The Rise of American Football(FM13)

[Nickflyers 16]

This is an alternate reality/DB that some guy did for FM13.  Goes along a hypothetical timeline where Soccer becomes huge(Bigger than the NFL) and a nine-tier soccer league has formed with the top teams rivaling the big teams around the world.   I plan on staying in the States, but if a big name club comes calling I may cross the Atlantic
 

[Nickflyers 16]

 

 

After many offers I decide to stay close to home.

 

Press Conference:

 

You sit here as the new head coach of Allentown. Is this your dream job?

I am delighted the president of the club entrusted me with the job. Of course it's a dream job for me. After my knees gave out and I was forced to hang up my boots I really struggled to get a foothold in the soccer business. I actually had quite a few job offers, but my wife and I decided it be best if we took the Allentown job since I live so close to the clubhouse.

 

How involved do you intend to be in the day-to-day running of the club?

I like to be involved as much as time allows me to be, but I will also rely on my staff to assist with the club.

 

While some head coaches are famous for their hands-on approach, others maintain a more reserved manner with their players. How do you see your leadership style?

I think clubs work best when players feel valued as people as well as players.

 

It is often said that different head coaches favor different competitions. Will you be concentrating primarily on the NSA League One - East?

Absolutely, that competition is my main focus.

 

What would you say is your tactical approach to the game?

We need to make sure we have a balanced approach. It is little use having a brilliant frontline if you can't defend the lead.

 

What can we expect from you in the transfer market? Are you looking to splash the cash or are you more of a bargain hunter?

I will make sure all my signings are the result of thorough scouting and extensive deliberation.

 

As far as your coaching staff go, will you be bringing in your own people or will the players like George Rudd and Teddy Matkin be staying at the club?

I think it is too soon to discuss any changes I may or may not be making. Plus I don't have any of my people as this is my first club

 

You have taken charge when it is widely expected that Bill Birch will leave the club. Can you hold onto him? Do you want to?

I don't want to discuss speculations about individuals.

 

New head coaches often bring about times of upheaval and some at the club might fear for their jobs. Will there be many changes?

Everyone will have a chance to prove that they are worthy of being here. That said, I won't hesitate to cut dead-weight. Thank you guys for welcoming me to the club. I look forward to a long successful era.

[Nickflyers 16]

2012-13 Season Preview

 

Goalkeeper

When I took over we had two inexperienced 16-year old keepers with 5-star

potential, but I did not want to throw them into the fire. 25-year old Diego

Villasenor(2/2) joins us on a full season loan from Ocelotes UNACH for free,

while 23-year old Patrick McLain(3.5/4.5) signed a 2y/$1,300 per week deal

to be our starter and I expect him to lead the way. Mike Faulds and Ignacio

Gonzalez are our goalies of the future.

 

Defense

The defense was in shambles and became even worse when our star defender, Connor Harrison, requested a move

after our conversation about him moving to a bigger club went south. Thankfully there was a lot of free agents

available and willing to sign with our club. Led by 30-year old Nelson Akwari(3.5/3.5) and 25-year old Leone

Cruz(3.5/3.5) the core looks to be as solid a backline as anyone in the NSA League One-EAST. 16-year old

DC Jake Haskins(4.5P) could see some action as could D®22 year old Davis Jordan(2/4), but look for the

starting four to be Akwari-Birch-Heins-Cruz.

 

Midfield

This was easily our best area. There is loads of talent and even more potential. Ryan Santos, Charles Nobles and

Tony McManus will lead this group, while I look for great things from Cesar de Jesus. 16-year old Uriel Kelly is

another player to watch this year. Even though he is only 16 he has shown great poise as the Attacking Right

Midfielder. Kelly-Santos-Nobles will be key players in our offense with de Jesus pushing the ball up and

McManus helping out the defense as our Defensive Midfielder.

 

Strikers

Like our goaltending this was a very young and inexperienced position. Lee Guzman and Dante Dennison are our strikers

of the future, but not now. I went out and signed 30-year old David Bulow to mentor those two and to put goals in the

net for this season. Guzman and Dennison will split sub duties or starting positions when we utilize the 4-4-2.

 

 

Outlook: Media has us finishing 13th, which is just outside the relegation zone. With the signings we made though,

I have us finishing in the 9-12 range. I'd say three years and we'll challenge for promotion.

[Nickflyers 16]

Uploaded with ImageShack.usWe kicked ass to start the year. Tough draw to start, but Bulow's Hat Trick in the 2nd game led to the blowout victory. Off to a rocking start! Top of the table with the 1st month down.

Uploaded with ImageShack.usManager of the Month, not bad for a 26-year old manager!

Uploaded with ImageShack.us

[Nickflyers 16]

Allentown Golden Eagles September Results

9/8/12 - 2-1 Loss @ Olympique Baton Rouge
9/15/12 - 0-0 Draw @ Rochester(NY)
9/19/12 - 2-0 Loss @ Irving(Lamar Hunt Trophy)
9/22/12 - 4-2 Win vs Winston-Salem
9/29/12 - 0-0 Draw vs Cary Park S.C.

