[FM 15] A journey through South America

Hi, guys. I’m new here and this is my first time writing about my adventures in FM. I decided to start a career in South America. I’ll try to give a little bit of detail of the region as I develop the story, with music and description of cities, clubs etc. I chose the name of José Arcádio Buendía, a character of the famous novel “100 years of solitude”, by Gabriel García Márquez, as I always thought that he would be a remarkable manager. As so, I started in Colombia, Gabo's patria, taking over at Valledupar, a relatively young club in the Primera B, the second tier in the local football.

The place: Valledupar is a city in northeastern Colombia, near the frontier with Venezuela and relatively close to beach-ladden cities of Barranquilla and Cartagena. Its fame is derived from music, as it is home of the vallenato, a popular genre in the country. Football is not so successful: our club was founded in 2004 and never reached the Primera A.

Colombia’s season is a long one: it’s divided in Apertura and Clausura tournaments (each one in a semester). The format is the same: teams play each other in 18 matches, then the first eight qualify for the second phase, where they are split in two groups of four. They play each other twice, then the best in each group advance to the two-legged final. The winners of Apertura and Clausura play the final playoff, that awards a place in Primera A.

2015: Toquemen el Bombo

I thought the squad would be worse. We had a few decent players, specially in defense. To add more power upfront, my scout found a few veterans, who I happily signed. One of them, midfielder El Bombo, was crucial and went on to score and assist our way through the Apertura.

We started above the expectations, but lost our form in the final end of the Apertura. We managed to qualify in 7th to the group phase, but didn’t manage a single win, finishing 2nd. Still it was a nice start of season.

In Clausura, the reverse happened. We started unsure, but, with three more veterans signed (a goalkeeper, a defensive midifield and a striker), the burden on the shoulders of El Bombo was reduced, which allowed us to qualify in 4th place, win our group in the second phase and face traditional America de Cali in the final. We beat them, then brushed off Deportivo Pereira in the final playoff, with El Bombo scoring twice in the decisive match and sending us to Primera A.

Copa Águila: instead of knock-out rounds, the cup is played in groups with six teams, that play each other twice. The two best in each group advance, as well as the four best third placed teams. In this marathon, we didn’t advanced much and said goodbye in the group phase.

Financially, it was ok. As usual, no money at all, but I managed to keep the club in the black – the prize for the final in Clausura was very helpful for that. The facilities are awful, and the crop of youngsters won’t help in the future.

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2016: El Aguante

From what I saw in the first season, the level in Primera A wasn’t so different from B. So, I kept the faith in my veterans. In came two players of Union Magdalena, a left back and a midfielder, to rotate with the elders in the position. An agent offered a Chilean striker, El Mapuche, who was very promising after the trial, so I signed him.

My gamble paid off: we didn’t suffer with the new level and played well, always in the G-8. The elders hold us nicely, while El Mapuche scored a couple of goals. In defense, La Perla Negra, a tall center back, did a great job, while the Union Magdalena reinforcements sat well in the squad. We qualified in 6th, but the magic disappeared in the group phase: we lost five matches in six.

In the Clausura, it was clear that our elders weren’t the same. El Bombo lost his place in the team, the other strikers didn’t score enough, and the team suffered. We were very inconsistent, but managed to reach the final matchday with chances: we just had to beat Pasto in our home. Of course, we didn’t; a draw ended our season prematurely, in 10th place.

Copa Águila: the Primera A category made us better; against the same rivals of the last season, we confirmed our improvement and managed to qualify, only to get sent off by Pasto, in the penalties, in the quarter-finals.

Playing in Primera A meant much better attendance (an average of 6341 fans out of a 10k capacity). I spent roughly half the wage budget, so the finances were stable (still no money at all, but a minor improvement in training facilities). A couple of youngsters look promising, specially a Bolivian midfielder, El Indio. We managed to hold on (El Aguante!) nicely in the elite, but with a lot of the veterans retiring, we'll have to rebuild the squad.

