MLS in FM 15

[joshjam12]

Just announced a few minutes ago:

Chivas USA have ceased operations, effective immediately. There will be a new team in LA starting in 2017. No records or history will carry over to the new club. There will also be a dispersal draft (details TBA) in November to offload players.

As for 2015 season, Sporting Kansas City and Houston Dynamo will be in the Western Conference.

Source: http://www.si.com/soccer/planet-futbol/2014/10/27/chivas-usa-contraction-folds-mls-los-angeles-realignment

Is there any way we can get this implemented into FM15? Also, what is the reserve system like for MLS clubs in FM15? I'd like to see clubs like Portland, LA, Seattle, and others be able to fill out a full roster for these 'reserve' teams playing in the USLPro or NPSL. Of course there are still more to details to come from MLS including how transfers will work between the 1st team and 2nd team. Maybe this could be implemented in one of the patches after Jan 1.

Just throwing this stuff out there. Would like to hear what you guys think. I'd love to help make this game as realistic as possible for MLS and American soccer.

Now I'll go back to lamenting the end of Portland's season. #RCTID

Josh

[Heath Matthias]

My guess is they could handle the team leaving the league since I've seen teams disappear from other leagues due to administration, and this is similar. Not sure how a dispersal draft would work though. I do hope it is done though, may be too late.

[asurob]

NYFC and Orlando are programmed into the game, but their MLS season doesn't start until the 2015 season (in the game and in real life). So when you start a save in the MLS, the MLS is only a 18 team league. NYFC and Orlando are dormant for that season. Then when december comes around, there is an expansion draft for both teams. They then pick #1 and #2 in the upcoming MLS draft. P.s. if you would have read this thread, you would have found all that out.

Just letting you guys know that this bit right here IS the reason I picked up FM 2015 this year. I had intended to skip a year, but the idea of being able to build my own expansion team was too much to pass up.

Good job!

[aj58078]

first season coaching NYCFC only resulted in one draw, maybe a bug? Also in season two I have much cap room left, and roster space, but I am unable to offer any contracts even with a 24k pound team salary...

[Max Clayton-Robb]

first season coaching NYCFC only resulted in one draw, maybe a bug? Also in season two I have much cap room left, and roster space, but I am unable to offer any contracts even with a 24k pound team salary...

Can you attach your save to the FTP like this https://support.sega.co.uk/hc/en-gb/articles/201580562-How-to-Do#ftp and report this in here http://community.sigames.com/showthread.php/399739-U.S.A.-(Official)-League-Specific-Issues. If you let me know what players you're trying to sign and what contract you're offering too that'd be great.

[USMNT10]

first season coaching NYCFC only resulted in one draw, maybe a bug? Also in season two I have much cap room left, and roster space, but I am unable to offer any contracts even with a 24k pound team salary...

Ya, I spent a long time building my NYC team. Built a pretty promising team. Put a lot of time into it. My team had good morale, no issues or anything. I drew the first game of the season and got fired.

[Max Clayton-Robb]

Ya, I spent a long time building my NYC team. Built a pretty promising team. Put a lot of time into it. My team had good morale, no issues or anything. I drew the first game of the season and got fired.

Do you have a save from before that match by any chance? There is a known issue which was making the NYCFC board confidence too low when first joining MLS that we are aware of. It might have been caused by this.

[USMNT10]

Do you have a save from before that match by any chance? There is a known issue which was making the NYCFC board confidence too low when first joining MLS that we are aware of. It might have been caused by this.

I don't believe I do. After I got canned, I created a new manager, took over NYFC again and retired my original manager, and everything was fine after that.

[Mars_Blackmon]

I really hope the issue with the grey players is resolved. It is really taking away from the enjoyment and for some reason the problem is magnified this year. (Well this is my first FM beta fwiw) I don't know if its the injuries (which I love the amount) or the lack of squad/depth building from the AI.

...but reading on the A league specifically, the AI does a good job at building a team and they have almost similar rules to MLS.

[kandersson]

There's quite a bit of new stuff in MLS this year for you to find and enjoy!

would you share a couple of spoilers please ?

Academy system and youth intakes work same as FM14 or have been revamped?

Really enjoyed playing MLS last year, only things I'd like to see improved are AI squad building and trade logic, plus having the possibility to get feeder clubs from lesser european leagues (eg Austria, Switzerland etc) to send players on loan.

