reserves lose 2-1 with Ryan Daley scoring the lone goal. Chad James picked up a damaged shoulder for the next 3 weeks.

I modified the defensive training a bit as the players seemd to be losing some skill. Cody Anderson is showing great signs of improving. He may be a first team player by the end of the year if he continues to improve.

Dallas Burn @ Tampa Bay Mutiny

           Wagner   Gomez

      Yashkin  Keller  Valencia

              O'Connor

Nesmachny McCauley Williams Mohammed

               Menard



Bench: Butcher, Jordan, Sheppard, Henderson, Stojanovski

We're back at Raymond James for a wet and wild game. It's 24° C, 76° F. Tim Weyland is working his 2nd game. He's a strict ref and had a 4 rating in his last game, those aren't good combinations in the rain.

It's an exciting up and down game in the first 15. Both keepers are having trouble holding onto the ball, making it dangerous near the goal. Olivares of Dallas is shown the Yellow in the 19th minute. The half ends scoreless. The players of the game so far have definitely been the keepers. Tampa leads Dallas in shots 5-3, with possession pretty much even. nil-nil. The attendance is 14,699, a season high.

20 minutes into the half and not much has changed. Both squads are shooting at will, but the keepers are somehow keeping it out of the net. And in the 81st minute, Dallas scores . A rebound by Paul Broome, as the rebounds came back to hurt us. 1-0 Dallas. Jordan and Butcher come on in hopes of helping the team. Final minute comes by and Tampa has about 4 chances to put it in, and fail on them all. So it ends in a 1-0 loss in the rain. We outshot them 14-8 and barely won in time of possession. The Dallas goalie D.J. Countess was player of the match. the loss drops us to 3rd in the division, staying out of last by goal differential.

[Easy Mac]

Well, CM hung on my computer, it somehow disappeared from the screen and wouldn't pop back up, so I lost about a month of simming and writing.

I'll probably try again later in the week with a new dynasty along the same line.

But in the mean time, I'm going to download the latest update, then manually update the MLS rosters, since the draft just occurred and I have to get my boy Ricardo Clark on the Metros, should take no longer than the weekend.

Sorry to those who enjoyed reading it. Funny, the one dynasty I actually enjoy writing is the one that crahses on me.

See you guys next week for some new Mutiny on the high C(seas)M's.