[FM18] Worldwide Journeyman - Season 8: O'Higgins Futbol Club (Chile) - Midseason Departures and Start of Copa Chile!

[yatesiboi37]

Update 49: March 2023

Club: Mount Rich
Division: GFA Premier Division

Having unfortunately been knocked out of the CONCACAF Champions League in the very first round, I decided to stick with Mount Rich and have another crack at the other early-season continental competition, the CFU Club Championship. 

We have participated in this tournament for the past five seasons, reaching the final once and the semi-finals on a further two occasions. This update will look through the initial group games that we played through in the hope that we could make it through to the next round. 

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CFU Club Championship DETAILS:

The Caribbean Football Union Club Championship is a continental competition that sees the best sides of the region compete in a group/knockout tournament. The first thing to remember about this competition is that it is absolutely huge. The first group stage sees 64 teams enter (in groups of four) where everyone plays each other once, with the side finishing top progressing to a final group stage. 

As you may recall, the group draw for the Initial Group Stage had already been made.

We were drawn in Group E alongside Helenites, Attackers and Don Bosco. 

The weakest side in this group is probably Helenites Sports Club, a side who we have actually played against in this stage of the competition for the past two seasons. They are based in the US Virgin Islands and are still the current domestic champions. They are an amateur team, yet they have won the top domestic title in their country on five different occasions and are listed as the nations second most reputable side. 

The second side we will face is Orleans Attackers. They are another amateur side, based in Saint-Martin, and one who were part of this tournament last season.  They have two top-tier domestic league titles to their name but have not had much luck in the CFU Club Championship, failing to ever make it out of the initial group stage. They have an entirely domestic-based squad but are not one of the countries most reputable sides. 

The final side we face, and probably the toughest looking on paper, is Don Bosco Football Club. The semi-professional side are from Haiti and have dominated the domestic league there in recent times, winning the top division title for the past three years. Their most recent appearance in the CFU Club Championship saw them lose in the 2021 Third Placed Playoff game so it is clear that this side, the most recognised in Haiti, will be a tough challenge. 

Friendly RESULTS:

W = 6, D = 0, L = 0

I was able to squeeze in a number of friendly games prior to the start of this competitions and it is safe to say that we enter this competition in fine form. 

We won six games in a row, scoring a very impressive 21 goals whilst conceding just four and keeping two clean sheets. It is also worth noting that we played some decent sides doing this run. Paradise Sports Club, who pushed us very close in the GFA Premier Division last season, were our second game and we recorded a 1-0 home win. We also hosted Barbadian league champions, UWI Blackbirds, who we ere able to defeat by a scoreline of 3-1. 

CFU Club Championship RESULTS:

The first round would see us face off against all of our group opponents in single-legged fixtures at neutral grounds. 

Game 1. CFU Club Championship Group E: vs Helenites Sports Club (US Virgin Islands)

Our opening fixture saw us travel to the Stade Rene Serge Nabajoth in Guadeloupe to take on US Virgin Island champions Helenites. 

Having played this side twice in our past two CFU Club Championship appearances, I knew that we entered the game as favourites and fortunately for ourselves, there was no upset to be had although there were some nervy moments. We dominated proceedings from start to finish and a professional, attack-minded performance saw us create a number of chances. 

We took the lead just before the half-time interval when ball-winner Jason Louison scored a rare goal. The young midfielder slid home a net, placed finish from inside the area to give us deserved lead a the break. 

The second period continued with more of the same attacking play from ourselves but it was actually our opponents who scored the first goal, as they scored just after the hour mark with a finish that rattled in off the post. Determined not to be the sufferers of an upset we bounced back immediately when Englishman Liam Griffiths slammed home a header from a fine left-footed cross from fullback Joel Alexander. 

At 2-1 there was always the fear that Helenites could grab another goal but, in all honesty, they never created a mere half chance in the closing half hour and we rounded off the game when youth forward Bradley Mark scored his first professional goal in injury time. 

Louison had a fine game, adding a goal to an excellent defensive job in the centre of midfield, and helped us record an opening day victory - albeit an expected one. 

Game 2. CFU Club Championship Group E: vs Orleans Attackers (Saint-Martin)

The second game saw us travel to St. Kitts & Nevis to take on a decent Attackers side who worked us very hard. 

We started the game very strongly, picking up from where we left off in the previous game, and created a number of good chances early on. Our finishing was not at its best though and we squandered a few very good opportunities. Fortunately, Kyle Thomas took his first chance when he smashed home a right footed strike from outside the area in the 20th minute. It was a classy finish from a player who has become a real force playing just behind the front two over the past couple of seasons. 

We failed to take any further chances and as the half progressed our opponents grew into the game. They turned their pressure into a goal and were back on level terms midway through the second period when we conceded another close range effort.

Although a draw would not have been the worst result we pushed for a winner that would greatly improve our chances of qualification and eventually it came. Karim Juma, an unlikely source for the winner, jumped highest following a Joel Francois-Ravalier freekick and the Ugandan central defender thumped a header past the Attackers goalkeeper. 

Two wins from two and well on course to a place in the next round. 

Game 3. CFU Club Championship Group E: vs Don Bosco Football Club (Haiti)

The third round of matches saw us take on a very impressive Don Bosco side, as we remained in St. Kitts & Nevis for a second consecutive tie. 

This was by far and away our best performance of the competition, as we played some outstanding attacking football enroute to an impressive 3-0 victory. We controlled possession easily throughout the opening exchanges and looked a constant threat going forward. That being said we just could not seem to find a way past the Don Bosco goalkeeper and I was worried all of our first half dominance would count for nothing if we did not grab the goal we deserved. 

Fortunately for us, just prior to the break, club captain Shaddai Sampson glanced home a near post header following a right wing cross from Cassim Millette. The forwards flick flew past the hapless keeper and meant we took a deserved lead into the break. 

We then grabbed an early goal in the second period to ensure that the game was safe. Sampson swivelled neatly just inside the penalty area and ripped a right footed finish into the bottom corner. As the game progressed our opponents never looked like getting a goal back. Instead we finished off the tie when Alister Rennie collected another rare goal as he headed home a Joel Francois-Ravalier freekick.  

An excellent attacking performance from Sampson saw us collect our best result of the competition thus far against, arguably, the best side in a group. Another win though meant we had recording three straight victories to kickstart the tournament. 

STANDINGS:

As you probably guessed, we were able to top our group following three wins from three. 

Don Bosco finished second following a pair of 2-0 victories over the other two sides in our group. Unsurprisingly, US Virgin Island champions, Helenites lost all three of their fixtures - having done exactly the same the previous two seasons in this competition. 

The next stage of the tournament sees the 16 group winners pooled into four final groups before that stage takes on an exact format of this stage. Speaking of the draw for the next round, that has just been completed...

OTHER NEWS:

CFU Club Championship Final Stage Draw:

This stage always seems to be hit and miss in terms of the group draw; with this season proving fairly tough on paper. 

I will look at these sides in more detail during my next update but we will be facing Arnett Gardens (Jamaica), Cunupia (Trinidad & Tobago) and Golden Lion (Martinique). We will again need to top this group if we want to make it into the semifinals for the fourth time in our history. 

