13th Man

Got a few more coming soon. Was so perfect when Valencia scored the winning penalty! Maybe shouldn't have thought so hard for the away leg, but the home leg was played very well.

Wow, what a run here. I remember seeing this one early on, but lost track when I took a long break from FM. Middlesbrough winning the PL multiple times? The CL? Fantastic work! The move to Juve seems a nice change of pace too and a solid first season. Got that Serie A title in the bag. Next up CL!

The North American Champions League and some MLS too The CONCACAF (from here on out we’ll follow FM’s lead and just say North American) Champions League begins in February and features only four rounds - all knockout. It starts in the thick of the MLS preseason and is finished by late April, barely two months into the season. It meant that Austin would be thrown directly into important matches without much of a preseason. On the plus side, Lindsay could focus on the Champions League without worrying about crucial league matches. After all, Lindsay had learned the previous season that a slow start in the league was not too daunting to overcome. As Western Conference Champions, Austin joined fellow American clubs Columbus (MLS Cup), LAFC (US Cup) and Seattle (coming in 3rd in the MLS), as well as fellow MLS side Vancouver who qualified thanks to winning the Canadian Championship (Cup). Espana - NACL Coming in the middle of preseason, Lindsay was glad that the NACL First Round was an easy draw. Honduran side Real Espana put up a bit of a fight early on in the first leg, but then new signing PF Oscar scored a brace on his competitive debut before RW Rigoni added a third in stoppage time. The second leg saw Lindsay give a lot of different players a chance and they again dominated but weren’t quite as clinical - though they didn’t need to be. A much more daunting opponent awaited Austin in the quarters. CD Atlas sat third in the Mexican Liga MX - a league that has generally been a step better than the MLS. The Guadalajara side was in good form and played a fast, genenpress style with a big, handful of a center forward. They would be a challenge. MLS - San Jose (H) First, though, came the opening match of the MLS season - a home game against the San Jose Earthquakes. The Atlas tie was on the horizon, but not until Thursday so Lindsay went with a strong lineup. He wanted a strong start and he was planning to rest a lot of players the following weekend. LW Druissi managed to bag a goal early with an excellent strike, but San Jose equalized by the 20th minute and the game began to settle into a look that Lindsay didn’t like. San Jose were causing Austin a lot of trouble by pressing high and marking tightly. They were able to keep Austin from effectively playing out from the back. Lindsay decided to play a bit more direct - [passing from short to standard and removing play out of defense.] Quickly, Austin started getting in behind. First RW Rigoni got behind the defense and sent in a low, hard cross that PF Garcia side-footed to put Austin back in front. Garcia then returned the favor with an assist for Rigoni in first half stoppage time. Being two up and in control, Lindsay was able to sub a lot of players early and keep them fresh for the Champions League the following Thursday. NACL - CD Atlas (A) Atlas were a side that played a 4-3-3 and liked to use their width, so Lindsay instructed his players to push them inside. Knowing that they liked to press high and hard, he also decided to keep with the standard passing that had helped Austin take control of the San Jose game. A tough match saw Austin lose 1-0 in Gadalajara. They dominated possession [64%!] but couldn’t do anything with it, with Atlas holding them to only 5 shots, none of them threatening. Atlas weren’t especially impressive either, but they created one good chance - a lovely diagonal from the right and a perfectly timed run by their big center forward. Though traveling to Mexico was always a difficult trip, Lindsay took some of the blame as well. Unlike San Jose, Atlas had the quality to cut out medium and long range passes and to do a much better job of marking Austin’s wingers. Austin’s attempts to funnel Atlas inside were also ineffective, and possibly could have led to the forward being able to find more central space for the goal. When Lindsay returned to his normal tactic at the half, Austin looked better, but still couldn’t create much. MLS - FC Dallas (A) With an eye towards the second leg of the NACL tie against Atlas, Lindsay rotated heavily against FC Dallas, making five changes and including some fringe players. Lindsay was certainly not confident, especially with his CB pairing. PF Urruti, however, came back into the starting 11 to score an excellent brace that earned Austin another win, despite the back line’s wobbles that led to a preventable equalizing goal when they Lindsay was thrilled with the result, both with the three points and with his team’s ability to outclass opponents even with significant rotation. NACL - CD Atlas (H) After toying a bit with his first 11 in the first few games, partially due to necessity, Lindsay decided to return to the side that had brought him so much success the year before. Criscito, who’d been playing as a CB for several matches, returned to his LB slot, with new addition CB Miller the only change from the 2022 MLS Final. Fagundez and Urruti also returned