MLS Save Help

[jimbobBRFC]

I want to start a save somewhere different that isnt just buy players play league games etc. The MLS has always interested me but has also always confused me. Could anyone give me a brief, eeasy to understand rundown of how the league works. I.e. draft picks, the big player rule (LA Galaxy have Beckham etc) just so I have enough info to get me going.

Cheers in advance

Jimbob

[askep]

No relegation, top 4 go into playoffs. Four teams make it into continental competition. Maximum squad size of 30, of those 2 or 3 (recent expansion franchises have 3) can be "designated players", which means that no matter how much money they're on, they contribute only £4k p/w to the salary cap. The salary cap counts all players apart from players on Developmental and Senior Entry Level (amount rises with salary cap) and Generation adidas contracts. Salary cap increases every season (I'm currently in 2015 where it is £39,121 p/w). 8 internationals (non-US citizens) maximum, although you can trade away or trade for international slots, although they seem quite hard to get off clubs. U.S citizenship takes five years to gain, so there is a premium on second nationality Americans as well.

150 players not generated at MLS clubs go into the draft, some in their late teens, some as late as 23/24 to simulate the college experience. Other than that it works like any other draft, with the lowest-placed team from last season picking first and the MLS Cup winner picking last in each of the three rounds. There's also a supplemental draft for the remaining players.

The Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup is very "small team" friendly with lower league opposition always playing at home, they can go quite far in the competition, in my five seasons there there's only been twp all-MLS finals.

Trading between teams is one of the things I find most appealing with the MLS, resulting in more player swaps and draft pick/international slot deals than just the bog standard cash deals. This is also due to the fact that "transfer money" per sé is trickier to get as the MLS takes a big chunk of the transfer fee. Maximum you can get for your allocation fund is £400k. I sold Brek Shea for £7.5M and still only got that, so when selling for more than £800k I would take a smaller fee but try to get a clause like 50% of the next fee, especially if they're young and can develop more.

Uhhh, other than that I don't know. Have fun with it, once you get to grips with the flow of the fixtures and important dates such as contract guarantee dates and transfer windows it's no more complicated than any other league, just a bit more restrictive and challenging.

[jimbobBRFC]

Cheers mate top help this is.

[askep]

Sure thing, hope it was coherent... One last thing, I'm playing with Seattle and in five seasons, despite winning every competition except the Club World Championship and raking in millions I haven't been able to upgrade my youth recruitment, and Seattle's is quite low to begin with (9). If this is an issue for your save, and it's a bit annoying for me as I love nurturing young local talent, I would suggest taking control of someone with better youth recruitment (Dallas the highest). No idea if this is hardcoded for Seattle, the entire league or what, but it's worth considering.

[jimbobBRFC]

Sure thing, hope it was coherent... One last thing, I'm playing with Seattle and in five seasons, despite winning every competition except the Club World Championship and raking in millions I haven't been able to upgrade my youth recruitment, and Seattle's is quite low to begin with (9). If this is an issue for your save, and it's a bit annoying for me as I love nurturing young local talent, I would suggest taking control of someone with better youth recruitment (Dallas the highest). No idea if this is hardcoded for Seattle, the entire league or what, but it's worth considering.

Cheers again, I was going to ask about the Club World Championship as Ive never heard of an American club contesting it. How do you qualify for it?

[askep]

Win the CONCACAF Champions League (North American Champions League in the game). There's a good reason you've never heard of that, no US team has ever won it, so it's been mostly Mexican teams. Real Salt Lake became the first MLS club in the final last year though, so the US is catching up.

[jimbobBRFC]

Win the CONCACAF Champions League (North American Champions League in the game). There's a good reason you've never heard of that, no US team has ever won it, so it's been mostly Mexican teams. Real Salt Lake became the first MLS club in the final last year though, so the US is catching up.

Mexican teams? Strange one didnt think they were that big on football. So you dont play against any South American teams, I though it was the whole of america represented in the Club World Cup by one team. Who would you recommend as a good starting team whilst I get used to the league? Finally is it possible to do what Galaxy do with Donavan in FM, i.e loan to Everton whilst they are on the christmas break?

Do you mind me me PMing you if I have any other questions once I get the save started tonight?

[askep]

Oh no, football is by far the most popular sport in Mexico. South American teams do do a lot better than North American at the CWC though, best placed finish for a CONCACAF team is 3rd. Still haven't been able to win it myself despite two appearances in the final. I haven't seen any Donovan/Beckham/Henry type loans even be considered, although I only have the NA and SA leagues loaded as playable.

It's quite a close league, a few good personnel moves can really turn a team around, so any team can be a possible contender even if they had a poor season the year before. I chose Seattle because they have great fans IRL and I would really love to travel there. Their youth recruitment is a bit restrictive to my goal of one day managing the USMNT to the World Cup, Dallas would probably be the best bet for that if I were to start over, but it depends on how you want to play. Big free agents are likelier to come to the big city, high rep clubs such as New York and LA. The advantages for the Canadian clubs is that there is an extra spot into the NACL through the Canadian Championship and Canadian citizenship is quicker to attain than US (3 years rather than 5) and Canadian players count as internationals at US clubs whereas US players aren't in Canada.

Sure, go ahead

[jimbobBRFC]

Oh no, football is by far the most popular sport in Mexico. South American teams do do a lot better than North American at the CWC though, best placed finish for a CONCACAF team is 3rd. Still haven't been able to win it myself despite two appearances in the final. I haven't seen any Donovan/Beckham/Henry type loans even be considered, although I only have the NA and SA leagues loaded as playable.

It's quite a close league, a few good personnel moves can really turn a team around, so any team can be a possible contender even if they had a poor season the year before. I chose Seattle because they have great fans IRL and I would really love to travel there. Their youth recruitment is a bit restrictive to my goal of one day managing the USMNT to the World Cup, Dallas would probably be the best bet for that if I were to start over, but it depends on how you want to play. Big free agents are likelier to come to the big city, high rep clubs such as New York and LA. The advantages for the Canadian clubs is that there is an extra spot into the NACL through the Canadian Championship and Canadian citizenship is quicker to attain than US (3 years rather than 5) and Canadian players count as internationals at US clubs whereas US players aren't in Canada.