Grenadian Football:

We were not the only Grenadian representative in the Club Championship, as last seasons league runner-up Paradise Sports Club were also involved. 

Amazingly, they were able to top their group as well! 

They overcome a fairly average looking group, finishing top on goal difference, above US Matoury of French Guiana. This result makes this a very historic season as, for the first time ever, we will have two Grenadian sides in the Final Group Stage of the CFU Club Championship! 

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So that concludes the initial group stages of the CFU Club Championship. Once again we manage to get out of the first round but face a tough challenge in the next group stage as we are matched up with two of the big sides from Jamaica and Trinidad & Tobago respectively. 

I will be back soon with another update, looking at our progress in the next round, and I will eventually have to decide what I want to do in terms of my managerial career. 

[kidthekid]

good progress for Grenadian football

[yatesiboi37]

Update 50: March 2023

Club: Mount Rich
Division: GFA Premier Division

Update number 50! I am surprised I have got this far but I hope you guys are all still enjoying this Grenadian-based save.

This update will see us head into the Final Group Stage of the CFU Club Championship where we will have to top a rather tricky looking group if we want to once again appear in the semifinals. This competition has eluded us for a number of seasons; we have reached the semifinals on two previous occasions but we also lost in the final last season. 

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CFU Club Championship DETAILS: 

The Final Group Stage of the CFU Club Championship sees the 16 group winners from the previous round entered into four new groups. Here everyone plays everyone once, at neutral venues again, with the four group winners progressing onto the semifinals. 

As you may recall, the group draw for this stage had already been completed and we were matched up with Golden Lion, Cunupia and Arnett Gardens. 

All three of these sides are very solid but the least threatening are probably Golden Lion Football. The semi-professional side from Martinique are the countries most reputable side and have endured some very recent success, winning the top division league title on five different occasions. They have reached this stage of this competition in three of the past five seasons and have a squad led by experienced international midfielder Jean-Emmanuel Nedra.

One of the first professional sides that we face in this competition will be Cunupia Predators FC, of Trinidad & Tobago. Founded in 2001, they only gained promotion to the top domestic division in 2019 but finished in third place in the league during the past two seasons. They made their first appearance in this competition last year but failed to make it out of the Initial Group Stage, meaning this is the furthest they have ever been in the CFU Club Championship. They are led by St. Kitts & Nevis international regen midfielder Thrizen Gumbs, who is one of the best players to ever represent his nation. 

The final side we face is Arnett Gardens FC. This professional side play in the top division of Jamaica and they are the countries most reputable side, making them one of the Caribbean's well renowned teams. They are the most successful side in Jamaican history, having won the top division on eight previous occasions. They have endured some continental success in recent times, finishing second in this competition back in 2018 and then losing in the final of the North American League the season after. Former Watford forward Jerome Sinclair is currently apart of their squad!

Not the easiest three games but we knew we would need a positive result against Arnett Gardens to have any chance at reaching the semifinal stage of this competition. 

CFU Club Championship RESULTS:

The second round would see us again travel to neutral stadiums. We would need to finish atop a tough group if we were going to be able to progress through to the next round once again.  

Game 1. CFU Club Championship Final Stage Group D: vs Arnett Gardens FC (Jamaica)

 

We kicked off this round with a thrilling victory, in Barbados, over a very strong Arnett Gardens side. Whilst we did play a very good game, we were on the back-foot for long periods in this one and only came away with a victory thanks to some excellent finishing. 

We fell behind midway through the first half when former Watford forward Jerome Sinclair grabbed his first goal of the game. We thought we pulled a goal back about ten minutes later but Karim Juma saw his thumping header ruled out for an apparent push in a decision that seemed a little harsh. We made amends almost immediately though as Marcus Mark levelled things up right on the stroke of halftime. The young left fullback collected his first professional goal with a neatly struck angled finish into the bottom corner. 

We probably did not deserve to be level at the break but I was happy to settle for it. We definitely did not deserve to lead the tie but we did as Shaddai Sampson smashed a cutback from Kyle Thomas into the top corner, giving the opposing goalkeeper no chance whatsoever at making the save. Arnett Gardens were back on level terms just moments later though and the game was tied at 2-2 with 30 minutes left to play. 

Both teams created chances through the closing stages but we eventually took one of ours. Sampson again was in the right place at the right time and was able to tap home a close range finish following a good save by the goalkeeper. There were some nervy final moments but we were able to hold on for a very impressive victory, one in which we scored with three of our five shots on target. 

Game 2. CFU Club Championship Final Stage Group D: vs Golden Lion Football (Martinique)

The second game saw us take on Martinique champions Golden Lion and we absolutely dominated them from start to finish. 

This was an extremely surprising display given that Golden Lion are a very strong side on paper but we payed brilliantly, keeping the ball very well and ensuring our opponents did not have a single shot on target. 

We opened the scoring in the first half when midfielder Fortunato Nguema smashed home a first time finish from the edge of the area. It was a strike that left the opponents goalkeeper rooted to the spot and one that not many keepers would have been able to stop. We then grabbed a second goal moments later when a Shaddai Sampson cross was tuned into his own net by a defender. 

Kyle John-Brown ensured the game was over just two minutes into the second half when he placed a neat finish into the bottom corner following some god interplay between himself and Sampson. 

Our opponents never looked like scoring and the fact that we can dominate an opponent such as this, with such an ease, shows just how far we have come in seven years. Everyone had a good game but it was no surprise to see goalscorer Nguema handed the Player of the Match award as he completed a team-high 129 passes as well. 

Game 3. CFU Club Championship Final Stage Group D: vs Cunupia Predators FC (Trinidad & Tobago)

The final game saw us travel back to St. Kitts & Nevis for a matchup with Trinidad & Tobago side Cunupia. Having displayed a dominant attacking performance in the previous game, we again looked extremely efficient as we raced to a 3-0 lead before the game entered its final half hour. 

Kyle Thomas opened the scoring when he sidestepped a defender on the edge of the area and struck a nice left-footed shot past the goalkeeper. We actually restricted our opponents to zero shots on target in the first half but I was well aware that we needed a second goal to ensure a comfortable cushion existed. 

That is exactly what I got, just five minutes after the interval, as forward Emeca capped a wonderfully crafted fast break with a tidy half volley following a right wing cross from Cassim Millette. The tie was over just nine minutes later when central defender Charlison Smeekes scored his first Mount Rich goal, slotting home at the far post following a corner kick. 

There was still time for a late Cunupia consolation but it was not enough to stop us recording a third consecutive win in this stage of the competition. Smeekes capped an excellent defensive display with a goal and was rightly awarded Player of the Match. Alongside the other two goal scorers there was an excellent performance from Alistair Rennie who was an absolute rock in front of the back four. 

Three further wins meant that we would likely be progressing to the next stage...

STANDINGS:

Another three wins from our three fixtures sees us top the group stage once again. 

In reality, we finished five points clear at the top as there was not much to choose between the other three sides who between them played out a number of drawn games. As expected, Arnett Gardens finished in second place after collecting one victory but Golden Lion and Cunupia both struggled, failing to win a game at all. 

Our +6 goal difference meant we finished well clear but also could have gotten away with a draw against Arnett an still been able to make it through. 