to their positions in CM and PF respectively, with Lindsay going for familiarity. From the whistle Austin were the better side. While Atlas rendered Austin ineffective in Mexico, the roles were reversed in Texas - and Austin were more dangerous. Still, it took them a while before Austin began to put real pressure on Atlas, and several decent chances weren’t finished. In the 58th minute, though, a fantastic move by Austin saw BBM Ring put CM(a) Fagundez through on goal and the MLS product slotted the ball home. Austin came close a few other times, but were unable to drive home their advantage in regular time. In the NACL quarters, there was no extra time - the tie would be decided by a shootout. The loss on penalties to Columbus in the MLS final was fresh in the minds of the squad and the fans. Would doubt creep in? Or a determination to make it right? MLS - Sporting Kansas City (H) Fresh from their victory over Atlas, Austin hosted Kansas City. There would finally be a week’s rest between games afterwards, so Lindsay picked a strong side despite only two days rest. CB Miller’s and RB Lima’s low condition, however, gave chances to Austin’s two new fullbacks in LB Venegas and RB Ataide with Criscito returning to CB. Fagundez continued his fine run of form by opening the scoring after being played through by PF Gomez in transition - rounding the keeper to finish into an empty net. The next goal was a gem, with 19 year old Brazilian RB driving in from just outside the box and finishing like a striker. Though Kansas City was able to pull one back with a stunning strike of their own, CM(a) Pochettino - on for Fagundez - finished the game off with a volley from just outside the box. A moment to highlight the young RB Ataide, who had been defying expectations in his appearances. He did his defensive duties well and progressed the ball with poise as well. The goal was a fine reward. Rated as nothing better than a future prospect, they young Brazilian was looking like he was a bargain and didn’t look at all out of depth in the MLS. MLS - Colorado (A) After a rare full week between matches, Austin began a five game “road trip” starting in Denver, Colorado. The Austin FC fans would not get to see their team play at home from March 19th to April 11th, when they would host Tigres for the return leg. As they had on the last day of the previous MLS season, Colorado gave Austin a very good game. Though Austin enjoyed a massive possession advantage, Colorado managed to hold them at arm's length - at least after an opening 20 minutes that saw Austin hit the woodwork twice. From about 20-70 minutes, it could even be said that Colorado had the better chances. Lindsay decided to push his lines up and pass more direct like he had against San Jose. He also pulled off underperforming CM(a) Pochettino for Fagundez and RB Lima (having a rare, subpar game) for young Ataide. Following the substitutions and tactical changes, Austin regained momentum. It still looked like a draw until PF Garcia came on for Urutti and instantly showed his quality with excellent movement. Austin got the breakthrough in the 86th minute. For the first goal he laid the ball off to RW Rigoni, who played in LW Druissi with a fine diagonal. Garcia turned and made an excellent run into space, ghosting away from his marker. Druissi’s delicate lob to Garcia allowed the striker to set himself and side foot home. Garcia then turned creator two minutes later, sending a ball around the corner to Druissi, who smashed the ball home from just outside the six yard box. MLS - Salt Lake (A) When PF Garcia opened the scoring after only two minutes, Lindsay had visions of another big win. While Austin dominated the match - hitting the woodwork twice again! - Real Salt Lake managed to score on a breakaway that Austin’s backline really should have delt with better. Chance after chance came and went, with both wingers failing to score with chances you’d bet on them to bury. Garcia even had a chance to win the game late when the Salt Lake keeper sent an errant pass his way, but Garcia couldn’t finish one on one. Austin’s perfect start to the season was done, their excellent first month ending with a bit of an off game, but they were still undefeated. MLS Tables Western Conference Austin led the Western conference, even with a game in hand. Most impressively, Austin was winning even without its stars starting every game. Between the NACL and the regular league matches, there was no choice but to rotate, but the improved depth was winning games. Overall As it had the previous season, the Western Conference looked the stronger one early on, with spots 1-4 all from the West. Columbus - last year’s MLS Cup winners over Austin - were showing how the MLS can change in a year as they sat in 20th place. Of course, it was still early in the season, and a single win for Columbus had the chance to catapult them up the table. NACL On the other side of the tournament bracket Columbus would face Vancouver in an all MLS Semi Final. It had to be said that Austin had been drawn in the tougher side of the bracket, facing two top Liga MX sides, while the other side was made up of mostly struggling MLS sides. Seattle were still a decent side, but Liga MX side Leon had fallen to 12th in the standings, and Vancouver were dead last in the entire MLS. Columbus, though, wasn't doing all that well either. UP NEXT - Proud Mary keep on Burnin'