[Mars_Blackmon]

Speaking of Academy clubs, I notice that the non MLS Academies does not get any regens in this version. I wonder if this is a bug or intentional?

[looknohands]

Any word on the salary cap increasing each season?

[Vanikain]

Really want to start an Mls save again with Philadelphia now after going to watch them last week for the first time, would be good to try and be competitive after New York and Orlando move in aswell.

[Crash Davis]

Three MLS issues that I have noticed, and don't know if they are bugs or if I am doing something wrong. If they are bugs I will obviously move into the appropriate forum.

1) I play as the New England Revolution. I believe the MLS salary cap in year one is roughly 3.8million dollars a season. In year two, it dips drastically down to 3.08 million a season. It it doing that for everybody going into year two?

2) Also in the off season expansion draft, I protected 11 players for the expansion draft. Than things got screwy a bit. NYCFC and Orlando skipped all of their picks, and the players I didn't protect all ended up as free agents instead of back on my team. I sadly don't have a save for that anymore but that bothered me.

3) Also, my game skipped my superdraft and my GM drafted for me, even though have myself doing all of the signings.

Anybody else out there with these issues, or am I messing something up?

[bulletsponge01]

Three MLS issues that I have noticed, and don't know if they are bugs or if I am doing something wrong. If they are bugs I will obviously move into the appropriate forum.

1) I play as the New England Revolution. I believe the MLS salary cap in year one is roughly 3.8million dollars a season. In year two, it dips drastically down to 3.08 million a season. It it doing that for everybody going into year two?

2) Also in the off season expansion draft, I protected 11 players for the expansion draft. Than things got screwy a bit. NYCFC and Orlando skipped all of their picks, and the players I didn't protect all ended up as free agents instead of back on my team. I sadly don't have a save for that anymore but that bothered me.

3) Also, my game skipped my superdraft and my GM drafted for me, even though have myself doing all of the signings.

Anybody else out there with these issues, or am I messing something up?

the same type thing happened when i played Orlando when i started mid season. i restarted and it worked fine the 2nd time playing. did you start your save mid season or from the beginning of the season?

[Crash Davis]

I started my save in January 2014 with the start of MLS. I was reading the forums last night and I guess #2 and #3 are known bugs with hopeful fixes on the way with the full release of the game on Friday. I didn't see the massive salary cap reduction in there yet but didn't know if that was a bug, or if MLS was really reducing the cap going into 2015. I couldn't find anything last night about it.

[Colorado]

Try it again as a test and if the cap is still an issue report in the bugs forum so it can be looked at.

[Crash Davis]

I guess the cap thing is not an issue, but the 3.08M salary cap is the true MLS salary cap. Certain teams in the original season and through your game can use allocation funds to increase the salary cap. So I was told on the bug boards.

Numbers 2 and 3 are legit known bugs.

[looknohands]

Have any of you guys reached the Champions League? Has the issue of the Canadian MLS squads throwing the groups out of whack been fixed?

[kandersson]

Have any of you guys reached the Champions League? Has the issue of the Canadian MLS squads throwing the groups out of whack been fixed?

then it wasn't just me! playing with TFC, NACL's group stages became ultra-tough after a couple of years with mexican and american teams in my group... I guess this is not how it's supposed to be?

btw as you're always very helpful with MLS, I have a question for you . Not sure if this is changing for FM15, but last year registration rules allowed a maximum of 30 players, including 20 'budget contracts' and 6 reserve contracts... Now my understanding is that all senior contacts (including senior minimun salary and generation adidas contracts) are 'budget contracts', while reserve contracts are not... which should mean 20+6=26... I always manage to register a full 30 players roster, I just don't understand why (ie those 4 'extra' players) though I'm sure I'm missing something.

[Max Clayton-Robb]

I started my save in January 2014 with the start of MLS. I was reading the forums last night and I guess #2 and #3 are known bugs with hopeful fixes on the way with the full release of the game on Friday. I didn't see the massive salary cap reduction in there yet but didn't know if that was a bug, or if MLS was really reducing the cap going into 2015. I couldn't find anything last night about it.

Indeed. We believe #2 & #3 will be caused by the same basic issue which we are of course working hard on to fix for release. #1 isn't a bug, it's to do with AI sides having put Allocation money on top of their salary cap.