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It's nice to read a story from Colombia. In one of my FM14 saves I took charge at Deportivo Cucuta shortly after beginning of Clausura. We had a poor run until the end of the year. I signed a few players - players are very cheap down there - during offseason and ten I had two and a half season of one of the most enjoyable aves I ever had.

Seasons are crazy long all over South America, but Colombia is probably the longest. We played 70 competitive games in Torneo Postobon and Cup (2x26 Apertura and Clausura, 18 in Cup), won all competitions and qualified for Liga Postobon and Copa Sudamericana.The year after we played 78 competitive games (2x26 Aperturaand Clausura, 18 Cup, 4 Copa Sudamericana and 2 Supercup), won Apertura and lost Clausura final, won the Cup). In third season we played 2 games in Supercup (won) 8 games in Copa Libertadores (6 in group, lost in second round against a team from either Brazil or Argentina), 10 in Cup (group stage) and 21 in Apertura. Then I got an offer from Benfica and left Colombia.

But I still check the results of Deportivo Cucuta on my mobile at least twice a month.

Enjoy your save.

It's nice to read a story from Colombia. In one of my FM14 saves I took charge at Deportivo Cucuta shortly after beginning of Clausura. We had a poor run until the end of the year. I signed a few players - players are very cheap down there - during offseason and ten I had two and a half season of one of the most enjoyable aves I ever had.

Seasons are crazy long all over South America, but Colombia is probably the longest. We played 70 competitive games in Torneo Postobon and Cup (2x26 Apertura and Clausura, 18 in Cup), won all competitions and qualified for Liga Postobon and Copa Sudamericana.The year after we played 78 competitive games (2x26 Aperturaand Clausura, 18 Cup, 4 Copa Sudamericana and 2 Supercup), won Apertura and lost Clausura final, won the Cup). In third season we played 2 games in Supercup (won) 8 games in Copa Libertadores (6 in group, lost in second round against a team from either Brazil or Argentina), 10 in Cup (group stage) and 21 in Apertura. Then I got an offer from Benfica and left Colombia.

But I still check the results of Deportivo Cucuta on my mobile at least twice a month.

Enjoy your save.

It's a massive amount of matches. The good thing is that you have room to play the youngsters and accelerate their formation. But, when you become successful, there's a lot of meaningless matches. Other countries such Uruguay and Argentina have a lighter schedule, and I hope to go there at some point in the save.

Thanks for reading.

I had a long-term save in Mexico on FM09, when Mexican clubs could still enter the Sudamericana. One season between the league apertura, clasura and play-offs, the CONCACAF Champions League, the Copa Sudamericana, Copa Libertadores, Recopa, and Club World Cup, we played 96 matches! We could have played more if we had not won both stages of the league (in which case there would have been a two-legged final) and if we had been invited to the Superliga with the MLS sides.

I had a long-term save in Mexico on FM09, when Mexican clubs could still enter the Sudamericana. One season between the league apertura, clasura and play-offs, the CONCACAF Champions League, the Copa Sudamericana, Copa Libertadores, Recopa, and Club World Cup, we played 96 matches! We could have played more if we had not won both stages of the league (in which case there would have been a two-legged final) and if we had been invited to the Superliga with the MLS sides.

I understand you completely. Believe me.

2017: Déjame Entrar

With two seasons on, I had a better knowledge of Colombian players. That was helpful to finally get some good players. A lot of our elders retired, including El Bombo, but I found good replacements. There were eight players signed, with ex-Tolima MAC El Pibe and physical striker La Saeta being the standouts, as I needed more pace upfront.

With so many new faces, we took a while to gel. But, once we did, it was good to see the boys playing. El Mapuche blossomed in a terrifying goalscorer, teaming up with El Pibe and La Saeta to storm the rivals. We qualified second, won every match in the group phase and proceeded to face giant Atletico Nacional in the final. After being 2-0 up in the first match and allowing them to win 4-3, we destroyed the Verdolagas in our stadium, won 5-2 and lift the first trophy in Valledupar history.