Just catching up, but loving this write up. Congrats on the World Cup win! Loved the shapes and tactical write ups. And...on Manchester United. Ouch. Hard for me to root for them. When I first started watching European football the one thing I knew is that I did not like Manchester United (the people I knew who rooted for them were glory hunters, this was the 00s). I have a bit less hate for them now but still. All the same, it's the type of club that you at least answer the call from so it's a realistic move and all that. Still, enjoying seeing what Iniesta is doing with them. I also really like your style of assuming that he was hired to bring the kind of World Cup winning football to to Manchester, even if the personnel aren't quite there yet - square peg round hole and that. Rashford looks to be enjoying life under Iniesta though! Overall, decent first season(ish) in England even with the loss to Liverpool in the semi-cup Final. Find this hilarious and interesting at the same time. I love the idea of being to plug in some stuff and have it come out differently than I would have been able to do myself, but also find that sometimes trying to work out the shortcut ends up taking as much time as doing it yourself! Still worth looking into as it's fascinating tech and fun too.

How do feel about your WC chances? Obviously looked good in qualifying but who are the main threats? The big European nations seemed to underperform in the EUROs but things can change quickly…

Thanks! The picks are for the next season’s draft. @Hootieleecedefinitely has the experience here (this being my first MLS attempt) and found the same. Kind of forgot to write it up, but Austin didn’t have a 1st round pick (traded away before Lindsay’s arrival) but managed to get two decent prospects in the 2nd round. One was a big center forward and the other a pacy winger. They were only that though - prospects, and were unlikely to see much game time. Austin did get an A+ grade for the draft though! Funnily enough, Austin has been taking the opposite approach. He has 2 top players (wingers), a very good rest of the first 11, and - after this offseason - 5 versatile players who can come off the bench and do a job. The previous season there was a first 11 and…one or two players Lindsay trusted. Rotation was necessary, but Lindsay tried to mostly play the same first 11 but sub players early on a rotating basis (and hopefully after the game was won!) so that no one got too exhausted. It worked to an extent, with only a bit of jadedness, but Austin did get lucky with injuries on the whole. There was more quality depth at Austin, and a lot of very versatile players, but time will tell if Austin’s gamble will pay off.

