Enough about those other teams, it's Springfield time.
Last season I took the job in late June and spent the entire preseason scrambling to build a functioning team. I was never fully comfortable with the complex, wobbly, and definitely exploitable Wrath of Cod, but I relied on some very good players(at this level) and some luck throughout the season. I also made some moves(or lack thereof) that really hurt me. Only loaning Edson Thompson for 3 months and never finding a real replacement and my inability to find(or convert) two fullbacks were two big ones.
This preseason we hit the ground running. I had many deals finalized before the preseason even started(late June). I did somewhat hamstring myself by extending almost the entire roster last season when in a mini-crisis, but our salary budget jumped from $130,000 p/a to $170,000 so I had some room to make some moves.
My first two signings won't surprise anyone, I brought in two fullbacks(Dan Gage and Justin Pennant.) Dan Gage has the added bonuses that he can play both left back and center back, is decent going forward(especially so for this level), though I'm unsure how much I'll use that, and he's also a scout. And a pretty good scout. In fact, my best scout(8/8). Pennant looks like a solid defensive fullback.
I also signed a few midfielders- Ty Islas, Chris Griffin, and Eddie Sparks. King and Burke were solid last season, but I lacked options and we weren't great in the air in the midfield. Islas is a defensive mid that my scouts loved. There's a lot to like about him(5/5 every report), one minor quibble is that he's only 5'10 and has 5 jumping. Our midfield has lacked height and aerial ability(outside of a wing player in Dominguez) and Islas, while okay in that department, isn't an ideal fit. However, he has some strong attributes(outside of annoyingly low anticipation and bravery ratings.)
Griffin adds options, he's a MC/ML that can cross but also has solid enough stats(outside of tackling) that make him a decent option as a central midfielder. Sparks wasn't as highly rated as my other signings but I was determined to bring him in. He's a good all-around midfielder(like King) but can play as a AM like Burke. So why bring in Sparks when I have Islas, Burke, and King? His size. He's 6'2 and with his all-around attributes, he can make a nice box-to-box midfielder and compliment our more diminutive midfielders.
But my biggest signing of the season was another forward. I did re-sign Paul Clark, Muttonchops has another year, and I have a plethora of forwards/AMs on the roster. But this guy was too tempting to pass up. In fact, I even cleared some salary room by transferring($0) Louie Taylor to Des Moines(Danbury was in on him, but I made sure he went out of the league.) He was the least versatile of my forwards, and while I was a little unnerved other teams were eager to sign him, I felt he was the player I was most willing to lose. Jack Dale might be a lesser player overall, but he can more easily play out wide and as a forward.
Frank Grella is the forward I signed. I actually got lucky. Our negotiations broke down a couple times as I tried to nickel and dime him.
Needless to say, I'm really excited about the potential of a Muller-Grella partnership up top.
Not just limited to personnel, I signed two new coaches and a new assistant manager(one that hopefully won't disagree with me on every player.)
As you can probably tell from my tone, I was feeling pretty happy going into my preseason games. I had most my business done, none felt like stopgaps(outside of Griffin.) We started the preseason away to Salem(OR!!!) because they were stupid enough to pay us $40k to go out there and they would be a tough game(2 tiers above us.) I expected a loss, but a combative one, and we delivered a strong performance, a 3-2 win(they scored their first 6 minutes in and their last in the 90th when my loaned-in back-up keeper let one go through his hands.) I was feeling downright cocky until...
Burke tore his ACL. Done for the season.
And it got worse. Players started going down like crazy, so much that I wondered if I should cancel my annual invitational friendly cup.
(Parish is a loaned in player from Queens, NY, can play both fullback spots.)
Luckily only Burke is a long-term one(done for the season.) Everyone else should be back right around the time the season starts, but our squad's match fitness will be in bad shape.
The Burke injured killed my plans. Burke was so productive last season and I was pretty set on a semi-diamond formation with him up top, supported in the midfield by King, Islas, and Sparks. Unfortunately that went out the window and I started to scramble for replacements. I weighed the idea of Sparks moving up into the AM spot, but the whole reason I signed him was to play alongside our deeper sitting midfielders and the potential new starters(Wrali, Griffin) were players I didn't really want to see starting much of the season. Every potential loan deal was rejected by players, no players were on the market that fit either Burke or Sparks' potential role, my preseason was in chaos. Icarus and all that.
Despite all that, we won the rest of our games, and did so mostly in convincing fashion. We won the non-cancelled Springfield Intivational. We beat our U-18 team and then West Hartford 3-2 in a thrilling final(Muttonchops with a late winner.) I Woonscheduled Woonsocket again and it was probably our tightest game of the preseason, Muller woonsucker-punched them with a 88th minute winner(1-0). We finished with Bristol, a team that while relegated gave me trouble in the league last season. We only won 1-0, but looked comfortable the whole way. We even had 14 shots(in one game against Bristol last season we managed 0.)
All in all, a very strong preseason, but the Burke loss really stings. I've yet to play a single game in this tier, but I was feeling confident(maybe overly so) in my squad up until the Burke news hit. I'm now somewhat optimistic after an undefeated preseason.
Here's the set-up I will be using in our opening match against Newark(DE):
Flexington
(Fowler is the keeper. Only signed a back-up keeper on a loan. Not named McDermott.)
The Wrath of Cod was mothballed. I'm determined to use a four-man back line and while the Wrath of Cod was molded so closely around certain personnel, Flexington is more adaptable. Now that my squad is deeper, I've created two other situational formations that compliment it- Conscore(Flexington and Conscore) and Bunker Hill. When I was making adjustments with the WoC, like for instance bunkering, it would require at least one personnel change(typically multiple) to work. With Flexington, Conscore, and Bunker Hill, the switches in set-ups don't demand a similar personnel overhaul.
For instance Flexington->Conscore, Sparks moves up to AM, AML(Clark in the formation above) moves to a forward. Flexington->Bunker Hill, Grella moves to AMR, Islas drops to DM.
I didn't write much about my youth team. The real news is that one player looks decent, a DM named Jaydin Serrano, that has strong physical and decent mental stats for a DM, but is only 5'7. The only other real notable youth team news is that I moved both Carl Petersen and Ivan Dominguez down from the senior team into the U-18s. I felt bad about the Dominguez move, he played such a critical role last season, but we likely won't be using a MR unless things go awry, and he's just not a good enough central midfielder compared to Wrali and Griffin.
The rest of my youth intake was pretty weak, but I signed almost everybody for immersion(I hate greyed out players.)
Side-note: I forgot to upload the league, but I'll do that before the next update.