OTHER NEWS:

Succes at this stage meant that we would once again be representing in the semifinal stage of the competition. The draw for that round has already been completed. 

 CFU Club Championship Semifinal Draw:

We are matched up against Harbour View FC. The Jamaican side pose a similar threat to Arnett Gardens who we faced in the final group stages and definitely will not be an easy route to the final. 

They currently top the Jamaican domestic division and are actually one of the few big-name Caribbean sides that we have not yet played against during this save. 

Grenadian Football:

As you may remember, Paradise Sports Club also made it through to the final group stage, marking the first time in history that two Grenadian sides had done so!

They actually gave a very good account of themselves in this round, recording an excellent victory over Dublanc of Dominica whilst also holding reigning champions Puerto Rico FC to a 1-1. It is always positive to see other sides in the division doing well and hopefully this will help develop a better domestic competition as well as improve the stature of football on our Caribbean island. 

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So that concludes the Final Group Stage of this years CFU Club Championship. I will be back shortly with a last update covering the semifinal clash against Harbour View and the final (should we make it...).

I have been very impressed with our performances so far. We were excellent during the round despite having to face off against a number of very talented sides. I again hope everyone is still enjoying this save and thanks again for all the views, likes and comments!

[yatesiboi37]

Update 51: May 2023

Club: Mount Rich
Division: GFA Premier Division

This update sees us take on the final stages of the CFU Club Championship. This is a continental competition that I have failed to win on six previous occasions but I have been to this stage, the semifinals, on three different times. 

With no injuries or squad absences, I was hoping to finish off my reign at Mount Rich with a victory in a competition that has eluded me for so long. Can Mount Rich finally find success in the Caribbean? 

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CFU Club Championship DETAILS:

The semifinal stage saw us handed a fairly difficult draw as we were matched up with Harbour View FC. The Jamaican club are the third most reputable in the nation and currently top the domestic division going into the final month. They have won the Jamaican league on four previous occasions but have never before made it this far in the CFU Club Championship, with a previous best of reaching the Final Group Stage back in 2019 and 2021. 

As expected they have a very strong squad and are led by right fullback Reece Clayton, a regen who is currently being pursued by a host of MLS sides. English goalkeeper Lee Nicholls, formerly of MK Dons and Wigan, is their first choice between the sticks whilst their main attacking threat comes from Kevaughn Frater who scored 14 goals in last years domestic campaign. 

The other semifinal sees perennial all-stars Puerto Rico FC take on a minnow side in the form of Conaree United from St. Kitts & Nevis. Both semis are single-leg games played at neutral venues with the winners going through to the final and the losers then competing in a Third Placed Playoff. 

CFU Club Championship RESULTS:

Game 1. CFU Club Championship Semi Final: vs Harbour View FC (Jamaica)

This is easily one of my best continental results to date!

We travelled to Costa Rica for this matchup and some unbelievably efficient finishing led to an emphatic 4-0 scoreline. Shaddai Sampson grabbed two goals in the first half to give us the perfect start. Firstly he struck an excellent effort across the keeper from the edge of the box following a good pass from Emeca and then he benefited from some very unselfish play from Kyle Thomas, who squared an excellent pass to his captain who was then able to roll the ball into the empty net. 

The second half continued much in the same vain, with both sides creating chances but us showing an ability to take ours whilst our opponents struggled to test Marc Walcott in the Mount Rich goal. Admittedly, it did take us a while to grab the third goal but it came as Harbour View pushed more players up the pitch. Sampson launched a long ball forward to substitute Kimron Phillip and the youngster was able to beat his man before sliding a pass into the path of Joel Francois-Ravalier, with the midfielder then placing his first time effort beyond the outstretched goalkeeper. Another substitute, Cassim Redhead, rounded off the scoring in injury time when he beat the goalkeeper to an Alistair Rennie through ball and knocked a smart finish underneath the shot stoppers attempted dive.

This was easily one of my best continental moments thus far and was one that meant we would be competing in a CFU Club Championship final for the second consecutive season. 

The only thing left now to discover was who we would be playing against in said final...

Conaree United came so close to causing an upset in the other semifinal but unfortunately Puerto Rico FC came through in extra time. 

You may recall we played these guys in the final of this competition last year, where we ultimately lost and those this has definitely become a revenge match of sorts. Given that I also hate the fact that they are even allowed to play in this competition (whilst they are based in Puerto Rico they play in the American league system) and this had become one of the biggest matches of my Mount Rich career.

They have dominated this competition for a while now, winning it in 2020 and 2022 whilst finishing third the season in between that. They are a professional club who have an extremely multicultural squad with a number of Brazilian and Argentinian players. They also have a couple of Englishmen, with the most recognisable being former Nottingham Forest defender Jack Hobbs. 

Most of the star players who we faced last season are not there anymore though so who knows, could this finally be the moment we complete this competition? 

Game 2. CFU Club Championship Final: vs Puerto Rico FC (Puerto Rico)

Unbelievable! We totally FM'd them but I really do not care!

In front of over 10,000 supporters in the Ferdi Neita Complex in Jamaica we were crowned champions of the CFU Club Championship at the sixth attempt. 

Do not get me wrong, we definitely did not deserve to win this game of football as we spent the majority of the game defending desperately trying to keep our opponents menagerie of attacking talent at bay. We made it into half time, having only had one shot at goal, but with the scoreline still reading 0-0. 

The second half saw us have an inspired five minutes which ultimately gifted us the trophy. From a set piece on the right wing Joel Francois-Ravalier sent a fine cross into the penalty area and on-hand to head home was club captain Shaddai Sampson. The young forward rose highest and sent a powerful header past the static Puerto Rico goalkeeper to give us a very unlikely lead. 

Then, just five minutes after that euphoria, we were scoring again. Another freekick on the right wing, from a similar position to the last, but this time, rather than floating in another cross, Francois-Ravalier squared a pass to an unmarked Kyle Thomas who let rip with a stunning first time finish into he bottom right-hand corner. It was a thunderous finish and one of the best I have seen at Mount Rich for a while!

Puerto Rico threw everything at us in the final half hour but we stood firm and some excellent work from Alec Leo and goalkeeper Marc Walcott ensured that we managed to record another clean sheet in this competition. Unsurprisingly Kyle Thomas was awarded the Player of the Match following is wonder strike but I also have to give a big shout out to Francois-Ravalier and Fortunato Nguema, the midfield duo who did a tremendous job at snuffing out opposition attackers before they got started. 

PLAYER STATISTICS:

With the tournament now over I thought it would be worth having a look at a few of the standout players. We ended the competition with a total of 17 players holding an average rating of over 7.0.

The key man was definitely Shaddai Sampson (7.94). The club captain had his best ever CFU Club Championship and led the way for the squad with seven goals scored in his seven appearances. He also added a further two assists and showed a real flair for taking the game to the defenders, averaging 3.37 dribbles/game. 

In defence, the standout performer was Ugandan centreback Karim Juma (7.36). He actually had to go off injured in the final but he was a big reason for our solid defensive play throughout the two months. Marcus Mark (7.24) showed that he has a future on the left flank, completed nine crosses, whilst new signing Charlison Smeekes (7.21) led the team with 37 defensive interceptions. Cassim Millette (7.11) also played well but was a bit shy of his outstanding best. He still recorded the highest number of key passes, with 17, whilst competing 15 crosses. 