Sure, go ahead

Yeah I think that makes some sort of sense :P Its all about being a shrew operator in the transfer market and your draft picks from what I gather. Ill have a go at it tonight and message you if I have any problems.

Cheers again for all your help mate

[askep]

No sweat. Follow your heart

[SmithRDFC]

Congratulations you have picked a fantastic path, 7 virtual years with Houston Dynamo and I've never looked back.
Don't be too tempted to break the bank on some european superstar, an experienced and determined team can win that league even without any exceptional indiviuals. Although Brad Davis ruling the left wing does help.
A nice challange would be New England. Founding members of the league, no title but a lot of MLS Finals. One league win and you could be a hero.

[jimbobBRFC]

Congratulations you have picked a fantastic path, 7 virtual years with Houston Dynamo and I've never looked back.
Don't be too tempted to break the bank on some european superstar, an experienced and determined team can win that league even without any exceptional indiviuals. Although Brad Davis ruling the left wing does help.
A nice challange would be New England. Founding members of the league, no title but a lot of MLS Finals. One league win and you could be a hero.

Thanks, Ive always fancied the MLS the league rules have just always put me off just seems so confusing. I like a challenge so New England seem a good shout, although might go for Red Bulls or Galaxy to start with simply because they seem to have the best starting squads (tell me if im wrong) so should give me a bit of an easier start to life in America

[askep]

They're contenders for sure, but not much wiggle room in terms of salary cap I think, so might be restrictive in that sense if you like to make a lot of/big name signings.

[Palermo07]

Love the MLS...can go from starting 13-0-2, to losing about more then half of your games to finish off the season. One thing I always make sure is to sign as many good versatile backups as possible to cheap contracts. They become very useful during the insane amount of games you will encounter toward the end of the summer.

[cerud]

I wrote this on MLS contracts last year. Thought it might help you.

Contracts

Contracts in the MLS have different names than in other league. This is because MLS league roster rules only allow a certain number of players from each type of contract type. This is becuase the league wants to try and avoid franchises with richer owners from basically "buying" a title, rather than trying to win one through a balanced team.

The types of contracts are:
-Designated Player
-Senior
-Senior Entry
-Developmental
-Academy Apprentice
-Generation Adidas

Designated Player (DP) Contracts

Each team is offered the opportunity to sign 2 marquee players under a DP contract. In this, the franchise can offer the player whatever wages they deem worthy; however, only a portion of this is counted against that team's salary cap. The amount that is counted against the salary cap is subject to change year-to-year as the salary cap itself gets raised.

For example, in my game with the Vancouver Whitecaps, I have Ilsinho signed at $2 400 000. However, currently only $325 000 is being counted towards my salary cap. This good otherwise, I'd be maxing out my wage budget on a single player. The benefit is that this enabled MLS clubs to bring in world class players (depending on the club's reputation, facilities, etc.), that they would normally not be able to have.

There also exists the option for a team to have a third DP contract slot. In order for this to happen, they must make a payment of $250 000, which is then divided equally among the teams who have not bought a third DP slot. The teams receive this in the form of allocation funds.

Senior Contracts

Senior contracts will likley make up the bulk of your squad. You are allowed to have 20 players on a senior contract. These contracts can be signed for players under a backup, rotation, or first team level.

There is a basement and ceiling for the amount a team is able to offer for these contracts. This is also subject to change depending on any changes to the yearly salary cap. Basically, a senior contract cannot be signed for lower than the basement level or higher than the ceiling level. Additionally, the ceiling should match the ammount that a DP contract counts on the salary cap.

Senior Entry Contracts

These contracts can only be offered at a backup level. They have a much lower basement and ceiling level, which mirrors that fact that a player under such a contract can only be listed as a backup.

The nice thing about these contracts is that they do not count against the twenty senior level players allowed on your squad. So, if you are starting to max out your senior contracts and need a few backup players, think about senior entry contracts. Remember, given the much lower wage amount allowed, not all players that will sign a backup contract will do so under a senior entry contract. They may want a senior contract at a backup level in order to get higher wages.

Developmental Contracts

Developmental Contracts are for your hot prospects. These will be younger players that are not already good enough to warrant a higher level contract. You are only allowed to sign A Developmental contract for the specified wages listed. Again, these are subject to change as the salary cap changes.

Academy Apprentice (AA) Contracts

All MLS clubs have their own academies, usually listed as a feeder club for your team. You will receive players from this academy team, around 3 to 5 a year. These players will be signed at specified wages as well, albiet lower than a Developmental contract.

Generation Adidas (GA) Contracts

During the lead up to the MLS SuperDraft, fifteen players are selected as Generation Adidas. These players are considered to be the best of that year's draft. These contracts are at the back up level and are worth more than the Developmental contract.

If you select a player in the draft that is listed as GA, their wages will be specified depending on the salary cap, usually a little higher than a developmental contract.


Squad Registration Rules

Now that you have a basic understanding of MLS contracts, you need to know how they all factor into the squad registration rules and squad makeup. The squad registration rules are as follows:

-Maximum squad size of 30 players
-Maximum of 2 Designated Players in the squad
-Maximum of 8 Internationals
-Maximum of 20 Senior Roster Players
-Maximum of 8 Developmental Players (including Academy Apprentice)
-Maximum of 3 Senior goalkeepers in the squad
-Maximum of 4 goalkeepers in the squad
-Maximum Squad Salary dependant on the salary cap
-Minimum Squad Size of 15 Players
-Maximum of 27 non-Canadian Players (Canadian teams only)

Maximum Squad Size of 30 Players

This is self explanatory. You are allowed to have a maximum of 30 players registered at any one time. However, you can have more players on your team. You just can't have them registered.

Maximum of 2 Designated Players in the Squad

Of the players registered, only 2 can be under the DP contract. However, if you have purchased a third DP slot, then this will be raises accordingly.