The Silly Season Some say the transfer window in Europe is the “silly season” but it's got nothing on the MLS. First there are trades. In most American sports the only currency exchanged between clubs is players. You don’t pay a club for a player, you give them one or more players in exchange for that player. Say Club A wants Star Winger from Club B. Club B agrees to trade Star Winger to Club A for a solid RB, a goalkeeping and a winger prospect, and a future draft pick. Sometimes those three players and draft pick are not worth as much as Star Winger, but they will cost less against the Salary Cap, and maybe Club B needs to stay under the Salary Cap - more on that later. Oh, and then there’s the drafts where clubs pick players entering the league in order of how sh%t they’ve been recently. Do the best teams go first? NO! In true American fashion, we design our leagues so that the clubs who are in those leagues are ‘too big to fail’. We reward the worst teams with the best prospects. To be fair, this creates very good competition. In the last 10 years there have been 7 different champions of American Football. No team or small group of teams has a monopoly on the top spots. Occasionally a team or two will be one of the top teams year in year out for a decade or two, but that comes from having the best coaches or a generational talent. In most American sports there’s just one draft - mostly of players coming out of college sports and going pro. In MLS, there’s the ‘waivers draft’ and the ‘re-entry draft’ and then the SUPERDRAFT!!! All that draft business, though, had little to do with Austin FC’s offseason business. The only good players in the waivers and re-entry draft were those on high wages, and even though Austin’s wage budget still had plenty of room, they needed to be careful about the Salary Cap. The Salary Cap This is probably the most unfamiliar thing for those who don’t know American sports. Truth is, even as an American I get confused. This is also the biggest concern in the MLS - and something that my plan of letting the Sporting Director sort out didn’t fully work. What’s the Salary Cap? That’s where all clubs are required to keep their wages below a certain arbitrary number - regardless of what the club itself can actually afford in terms of wages. In most American sports there is little wiggle room when it comes to the cap. In Basketball, I think you can pay a fine, but in American Football, the cap is infallible. There are ways around it, like structuring deals to pay more at the back end if the team is in ‘cap trouble’ or making the contract longer, but you can’t beat the Salary Cap. In the MLS, it is done through player registration. For the 2023 season, the MLS salary cap is $5.21m per year [note: I always like to play with the standard money and style of calculating wages of whatever country I’m managing in.] You’ll notice, though, a few other requirements - a maximum number of internationals and a maximum number of Designated Players. The first is interesting, because MLS clubs can trade “International Slots” as part of player trades. In the offseason, for instance, Austin received an extra International Slot so that they could, if they wanted, have 10 non-American players in the first team. The second is ‘Designated Players’. The MLS decided to allow each team a few slots to pay for top, top players. I think this may have begun with Beckham’s arrival, but I’m not sure. This is the first wrinkle of Cap Management. These players can be paid any amount but still only count for $651k against the Cap - which is the max salary for all non Designated Players. Star man Druissi, for instance, is paid a salary of $2.3m, but only counts for $651k against the Cap. The other designated players are the opposite winger Rigoni and Captain and BBM Alexander Ring. Where it gets really weird though, is in the option to use “General Allocation Money” to “Buy down cap impact”. This General Allocation Money is provided by the MLS and serves as a sort of transfer budget or a way for teams to get under the Salary Cap. [I’m still not 100% clear on how it works]. Here’s an example - we have DM Jhohan Valencia on a $400k/y deal, but then Austin used some of the General Allocation Money to ‘buy down his cap impact’ to $200k/y. This means that, in terms of the Salary Cap, Valencia’s wages are only $200k. You’ll see above that for the bottom 5 players, their Cap Impact is only half of their salary. This would prove crucial. Austin FC Offseason With the Salary Cap the most daunting element of the offseason - Austin FC have plenty of cash, but no one can escape the Cap - all player transfers and contracts had to be with the Salary Cap in mind. RB Though Nick Lima was consistently good at rightback, the players behind him were a massive step down - and on fairly high wages for their ability. With their contracts running down, Austin let them go and picked up 19 year old Brazilian rightback Ataide. The young player certainly had a ways to grow, but at 19 he would be happy to take his chances when offered and possibly grow into a very good MLS rightback. He was a good technical player and solid defensively, and what caught