Now champions, we were a bit complacent in the Clausura, but still managed to qualify in 5th. In group phase, the good old times returned: again, easy qualification. In the final, again Atletico Nacional: after two draws, we won on penalties to claim another trophy.

Copa Águila: we qualified easily in the group phase. Now champions of the Apertura, I decided to give priority to the knock-out matches, and all went well: we cruised past Chicó, Junior and Huila to face Once Caldas in the final. A 4-0 win in the first match sealed the conquest.

So, a wonderful season. As the title says, they let us enter the pantheon of Colombian football - Valledupar won the three trophies that were in dispute. El Mapuche scored 43 goals in 58 matches, renewed his contract until 2020 and received another nickname: Upar, the ancient cacique that ruled the region and has a statue in the city. After all, Valledupar is nothing but Valle de Upar.

Now, the challenge is bigger: Copa Libertadores, the biggest tournament in South America - and the coolest competition name in the world. With the prizes, the finances are good, and more improvement on facilities are on the way – we still lag miles behind the big clubs, though.

A couple of clubs came calling me, specially Argentinean (San Lorenzo and Boca Juniors!). I was tempted to quit, but I’ll try to see where Valledupar can go in Libertadores. We now have the means to buy some good players, besides the youngsters coming up – the Bolivian El Indio is already a regular in the first team.

[video=youtube;0jO4sRKWBUA]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0jO4sRKWBUA

2018: Ras Tas Tas

The prizes for winning everything last season boosted our finances. As so, for the first time I could actually buy a player. In came a DR and a DL and an experienced Argentinean DC. But the biggest buy was El Chavo, a very promising striker from neighbours Junior Barranquilla.

The Copa Libertadores was a surprise. We walked comfortably in the group phase against Pachuca, Cerro Porteño and Cerro, qualified in 1st with one match to go. We also crushed Peruvian Juan Aurich in the next phase, but then reality knocked, and Brazil’s Cruzeiro proved too strong for us in the quarter-finals.

Domestically, it was a strange season. We started winning the Supercopa against Atletico Nacional. In the Apertura, dealing with matches for Libertadores and Copa Águila, we qualified 3rd, but the next phase was different: knock-out matches instead of groups. We were eliminated by Junior in the quarter-finals.

At this time, I wasn’t satisfied with our defense. We were conceding too many goals in simple errors. On the other side, the attack was well. El Mapuche Upar was showing signs of complacency, but still scored regularly; El Chavo fitted nicely and was now our main player. With this concerns, I decided to splash the cash: bought one of the best DCs in Colombia, from Once Caldas, and a experienced DM from Atletico Nacional. We also sold a player: the ever trusting La Perla Negra went to play in Bosnia.

The quality was there, but the DC went on to be nicknamed El Desastre. He was active in two eliminations in the second semester: first, in the semifinals of Copa Águila, when was the only one to miss a penalty in the shootout against Tolima; later, comitted a stupid penalty against Ponte Preta in the quarter-finals of Copa Sudamericana – we lost at home and threw away a good chance of advancing.

In Clausura, we managed to restore some good football. We qualified 2nd in the first phase, cruised the returning group-format of the second phase and demolished Millonarios in the final. Not even the injuries mounting up were a problem – El Mapuche Upar lost the last five months of the season.

Overall, it was a satisfying season. We added two other trophies in the cabinet, had good runs in the continental cups and found good players. El Chavo finished with 40 goals in 62 matches, and our Bolivian El Indio established himself in the first team and in his national team. A success just like the song "Ras Tas Tas" is in Colombia.

But the huge schedule is something that I was not willing to go through anymore. So, after the last match of the season, I resigned. Valledupar is now established as one of the best teams in Colombia and still have room to improve, especially in the continental cups. Me? I’m going to play a giant amout of matches in another country. Brazilian clubs came calling lately...