Maximum of 8 Internationals

Out of the players registered, only 8 are allowed to be international. This means that all other players must have as their first or second nationality either Canada or the United States.

Maximum of 20 Senior Roster Players

As explained in the Senior Contract section, you are allowed to only register 20 players with a senior contract. Other registered players must have a different contract type. It is important to note that a DP contract is considered a Senior contract for squad registration purposes.

Maximum of 8 Developmental Players (including Academy Apprentice)

Out of your maximum 30 registered players, only 8 are allowed to have either a Developmental or AA contract.




Hope this helps!

[jimbobBRFC]

Cheers for all the advice everyone, just thought Id give an update on how Im finding things. Started a save with LA Galaxy, they seemed to have the best squad to start with just whilst I got used to how the league works. Managing ok, waiver drafts, allocation funds and the draft picks still have me a little confused but Im getting there. Found a GA DR who seems an absoloute beast, nearly challenging for the first team at 15 :P. Drew first game 2-2 aaginst Seattle, made the mistake of letting half my first team squad play in the reserves two days before the game so had some very tired legs.

Absoloutely loving the MLS, so much more restrictive but it makes the game so much better. Thanks again for all your help, could anyone recommend me a good challenging team with top class youth facilities? Want something a little more challenging when the Galaxy save runs its cours.e

[askep]

Great to hear! As stated, I've not been able to upgrade youth recruitment even once with Seattle in five full seasons, so if this is constant throughout the MLS, the best bet is probably DC United, who have the highest youth recruitment to start with. LA is pretty good too though, so could just stick with them and their pleasant colour scheme (Seattle's green and blue is a bit grating by now.)

That said, my academy at Seattle (average youth recruitment) just churned out a 191PA AM C/ST!

[jimbobBRFC]

Great to hear! As stated, I've not been able to upgrade youth recruitment even once with Seattle in five full seasons, so if this is constant throughout the MLS, the best bet is probably DC United, who have the highest youth recruitment to start with. LA is pretty good too though, so could just stick with them and their pleasant colour scheme (Seattle's green and blue is a bit grating by now.)

That said, my academy at Seattle (average youth recruitment) just churned out a 191PA AM C/ST!

Ahh right yeah, just had a proper scroll back through and saw your comment about DC United. Im just going to stick with Galaxy for the minute yeah and see how it goes. When the youth intake comes in can you sign all of them same as the European leagues or is there anything different because its the MLS?

Oh right, very average youth recruitment then

EDIT: oh and playing with Galaxy with Beckham, Donavan and Keane is absoloutely unstoppable. Donavan is absoloutley unbelievable.

[askep]

They come in on an Academy deal, so you can't sign (effectively re-sign) them for a few months. Haven't had anyone who didn't accept a Developmental deal yet, so they don't really feature in the salary cap or the senior player limit for a few years unless you sign them to longer-term senior deals.

Yeah, Donovan was a beast before he left for Porto. Due to become a coach this summer (2016). Keane an excellent player too, although I think better at AM C than ST now that he's lost all pace, but Sigi keeps playing him at ST, even at 35.

[jimbobBRFC]

They come in on an Academy deal, so you can't sign (effectively re-sign) them for a few months. Haven't had anyone who didn't accept a Developmental deal yet, so they don't really feature in the salary cap or the senior player limit for a few years unless you sign them to longer-term senior deals.

Yeah, Donovan was a beast before he left for Porto. Due to become a coach this summer (2016). Keane an excellent player too, although I think better at AM C than ST now that he's lost all pace, but Sigi keeps playing him at ST, even at 35.

Ahhh right so its easy enough to sign them

I play him up top as a DLF, so it almost is an AMC, he drops deep links up well with Donavan and scores his fair share of goals. Whats it like for attracting players like Lampard, Gerrard etc. Big European players who would come over to finish their careers? Have you signed anyone big?

[askep]

Sounds exactly right for him. I've not really gone for older players as much as I like having a very athletic, quick squad. If I did spring for someone 30+ I think I would go for central defenders with great mentals, not really had the chance so far though.

Signed Daniel Sturridge after he was released by Chelsea, tore it up before conspiring to get himself injured two years in a row for the CWC and asking for more money constantly, which I have almost zero tolerance for, so sold him back to Europe. Tried to sign Cristiano Ronaldo after he was released by Real, but agent wouldn't even entertain the thought. Went to Porto in the end. Will definitely try for him in 2017 (he'll be 32 then) if he doesn't re-sign, huge reputation.

Edit: Oh hang on, completely forget myself. Not as huge a star as Cristiano obviously, but had Arne Friedrich on a Senior Entry Level contract until 2014. Very effective, model pro and remained somewhat mobile a few years into his thirties.

[edgar555]

Jimbob this GPTG thread might be of interest: http://community.sigames.com/showthr...24#post7225124

[jimbobBRFC]

Jimbob this GPTG thread might be of interest: http://community.sigames.com/showthr...24#post7225124

Been looking for that thread for ages mate, couldnt find it your a life saver

Sounds exactly right for him. I've not really gone for older players as much as I like having a very athletic, quick squad. If I did spring for someone 30+ I think I would go for central defenders with great mentals, not really had the chance so far though.

Signed Daniel Sturridge after he was released by Chelsea, tore it up before conspiring to get himself injured two years in a row for the CWC and asking for more money constantly, which I have almost zero tolerance for, so sold him back to Europe. Tried to sign Cristiano Ronaldo after he was released by Real, but agent wouldn't even entertain the thought. Went to Porto in the end. Will definitely try for him in 2017 (he'll be 32 then) if he doesn't re-sign, huge reputation.

Edit: Oh hang on, completely forget myself. Not as huge a star as Cristiano obviously, but had Arne Friedrich on a Senior Entry Level contract until 2014. Very effective, model pro and remained somewhat mobile a few years into his thirties.

