MLS Expansion - Questions.

How does FM10/How will FM11 handle the ongoing expansion of Major League Soccer in the US ?

Seattle Sounders joined in 2009, Philedelphia Union will play in the forthcoming MLS season in 2010, Vancouver Whitecaps and Portland Timbers are due to join in 2011, Montreal and a 20th, as yet unamed team, coming from one of 9 potential US cities, will join in 2012.

Given the interest in football in the US further expansions cannot be ruled out, probably not for a few years, though.

So what's going to happen if I start a game in FM10 ? what will I see, what will happen ? Can I choose Seattle or Philedelphia ? will at some point the Portland and Vancouver teams come 'into play' ? what will happen when the game reaches 2012 ?

what's planned for FM11 with regard to this ? does anyone know ?

Things they'd have to worry about:

1) Rebalancing the schedule

2) Making sure they are eligible for continental competitions

3) The Expansion draft

4) What name do you have Montreal and the Potential city teams?

I can only guess at that Philadelphia will be added and be able to play on FM 11. As regards to the expansion, not sure if FM11 will have implications to add Portland and Vancouver due to hard coding. Not sure how difficult/easy it would be to hard code into the game at the end of the first MLS season. I imagine SI have already hard coded most of FM11 ready for relase in. A few months and not sure evrything has been sorted out for the teams coming in. Roster, coaching staff, stadiu

s, etc so I doubt you'll ever see these playing in the MLS in FM11

If it is anything like the A-League's expansion nothing will be added. The entry of Melbourne Heart for 2010/2011 was known as early as September 2008 and confirmed in June 2009. Sydney Rovers was confirmed for the 2011/12 season in September 2009. Neither team was added as expansion teams for the A-League apparently due to licensing. As FM10 was released on 30 October 09 I would have thought at least Heart would have made it in - especially as players started signing for the club before the last patch came out. All that happened was the teams were added into the database but given no league.

The current editor doesn't support expansion either (I tried). I ill be dissapointed if expansion is added for the MLS but not the A-League but I won't be suprised as other rules the A-League has haven't been added in although the same rule has been added for MLS (i.e. designated player).

I emailed the Football Federation of Australia (FFA) about this issue last time expansion happened (http://community.sigames.com/showpost.php?p=1666148&postcount=1) who said it was a time issue. Hopefully as all new teams have been known for a long time it can be added. I have emailed the FFA again about this issue and will report back with the response when I get one.

I would suggest doing the same for the MLS

double post

The Montreal team is officially unnamed - but is likely to be call the Montreal Impact. As for the 20th city there is very little information, I think I have misunderstood there being a list of 9 cities, what I read was that Ottowa was one of 9 candidate cities for the 2011 expansion, not the 2012 expansion. Cities at the forfront of the running to be the 20th team would seem to be Ottowa (MLS have stated their aim to expand further in Canada), Atlanta and Birmingham (MLS have a stated desire to expand in the South East). St Louis (MLS commissioner Don Garber stated St louis was a good candidate when Philedelphia was awarded the 2010 franchise). Pheonix want an MLS franchise. Less likely but also mentioned are a reviaval of the New York Cosmos, a team in Miami. Even Less Likely Detroit and St.Paul.

So I;m guessing that 2012 teams can't be done, at least not accurately until more is known. Having said that we do know there are going to be two more teams in 2012 and I, for one, think it deminishes FM's realism if the game doesn't cope with events that we know are going to happen.

I think that's especially true for the 2010 and 2011 expansion teams, we know what the teams will be called, where they will play, how the expansion drafts will be conducted, who the owners are, and I guess likely markets in terms of crowd sizes. Nothing difficult or undoable in terms of coding there. I think the only difficulty would be at what point/how to introduce the Portland and Vancouver job.

Be it with Phildelphia or Portland or Vancouver I think the challenge of running through an expansion draft and starting a club from scratch would be a challenge that alot of people, myself included, would want to take on.