[looknohands]

then it wasn't just me! playing with TFC, NACL's group stages became ultra-tough after a couple of years with mexican and american teams in my group... I guess this is not how it's supposed to be?

btw as you're always very helpful with MLS, I have a question for you . Not sure if this is changing for FM15, but last year registration rules allowed a maximum of 30 players, including 20 'budget contracts' and 6 reserve contracts... Now my understanding is that all senior contacts (including senior minimun salary and generation adidas contracts) are 'budget contracts', while reserve contracts are not... which should mean 20+6=26... I always manage to register a full 30 players roster, I just don't understand why (ie those 4 'extra' players) though I'm sure I'm missing something.

The problem with the Champions League is that the game counts Canadian MLS clubs as American, which leaves you with 5 US and 4 Mexican teams that are supposed to be kept apart in the group stage. Obviously, you can't have the instructions to keep teams from the two nations separate when there's only 8 groups; an easy fix would be to simply change how the game seeds the teams so that the 4 Mexican and 4 American teams are placed in the same pot, with the Canadian Championship winner placed in a different pot to be drawn against a team from either nation.

As for your roster question, this is from the MLS website:

•Players occupying roster spots 21-30 do not count against the club’s salary budget, and are referred to collectively as the club’s Off-Budget Players (maximum of 10 per team).

◦All Generation adidas players are Off-Budget players.

◦Players occupying roster spots 1-24 will earn at least $48,500 in 2014.

◦Players occupying roster spots 25-30 will earn at least $36,500 in 2014.

◦Clubs may sign up to two Homegrown Players contracts above the minimum salary and similar to Generation adidas player contract amounts.

Age Designations:

•Any player making $36,500 must be under the age 25 (does not turn 25 or older in 2014).

[kandersson]

The problem with the Champions League is that the game counts Canadian MLS clubs as American, which leaves you with 5 US and 4 Mexican teams that are supposed to be kept apart in the group stage. Obviously, you can't have the instructions to keep teams from the two nations separate when there's only 8 groups; an easy fix would be to simply change how the game seeds the teams so that the 4 Mexican and 4 American teams are placed in the same pot, with the Canadian Championship winner placed in a different pot to be drawn against a team from either nation.

As for your roster question, this is from the MLS website:

•Players occupying roster spots 21-30 do not count against the club’s salary budget, and are referred to collectively as the club’s Off-Budget Players (maximum of 10 per team).

◦All Generation adidas players are Off-Budget players.

◦Players occupying roster spots 1-24 will earn at least $48,500 in 2014.

◦Players occupying roster spots 25-30 will earn at least $36,500 in 2014.

◦Clubs may sign up to two Homegrown Players contracts above the minimum salary and similar to Generation adidas player contract amounts.

Age Designations:

•Any player making $36,500 must be under the age 25 (does not turn 25 or older in 2014).

thanks a lot, I guess sometimes I get confused because I tend to have more than 10 off-budget players between HG from academy, GA, reserve contracts and minimum salary contracts. Do you know if there's any change in MLS rules for 2014? I read about some 'discovery signing exception' but couldn't really understand much oh and heard loans between MLS clubs are now legal (one per season)

[Walrus]

Has anyone had problems adding a kit to NYCFC? I've tried and it doesn't show in game.

EDIT - Sorted.

[Crash Davis]

Indeed. We believe #2 & #3 will be caused by the same basic issue which we are of course working hard on to fix for release. #1 isn't a bug, it's to do with AI sides having put Allocation money on top of their salary cap.

Hi Max,

I did not want to start another MLS save until after Friday but did have a question about the allocation money and salary cap. In FM, are you only able to use the funds to increase the cap once per season before the season starts, or throughout the year as you purchase/sign new players?

Thanks, really was liking my MLS game this time out with the beta until the Superdraft crash. Looking forward to starting again.

[kandersson]

Hi Max,

I did not want to start another MLS save until after Friday but did have a question about the allocation money and salary cap. In FM, are you only able to use the funds to increase the cap once per season before the season starts, or throughout the year as you purchase/sign new players?

Thanks, really was liking my MLS game this time out with the beta until the Superdraft crash. Looking forward to starting again.

if it's like FM14, then you can adjust cap/allocation money more times during the season, though at the start of next season the cap will 'reset' at the default limit and you'll need to re-adjust every year; the good thing is the extra allocation funds you may have earned in previous seasons will still be available.