Ronaldo haha, very big player if you managed to bring him over :P somehow cant see that happening though. Sturridge is a good signing, can imagin if he is anything like his current self he ripped the league to bits. Injuries always seem to happen at the worst of times how do you go about scouting the big players from overseas? Do you have your scouts out looking for them specifically?

[askep]

Not really. Usually it's just around season's end (December) I check whose contracts are due to run out that summer and just shortlist a few of the more likely to not re-sign with those clubs and who I think could be enticed over. Most probably re-sign, but I monitor the interest in the few who are let go. Then I usually just bide my time and make an offer a month or so after their contract ends and their wage demands has come to a more reasonable level.

N/S American talent I approach to sign when I can though, you can get very good squad players this way and unless they're superstars (and headed for Europe anyway) you can compete for a lot of them, not necessarily exclusively as DP's either.

I have scouts throughout the Americas, then a few throughout the markets where the MLS is a step up, like Eastern Europe, Asia, Africa etc., just had my Cameroonian DM come runner-up to Yaya Touré in the African Player of the Year and be named African Young Player of the Year. So cheap to snatch up talented youngsters from there.

[Wasp]

Would managing in the MLS be a bit more like the general manager in baseball? Or is it just a more complex structure than what we're used to in Europe?

[looknohands]

Would managing in the MLS be a bit more like the general manager in baseball? Or is it just a more complex structure than what we're used to in Europe?

More complex structure, really. It's a blast to play once you get the hang of it...but the learning curve can be pretty steep.

[looknohands]

Ronaldo haha, very big player if you managed to bring him over :P somehow cant see that happening though. Sturridge is a good signing, can imagin if he is anything like his current self he ripped the league to bits. Injuries always seem to happen at the worst of times how do you go about scouting the big players from overseas? Do you have your scouts out looking for them specifically?

I just signed Kaka to my Toronto FC squad (2014) after Real offered him to me for $5.75 million. Had to give him a 5 year deal and pay his agent over $3million to sign him, as my board would only let me offer $6.5mil/year and he was asking for almost $9mil/year.

The much easier way to build up a team is to scout the Brazilian U-20 team and snatch up players on youth contracts for a small fee. Otherwise, focus your scouting on South America to find talented players that will sign for little money.

[naxos]

I played six seasons in the MLS with some success - a couple things I learned (disclaimer: monetary figures will be in $, as that's what I used):
- The computer overvalues draft picks and you can use this to game the trade market somewhat. Picks are evaluated as a certain value -- eg, $475k for a 1st rounder in the next draft, $425k for a 1st rounder the following year, $100k for a third round pick, etc. However, in reality most picks will not actually produce a player that is of any use. In fact, it's rare for even a second-round pick to be any good. However, the computer will value traded picks at their estimated value, and this lets you bundle 5-6 garbage picks and have the computer value it at, say, $700k -- enough to sign a pretty good player from a US club.
- Similarly, the computer is not sophisticated about evaluating player worth in trades. Use this to your advantage.
- If you are playing with any other leagues active, MLS will be treated like a feeder system. Embrace this and you will have unlimited money: pick up good prospects via first-round draft picks, offers from agents, or overseas scouting (particularly south/central america), play the hell out of them to get them experience, and sell them to European clubs for $10m+. Keeping very good players in the long-term is impossible, as all but the most loyal will eventually want to play in a different league.
- In my experience, be wary of signing players from Mexico. The depth of the league (and their rules regarding youth) means that you will have to overpay for players relative to other parts of Central America, and players will expect much higher salaries.
- The NACL (apparently the game doesn't have a licensing deal with "CONCACAF") totally blows: the knockout rounds (quarterfinals) begin during MLS pre-season. If you qualify, you'll need to spend the first few weeks of pre-season getting your first team match-fit and competent in some formation you can play with. Your best bet is to try to do well in group play the previous year and come out with a high seed, as the lower-ranked clubs in the knockout rounds will probably also be MLS clubs, and will be similarly out-of-form.
- However, if you manage to win the NACL, you get to play in the Club World Championship, and the money from even competing in that tournament is sizable for an MLS team. Also, you may end up playing Barcelona or something.
- I never used a high-profile designated player -- San Jose doesn't really have the money (although by the time I was done with them, they did). The only time I used DP was when my ludicrous 19 year-old Honduran striker started to realize how ludicrous he really was, and I kept him around an extra season by paying him $12.5k/wk.
- The Gold Cup, which is sort of like the Euros for North & Centra America, is pretty annoying, as it tends to take all your International signings out of action for the better part of a month. Some matches may not be rearranged during this time, so make sure you have depth that you don't end up with zero CBs or something.
- The roster restrictions are something you will just have to get used to and are a big part of the MLS experience. But a word of warning: it is really easy to accidentally waive players from the Team Registration screen! If this happens, you generally find out 2 days later when they clear waivers and go out of contract. There's no real recourse at that point other than to reload the save. My advice: avoid the auto-select button on the Team Registration screen.

[looknohands]

To follow up on the point about CCL play:
As a rule of thumb, I begin scheduling friendlies as soon as possible--typically the beginning of February. Choose to play at home and invite minnows from the US to play against you for a fee of about $10k and you should be able to bring in about $60k for each game. Schedule as many Wed-Sat games as you can in the buildup to CCL play (I usually get about ten games) and your team should be sky-high on confidence and in good condition. Also, it's a good idea to have the top Mexican league as playable, otherwise you can run into juggernauts that are unbeaten in 30 games and will run you off of the pitch.

In regards to the draft, if you are at all serious about having a lengthy stay in MLS you may want to invest the one euro in FMRTE and edit the players each year like I do. Keep things simple and limit the amount of great players coming in (every once in a while you may want to throw in a player with 140+PA) and focus instead on making decent players that can contribute to teams in spot duty.

[jimbobBRFC]

I just signed Kaka to my Toronto FC squad (2014) after Real offered him to me for $5.75 million. Had to give him a 5 year deal and pay his agent over $3million to sign him, as my board would only let me offer $6.5mil/year and he was asking for almost $9mil/year.