Lindsay’s eye most was his ability to make good choices. CB Sporting Director Reyna brokered a trade with Philadelphia for Canadian CB/LB Kamar Miller. The Canadian, who had the added benefit of having an American second nationality, was strong, quick, and a decent passer. He wasn’t the most technical player and his decision making was somewhat questionable, but still, Lindsay appreciated this move. Not only did it add a solid depth option to the backline, but it also provided depth on the left where Criscito was looking like a potential ‘cap casualty’ that might need to be released. The 36 year old was on a max contract and with a promising LB coming in, the Italian might be on the chopping block. PF Another acquisition by Sporting Director Renya - a very good looking forward out of Finland for $350k for a very reasonable wage ($122k/y). This allowed Austin FC to get move on backup forward Djitte who was on $200k/y and taking up a valuable International slot. The sale of Djitte also added more to the General Allocation Fund, allowing Austin to do buy down more Cap Impacts. Garcia would also push forward Urutti for the starting role rather than being a clear second best, and might even be an improvement. CM(a) This one wasn’t actually a new signing, but a player returning from a loan in Argentina. Pochettino was a very good technical player with pace and an all around game that would lend itself to the CM(a) role. This would allow Fagundez to play more on the wings - where he was more comfortable. The issue was that Pochettino was on a max senior wage ($651k) and so Lindsay wasn’t sure he could keep him on the books. Salary Cap Hell Several trades were made across the offseason, mostly with secondary players that didn’t concern Lindsay. One notable player, though, was the promising but unreliable winger Rodney Reyes. With a wage of $200k and having not played nearly enough, Lindsay was glad when SD Renya traded him away - gaining draft picks, an international slot, and more general allocation money. With the regular season approaching, however, Lindsay and Renya were going to have to make some tough choices. They used every last dollar of the General Allocation Money to buy down contracts and lessen the Cap Impact. No matter what, though, there would be sacrifices. When they worked through everything they could, it then came down to a choice between two players - CM Pochettino or LB/CB Criscito. At first, Lindsay thought he would have to release both, but the Redes trade opened up enough funds to pick one. Pochettino was younger, but hadn’t been on the team the year before. He would free up Fagundez to play on the wings more - serving as high quality depth there. Criscito, though, had been a massive boost for Austin when he’d arrived. He was an intelligent, high quality player who had become a leader in the locker room. Issue was, he was 36 and with LB Venegas arriving and new arrival Miller a cheaper alternative as both LB and CB depth, it was hard to justify keeping him around. He was looking like what is known as a ‘Cap Casualty’ - a player you’d really love to keep but can’t quite afford. Until, just on the eve of the season, Atlanta United came in with an offer for Jhohan Romana - the young and already excellent CB for two first round MLS Draft picks and $1.8m in General Allocation Money. Lindsay was a bit horrified that Renya had gone and accepted it - throwing away the excellent CB partnership that was 2 out of the 3 defenders of the year - but it did mean that they were able to - barely - keep both Pochettino and Criscito. Lindsay hoped that, while his defense had been weakened, possibly his attack had been strengthened - and he was able to keep Criscito, who he rated highly, despite thinking he would have to lose him. Season Preview One of the interesting things about the MLS is its competitive parity. While fortunes ebb and flow, it is rare that a team will stay bottom or top for long. The Salary Cap forces squads to change regularly. For Austin, however, the first 11 was largely unchanged. The loss of CB Romana would likely make them a bit shakier defensively, with neither newcomer Miller or Criscito as strong or aggressive, but the addition of Pochettino in the center of midfield boosted the wing depth as Fagundez could play both there and on either wing. They also had far better depth at both fullback positions and would have a good competition between forwards Urutti and newcomer Gomez. The roster was smaller - at least in terms of players that could actually expect to play - but much higher quality depth wise. Lindsay could substitute and rest players without such a massive drop in quality. It did leave them more vulnerable to injuries, but it was a risk Lindsay was willing to take given the restrictions of the salary cap. For his part, Lindsay spent much of the offseason studying for his Continental B coaching license. The board had reservations, worried that it would help Lindsay leave them. They were right to be wary, but Lindsay planned to find work across the Atlantic based on results on the pitch instead of his coaching qualifications. UP NEXT - The North American Champions League and some MLS too