Our midfielder, often one of the weaker areas of the side, was truly excellent. Ball-Winning roamer Alistair Rennie (7.55) was on top form and averaged 3.83 tackles/game whilst it was great to see Joel Francois-Ravalier (7.49) back playing well following a number of injuries. The former youth product played 16 key passes and collected a team-high 5 assists in his nine games played. Fortunato Nguema (7.24) started the final and had a fine tournament of his own, covering 14.0km per game. 

In attack I was very impressed with the play of Kyle Thomas (7.33). The young shadow striker provided an excellent compliment to the scoring of Sampson, grabbing five individual goals of his own in just eight appearances. Englishman Liam Griffiths (7.12) played reasonably well and there was a first professional goal for latest academy forward Bradley Mark (6.90). 

STANDINGS:

CHAMPIONS!

This is a fine achievement for the club and one that has been a long time coming consider our past failings in this competition. 

Conaree United FC, the minnows from St. Kitts & Nevis were named the biggest overachievers as they reached the semifinals in a very unexpected turn of events. The biggest underachievers were Arnett Gardens, one of the pre-competition favourites who we knocked out in the Final Group Stage. Their forward Jerome Sinclair, who scored twice against us, finished the competition with a whopping 15 goals. 

OTHER NEWS:

CONCACAF Champions League Qualification: 

Success in the CFU Club Championship means we once again qualify for the Champions League but this time because we are named the top side in the Caribbean. The last time we appeared in this competition we crashed out in the first round, losing to Houston Dynamo, so hopefully we might have one better luck (and an easier draw) this time around. 

Trophy Cabinet:

The CFU Club Championship trophy becomes the second continental success I have achieved with Mount Rich, following our North American League title last season. This championship also means that I am once again adding to my Managerial Hall of Fame points, collecting a further 27 points for the CFU Club Championship, taking my overall personal total to 191 points. 

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With the early season continental competitions now over and done with, I need to decide what comes next with Mount Rich. I have won both of the smaller continental competitions that we can take part in, with the elusive CONCACAF Champions League looking like something that I would require years and years to have a chance at succeeding in. 

With the domestic side of things becoming all too easy I think it might be time to try and find a new challenge. I have developed Mount Rich into the best side in Grenada, and one of the top teams in the Caribbean, which I think is a very respectable achievement. 

What do you guys think? Is there a particular way that you would like this save to go? 

 

 

[rodesire]

Excellent stuff all round!  Really glad, Paradise is doing well.  Might be a bit more of a challenge domestically having dominated so hard

[decapitated]

A really enjoyable save. Have you had any job offers from other club or International teams?  

[kidthekid]

great result indeed

[Mbasnett6]

Definitely time to move on - have done superbly to get to where you are, but taken them as far as you can.

[dllu]

I say mix things up and go for a different continent.

[Gum]

You should try to go to a bigger league (maybe in the US or Europe) and see if you can develop top Grenadian talent there in an effort to possibly make Grenada qualify for a tournament such as the Gold Cup or World Cup and try to do well in them.

[yatesiboi37]

On 11 July 2018 at 17:47, rodesire said:

Excellent stuff all round!  Really glad, Paradise is doing well.  Might be a bit more of a challenge domestically having dominated so hard

It was really good to see another Grenadian team doing well in a continental competition. Granted, they did have a fairly easy group in the first round but they put in a very good showing in the final group stage. It might mean that we have a bit more of a domestic challenge but we are still far superior to them in terms of squad strength!

On 11 July 2018 at 18:16, decapitated said:

A really enjoyable save. Have you had any job offers from other club or International teams?  

Thanks! I have not received any offers at all... I thought I might have done after some continental success and after my work with Kenya but apparently that was not enough for other teams to take a look. 

On 11 July 2018 at 21:58, kidthekid said:

great result indeed

Thanks kidthekid!

I was very happy that I finally managed to achieve success in the CFU Club Championship!

On 12 July 2018 at 17:15, Mbasnett6 said:

Definitely time to move on - have done superbly to get to where you are, but taken them as far as you can.

I think I agree.

Any place you would like to see me end up in particular?

On 12 July 2018 at 17:22, dllu said:

I say mix things up and go for a different continent.

I had a look at the MLS as a possible destination but that league looks crazy confusing! I think a different continent might be a good shout. Any one in particular that you would like to see me play in?

9 hours ago, Gum said:

You should try to go to a bigger league (maybe in the US or Europe) and see if you can develop top Grenadian talent there in an effort to possibly make Grenada qualify for a tournament such as the Gold Cup or World Cup and try to do well in them.

I think  bigger league is definitely a must. I would like to end up somewhere with a professional club (semi-pro is not the most fun) but bringing some of the Grenadian players with me might be a very good idea and a fun twist to this journey.

[dllu]

10 minutes ago, yatesiboi37 said:

I think  bigger league is definitely a must. I would like to end up somewhere with a professional club (semi-pro is not the most fun) but bringing some of the Grenadian players with me might be a very good idea and a fun twist to this journey.

England would be the obvious choice then, but also about as un-exotic as you can get...  

[yatesiboi37]

Having mulled it over for a while I have decided that the time is right for the following decision.

I managed to secure a first ever CFU Club Championship last month and that success felt like a good end point for my time at Mount Rich. I am going to use this update as a way of looking back on my six and a half years in Grenada; and as a way for us all to say goodbye (for now at least) to Mount Rich. 

Team Background:

Mount Rich were formed back in 1986 and the small, semi-professional club are based in the town of Morne Fendue, in the northeastern corner of the Caribbean island of Grenada. Prior to my arrival at the club in 2017, the club had not developed much in the way of a history having only won a couple of lower league trophies. Since I took over though Mount Rich have developed into the most recognisable clubs in Grenada and a perennial powerhouse within the Caribbean. 

I have grown the club into the most reputable within the nation and they currently hold a 1.5 star rating in terms of reputation, the highest in all of Grenada. The average price of a season ticket has increased to £40 and I leave the team as an official club legend. They play their home games at the 700 capacity Plains Playing Field, a ground that we managed to sellout on a couple of occasions despite our lowly standing in world football. 

Managerial Record:

I joined Mount Rich back in 2017, almost six and a half years ago, and in that time I have presided over 191 matches. During that span I have been extremely successful and leave with an incredible club win percentage of 79%. I only lost 20 games in total, winning more than 150 across both domestic and continental competitions. 

We were a very exciting side to watch and our attacking minded tactic led to us scoring 484 goals at an average of 2.53/game. Defensively we proved to be very solid, averaging less than one goal conceded per match; with 0.82/game. 

Competitions:

One of the most exciting aspects of managing in Grenada and the Caribbean were the multiple competitions that we took part in, all of which I have never experienced before. Although the domestic side of things with Mount Rich was fairly short lived in terms of number of games, we got to play lots of continental football throughout the seasons which kept this process interesting and exciting. 