The much easier way to build up a team is to scout the Brazilian U-20 team and snatch up players on youth contracts for a small fee. Otherwise, focus your scouting on South America to find talented players that will sign for little money.

not bad at all how old was he? and how good where his attributed, can imagine even at 32/33 he is still an absolute beast?

Do you have a scout specifically on the Brazil U20's at all times then? Ive picked up a few players from my South American scout already, signed a 25 year old top class GK and a MC just for some cover.

More complex structure, really. It's a blast to play once you get the hang of it...but the learning curve can be pretty steep.

Steep? Steep doesnt describe how im finding it :P, im dreaming about draft picks and waiver drafts. Loving it though

[CrD]

jimbob, you posted in that thread a while ago that you was going to start one, how are you finiding it as a newbie to it, I'm looking at starting on aswell. I think I will go with Galaxy as the Legend who I have followed all his life is there (Beckham that is)

I am going to read through that thread again as well to help me.

When/If I manage anything decent I will post in the MLS thread

[jimbobBRFC]

jimbob, you posted in that thread a while ago that you was going to start one, how are you finiding it as a newbie to it, I'm looking at starting on aswell. I think I will go with Galaxy as the Legend who I have followed all his life is there (Beckham that is)

I am going to read through that thread again as well to help me.

When/If I manage anything decent I will post in the MLS thread

Absoloutely loving it :P most enjoyable save ive had yet on FM12 and im only 3 games into the season. There is so much more to think about with draft picks and all of the similar stuff. very difficult to understand but I think im getting the hang of it now.

Theres plenty of info in here have a read throuhg this one as well

[CrD]

Yeah I will do. It's more about money managment with an MLS team, I think I am going to enjoy it and when I get used to the draft picks and that, I'll be away in full swing, Just atarted one now with Galaxy

[jimbobBRFC]

Yeah I will do. It's more about money managment with an MLS team, I think I am going to enjoy it and when I get used to the draft picks and that, I'll be away in full swing, Just atarted one now with Galaxy

Let me know how you get on mate and ill keep you update how Im doing, PM me can compare how were both doing, just trounced New England 4-0 with 65% possesion yesterday. Was quality Yeah definately money management, im under on my wages but wasted all my allocation funds on one center back when I wasnt to sure what they were :P.

I also love this whole Generation Addidas thing, not entirely sure on how it works but ive ended up with a 15 year old right back who is good enough to challenge for a first team place. So with the massive amount of first team games im planning on giving him should be able to earn some serious money from him. My aim with this game is to win the Club World Cup, although I cant see it happening simply because of the standard of players that Ill be able to attract, cant see me getting close to say Barca standard.

The roster restrictions are something you will just have to get used to and are a big part of the MLS experience. But a word of warning: it is really easy to accidentally waive players from the Team Registration screen! If this happens, you generally find out 2 days later when they clear waivers and go out of contract. There's no real recourse at that point other than to reload the save. My advice: avoid the auto-select button on the Team Registration screen.

I did this lost near enough all my cover at MC. I play 4-3-2-1 and currently have three out and out center mids at the club :P although it freed up enough in the wage budget to bring in a better MC so didnt work out to badly.

[askep]

Oh it's possible:

[jimbobBRFC]

Oh it's possible:

Now youve set me a challenge whats your first team squad if you dont mind me asking?

[askep]

Of course not, altered slightly from semifinal to final, but here's the semifinal team (4-2-3-1). Newgens are screenshotted.

spoiler:

Zac MacMath; Sean Franklin, Zargo Touré, Diego Braghieri, Brad Clark; Stanley Kamga, Simon Jackman; Jordan Robinson, Shea Allen, Luc Ferrier; Yaya Sanogo

Four changes for the final: Richard Fernández for Clark, Keith Burns for Kamga, Fredy Montero for Allen and Steve Johnson for Sanogo.

Think that's permitted re: player naming, no?

[naxos]

Very nice! I've made it to the CWC finals, but never managed to win it.

[jimbobBRFC]

Of course not, altered slightly from semifinal to final, but here's the semifinal team (4-2-3-1). Newgens are screenshotted.

spoiler:

Zac MacMath; Sean Franklin, Zargo Touré, Diego Braghieri, Brad Clark; Stanley Kamga, Simon Jackman; Jordan Robinson, Shea Allen, Luc Ferrier; Yaya Sanogo

Four changes for the final: Richard Fernández for Clark, Keith Burns for Kamga, Fredy Montero for Allen and Steve Johnson for Sanogo.

Think that's permitted re: player naming, no?

Very average squad actually

[CrD]

I think I will start one up now, great beating Real Madrid!

[askep]

Cheers Well, LB is a constant problem area (coincidentally for the USMNT as well) and I've gone through several left-footed right wingers to play as inside forwards who are a lot more tricky to find than on the other side. Managing in the MLS is a constant balancing act with trying to have as much quality and depth in the squad as possible on as low wages as possible on as long deals as possible.

[looknohands]

not bad at all how old was he? and how good where his attributed, can imagine even at 32/33 he is still an absolute beast?

Do you have a scout specifically on the Brazil U20's at all times then? Ive picked up a few players from my South American scout already, signed a 25 year old top class GK and a MC just for some cover.



Steep? Steep doesnt describe how im finding it :P, im dreaming about draft picks and waiver drafts. Loving it though

He's 32 and still pretty solid (solid enough that Liverpool is apparently interested.) He's picked up two knocks so far, however, and missed about 13% of his time here. He's averaging a 7.17 for me playing as a central midfielder, which isn't really the best place for him...but I'll be darned if I abandon the one tactic that I've used game in and game out for the past 4 FMs!

As for Brazil, I don't scout the U-20 team as a whole, but every half a year or so I'll look at their squad and if a player catches my eye, I'll have my assman (20 JCA/JPA) draw up a report. If they're good and cheap, I'll make a bid on them, even if I have to wait two or three years for them to turn 18.