If it is anything like the A-League's expansion nothing will be added. The entry of Melbourne Heart for 2010/2011 was known as early as September 2008 and confirmed in June 2009. Sydney Rovers was confirmed for the 2011/12 season in September 2009. Neither team was added as expansion teams for the A-League apparently due to licensing. As FM10 was released on 30 October 09 I would have thought at least Heart would have made it in - especially as players started signing for the club before the last patch came out. All that happened was the teams were added into the database but given no league.

The current editor doesn't support expansion either (I tried). I ill be dissapointed if expansion is added for the MLS but not the A-League but I won't be suprised as other rules the A-League has haven't been added in although the same rule has been added for MLS (i.e. designated player).

I emailed the Football Federation of Australia (FFA) about this issue last time expansion happened (http://community.sigames.com/showpost.php?p=1666148&postcount=1) who said it was a time issue. Hopefully as all new teams have been known for a long time it can be added. I have emailed the FFA again about this issue and will report back with the response when I get one.

Interesting, Nick, thanks.

I think a good thing would be if you could put in this detail through the editor.

I find it stange that either the A-League or MLS wouldn't want their leagues to be accurately represented, if possible, in the game, I think it's more a case of SI not wanting to give themselves extra work. I think it's time to admit that we are a bit too Brit-centric when it comes to this game and what we should be aiming at is a true representation of the world's game.

I might be going insane, but i'm sure i formed an affiliate link with Philedelphia Union in FM10 :confused:

Not sure if they're managable as i don't have the US league loaded.

We can only include the teams that are in the league for the current season so, for example, Philadelphia Union would be introduced in FM 2011 and Vancouver Whitecaps / Portland Timbers in FM 2012 and the Montreal team in FM 2013 and so on.

Could you include fictional teams as stopgaps? Running an expansion team would be fun and different. The only unrealistic thing about it would be the fictional city/team name.

We can only include the teams that are in the league for the current season so, for example, Philadelphia Union would be introduced in FM 2011 and Vancouver Whitecaps / Portland Timbers in FM 2012 and the Montreal team in FM 2013 and so on.

Could you include fictional teams as stopgaps? Running an expansion team would be fun and different. The only unrealistic thing about it would be the fictional city/team name.

I would say not with the explaination. If teams that are set up and just waiting till next season to come in cannot get a guernsey then fictional teams have no hope.

We can only include the teams that are in the league for the current season so, for example, Philadelphia Union would be introduced in FM 2011 and Vancouver Whitecaps / Portland Timbers in FM 2012 and the Montreal team in FM 2013 and so on.

So if you do a USA start to a game on FM2011 do you get an expansion draft for Philedelphia, or not ?

So if you do a USA start to a game on FM2011 do you get an expansion draft for Philedelphia, or not ?

They already had one. So I'd guess not.

So if you do a USA start to a game on FM2011 do you get an expansion draft for Philedelphia, or not ?

Oh, and by the way Ter, I should have said thanks. So Thanks for answering my question.

We can only include the teams that are in the league for the current season so, for example, Philadelphia Union would be introduced in FM 2011 and Vancouver Whitecaps / Portland Timbers in FM 2012 and the Montreal team in FM 2013 and so on.

I can understand that, but could you not make it so in the FM11 editor we could expand it ourselves?? The only way we can do that now is by making a whole new competition, which if I'm honest is a right ball ache.

Also, I don't know many people I am speaking for but I would really like the lower leagues of the U.S playable. I know many Europeans don't give a monkey about it but a select few (me included) really would like to see it happen.

Wait, wait, wait.

The MLS teams you mentioned are already on FM10 on the 10.3 patch...?

Wait, wait, wait.

The MLS teams you mentioned are already on FM10 on the 10.3 patch...?

Yes, but Philly isn't actually in MLS. Same with Seattle in FM09. Sad that the license only covers the teams from the previous year (i.e. FM10 only covers the teams in MLS from 2009.)

It's all but impossible to create a new league resembeling MLS with the current editor, which is a shame. I've asked before why SI can't include a "load competition rules" feature in the editor, which would greatly help MLS/A-Leauge fans with expansion and whatnot, but never heard a reply.

The MLS is unlike any other league in the game and a lot of the stuff for that league is still hard coded so it's not as easy to edit as some of the other leagues in the game.