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Good luck in Brazil - regional leagues and national league but at least you miss the cup when you qualify for the Libertadores

Excellent thread. Love South American leagues! Deportivo Cali are my favourite team in Colombia, have I check for their results. Very, very little online about Colombian club football in English.

Good luck in Brazil - regional leagues and national league but at least you miss the cup when you qualify for the Libertadores

Not anymore, I'm afraid. In real life, the teams in Libertadores entry in later stages, but I don't know if this is translated properly in FM. State championships are really a pain, specially for big clubs.

Excellent thread. Love South American leagues! Deportivo Cali are my favourite team in Colombia, have I check for their results. Very, very little online about Colombian club football in English.

Thanks! I always wanted to try a journeyman save in South America, a huge source of good footballers. Besides, it's another world compared to European football.

2019 - a prelude: Flamengo

Of all the Brazilians clubs, it was Flamengo that called me. How could I deny the team that I support?

It’s been a long time since the last time I managed Flamengo in a save. Now I found them in a mid-table mediocrity similar as the real life. The finances are pretty good, way beyond one could expect in real life, and the squad is balanced. Let’s try to restore the most beloved team in Brazil to higher places.

The club: Flamengo have an estimated 40 million fans in Brazil, making it the most popular team, hence his nickname “O Mais Querido” (The Most Beloved). It’s where Zico built his career and legend, but since those 80's years the club never replicated the success with consistency. In its trophy cabinet, there are six Brasileirão trophies, four Copas do Brasil (one won in the save, in 2018), one Libertadores and one Intercontinental Cup.

The place: Rio de Janeiro, the “Wonderful City”. Home of samba, funk, beaches and favelas. A city deeply dichotomic, where his beatiful side is right next to the ugliest things one can expect in a major city. The culture is astonishing, though. Here, happens every year the Greatest Show on Earth: the samba schools parade.

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Flamengo is located in the South of the city, the noble region, where all the tourists go. But it doesn’t mean that is a elite club. Actually, its rivals call the flamenguistas mulambos, a pejorative word for poor people. Speaking of them, Fluminense, Vasco and Botafogo are the antagonists in the city.

The Brazilian league is unique in FM. There are the state championships, that occupy the first months of the year with poor matches. Then there’s the Brasileirão, that begins in May and runs until December: 20 teams play against each other twice. Copa do Brasil is a simply knock-out cup. And there’s the continentals Copa Sudamericana e Copa Libertadores.

The amount of matches is still huge, particularly because of the state championships. These are tournaments that don’t give much to the big clubs, who are supposed to play against much weaker teams. I tend to treat them like an extended pre-season. Let's see how it goes.

2019: Samba rubro-negro

The squad was well balanced, in quality and quantity. I made only two changes, bringin in new DR and DL to be starters. The right back, specially, would be key to our season, with his runs in attack.

In the Campeonato Carioca, the state chamionship in Rio, things went well. We finished the initial phase in first place, punishing the minnows and beating rivals Fluminense and Botafogo. Vasco was the most distressing opponent: after a draw in the first phase, we faced them in the semifinals and lost the first match, but recovered with a 5-2 win in the second. In final, Fluminense surrendered, and we claimed the title.

But moral is everything in FM. After the title, we started poorly the Brasileirão, earning one point in the first four matches. I was a bit harsh with the players, and the result was failure in the most important competition of the year. After qualifying easily in the group phase of Copa Libertadores and dismissing Venezuelan Deportivo Táchira in the round of 16, we faced Argentinian Independiente in the quarter-finals, amidst the turbulent start in the national league. With moral low, we lost 3-0 in Avellaneda and couldn’t recover at Maracanã. Bye, Libertadores.

