[MLS] Trading for a permanent international spot?

So I picked up the game a little while ago and I'm in 2013 with Toronto FC. I just want to say the MLS is hugely improved. I love the increasing salary caps and the internal MLS trading that can be done. There are often teams that make offers for my dead wood when I offer them for trade which is realistic IMHO and also very fun. My only real complaint is with long term injuries and their shocking effect of stats. Just play the first year as Toronto FC and watch Adrian Cann's stats plummet. I guarantee that he will not be in that shape when the league resumes... he was eventually rated at half a star lol! Dicoy Williams didn't do too much better despite being my two best defenders. Just silly. Now in most cases when someone gets an injury measured in months I try to ship them out.

Anyway I want to make my team eventually be comprised of half a core set of players both Canadian and American who fit well into my system and the other half promising regens from around the world who I make Canadian so that they hopefully play for the national team and then are sold off, if I do everything right. But despite doing a bunch of wheeling and dealing as my first step to get to a competitive position within North America, I have yet to pick up a permanent international spot. What do the AI teams want for this? I know it is a pretty valuable commodity there has to be some amount that the AI will give one up. I think the most I've offered is a youth player valued at 850k (dollars) but they still didn't accept.

Bonus points for answering this question: Why, when a player catches the flu, does it take longer to recover at home than if they came into training? It seems to me coming to work would only make things worse and staying at home might make you better faster or at least it certainly wouldn't exacerbate your recovery... it's always kinda bothered me.

Well I am sure you have heard about inguries effectively ending players careers. There are a few examples where a player has gotten fit enough to play but could recapture the form that they had before hand.

Also, the Flu reasoning is that in training he will have better treatment (food, etc...) than if he stayed at home slobbing about, and knowing footballers go out drinking.

Hmm well I understand that some players' careers are effectively ended or drastically reduced by injury but most aren't. If it happens sometimes then it's fine, though annoying from a fun perspective. But it seems to be a guarantee that injury will obliterate every player if they are out for a while. And that flu explanation makes no sense. There is no treatment or food that can be administered at the club that couldn't be hugely more efficiently administered at home. I deny you your bonus points lol.

Also I have an update to my post. I picked up a player by the name of Tony Beltran on a free a couple of seasons ago and he just got injured for 4 months. I immediately offer him to MLS clubs. San Jose offered me and international spot for 5 years and I took it. Beltran was only valued at 150k (again dollars). He was part of my first team but he isn't that great. Again, has anyone traded for a permanent slot and what did it take?

Glad to see someone is playing MLS! I would love to play in it but everything is so restrictive (compared to EPL). Hopefully I can give a try, seeing I've heard it is a lot better this year!!

I think the flu is just to make it a choice, if it took the same time there would be no decision to make. Send the guy home and don't risk anyone else coming down with it.

If I may deviate a littel here CM. Myself and a mate are considering a net sesh playing in the MLS. We want to cap it at not playing as the top four clubs. Who would they be on a general basis? We want a kind of lower league flavour to it.

I never tried trading for a permanent international slot and I think teams are going to very wary about trading one. Like I managed to get a 5 year slot after trading Steve Zakuani away but I think acquiring a permanent slot away from another team. I would definitely value an international slot a lot more than some players just because they give so much flexibility for transfers.

Its something I'd like to try myself but I just can't stand their transfer system.

If the MLS changed to what Europe has, I honestly believe they could have 1 of the best leagues in the world.

Most of the owners of the teams out there are all filthy rich.

Bonus points for answering this question: Why, when a player catches the flu, does it take longer to recover at home than if they came into training? It seems to me coming to work would only make things worse and staying at home might make you better faster or at least it certainly wouldn't exacerbate your recovery... it's always kinda bothered me.

Must be man-flu.

So has no one even successfully traded for one lol? I have a young regen valued at about 2mil maybe I'll offer him up see if I can get one. Or maybe I'll target some really expensive players and offer one of my spots and see who is the most expensive player I can get with one (and then immediately cancel lol). I'm almost done with this season so I'll update after that.

If I may deviate a littel here CM. Myself and a mate are considering a net sesh playing in the MLS. We want to cap it at not playing as the top four clubs. Who would they be on a general basis? We want a kind of lower league flavour to it.

So you don't want to play as the top 4 clubs in the MLS right (sorry I'm a bit tired). I'd say the top 4 in the MLS are Seattle, Los Angeles and New York. Actually New York suck in my save but they are generally considered one of the best teams. The 4th might be Toronto (at least on paper and possibly this game) but I don't know since I'm playing them and I'm incredibly biased... so I'll say FC Dallas since they beat me in my first MLS Cup final and came 4th in the league IRL. Houston considering they were just in the MLS cup final in real life and Real Salt Lake are also strong. There is a lot of equality between the teams and if you are a good manager you can really do well since it depends less on money than other leagues obviously. I'd recommend playing as Vancouver. Though generally considered a poor side (they came in last IRL this year) they did well in the first year in my save and there is potential for a lot of growth I think, plus they seem to have good attendance and if you can keep an international around for 3ish years they become Canadian which is much faster than in America. Philidelphia and Chicago could do well. Plus Toronto... decent team if you sort out the defence.

In general if people are reading this thread though I do recommend the MLS. It is different but it has definitely been hugely improved on this year. It does take a bit of getting used to but it really isn't so much about money in the MLS it's about how you use it and provides a different but good challenge. Managing the international spots and salary cap, and finances in general since they seem pretty tight (though I can't say that for every team necessarily). I'm about to lose Torsten Frings to retirement and now I get to hunt for a new DP. I'm hoping to find someone on an expiring contract or a free... fun stuff! If anyone has other questions about MLS I'd be happy to answer them in this thread I don't mind the derailment, though the mods might.

@Wyer The transfer system isn't that bad and you don't have to trade player for player. In fact I haven't done a player exchange yet. Teams will still buy players for money almost all the time unless they have none. Or they will exchange a draft pick which is often good. And ya, if North America was as big on football as they are on their other sports they would almost certainly be rivals to the premier league and la liga etc., if not even better. They spend a ton on athletes in the other sports and there is a huge American talent base to draw from but ya... MLS has tons of problems and the culture just isn't right, but it's getting there. So maybe one day.

Well I think the flu thing should just be "Player X called in and said he's not feeling well he'll probably be home for 4 days while he recovers." And then you get a button saying "Make him come to training" which would keep him training but he can spread the flu. Of course no one would click the button anyway. And he is available for games but he will just have reduced fitness depending on how bad his cold is but you won't have had to make him come to training to play him though. So almost the same as it is now except change the wording and tweak the options.

If I may deviate a littel here CM. Myself and a mate are considering a net sesh playing in the MLS. We want to cap it at not playing as the top four clubs. Who would they be on a general basis? We want a kind of lower league flavour to it.

I'd avoid Seattle, RSL, Los Angeles, and New York; those are probably the four strongest teams. Although, really, with the way that MLS lets you trade and transfer, it's pretty easy to build any team up in the first year, and since more than half of the teams make the playoffs you might be able to get lucky; I won the Supporter's Shield at Portland in my first year with a bit of luck and a ton of transfers (pretty much every time someone got hurt long term I would go out and trade for a replacement).