As always, love your minute-by-minute posts of big matches. Wow, Austria really pushed Spain to the very end, but congrats on the win. I was starting to wonder if it'd go to penalties!

Nice work and lovely goal in the highlights. Enjoy the holiday! I do find that sometimes some time away makes me realize what tweaks I should make - while playing too much in a sitting can give you tunnel vision.

Off season Lindsay entered the offseason proud of the run his side made to the final - where they came up just one penalty kick short of lifting the MLS Cup. In all, a fantastic first year in senior management for the young coach. With the season closing, it was time to look back a bit, and then look forward. The 2022 MLS Season Druissi, the star left winger, was certainly deserving of the honor of being the player of the season. The Argentine led the team in scoring, and always had the potential to create that moment of magic that could change a match. With Columbus dominating the league from start to finish and Austin just about catching up, it’s no surprise that the MLS Best 11 consisted of 5 from each side. Austin’s centre back pairing were joined by RB Nick Lima and Austin’s two deadly wingers. The first 11 of this Austin side was beyond question. The unit was exceptional in attack, solid defensively, and brutally effective in transition. With the mid-season additions of LB Criscito and GK Chapeco, there were no weakness in the side. Following the season, Sporting Director Reyna signed both star wingers to contract extensions for the next four seasons. Both included rather low foreign release clauses, but for general planning purposes it would allow Lindsay certainly to go into the next season with the key attacking threat out wide intact. The issue was in depth, as the drop off from the first 11 to their backups was instantly noticeable. The only exception was possibly in midfield, but even then there were only two players that Lindsay truly trusted. With much of the team signed at least through the end of the following season, and with a great deal of available payroll [wages], it seemed likely that Sporting Director Renya would be able to keep the side mostly intact, though the offseason and the draft always adds a bit of intrigue and chaos. Lindsay hoped to focus the scouts, and Renya, on adding depth to key areas - especially attacking midfield and central defense. Centerback While Austin’s first choice centerbacks came in first and 3rd in the Defender of the Year voting, the MLS final had drawn attention to the lack of depth as backup CB Casante was found out for Columbus’ equalizing goal. Casante also wanted out, and his contract would be expiring anyway - that meant adding depth in this area had to be a top priority. CM(a) While Fagundez had proved very effective in the attacking center midfield role, Lindsay was hoping for a more natural central midfielder, which would also allow Fagundez to serve as depth on the wings. With Austin qualifying for the Champions League, they would need to rotate and could not only rely on the same 11 as they had for most of the 2022 season. FBs With the backup RB turning 34, and the staring LB in Criscito turning 35, Austin would require depth at fullback. However, long before the end of the season, Sporting Director Renya and Lindsay identified and signed 24 year old LB Francisco Venegas on a future free-transfer from Mexican side Tigres. Francisco Venegas A right footed player who was a natural leftback, he would be perfect for Lindsay’s IWB role on the left side of the defense. He was quick, could pick a pass, and pretty much ticked all the boxes Lindsay could hope for in a IWB, and even had the unusual skill (for a WB) of being a good header of the ball. The one knock on him was his technique, but otherwise his composure and passing ability should serve him well. Austin would still need a decent option behind RB Nick Lima, however. PF(a) The All-Argentina front three was rounded out by Max Urruti. Though much less effective on the whole than his wide counterparts, he was still a solid contributor to the side. He even went on a run of 5 games where he scored 8 goals, and he scored a total of 17 in 35 appearances. He wasn’t a star, but he was good to very good, but he needed a decent backup. The player behind him had pace and that was about it. This was low on the list of priorities, and Austin could make do with what they had, but Lindsay hoped that the club would pick up a decent backup or someone to challenge Urruti for the starting spot. Club Vision All pretty doable. So long as Sporting Director Reyna can keep the first team together, and possibly add some depth, Austin FC looked set to challenge again for the MLS Cup. With Lindsay in charge from the beginning of preseason, would he be able to turn Austin into the dominant side in the MLS? Or would the strange nature of the MLS, with its drafts, salary caps, and other very American quirks pull apart the team? UP NEXT - The Silly Season

Good solid start. Not surprised Denmark gave you a bit of a game at the end, but you're through to the knockout stages with a chance to give some players rest and maybe test out some player combinations or tactics.