GFA Premier Division

Number of Seasons: 6 (2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022)
Best Finish: Winners x 5 

The GFA Premier Division was the main focus of mine during my six seasons with Mount Rich. It was the top domestic division of Grenada and was a league that the club had never previously won prior to my arrival. 

As you can see, we totally dominated league proceedings from the moment I joined the club. We managed to secure five league titles, missing out in 2018 by just a single point. We also managed to record a pair of unbeaten seasons (2019 and 2021) but the biggest thing to note here is that we only actually lost six leagues games across six whole years of domestic football in Grenada. 

We were an unstoppable attacking force, scoring over 40 goals in ever season, with a yearly high coming in 2022 where we netted 59 times in just 18 league games. 

Waggy-T Super Knockout Football Tournament 

Number of Seasons: 6 (2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022)
Best Finish: Winners x 6

 

The excellently named, Waggy-T Super Knockout Football Tournament, was the yearly domestic cup competition of Grenada. It followed a simple format, starting with 16 teams and single-leg knockout games leading to an eventual final held at the countries national team stadium. 

Whilst we might have dominated in the league, we absolutely dominated in this cup competition. I won this tournament in my first ever season and then continued my love affair with the Waggy-T, not losing a single cup fixture during my six year run and winning a record six consecutive domestic cup titles! I leave Mount Rich in the knowledge that we are now the most successful side in the history of the Waggy-T having surpassed the four trophies won my Paradise Sports Club. 

Caribbean Football Union Club Championship 

Number of Seasons: 6 (2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023)
Best Finish: Winner

The first continental competition that we got to play in was the CFU Club Championship. We were granted entry to this tournament for finishing top or second place in the GFA Premier Division. This knockout tournament is essentially the Caribbean version of the Champions League but on a massive scale. The Initial Group Stage starts with 64 different club sides, from all around the Caribbean, separated into 16 groups. Everyone plays everyone in their group just once, with only the top placed side progressing to the next round, another group stage, before a knockout semifinal and a single-legged final. 

We had a bit of a mixed run in the CFU Club Championship through my six seasons. It did seem to depend on the group in which we were drawn in as to how well we did but we had some stellar seasons. We finished 3rd back in 2019 following a penalty victory but we then went on a bit of a poor run, finishing 4th in 2020 and then failing to get out of the Final Group Stage in 2021. 

We reached our first final in 2022 but lost 2-1 to Puerto Rico FC. We again reached the final in 2023, having to face off against Puerto Rico FC once more... This time we managed to lift the trophy and break a long wait to secure this piece of continental silverware. 

North American League

Number of Seasons: 3 (2019, 2020, 2022)
Best Finish: Winner

We spent time in the CFU Club Championship every season and in those years where we reached the semifinals we were then granted a space in another continental competition, the North American League. This competition is essentially a qualification tournament for teams based in North America as a secondary way to reach the CONCACAF Champions League. It follows a fairly simple format, with all knockout match-ups being played across two legs. 

We showed steady progress in this competition throughout my time. Our first appearance, back in 2019, resulted in a first round knockout but we managed to reach a further game a year later as we progressed to the quarter finals. Our most spectacular run came more recently, in 2022, when we went on a spectacular run and ended up as champions of the entire tournament thanks to a 3-2 aggregate victory over Real Espana of Honduras. 

This victory was not only our first ever continental football title but it also meant that we qualified for one final competition...

Scotiabank CONCACAF Champions League

Number of Seasons: 1 (2023)
Best Finish: First Round

This was probably the ultimate achievement during my career at Mount Rich, qualifying and playing in the CONCACAF Champions League. In doing so we became the first ever side from Grenada to play a Champions League fixture. The tournament itself is fairly straightforward and sees the 16 best North American sides compete in a knockout format with matches being played over two legs. 

We played one season in this competition, having qualified in 2023 thanks to our North American League victory the prior year. As you may recall we ended up facing off against MLS side Houston Dynamo, a far superior side to ourselves but we gave them a reasonable tie and actually managed to score two goals in the away leg!

We have actually qualified for the 2024 version of this competition as well, having recently just won the CFU Champions Cup, and it will be interesting to see how Mount Rich get on without me leading the way. 

Trophy Cabinet

Prior to my arrival, Mount Rich had won no notable silverware but I leave the club in the knowledge that their trophy room is now fully stocked. We dominated the domestic competitions and recorded five league titles to go alongside six consecutive domestic cup victories. Continental competitions saw us face a much more difficult challenge but we managed to collect a pair of trophies in the form of one CFU Club Championship and one North American League crown. 

Key Players:

I am going to use this section to take a look back at some of the key players that proved vital in driving Mount Rich forward. I try to include lots of player detail when I am writing updates so I am hoping that you will recognise a few of the names that crop up here.

I am hoping that there is still plenty of success to come for Mount Rich. I leave the club with the squad looking very young and still with plenty of years to develop should the new management be able to stave off foreign transfer interest in the same way that I was able to.

A number of these players have the potential to have very long careers but some of the most memorable ones are: 

Kyle Thomas: The shadow striker was part of the 2019 youth intake and slowly developed into one of the best players at the club. A physical specimen, Thomas dominated defensive lines in the GFA Premier Division but also proved his worth on the continental stage where he scored 14 goals in his final three seasons. He has made 84 senior appearances for the club across all competitions with his highest average rating of 7.56 coming last season. He quickly became a regular in the Grenada national side and has already accumulated 26 appearances for his country, scoring his first international goal against Guadeloupe in 2022. 

Joel Francois-Ravalier: The attacking playmaker was signed during the 2018 season as part of the annual youth intake and he quickly became one of my favourite Mount Rich players. At just 5'5" tall, Francois-Ravalier was not a dominating presence in the midfield but this man could play a pass. Across his six seasons he collected 30 assists whilst also adding an extra 20 goals. His best individual season was in 2020 when he record 10 goals scored, 10 assists and an average rating of 7.68! He suffered a couple of fairly severe injuries during my final two seasons at Mount Rich which limited his availability but he is another who plays regularly for the national side, collecting 24 senior caps for Grenada. 

Kyle John-Brown: Not so much a huge name in regular seasons but Kyle John-Brown was one of the star performers through my early years at the club. He was part of the first ever youth intake at Mount Rich and went on to become a superb player, being able to perform as an shadow striker or as a central midfielder. Over his seven seasons with the club, John-Brown made 104 appearances whilst also collecting seven senior Grenada caps. 

Christ Kisangala: One of the few remaining non-regen players in the squad, Kisangala joined the club on a free transfer back in 2018 and in doing so became the first foreign player to ever appear in the GFA Premier Division. The central defender, from DR Congo, instantly became a starter and was a regular throughout the years, making 135 appearances in total. He was not particularly brilliant in the air but he had the physical traits needed to keep up with the pacy strikers that thrive in the Grenadian league and, in his covering central defender role, he consistently led the squad in terms of number of defensive interceptions. 

Shaddai Sampson: Sampson was one of my first ever signings at Mount Rich and I leave the club with him holding a legend status alongside myself. 

Sampson joined the club on a free transfer back in 2018 and instantly became a revelations scoring 23 goals in just 19 appearances in his first year. He is now the clubs all-time leading scorer, having netted 97 times in his six years with Mount Rich and managed to record double digit tallies for goals in every year that he has been here. He scored his first international goal against Canada back in 2019 and has since managed to total 8 goal in 24 Grenada appearances. 