But the team made up for the failure and got better in the second semester. With fewer matches to play, we took Brasileirão by storm. I brought a new MAC, an ex-Chelsea player who was in Atlético-PR, but the funny thing is that he couldn’t better my homemade MAC. With three good STs rotating and great full backs, we scored easily through our way to claim the title with four matches to go. In Copa do Brasil, another dissapointment: we were eliminated in the round of 16 by Ponte Preta (Valledupar feelings).

Still, with two titles, this was a good season. Flamengo has pretty stable finances and I’m translating this into better facilities, which was stagnated before my arrival. There are few bright youngsters, though, and I’m scouting extensively through South America to bring some more promising players.

Another challenge is to maintain our players. My three strikers are constantly linked to European clubs. The full backs that I bought already consulted me about their chances to be sold. Besides eventual backups to the ones who can be sold, I’m planning to bring in a MC and a DC. No youngster is ready yet to make the main squad. As for now, time to enjoy some black- and-red (Flamengo’s colours) samba.

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2020: Uma vez Flamengo...

With a well assembled squad, I had little action in the market. In came a homemade DC who was in São Paulo and two midfielders to provide extra quality and depth - one of them raised in rival Vasco youth ranks and with Brazil national team caps . No one relevant was sold.

Campeonato Carioca was the same history as before: we spanked the minnows and even the rivals. The unbeaten title came after beating Fluminense in the final. The funny thing was that, as we was playing Libertadores at the same time, my strikers duo was made of two homemade youngsters, who did realy well.

In Libertadores, we had a difficult group, with Caracas, Vélez and Santos Laguna. But we did well and finished in 1st place, unbeatable. In the round of 16, we passed through Colón. In the quarters, the away-goal sent us forward against Estudiantes. We met Santos Laguna (with my ex-player El Chavo in brilliant form) again in semifinals and dismissed them. In the final, against São Paulo, the issue was over in the first leg: victoy by 4-0 in Maracanã put us in the way to claim the second Libertadores in Flamengo’s history.

This campaign was really surprising. Even against Estudiantes, I didn’t felt insecure. The team was playing very well, controling every match. My only concern was the form of my strikers, as one of them, O Piloto (The Driver), got injured for four months, and the others had some struggling moments to score. In the other side, my homemade MAC was brilliant; an established starter ahead of an ex-Chelsea player, he was my main force in Libertadores, scoring and assisting nicely and earning the award of Best Player of the competition.

I noticed that, while my strikers were good, we lacked a true aerial presence. I looked everywhere in South America and found El Gigante, a 1.98m striker in River that happened to be the third placed in the Best Player award of Libertadores. After a though negotiation, I signed him to boost my options, already looking forward to the Fifa World Cup in December.

In Campeonato Brasileiro, things started slow as usual. Still dealing with Libertadores, we saw Corinthians take a seven-point lead in the first matches, including beating us in Maracanã. But they could maintain that level; as Libertadores was over and our first team went back to action, we recovered and cruised through the league. The title came with still three matches to go.

To top it up, two more titles: in Copa do Brasil, we thrashed Corinthians in final, in Libertadores-fashion: victory by 4-0 at Maracanã in the first leg.

But the true grand finale came in Mexico. We were back to the Fifa World Cup, which has a much bigger importance in Latin America. In the semifinals, easy victory against South Korean Suwon by 5-0. In the final, we expected the mighty Bayern Munchen, but local América surprised the Bavarians and won 1-0. In the final, in a Estádio Azteca with 105k spectators, we won 5-1 and was again at the top of the world, as in 1981, when Zico and co. beat Liverpool 3-0 in Japan.

With four titles in a year and nothing left to win, I decided to resign. In two seasons in the club that I support, I manage to restore its greatness. I wish it was the same in real life... Now, samba-school Estácio de Sá can edit its lyrics for the Carnival in 1995, when they paid homage to Flamengo’s centenary - the song is still chanted in Maracanã at Flamengo's matches. Who don’t remember the Cup that Zico brought? Who won’t remember the Cup that Buendía brought?

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Still class ?