[jimbobBRFC]

Cheers Well, LB is a constant problem area (coincidentally for the USMNT as well) and I've gone through several left-footed right wingers to play as inside forwards who are a lot more tricky to find than on the other side. Managing in the MLS is a constant balancing act with trying to have as much quality and depth in the squad as possible on as low wages as possible on as long deals as possible.

Yeah definately, ive just brought in some much needed cover at MC but i cant register him because of the wage budget being to much, which is a slight annoyance. My DC that I wasted all my allocation funds on has also come to me saying he wants to move for first team football, which is annoying because he has been out injured for 3 months. Might get rid of him and bring in the cover at MC.

He's 32 and still pretty solid (solid enough that Liverpool is apparently interested.) He's picked up two knocks so far, however, and missed about 13% of his time here. He's averaging a 7.17 for me playing as a central midfielder, which isn't really the best place for him...but I'll be darned if I abandon the one tactic that I've used game in and game out for the past 4 FMs!

As for Brazil, I don't scout the U-20 team as a whole, but every half a year or so I'll look at their squad and if a player catches my eye, I'll have my assman (20 JCA/JPA) draw up a report. If they're good and cheap, I'll make a bid on them, even if I have to wait two or three years for them to turn 18.

I want Kaka haha. Right yeah that makes sense, you can still sign them cant you though when they are Under 18, they just dont join untill they turn.

[Wasp]

Started a MLS-save with D.C. United. I started in August 2011 so I can have half of the season to get used to the unfamiliar rules and to build up my scouting knowledge.

[looknohands]

I want Kaka haha. Right yeah that makes sense, you can still sign them cant you though when they are Under 18, they just dont join untill they turn.

That didn't last long! Liverpool just stepped up and offered a deal potentially worth $17million for him Paid $5.75 million and had him for 200 days...then sold him for almost triple!!!
No biggie- the guy that's been filling in for him (Vitinho- a Brazilian striker that I've retrained to play MC) has been playing just as well, and only costs $88k per year. Added bonus--he's already been with the team for 3 years and no longer counts as an international player as he's taken up Canadian citizenship. Two more years and he'll be playing for the national team...

As for signing U-18 Brazilian players yes, they don't join you until they turn 18. So even if you sign a 15 year-old to a developmental deal (2 year max) the contract will kick in when he turns 18.

[av3ry]

Done one and a half season in this league with New England Rev. Won the MLS and the Cup during that time. I find it very difficult to trade with other MLS teams because I would prefer to trade like-for-like players rather than draft slots.

[jimbobBRFC]

That didn't last long! Liverpool just stepped up and offered a deal potentially worth $17million for him Paid $5.75 million and had him for 200 days...then sold him for almost triple!!!
No biggie- the guy that's been filling in for him (Vitinho- a Brazilian striker that I've retrained to play MC) has been playing just as well, and only costs $88k per year. Added bonus--he's already been with the team for 3 years and no longer counts as an international player as he's taken up Canadian citizenship. Two more years and he'll be playing for the national team...

As for signing U-18 Brazilian players yes, they don't join you until they turn 18. So even if you sign a 15 year-old to a developmental deal (2 year max) the contract will kick in when he turns 18.

Tripled it not bad, how do transfer funds work then? because im sure I have never seen an option that shows how much transfer budget I have. Its only allocation funds?

Yeah so the same as in European leagues if you sign an under age brazilian, that makes sense. Can see my team having a very brazilian influence then :P

[Mattias333]

Hi everyone,

Been quietly stalking this thread from the shadows for a while and have found it extremely interesting and helpful.

It encouraged me to start an MLS thread and after taking time to learn the rules and understand the MLS im actually having the most fun ive had on FM for a LONG time.

One small question though and hopefully you guys can help.

1st Im 99% confident on the rules etc....and ensured my squad met all the required elements such as not going over INT spots, DP players etc..... and I ensured that I kept my squad bellow the salary cap (managed it literally by about £4!!!!)

I read the messages and things you guys have said about waivering players before submitting your squad as you will still have to pay there wages even though there waivered or released etc...

But somehow from clicking the button to submit squad to then checking it the day after on the registration screen ive now gone over my cap by about £2500.

Im confused whats caused this. Before submitting my squad (which was all ok to submit remember) I only had two players not selected for my squad. One was a youngster I waived before the squad was submitted and the other was a senior who i drafted to san jose for a draft pick who was on £1,500 roughly.

I dont understand where the extra £2000 has suddenly come from? my understand was if you didnt waive anyone not selected for your 30man squad before submitted it on deadline day you'd then end up paying there wages regardless but ive not got any players not selected to my 30 man squad.

Anyone know why its jumped about £2000 from submitting my 30 man squad to 1 day later?



Really loving the MLS save though. Got a great Seattle squad together.
GK Gspurning
DL Heath Pearce
DR Johansson
DC Parke
DC Hurtado
DMC Alonso
MC Fernandez
AML Brad Davis
AMR Rosales
F Montero
F Crespo (managed to get on a contract for 1 year at £825 p/w - not bad as expect him to decline rapidly)

Others like DeLaGarza, Tchani, Alves, Johnson, Ochoa, Opara all provide excellant cover too.


On a side note do you guys ever have a problem keeping your best players. Noticed that Montero contract ends at end of the season and tried to sign him to a longer term deal and hes not interested even discussing at start of save (early 2011). Am I just going to lose him for nothing at the end of his deal or do the better players generally warm to the MLS (providing I do well lol). Im assuming this is a typical problem where in real life someone has agreed to go to a MLS club where as on the game maybe because of where MLS rep is at or the players rep even he would never have considered it in Football manager 2012's world. (if that makes sense).

Any help recieved is greatly appreciated.

[looknohands]

There's an issue with injured players and how their salary counts against cap. Are any of your players injured? If the difference isn't too bad, you can actually use your allocation money to increase your cap (boardroom/budgets) which isn't quite how it works in real life, but gets the job done in FM.

As for holding onto players, it can be a struggle if they have their heart set on moving to a bigger club. You can ask them to give you a year and hope that your reputation rises enough to make them happy, otherwise you'll have to let them go. If all else fails, and you don't want to lose your player on a free, try offering him to MLS clubs and get what you can for him.