Cassim Millette: Last, but by no means least, we have Cassim Millette. If you do not know who this guy is then you have not been reading this save at all...

Cassim Millette was part of a stellar youth intake that also included Joel Francois-Ravalier. Originally a right winger I retrained him as a wingback and he developed into one of the best players that the GFA Premier Division has ever seen. He was a constant attacking threat during his six seasons here, collecting 42 total assists, showing a real ability to beat a defender and to cross a football. He was literally the first name on the team sheet every week and this saw him rack up 108 appearances over his final five seasons. He also was quickly called up tot the Grenada national team where he has so far collected 28 caps, scoring one goal against Haiti in 2022. I leave the club with him holding an icon status and there is no reason, should he choose to stick around, that he cannot become a legend for the club one day soon. 

Best XI

The statistics on this are not quite up to date with when I left but it does give a good indication of some of the former players who performed a vital role for the club in earlier seasons. 

Nicko Williams and Quinton Rennie were two stellar defenders who have now retired but provided a great service during my first couple of years at the club. It is worth mentioning midfielder Chad Mark, who was recently released by the club, but he was a fantastic servant in the centre of midfield for a number of years. Uriah Enoe, who also recently departed, was one of the leagues most proficient goalscorers during the earlier years, netting 46 goals during his first three years at the club. 

Final Thoughts:

It has been a long eventful journey with Mount Rich and whilst I would have loved to have stuck around, seen the club turn professional and potentially won the Champions League, those were all aims that were going to take me huge numbers of years to achieve. What I have managed to succeed in doing though is ensuring that I leave the club in the knowledge that they are easily the best, most reputable side in Grenada but also developed them into a side that can compete with the Caribbean powerhouses from Jamaica and Trinidad & Tobago. 

I have overseen an influx of silverware to the Mount Rich trophy room and developed a number of young players who have then gone on to represent the national side, increasing Grenada's standing within the world of international football. 

I am sure I will check back in every now and then to see how my old club are getting on but for now it s time to say goodbye and start the next chapter of James Yates' managerial career. I have no real aim of where I would like to manage next so I am open to suggestions but also happy to see what jobs are available before making any hasty decision. 

Mount Rich: 2017-2023

Domestic Trophies: 11
Continental Trophies: 2

 

 

[theBlackPrince]

Just caught up on the last bit of this, what a journey it has been so far! Always great to see someone in a not well known or played area, but how far you took them, thats been a cracking read! Onwards and upwards to the next challenge!

[rodesire]

This has been quite a run, amazing achievements all round

[yatesiboi37]

On 14 July 2018 at 08:50, theBlackPrince said:

Just caught up on the last bit of this, what a journey it has been so far! Always great to see someone in a not well known or played area, but how far you took them, thats been a cracking read! Onwards and upwards to the next challenge!

Thanks very much! I always like waiting for the updates and then getting a save started in a previous unplayable country. Grenada has been very enjoyable but I definitely think that I have achieved all that is possible in the small Caribbean island. Hope you stick around for the next leg of the journey! 

On 14 July 2018 at 13:29, rodesire said:

This has been quite a run, amazing achievements all round

Thanks rodesire for your continued support. I hope you enjoy the next chapter just as much!

[yatesiboi37]

Right, time for a new challenge. 

Having resigned from Kenya duty at the end of 2022, I recently found myself completely unemployed as I chose to leave Mount Rich following an excellent six and a half years in charge. Having not had any job offers during my time in Grenada, I decided the best bet here to find more work would to be to apply for all available jobs. I was not expecting much in the way of interviews but I ended up receiving responses from an array of club sides in Jamaica, America, Georgia, Qatar, Bahrain, England, Netherlands and France to name a few. 

Ultimately though I decided neither of these were the right situation for James Yates and opted to say in the Americas, making the journey down south, and so I would like to introduce you all to James Yates' new domestic job with O'Higgins Fútbol Club. 

Club Background:

O'Higgins Fútbol Club are a profesional club based in the South American country of Chile. Situated in the central city of Rancagua, O'Higgins were founded back in 1955 and, unlike my last domestic job, they already have a fairly extensive footballing history. They have won the Chilean second division on two previous occasions but, most impressively, they won the top league of Chile back in 2013 with a Chilean Cup victory then following in 2014. 

Since then however the club have experienced a dramatic fall from grace. In 2017 they were playing in the top division of Chile, where they recorded a 3rd place finish. This was followed in 2018 with a 4th placing but then they experienced a disastrous year next and actually ended up finding themselves relegated down to the countries second tier. There they have remained for the past three seasons, working their way through a trio of managers, before calling upon the services of James Yates.

They currently hold a 2 star, national level, rating in terms of reputation, making them one of the more well known sides in the countries second division. 

Facilities:

Having plied my trade in the 700 capacity Plains Playing Field stadium in Grenada for the past six and a bit seasons I will now be upgrading to the 15,533 all-seater El Teniente stadium. This ground played host to World Cup fixtures back in 1962 and recently was rebuilt in 2014 in time for the group stages of the 2015 Copa America. This has left the council owned stadium in very good condition, where the price of an average ticket will set you back just £5. 

In terms of our teams' facilities, everything is pretty solid. The senior teams training facilities are classed as good which, coupled with our professional status, should mean we see some improved development in players as a result of training then what we witnessed in Grenada. The youth facilities are not as impressive, currently sitting at adequate, and will be something that I will look to improve as soon as possible. 

Our academy set-up is fairly basic and I am not expecting much in terms of our youth intakes with our junior coaching currently sitting at adequate and our youth recruitment at average. 

Competitions:

As I have mentioned before the reason I like playing through these types of save, and using previously unplayable leagues, is that I get to experience competitions that I have never before participated in. That fact is not going to change with my move to South America as I now have two new domestic competitions to play in during this season. 

The first is the aforementioned second division of Chile, the Campeonato Loto. The second domestic tier of Chile is currently ranked as the 21st best division in South America and consists of 16 teams who all play each other twice across the course of the season, for a total of 30 league games. Only the side finishing top receives automatic promotion to the top division of Chile, with the side placing second entering into a one-off playoff game. The side finishing bottom are relegated with the 15th placed team entering into a relegation playoff. The league campaign runs from February to November, so there will not be as much downtime as there was in Grenada, but there is also a midseason break, between June and July. 

In terms of league rules there are a few that will limit my squad selection. Firstly only four foreign players are allowed to be registered in the squad at any one point and so it looks like I will be relying heavily on Chilean players. In addition, the match day squad must have at least two Under-20 players included who are then subsequently required to play 50% of the time played across the 30 league games, effectively forcing them to be used for 45 minutes each match. 

The past few years have seen us come quite close to securing promotion with a third placing in 2020 and a 2nd place finish last year that ultimately ended in defeat in a playoff game. Amazingly, the past five sides who have won promotion to the top division have managed to remain there ever since, suggesting that if we can get ourselves back amongst the top division we could quickly develop some club stability. 

I join the club midway through the 2023 season and things have not been going too well for O'Higgins. They currently find themselves in 9th place, having been predicted to finish second, and are way off the pace in terms of the promotion spots. 