Again, Ter i understand what your saying about it being hard coded. Is it to difficult to add into the editor so that we can expand it ourselves though??

Also, what about playable lower leagues for the U.S?

The MLS is unlike any other league in the game and a lot of the stuff for that league is still hard coded so it's not as easy to edit as some of the other leagues in the game.

Editing the MLS is hard. (Actually it's no harder than editing any other league...but it doesn't work the way it's suppose to because of how much it is "hard coded"). Here is a suggestion..how about SI giving us two MLS's one that is hard coded and works like the current MLS and one that is not so that those of use who want to edit it can...and have it work the way it's suppose to. There has to be a way to do something like that and still have all of the CONCACAF tie-ins (CCL, SuperLiga)? Right now the MLS in FM10.3 is bugged up...it just drives me nuts that I can't hire scouts...you guys (SI) messed that up...you really should have fixed it. Plus I don't like the MLS set up as the expansion proceeds I really can't see them continuing with this whole East-West thing..but rather going with one table.

Again, Ter i understand what your saying about it being hard coded. Is it to difficult to add into the editor so that we can expand it ourselves though??

Also, what about playable lower leagues for the U.S?

Actually there is a website "FMNorthAmerica" I believe...I have it book marked at home...that has those leagues and they are playable. If you google it I'm sure you can find it and download the files....but I think you will run into some of the problems with those leagues that you run into with the MLS (due to the "hard coding") such as no scouts and such.

Actually there is a website "FMNorthAmerica" I believe...I have it book marked at home...that has those leagues and they are playable. If you google it I'm sure you can find it and download the files....but I think you will run into some of the problems with those leagues that you run into with the MLS (due to the "hard coding") such as no scouts and such.

I've already got the expansion pack from there buddy. Which is great and really enjoyable BUT there's no real players in the teams. All regen's which isnt the best IMO.

I think this newbie has to say his piece now...

I've been playing soccer management sims since the mid-'90s, when I got one of the first Championship Manager games - English competition only. And this year, I've come back full-swing and think FM10 is a wonderful game. I've shown up late for work, kept my girlfriend waiting on dates (though she's all cool with this sports management fixation of mine, he he he), slept later than I should, and been late to other miscellaneous engagements because I can't keep my hands off this great game.

But like all other sports management sims, FM10 has its flaws. And it's largely centered on my second favorite soccer league, the MLS. I just updated to 10.3.0 and here I am, using the old 10.0.0 database because 10.3.0 simply makes no sense to me. Maybe someone can enlighten me here, but here's a list of my major gripes with the new database...some of which have already been mentioned.

1) Okay, we've got Philly, but they aren't in the MLS.

2) Default start date is still January 2009. So that means Danny Mwanga, et al., will be making their MLS debuts a year before the fact? Ditto with other leagues in other nations.

3) Maybe SI could consider dynamic MLS expansion for FM11? I play OOTP as well, and one of its best features is dynamic league expansion...you get all the expansion teams in MLB history joining in the year they had joined in real life.

4) Want the Union in the MLS? I tried adding them using FM's editor, but got an error stating the MLS exceeded its maximum 15-team limit. Others take out teams they don't like (i.e. Chivas or KC in certain mods I've seen) to make way for Philly, but it still isn't the MLS as it is this year. I don't think FMRTE is much help with this either. And in any case, you still start your game in 2009.

5) Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think you can move the start year from 2009 to 2010, but even if you could, the career stats would have a gaping hole where 2009's stats should be.

What I'm trying now is using the 10.0.0 database (which has some nations unplayable - fine by me, since I never activate Russia and Belarus), then when newgens are created I'll go through the agonizing process of getting the 2010 rookies info from the 10.3.0 database, then editing with FMRTE on my 10.0.0 savegame. Yeah, it'll still be a 15-team MLS, but it's the best I can think of right now while we wait for FM11 to hit the stores.

In the meantime, I'll continue playing FM10 despite this awkward workaround - there simply isn't any better soccer management sim in the market, despite the flaws I've mentioned...