4th in National Soccer Association - League One East w/ 3-3-1 Record

Pretty good overall month.  Exceeding expectations at the moment.  The loss to Olympique shouldn't have happened as the team fell asleep in the first 5 minutes to fall behind 1-0 and never really recovered.  We were the favorites vs Irving, but I rested a few starters and it backfired.  Team rebounded with a 4-2 beating of Winston though.  We're only 3 points out of first(Chesapeake Bay S.C)

[Nickflyers 16]

Allentown October Report
10/6/12 - 3-0 Loss at Garden State S.C
10/13/12 - 1-1 Draw at Arlington(VA)
10/24/12 - 4-0 at Fairbanks (US Open Cup)
10/27/12 - 3-0 Win vs Columbus

Awesome recovery after that 3-0 Loss @ Garden State.  Nothing went right that game.  We had 14 Shots, but only two hit the net along with having a huge possession advantage (58-42).  Our defense vs their set pieces did us in.  Big wins vs Fairbanks and Columbus made up for it.  We're faced with an avalanche of a matchup as we drew American Premier side, San Diego in the next round of the US Open Cup.  David Bulow is 2nd in the league with 6 goals and we're sitting in a three-way tie for third with 16 points(4-4-2).  Warren is running away with the NSA Leage One East(8-1-1)

[Nickflyers 16]

Allentown November Report

11/3/12 - 2-0 Win vs Montgomery
11/14/12 - 1-0 Win @ Columbia(SC)
11/21/12 - 2-2P Win @ San Diego (US Open Cup)(HUGE UPSET)
11/24/12 - 1-0 Win vs Hialeah

Nicholas Ritt Named NSA One East Manager of the Month

Fantastic month, defense and Patrick McLain were a brick wall only allowing 2 goals to San Diego. That was a thrilling match. Ended up being a man down after Tony McManus was sent off in the 83'(Was up 2-1). San Diego tied in 90+1' but thankfully we held and went into a 5 Round shootout where McLain saved the last shot to secure our spot in the Third Round. Next up for the US Open Cup is American National League(2nd Tier) side, Charm City Soccer Club.
Record - 7-4-2 +10 GD, 25 Pts(Tied with Olympique Baton Rouge for 3rd

[Nickflyers 16]

December Report

12/8/12 - 3-0 Win @ Chesapeake Bay S.C. (NSA League One)
12/12/12 - 3-1 Loss @ Charm City S.C (U.S. Open Cup)
12/15/12 - 4-2 Win vs Jackson(MS) (NSA League One)
12/29/12 - 2-1 Win vs Chattanooga (NSA League One)

Another awesome month as far as the League was concerned. Not happy with the US Open Cup result, but our Cinderella run had to end sometime. Bad news though is that my star goalkeeper Patrick McLain is out at most two months with a Sports Hernia, so Diego Villasenor will take over goalkeeping duties. Ryan Santos is leading the league with 10 Assists, while David Bulow is tied for 2nd in goals with 9. I took home the Manager of the Month award for the 2nd straight month.

1st in NSA League One - East with 10-4-2 Record (34 Points)

 

[Nickflyers 16]

Allentown Golden Eagles January Report
1/5/13 - 3-2 Win @ Warren NSA League One - East
1/19/13 - 6-2 Win @ Fort Lauderdale - NSA League One - East
1/26/13 - 1-1 Draw vs Olympique Baton Rouge - NSA League One - East

Solid month. Two big wins and a draw to a pesty Baton Rouge side. Transfer period went without any players coming in or leaving, but I received terrible news for the squad as our star player, Ryan Santos agreed to a move to the Tucson Deputies of the American Federal League(3rd Tier) when his contract expires with us. Infuriating because it was completely out of my hands as I received an email out of the blue saying Santos agreed to a contract... Gonna have a big hole to fill unless one of my youngsters can step up.

League: 1st in NSA League 1 East with 12-5-2 Record, 41 Points

 

[Nickflyers 16]

Allentown Golden Eagles February Report
2/9/13 - 2-2 Draw @ Winston-Salem
2/16/13 - 3-1 Win @ Cary Park S.C.
2/21/13 - 2-0 Loss vs Detroit (Great Lakes Trophy)

Another solid month. The draw vs Winston-Salem was a result of a 73' send off for Bill Birch(Starting RB), but Lee Guzman tied it in the 87'. Guzman continued to light it up with a hat trick vs Cary Park. That won him the Player of the Month award and 3rd goal of the month. The Great Lakes Trophy run fell really short as we fell to Premier side, Detroit 2-0. The bad news is that Tony McManus, our starting DMC, suffered a slipped disc in his back and is out for potentially the rest of the season.

League: 1st in NSA League 1 East with 13-6-2 Record, 45 Points(7 Point lead w/ 9 games remaining.)

 

[Nickflyers 16]

Allentown Golden Eagles March Report
3/2/13 - 3-0 Win vs Rochester(NY)
3/9/13 - 2-0 Win vs Garden State S.C.
3/23/13 - 1-0 Win @ Columbus

Still kicking ass and taking names. Clinched at least a playoff spot to promote. Guzman and Buelow continue to lead the offense. The loss of Tony McManus(Out 7 Weeks - 2 Months with Slipped Disc) forced us to work with a 5-1-4 formation the whole month. Worked wonders. Took home Manager of the Month again

League: 1st in NSA League 1 East with 16-6-2 Record, 45 Points(11 Point lead w/ 6 games remaining.)