However, if a player hasn't come to you asking for a transfer but is attracting alot of interesting, jack up their asking price to $45million or so and you shouldn't see any offers come your way.

[looknohands]

Tripled it not bad, how do transfer funds work then? because im sure I have never seen an option that shows how much transfer budget I have. Its only allocation funds?

Allocation money is pretty much your transfer budget, yes. Shouldn't be a big concern after the first year or so and you start dumping players. You can milk easy money from the other MLS clubs by offering them your unwanted players or ones that you plan on cutting at registration day.

[jimbobBRFC]

Allocation money is pretty much your transfer budget, yes. Shouldn't be a big concern after the first year or so and you start dumping players. You can milk easy money from the other MLS clubs by offering them your unwanted players or ones that you plan on cutting at registration day.

I presume they will take anybody and everybody off your hands then :P I suppose in the MLS its easier to get rid of unwanted players because you can just dump them in the picks. Have I got that right?

[Mattias333]

Ah, yes when I started the save in the MLS poor Steve Zakauni is injured with a double broken leg. (Youtube it and turn the sound up)

I understood the ruling on long term injured players not having to be registered but didnt realise that would change my salary cap etc.

What I mean is literally on the day the game prompted me to confirm my registered players it said I was under my cap then i confirmed this and continued to the next day and thought id just check the registered players screen as I noticed you can still add remove players after this point and my salary cap was about £2,700 over even though Id not released or signed anyone else.

Im assuming then its something to do with my long term injured player. He wasnt showing up in the cap before the register day because I could neither register or not register him. Then after the deadline passes im responsible for paying his wages still? Is this correct? Seems a bit odd as makes planning a squad difficult as you have to remember to add his wage to what ever the game says your current cap is.

Like you pointed out helpfully Id already adjusted the budget as I had over £170k in allocation funds so im now just under my cap again and able to submit my team. Dont want to leave it to my assistant as unhelpful people have suggested on other forums.

Really enjoying the MLS save so far. Really is a different challenge to anything ive faced on Football Manager before. Although my wheeler dealer trades in true Redknapp style have worked a little too well it seems. First two games have passed and I dominated LA Galaxy 3-0 limiting them to 1 shot....then traveled to New York to play the Red Bulls and spanked them 7-0 in there back yard. Ive got a whole load of 1st round super draft picks too though ive not experienced a superdraft yet obviously and some people have said on here there a waste of time but I hope to pick up some decent youngsters atleast. I worry about depth of the squad though. The rules and limits make it hard unless you want really poor back up.

[Mattias333]

Also in reply to jimbobs previous question im no expert in the MLS yet but I have not failed at getting rid of any players I dont want. Seems to be a bug or something.

Every player ive deemed not good enough for my squad ive simply used the offer to MLS clubs and ive always had instant replies offering me usually superdraft or supplemental draft picks for the coming season or ones following.

Ive heard from many that supplemental draft picks are pretty pointless as most talents already snapped up. So when ever a team offers me a supplemental draft pick i try negotiate the deal which usually results in that team pulling out or just offering there original offer. Heres a tip though, withdraw if they do this then straight away offer again to MLS clubs and they suddenly offer something different sometimes. I got rid of all my substandard players and now have a awesome squad as well as 3 1st round superdraft picks for the following season.

I was desperate to obtain an extra International spot but could not get any clubs to take one of my players in exchange for one, even for just a 1 year INT spot trade. Then suddenly out of the blue one club made an approach for one of my worse centre backs offering a 2013 1st round supplemental draft pick plus a 5 YEAR international spot. Safe to say I accepted that offer!

Another little tip ive found from my first ever try at MLS, if your struggling to stay under your salary cap you can trade allocation money with your board to increase the cap slightly. If however your low on allocation funds try offering players you dont require out to non MLS clubs. Ive managed to get a fair few players off my books for decent money because scandinavian clubs seem to love signing my players for a good 250-500k. Obviously the MLS take a % of the transfer fee though but still an easy way to make a profit with players you dont plan on using.

[jimbobBRFC]

Also in reply to jimbobs previous question im no expert in the MLS yet but I have not failed at getting rid of any players I dont want. Seems to be a bug or something.

Every player ive deemed not good enough for my squad ive simply used the offer to MLS clubs and ive always had instant replies offering me usually superdraft or supplemental draft picks for the coming season or ones following.

Ive heard from many that supplemental draft picks are pretty pointless as most talents already snapped up. So when ever a team offers me a supplemental draft pick i try negotiate the deal which usually results in that team pulling out or just offering there original offer. Heres a tip though, withdraw if they do this then straight away offer again to MLS clubs and they suddenly offer something different sometimes. I got rid of all my substandard players and now have a awesome squad as well as 3 1st round superdraft picks for the following season.

I was desperate to obtain an extra International spot but could not get any clubs to take one of my players in exchange for one, even for just a 1 year INT spot trade. Then suddenly out of the blue one club made an approach for one of my worse centre backs offering a 2013 1st round supplemental draft pick plus a 5 YEAR international spot. Safe to say I accepted that offer!

Another little tip ive found from my first ever try at MLS, if your struggling to stay under your salary cap you can trade allocation money with your board to increase the cap slightly. If however your low on allocation funds try offering players you dont require out to non MLS clubs. Ive managed to get a fair few players off my books for decent money because scandinavian clubs seem to love signing my players for a good 250-500k. Obviously the MLS take a % of the transfer fee though but still an easy way to make a profit with players you dont plan on using.

Cheers mate really helpful that, Im still trying to get my head round all these draft picks and supplementary picks etc etc. I am starting to understand it though.

[Mattias333]

Your not alone. Im only two games in, but took time to learn the rules a little bit and its helped no end as the game isnt always straight forward. Ive not experienced a superdraft or supplemental draft yet but was in a waiver draft in which not one team picked a player so that seemed pretty pointless lol!