[Mars_Blackmon]

The problem with the Champions League is that the game counts Canadian MLS clubs as American, which leaves you with 5 US and 4 Mexican teams that are supposed to be kept apart in the group stage. Obviously, you can't have the instructions to keep teams from the two nations separate when there's only 8 groups; an easy fix would be to simply change how the game seeds the teams so that the 4 Mexican and 4 American teams are placed in the same pot, with the Canadian Championship winner placed in a different pot to be drawn against a team from either nation.

As for your roster question, this is from the MLS website:

•Players occupying roster spots 21-30 do not count against the club’s salary budget, and are referred to collectively as the club’s Off-Budget Players (maximum of 10 per team).

◦All Generation adidas players are Off-Budget players.

◦Players occupying roster spots 1-24 will earn at least $48,500 in 2014.

◦Players occupying roster spots 25-30 will earn at least $36,500 in 2014.

◦Clubs may sign up to two Homegrown Players contracts above the minimum salary and similar to Generation adidas player contract amounts.

Age Designations:

•Any player making $36,500 must be under the age 25 (does not turn 25 or older in 2014).

I think its safe to say this was fix.

I didn't see any Mex & US teams in the same group however I did see Toronto/Mont in a US group so thats correct right?

[phd_angel]

Sorry, I'm a bit confused:

Is Orlando City in FM15 or not? (Moderators are saying the license is limited to this year, but players are saying Orlando is in).

Please clarify. Thank you.

[Mars_Blackmon]

There are in as well as NYCFC

[chris85]

Both Orlando City and NYCFC are in this year's game, but they don't start play until the 2015 MLS Season.

[jkl620]

I don't know if this is the right place to put an MLS issue, but the game does not seem to support the reserve league. I am playing as Chicago (where I start with every years edition) and there are no games for the reserve team. I tried to go in and enter Chicago's actual reserve schedule as friendly games, but either the board or the other team rejected all of the proposals. Any reason for no reserve games?

[Mars_Blackmon]

I don't know if this is the right place to put an MLS issue, but the game does not seem to support the reserve league. I am playing as Chicago (where I start with every years edition) and there are no games for the reserve team. I tried to go in and enter Chicago's actual reserve schedule as friendly games, but either the board or the other team rejected all of the proposals. Any reason for no reserve games?

There's a bug forum for USA.

I definitely see teams playing in reserve friendlies though, I haven't tried scheduling one as of yet.

2014 is the last year that the MLS will support a reserve league. So I am assuming SI removed the MLS reserve league that was in the the past FM's?

Starting in 2015, all teams must affiliate with a USL PRO team or field their own USL PRO team. So pretty much the MLS are favoring B teams and are done with reserve rosters.

I think the lack of MLS players being loaned out to USL sides is more alarming tbh....

....But the lack of loans could to the USL PRO could be...

A) My USL Pro not being active as of now.

0r

B) The effects of the slim roster MLS teams are fielding.

...or maybe a combination of both

[looknohands]

I think its safe to say this was fix.

I didn't see any Mex & US teams in the same group however I did see Toronto/Mont in a US group so thats correct right?

So long as it's the Canadian MLS team that is being placed in a group alongside a Mexican or American team, the problem has been corrected; if any other MLS team is being placed alongside of the other teams it's a bug. I haven't purchased FM15 so I haven't been able to test it out for myself.

Any word on the salary cap increasing in 15? No one replied to my thread and it's the reason I haven't/won't purchase FM15.

[Mars_Blackmon]

So long as it's the Canadian MLS team that is being placed in a group alongside a Mexican or American team, the problem has been corrected; if any other MLS team is being placed alongside of the other teams it's a bug. I haven't purchased FM15 so I haven't been able to test it out for myself.

Any word on the salary cap increasing in 15? No one replied to my thread and it's the reason I haven't/won't purchase FM15.

Simmed to up to 3 different NACL's and only the Canadian teams are joining a group with another US/Mex team.

I don't think the salary cap increases, its been listed at 3,100,000 in the rules since 2015.

I wonder why was this changed I remembered it increasing in FM12.

[Max Clayton-Robb]

So long as it's the Canadian MLS team that is being placed in a group alongside a Mexican or American team, the problem has been corrected; if any other MLS team is being placed alongside of the other teams it's a bug. I haven't purchased FM15 so I haven't been able to test it out for myself.

Any word on the salary cap increasing in 15? No one replied to my thread and it's the reason I haven't/won't purchase FM15.

It doesn't increase because inflation is not in game. All that would happen is the cap would get larger and larger and the salaries wouldn't rise to match.