At the midway stage, Huachipato are looking favourites to return to the top tier as they have secured a nine point lead atop the division. Three sides are then locked in a battle for the second placed playoff spot but then the league becomes a bit congested, with just eight points separating the teams in 5th and 15th position. 

The other competition that we will be participating in is the Copa Chile. This is the main domestic cup competition of Chile and runs from July until December. The tournament follows a very simple knockout format, with 32 teams entering the first round, and all games being played over two legs (home and away). The foreign and Under-20 player restrictions that apply in the domestic division are also applied in this cup competition. 

The past few seasons have seen top division side Everton de Vina crowned cup champions. Prior to that, four different sides won the cup competition highlighting a theme that cup tournaments seem to be very open in FM games. It is worth noting that currently Campeonato Loto league leaders Huachipato finished as runners-up back in 2021, highlighting that they are a pretty big club. 

Chilean Football:

The standard of domestic football in Chile is actually fairly good. The top domestic division is ranked the third best in South America, only behind the top leagues of Brazil and Argentina. 

International football in Chile has endured some very recent success since I started this save. As you may recall, the national side actually managed to secure a first ever World Cup finals victory back in 2018 before then reaching the semifinals of the 2022 competition. In the most recent Copa America, held in 2019, the national team finished as runners-up after losing to Brazil on penalties in the final. 

The senior squad is currently managed by Brazilian Emerson Avila, who recently took over for the retired world-cup winning boss Ricardo Gareca. They are currently ranked 9th in the world, having slipped a little following their ascent to number 2 in the rankings following their World Cup. The latest edition of the Copa America has just begun, and that will be the squads main focus for the remainder of this calendar year, but the next round of World Cup qualifying also begins at the end of this year. 

Alexis Sanchez is still going strong at 34 years of age. The attacker now plays for Monaco and currently has 154 senior international caps. Fellow veteran and holding midfielder Charles Aranguiz, currently of Leverkusen, is still one of the countries best players. Of the younger generation coming through, the main man to watch is 23 year old regen attacking midfielder Franco Valenzuela who still plays in Chile but looks set for a big money move around anytime soon. 

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So that concludes my introduction to my brand new managerial position. I hope you are all excited to see something different in this save, as my primary aim for the coming seasons will be to gain promotion back to the top division of Chile. O'Higgins were a club who once held a grand stature in the country and I will be looking to restore some of that pride over the coming years. 

My next update will introduce the current squad and take place during the midseason transfer window, meaning I will have some control over player adjustments and additions going into the final 15 games of the year.

Thanks again for all the likes and comments; I hope you will still be interested to read what happens as James Yates begins his life in South America!

[Timetxu]

Love to see another manager in South America! Original choice of club!

[yatesiboi37]

7 hours ago, Timetxu said:

Love to see another manager in South America! Original choice of club!

Thanks Timetxu!

I have managed in Uruguay before on a previous save but never experienced Chile so I am looking forward to it!

[yatesiboi37]

Update 52: June 2023 (Midseason Break)

Club: O'Higgins Fútbol Club 
Division: Campeonato Loto

So, as I previously mentioned, I have joined my new club during the midseason break. This has worked out pretty well as it means I will have a month to get to terms with the squad, make a few additions and sort out a tactical system that fits with my liking. It also means I am able to write an update introducing you all to my new squad of players. 

As you may remember, we are currently languishing in the lower half of the league following a disappointing first 15 games. It will be my aim to steer us away from any potential relegation fight and ensure that we are all set for a hopeful promotion challenge next season. 

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BOARD ROOM:

Despite a fairly recent relegation from the top division of Chile, it would appear that O'Higgins are pretty well set from a financial standpoint. Our overall balance is currently £3.2 million which is pretty solid for a side in the second tier. This healthy financial situation means the board have handed me a very solid looking budget:

Having spent my first few years with Mount Rich focusing entirely on free agents I now have the financial power available to go out and sign some players. The transfer budget of £2.4 million is more than enough for a club at our level and, should it remain at a similar figure next year, I will be looking to splash the cash in an attempt to get back into the Chilean top division. We are also currently spending way under our wage budget meaning I have plenty of flexibility in terms of contracts that I will be dishing out to any new additions. 

Board Objectives (2023)

Campeonato Loto - Top Half 
Copa Chile - Reach the Second Round

Despite our poor start to the league campaign this year, there is still a possibility that I can turn things around and secure a top half finish for the club. The Copa Chile has not actually started just yet but our progress will likely depend on who we draw in the first round. If it is one of the bigger top division teams I do not expect us to make it through the opening stage but if we get a favourable draw, this objective should easily be achieved. 

CLUB STAFF:

Despite being a professional club, I am actually going to have a smaller backroom staff than I did at Mount Rich in Grenada. Unfortunately, none of my staff members from my previous job wanted to follow me to Chile so I actually ended up keeping the majority of personnel in place from the previous regime. 

Under-19 manager Luis Medina has been with the club, in the same role, since 2006 so there was no way he was leaving. Luis Flores Manzor has been the clubs assistant manager since 2019 and I decided to keep him around as he had a good knowledge of the clubs players already. I brought in a new Head of Youth Development in the form of Brazilian Valmir Kila, with this being the first professional job for the 44 year old. 

We have a dedicated goalkeeping coach and one for fitness alongside general coat Fabiano who joins having most recently been the U20s manager of Fluminense de Feira in Brazil. Marcelo Sepulveda remains as the clubs physio having served in that role since 2017 and I hired a couple of Brazilian scouts to work alongside Chilean Jose Luis Munoz. 

TRANSFERS:

The midseason break sees the transfer window open in Chile but teams are limited to just four signings so I could not really do much business. Some players did depart but I will refrain from mentioning them as we had not talked about them prior to this update. I did however decided to use my full allocation of signings and brought in four new faces for the final half of the year. 

(In)

Despite my large transfer budget I refrained from spending big as my lack of knowledge of players coupled with the short amount of time available for scouting meant I took a more cautious approach. 

All four of this players should be in or around the first eleven for the remainder of the season. The one who might be more on the fringes in Florindo. The 21 Brazilian regen was known by my new scouts and was available on a free transfer having spent the first few years of his professional career bouncing around the lower leagues of Brazil. The ballwinning midfielder has already played for three clubs but is fairly experienced, having racked up 153 senior appearances over six seasons. He has some room to grow but his low self-belief personality is unlikely to aid his development. 

The second free signing we made was that of Gaston Varela. The 25 year old Argentinian is tackling-minded midfielder who looks set to play as an anchor man within our formation. He was, until very recently, contracted to Racing Club in the Argentinian top division but he failed to make a first team appearance, instead spending the past three seasons out on loan in the countries second tier. Since signing his player value has increased to £115k, suggesting that this addition could have been a very shrewd piece of business. 

We signed another player on a free, albeit this one was currently at a club. Gustavo Mbombaj is another Argentinian who plays as a left winger/fullback and this move marks his first club outside of his home nation, having previously played for eight different sides in Argentina. The veteran has made 275 career league appearances and was most recently on the books of Ferro where he failed to make an appearance for the first team. 

The final signing was that of Bryan Figueroa. 