 

[Nickflyers 16]

Allentown Golden Eagles April Report

4/2/13 - 4-4 Draw @ Montgomery

4/13/13 - 2-1 Win vs Arlington

4/20/13 - 2-1 Win vs Columbia[/align]

 

Outstanding month that led to our league championship and promotion up to the NSA Championship League(4th Tier). The 4-4 draw vs Montgomery was a nail-biter. We were down 4-2 by the 52' and things were made worse when Davis Jordan was sent off in the 71'. 16-year old Lee Guzman continued his amazing rookie season with two goals in the 80' and 90'+1. The team continued the trend of dramatic wins with the remaining two wins. David Buelow scored in the 90' vs Arlington and Bastien Laamb scored in the 81' vs Columbia.

 

Shortly after securing the title I received 9 job offers from various teams in the Top three tiers of American Soccer. I told Philadelphia to give me till the end of the season to decide. Decisions, Decisions..........

 

 

 

League: 1st in NSA League 1 East with 16-6-2 Record, 45 Points(11 Point lead w/ 6 games remaining.)

[Nickflyers 16]

Allentown Golden Eagles End of Season Report

5/4/13 - 2-1 Win vs Chesapeake Bay S.C.

5/11/13 - 2-0 Loss @ Hialeah

5/18/13 - 2-1 Win @ Jackson(MS)

 

Well we finally suffered a loss. 20 Games without a loss. Won a lot of awards as a team with David Bulow winning Goal Scorer of the Year, with 17 Goals. Ryan Santos took home Player of the Year, while I took home Manager of the Year. Birch, Santos, Noble, Kelly, Bulow, and McLain were all named to the League's Team of the Year. That was a hell of a season. Took on all comers and won the league by miles. Philadelphia is calling my name so it looks like I'm going to go down I-95 and take that team back to the top(They were relegated down to the American National League). It was a tough decisions, but this opportunity seemed too good to be true.

 

 

[Nickflyers 16]

 

Staying in Allentown. I liked where the team was going and I want to be part of it.

[Nickflyers 16]

August-September Update

 

 

Awesome start to our NSA Championship season, after dropping our opener to Bridgeport we pound Augusta and Akron into the ground and draw St. Paul. Named Manager of the Month. Of course our hot start didn't come without issues as our star goalie Patrick McLain decided he wanted to bitch about going to a bigger club. Tried to convince him we were going to win promotion in the next two years, but he has no confidence in our club. Quickly showed him the door and the Columbus Bulls of the National League came calling. $500,000 in our pockets and a problematic keeper was gone. I'm not putting up with divas on my team. Sadly Austin and Roanoke took too damn long to give me an answer when I inquired about their goalies before the deadline. That puts Austin Guerrero in net as our starter. He has talent(3 STAR CA/4 STAR PA) so we'll be fine.

 

 

[Nickflyers 16]

OCTOBER 2013

 

Needless to say we had a busy month, but we kicked ass. Kept pace with Greensboro and Bridgeport in the NSA Championship - EAST while taking down Rochester(NSA League 1 East) and Corpus Christi(NSA Championship -West) in the Lamar Hunt Trophy and destroying Ceder Rapids in the US Open. Next teams in our path are St. Petersburg(Lamar Hunt)(NSA EAST) and Meriden(US OPEN)(USS NE Premier).

 

 

[Chris 273]

Love the graphics.

[Nickflyers 16]

Another excellent month. Only blemish was losing to St. Petersburg in the Lamar Hunt trophy, but we decided to start a lot of our youth after our starters played 4 days earlier. I received another Manager of the Month award after going undefeated in League play. We've taken over 1st place in the NSAC East with Greensboro nipping at our heels. Balanced scoring is leading the way with 9 different scorers(Guzman leads the way with 6).

[Nickflyers 16]

2014 WORLD CUP DRAW

Group A
Belgium
Spain
DR Congo
USA

Group B
Poland
Uruguay
Portugal
Canada

Group C
Australia
Mali
Columbia
Greece

Group D
Ireland
Venezuela
Italy
South Korea

Group E
Qatar
Brazil
Norway
Russia

Group F "Group of Death"
Holland
Germany
Costa Rica
Ghana

Group G
Mexico
Cameroon
France
Chile

Group H
Morocco
Hungary
Argentina
Japan

*England placed 2nd in their Qual Group before losing to France in the playoffs(Won 1-0 in 1st leg, lost 3-0 in 2nd)
*Ireland beat Switzerland in the playoffs
*Mali stomped Ivory Coast
*Canada beat New Zealand 6-4 Agg in the playoffs

[Beskudonec 0]

great

[ringley 0]

I enjoyed this so far. Any more?

[MariellaSun 0]

Not really

[tonyfiore 0]

Where would be and update?

[satubito10 0]

Great post!

[[email protected] 0]

very interesting