[looknohands]

It doesn't increase because inflation is not in game. All that would happen is the cap would get larger and larger and the salaries wouldn't rise to match.

In a previous version, both the cap and minimum salaries were programmed to increase at a fixed rate. This led to issues well down the line when minimum contracts were pretty much on equal footing with max contracts, but one of our suggestions was that the maximum contract be increased at a set amount as well; 25,000/year every four or five years seemed a reasonable rate. Is this simply not possible to do? Is there any way for salary cap numbers to be changed with the in-game editor in the future?

[jase19]

Not to go off topic, but if this is just about MLS in general...

What do the MLS people think about how DeAndre Yedlin is rated in this FM?

I did a search for other MLS threads but the search said that there were too many... But this is the only one I see lol...

[kubo]

Is New York City supposed to have zero allocation funds in 2015?

After getting a bit greedy and picking up too many high earners in the expansion draft, we were way over the total wage limit and could barely register a complete squad. I almost got stuck since I couldn't get under the limit with the required minimum of 15 players, and had to holiday to get further in the game. I managed to trade away some draft picks for a chunk of another clubs allocation funds, which allowed us to up the wage limit somewhat, but now I can't sign a single player - not even from our own academy - despite having a couple of thousand dollars to spare. What am I missing here?

Also, the fixture scheduling seems a bit weird. Sometimes there's two league games in three days, then there's ten-twelve days rest. We had to play one league game the day after a USA vs Brazil friendly, which meant we had like 8 players to chose from.

I'm quite fond of the squad we've cobbled together, but it will be though getting through the whole season with such an alarming lack of depth.

[kubo]

The Gold Cup just started, but there's no scheduled break for the MLS? Oh well, scraping by with greyed out players it is, then.

[Uncle_Sam]

It doesn't increase because inflation is not in game. All that would happen is the cap would get larger and larger and the salaries wouldn't rise to match.

The obvious problem with the salary cap not increasing is that the quality of the league can never improve no matter how wealthy the clubs become. In reality, if every team in the league had $1B in the bank the salary cap would not be $3.08 p/y. The salary cap would increase and teams would be signing better players. I really wish that you guys could sort out some algorithm where the average financial health of the clubs determined the salary cap.

[looknohands]

The obvious problem with the salary cap not increasing is that the quality of the league can never improve no matter how wealthy the clubs become. In reality, if every team in the league had $1B in the bank the salary cap would not be $3.08 p/y. The salary cap would increase and teams would be signing better players. I really wish that you guys could sort out some algorithm where the average financial health of the clubs determined the salary cap.

I would think/hope that it would simply be easier to allow us to use the in-game editor to change the values for salary cap, max contracts, dev contracts, etc. Can honestly say that I don't plan on purchasing another Football Manager until a long-term save in MLS is once again viable:(

[vasilli07]

Will I be missing out on anything if I play MLS in the classic mode?

[SeattleFan]

i have a few questions:

a) can we edit the draft picks in the pre game editor

b) even though the reserve teams don't have a schedule the 1st season do they have one the second season and beyond?

c) is there a age limit on the reserve roster or no?

[SeattleFan]

if u control nyfc or orlando do u get to take part in your own expansion draft in fm15?

[looknohands]

You can use the in-game editor to edit draft picks. Almost all of the players are newgens, and won't exist in the pre-game editor.

[SeattleFan]

If i take my hometown team in Hamilton and replace Orlando City with them when in the game do i take over the new squad to prep for the expansion draft etc..

also in yr one for my expansion team but year 2 for everyone else is that when reserve squads start playing each other..

[jasjuser]

I was surprised and I can confirm these:

1. NY City FC and Orlando City SC are playable. Expansion draft for them is held in Dec 10 2014 if I recall correctly.

2. Announcement of Chivas USA ceasing operation, sometime in mid Dec 2014.

3. Chivas' draft assets are not tradeable in 2014 season.

4. No dispersal draft for Chivas' players.

[Terrance]

That means no way of getting Cubo Torres.

Does anyone get MLS youth intake from other countries like Brazil and Germany? Or do you only see Americans?

[SeattleFan]

You can use the in-game editor to edit draft picks. Almost all of the players are newgens, and won't exist in the pre-game editor.

wanted to edit the draft picks so that they match real life

[SeattleFan]

how does feeder clubs work for MLS... The 15/17 yr olds do u have to wait till they get drafted in MLS superdraft first or something