This has really been enjoyable as in all the years and years of playing football manager (previously champ manager) ive only ever really done games in england, italy, spain & as international teams. Doing an MLS save has been a unique an challenging experience and glad I decided to do it after reading some topics on this site.

[jimbobBRFC]

Your not alone. Im only two games in, but took time to learn the rules a little bit and its helped no end as the game isnt always straight forward. Ive not experienced a superdraft or supplemental draft yet but was in a waiver draft in which not one team picked a player so that seemed pretty pointless lol!

This has really been enjoyable as in all the years and years of playing football manager (previously champ manager) ive only ever really done games in england, italy, spain & as international teams. Doing an MLS save has been a unique an challenging experience and glad I decided to do it after reading some topics on this site.

Yeah same, Ive only really been playing since FM09 but this is the most enjoyment ive had out of the game yet. Really do have to think about who your buying, how much they will cost etc etc.

Yeah I had a waiver draft and the same thing happened, nobody picked anybody. To be fair every choice of player was absoloutelyawful so not really surprising. When do the Super/Supplementary drafts come around?

[Mattias333]

Far as I know its after season ends so January 2012 on your current game id assume.

Basically the best youngsters coming out of college football.

I just entered a weighted lottery for youngster. All happened so fast so dont really know alot about it.Got a message saying I have a chance to enter a weighted lottery for 1 youngster who was a regen (looked really good for his age). Wasnt like the waiver draft though. I simply had to click whether I wanted to enter it then I was informed that i didnt win it a few days later.

I quite enjoy the draft and trading nature of the MLS. Makes for more excitement. For example Colorado are the current champs but as is the trend of the MLS there doing utterly awful in my current season. I managed to sign people that had only just joined another team and visa versa I signed a good ukraine left back but then I found a v.good U.S left back and got him and traded my only recently signed left back to someone else.

Left Winger Brad Davis is someone I highly rec.
Left Back Heath Pearce is another.
Ike Opara is a youngster I hope becomes a very good U.S centre back in the future. (generation adidas too so dont pay his wages)
Managed to get Crespo. Although 35 years old finishing and heading wise hes amazing. Only plan on keeping him a year as i expect him to decline over the season but got him dead cheap wages wise.

[jimbobBRFC]

Far as I know its after season ends so January 2012 on your current game id assume.

Basically the best youngsters coming out of college football.

I just entered a weighted lottery for youngster. All happened so fast so dont really know alot about it.Got a message saying I have a chance to enter a weighted lottery for 1 youngster who was a regen (looked really good for his age). Wasnt like the waiver draft though. I simply had to click whether I wanted to enter it then I was informed that i didnt win it a few days later.

I quite enjoy the draft and trading nature of the MLS. Makes for more excitement. For example Colorado are the current champs but as is the trend of the MLS there doing utterly awful in my current season. I managed to sign people that had only just joined another team and visa versa I signed a good ukraine left back but then I found a v.good U.S left back and got him and traded my only recently signed left back to someone else.

Left Winger Brad Davis is someone I highly rec.
Left Back Heath Pearce is another.
Ike Opara is a youngster I hope becomes a very good U.S centre back in the future. (generation adidas too so dont pay his wages)
Managed to get Crespo. Although 35 years old finishing and heading wise hes amazing. Only plan on keeping him a year as i expect him to decline over the season but got him dead cheap wages wise.

Yeah I entered a weighted lottery for my 15yr DR who is a first team challenger already. I think it means everyone who would like to sign him goes in for him and then he picks where he wants to go. Thats how I see it anyway.

Yeah definitly, Im looking forward to my second season to see if I can hold my position at the top end of the league. I think due to the AI's lack of squad building ability it shouldnt be too difficult. But anything could happen. Crespos not a bad signing, can imagine he grabbed a fair few goals?

Cheers for the reccomendations, Ill have a look into that

[askep]

I think I got Shea Allen through a weighted lottery, one of my best Americans. Not won one since.

Wiki says:

Weighted lottery

Some players are assigned to MLS teams via a weighted lottery process. A team can only acquire one player per year through a weighted lottery. The players made available through lotteries include: (i) Generation adidas players signed after the MLS SuperDraft; and (ii) Draft eligible players to whom an MLS contract was offered but who failed to sign with the League prior to the SuperDraft.

The team with the worst record over its last 30 regular season games (dating back to previous season if necessary and taking playoff performance into account) will have the greatest probability of winning the lottery. Teams are not required to participate in a lottery. Players are assigned via the lottery system in order to prevent a player from potentially influencing his destination club with a strategic holdout.

src

[dibbo79]

Struggle to understand various aspects of MLS but do enjoy it.

However I had an allocation of about 200k but was able to buy a player for 1.4mil, can anyone shed any light or is it just the fact I am LA Galaxy and have plenty of funds in the bank?

[looknohands]

Weighted lottery:
I've raised the issue with SI that we need to be given time to scout players that are made available in the weighted lottery. Lotteries actually occur very rarely in real life, but the game is programmed to happen three or four times a year.

[q]However I had an allocation of about 200k but was able to buy a player for 1.4mil, can anyone shed any light or is it just the fact I am LA Galaxy and have plenty of funds in the bank? [/q]
Check your season budget. You may have extra cash than just your allocation money amount, so that may explain why you were able to pull that off.

[dibbo79]

Thanks for that

I don't suppose anyone has any idea how much the draft picks are worth? E.g. when offering them in a trade for a player

[dibbo79]

Ahhh right so its easy enough to sign them

I play him up top as a DLF, so it almost is an AMC, he drops deep links up well with Donavan and scores his fair share of goals. Whats it like for attracting players like Lampard, Gerrard etc. Big European players who would come over to finish their careers? Have you signed anyone big?

I actually managed to pick up a 29 yr old Torres from chelsea who is banging them in after a couple of injury lay offs, the problem being that to get him I have to pay him £78k a week and £30k a goal!! and as I have said he is banging them in

Scouts will do a search for players who may come as a designated player and Torres was on this list