Oh no! Was it a crash that made you think "okay I'm done with this" or was it just too far back since a save? Was having fun with the OP gegenpress doing pretty well, if not quite taking the VNL by storm...

Very interesting to see "shorter passing" and "pass into space", in a good way. They seem so antithetical, but considering what you're trying to do (pull them onto you and open space in behind) it is brilliant. Like you, I'm enjoying the midblock for exactly this reason. It's not passive, and you can still win the ball far from your own goal, but you have space to attack on the counter, or by doing quick strikes after playing keep away. [Side note - that is an absolutely criminal kit matching for those highlights. Dark Green v Slightly Different Dark Green with Black Shorts!]

Good first season overall. 3rd seems a very solid foundation. I like the switch from the very possession heavy 4-3-3 to the 4-2-4. The former just doesn't have the penetration - but is great for smothering the opposition with possession as you mention - but the 4-2-4 is nicely ballanced and seemed to really open things up for you!

Here comes the bread and butter of the international job! Good warmup fixtures and a favorable group. Got to have some luck to win the tournaments and it's nice to have things a bit easier in the earlier parts of a tournament. Hopefully get some rotation in before the knockout rounds. Got to say, it's refreshing to see a Spain side that's not just Real Barcadid!

Thanks! Your notes about the payroll etc and keeping the squad together is what I'm most worried about. There's an excellent first 11, all of whom are signed through next season, but I honestly don't know how it will all work with the salary cap etc. I'm familiar with it all in theory from the NFL, but don't understand it in a strategic sense. With Lindsay being so tactics focused and hands off with the Sporting Director calling the shots, we'll see what the squad looks like after the off season... On penalties is always rough, but somehow this one didn't hit so hard as some other finals losses I've suffered in my time. I think it was that I never was sure if the side were as good as they seemed (they were) so I never quite had that expectation. The skin is @GIMN's Munsterman23 skin. Graphical attributes so you can't quite get into the nitty gritty of player differences and have to rely on stats or, in my case, more the whole general picture and the eye test. Lot of other things that I have enjoyed a lot. Good to have your vote of confidence. The draft and salary cap issues with MLS have me a bit nervous about next season - in the NFL a championship 'window' can close so quickly and suddenly your stock falls when it's less to do with the coach than the players the GM (aka Director of Football) chooses or is able to keep. This is the way. I'm torn between wanting to escape while on top and wanting to stick around a bit and see how this MLS thing works out. Maybe it is good to keep the ear to the ground while planning for another season in Austin.

VNL here we come! Funny about the physical work - really thought I saw something in there at some point but must have misread. Still - lot of xG jumps at the end of games, good chances late. We can pretend it's getting used to playing at that high tempo (or just OP tactics).

Shame about the Champions League and I haven't dealt with the odd Europa League business! Still seem to be cooking in the league though, and €€€s coming in are very nice as well.

Like the look of that 4-4-2. Kind of old school in a good way. Like the shapes and movement I can imagine getting. Of course, the 3-4-3 is always going to be fun as well.

The MLS Cup November 5, 2023 Columbus, Ohio While the game was technically treated as a neutral ground, the match would be played in Columbus, Ohio - the home field of the Columbus Crew. This would truly be a clash of the top two teams in the MLS, with both clubs emerging as the dominant force in their conference. Both were possession based sides. Both could score and defend - both had been unplayable for just about every team they came up against. What would happen when a unstoppable force met an immovable object? Tactic Lindsay decided to return to his standard tactic. Not only were Columbus a side to be respected, but Lindsay hadn’t faced them yet - and his standard tactic was a good jumping off point that he could tweak as needed. While Lindsay had used the high press very effectively against possession hungry LAFC and counter attacking Portland, Columbus had the quality to pass through the press. Instead, Columbus seemed the perfect side for Austin’s return to the ‘Coiled Spring’ that had been so effective since Lindsay’s arrival. Columbus themselves favored a high, intense press and relied on possession. Setting up in the ‘Coiled Spring’, Austin would invite Columbus to come forward with their patient possession style or press Austin high up the pitch. This would open up the space in behind and pull Columbus out of position, and Austin had enough players who could pick a pass to play out from the back and hit Columbus with their quick and skillful wingers.

Right! I was so frustrated when it was Portland who got through, but then beating them was extra satisfying. Thanks - I'm looking to focus more on tactics, less on story this time. I love both, but only have so much mental energy at the moment. The outcome of the MLS battle is COMING. RIGHT. UP!!!

I went a bit of a different route than the midfield diamond, using the roles to create what I wanted. Here's a screenshot of the final tactic - wide CMs were either MEZ or BBM and CM(a) depending. It was quite defensively solid, and while the winger issue was sometimes a bit of an Achilles heel, the midfielders provided good cover on the flanks for the most part Like the son/father angle in the side!

I'm noticing a trend of creating excellent chances late in games - especially those that are in the balance. Seems like the pressure and the physical work is paying off. As a player I will say that the main thing that could make or break a side at a less that top level is their physical conditioning/ability. I agree that it's crazy to think that a lower league side like this would be able to play that style, but it's not but just so far off to think that that conditioning would allow your side to finish matches in a way that others can't handle!

Heavy Metal Football!!!!! Dun dun dun da-da-dun dun dun!!!! [It's just a shame I couldn't get this to work as a gif(?).] Enjoy the angle of proving gengenpressing as gamebreaking. Welling United seems to be embracing the press!

The Playoffs!!! It all comes down to this. This uniquely American idea that the whole entire season is just a preamble to the playoffs!!! The MLS made it more of a big deal to win the regular season title - the regular season champion wins the Supporter’s Shield, which is a ‘major trophy’ and comes with automatic entry into the CONCACAF (or however you spell it, I can’t be bothered) Champions League, but it’s still nothing like winning the league in most of the world. At least it’s something though. In every other America. sport, the regular season means nothing if you don’t win the (usually) World Series, Championship, Super Bowl or whatever. Case and point - the New England Patriots once won 100% of their games, made the Super Bowl (finals) and lost. Failure! Boo!!!! In case you’re wondering, for all my banter, I’m all about the NFL playoffs right now. Or was, until my team’s very successful year was ‘ruined’ by an injury that left us completely helpless. That was fun. On With the Story Austin put themselves in a good position by winning the Western Conference and earning a bye - meaning they don’t have to play in the first round of the playoffs. Instead of winning four matches, they only have to win three. Still, all that good work would be for nothing if they didn't win the MLS Cup. [A-mer-i-ca, F#(K YEAH!] First up…LAFC. LAFC ended the season in 5th place and beat 4th place FC Dallas in the first round of the playoffs in a comfortable 2-0 scoreline and with 57% possession. They prefer a possession based style and feature former Arsenal player Carlos Vela and Barcelona product Cristian Tello. Austin beat LAFC under Lindsay 4-0, but that was another of the games where Austin were gifted a red card after LAFC’s striker went in for a two footed lunge after only two minutes. Would this game go similarly? Or would the California team give Austin a better match this time? In their match against Dallas, LAFC were slow in their buildup from the back. They passed slowly, cautiously until they got the ball to their front three, wearing down Dallas' concentration in the proper [*cough* painfully dull *cough*] tiki-taka style. Lindsay decided he would not let them play their game. He would put them under pressure with a high press and a much higher defensive line - along with looking to prevent short GK distribution - though he opted against a more intense press. With Austin getting over ten days of rest and LAFC only allowed a measly four following the first round, Lindsay hoped to take advantage of his sides’ freshness.