This guy I actually paid some money for, not a lot admittedly, but he looks like he could be a star for us. The 24 year old was transfer listed at Audax Italiano, a club he has been at for his entire career, in the Chilean top division and I was quick to snap him up for a very reasonable fee of £35.5k. He has shown he can play in the countries top league, highlighted by a 2022 season where he made 17 league appearances at an average rating of 6.93. He can operate in midfield or behind the forwards and has some very good attacking attributes including great finishing, dribbling, heading, passing and technique. He also has a driven personality, meaning he likely will get a bit better as training begins to kick in.

THE SQUAD:

Those were the new faces but it is now time to take a look at some of the players who were already here when I arrived and get a better look at the squad I will be using going forward. 

Seniors:

So this is the squad that I will be utilising for the final 15 league games of the season and it is a bit of a mixed bag. The first thing to note is that the starting eleven is a bit on the elderly side. There are a number of 30+ year old veterans and a number of players just hitting their prime years but the lack of young, up and coming talent is a bit worrisome. 

It is also worth noting that so many of these players are capable of playing in multiple positions and my assistant manager seems to have a differing opinion to myself with regards to the best place for each player to fit within the tactical scheme. 

Goalkeepers: Just two goalkeepers in the main squad and both are 21 year old regens. They are very similar in terms of ability but I think I will start with Bernardo Orrego as the clubs first choice. The youngster has been with the club since 2018 but only made his professional debut this season having had three loan spells away prior to that. The other shot-stopper is Julio Sepulveda, a former O'Higgins youth academy product who has also spent time away on loan during his short career. 

Bernardo Orrego attributes

Central Defenders: This is probably one of the weaker areas of our squad and one where we seemingly lack depth and rotational options. The star man amongst this group however is definitely 22 year old Juan Magana, one of our few solid youth academy players who have stuck around. The youngster has been a key man in the starting eleven over the past two seasons but is probably now playing below his level and that has attracted interest from elsewhere. If I can keep hold of him he will provide some quality to an otherwise uninspiring group of centre backs. 

Behind him we have 30 year old veteran Diego Oyarzun, who actually spent four years in Estonia before heading back to Chile in 2022. He is a decent player but not really someone who I would like to be starting games. After that we have Tomas Alarcon, another who has spent his entire career at the club, but he had an awful season last time out finishing with a 6.55 average rating from 15 appearances. 18 year old Marco Medina looks a decent future prospect but he is yet to make his full debut. 

Juan Magana attributes 

Fullbacks: Our fullbacks also do not look overly brilliantly and already I am having worries about the strength of our defensive line. We have already mentioned new signing Gustavo Mbombaj, who is set to start on the left but opposite him is probably our best fullback, Gaston Zuniga. The 23 year old has been an O'Higgins player for his entire career but did spend a lot of time out on loan. He was the starting right fullback last year and averaged a decent raring of 6.97 across 23 league games, which suggests he is more than good enough for this level. 

Oscar Tunessi is his likely back-up. The 20 year old Argentine was signed last season to a fairly hefty contract but has so far failed to settle, making just 11 first team appearances. We have another youngster in the form of youth academy product, 19 year old Lucas Osorio, who will be the primary back-up on the left flank.

Gaston Zuniga attributes 

Central Midfielders: I will be again using a tactic that employs a number of central-based midfield players but until I settle on something I will group all these players here. We have already looked at the newly signed attacking threat Bryan Figueroa as well as anchor man Gaston Varela, both of whom look to be key fixtures in the starting eleven. Alongside them I will be using Claudio Sepulveda as a central player even though my assistant views him more as a right fullback. The 31 year old has been at the club for four seasons now and has been one of the most consistent performers over that period. Also likely to start is 26 year old Sebastian Galani, a ball-winning midfielder who joined back in 2018 and one who played in all 30 league games last year. 

The primary rotation man will be the aforementioned new signing Florindo. Sebastian Silva is a veteran who looks set to be the primary defensive midfielder back-up whilst Bastian Araneda looks like a pretty good attacking option should we need some more offensive firepower in the middle. 

Claudio Sepulveda attributes

Forwards: I think I will be rolling with two forward players this season and, whilst we do have some good options, we are lacking an out and out quality forward, with most of our frontmen being suited to multiple positions. The key man will likely be Ruben Farfan once he has returned to full fitness. The 31 year old Chilean has collected six Player of the Match awards this season in just 14 games and looks like one of the divisions top talents. Playing alongside him will likely be Carlos Villanueva, a new signing at the start of this year who previously played for Colo Colo in the top division. The 24 year old managed just three first team starts for his old club but seems to be doing well as a first choicer for ourselves. 

Their primary backups will be a pair of youngsters in the form of poacher Manuel Cornejo and 6'6" targetman Claudio Ibarra. Ibarra was actually out on loan when I arrived but I recalled him after realising that he could be a real handful for defenders at this level. 

 

Ruben Farfan attributes

Under 19s:

This is what the Under-19s squad currently looks like and there are not too many exciting prospects unfortunately. 

Two players who do look like they could develop into useful assets are midfielders Gonzalo Fuentes and Marcos Nunez. Juan Jose Nunez is a slightly older forward but one that could grab some first team appearances this season whilst right fullback Dominik Brecht shares dual Chilean and German nationality. 

I am not sure when the youth intake for Chile occurs but I will look to strengthen the youth side of the squad as soon as possible because right now we have not set ourselves up for a productive future. 

TACTICS:

This is the tactic that I will be using going into the new season. It is a slight variation on the one I used in Grenada with Mount Rich in that it adds a little more defensive solidity with the addition of an anchor man but the primary aim in attack is to still get midfielders running through the middle, looking for overlapping fullbacks on the wings. I felt the need for a change given that I was not going to be able to field three competent central defenders at this time and at least this allows me to get all my midfield talent on the park at one time. 

Yet again, all players have been given individual player instructions that mainly allude to their shooting and dribbling likeliness as well as the risk taking associated with their passing. We will start of playing with an attacking mentality, since that has worked very well for me previously. I am using very similar team instructions to what I have used before and all are designed to get the fullbacks involved in the attacking play as much as possible. 

Friendly RESULTS:

W = 3, D = 0, L = 0

I managed to fit in a trio of friendly fixtures during the short break and we actually played pretty well. 

The first match saw us take on Colo Colo, from the division above us, and we played magnificently, romping to a 3-0 victory, thanks to two goals for new signing Bryan Figueroa. The last two fixtures saw us comfortably beat two lower division sides but the most pleasing aspect of these friendly performances was our solidity at the back. Considering I had highlighted the defensive line as our weakest area, we kept three clean sheets and are yet to concede a gaol since I took charge!

OTHER NEWS:

Copa Chile Draw

The Copa Chile starts in mid-July and the opening round of fixtures were drawn during the midseason break. I was hoping for a favourable tie that would allow us to reach the second round, and meet the board objective, but instead we received a tough match-up. 

Colo Colo are currently in the top division of Chile, where they sit in 4th position. Despite beating them in a friendly game earlier on, I will be expecting a much tougher match-up in the cup and my hopes of making it into the second round are now a little bit lower than before. 

Pan American Games

It is unlikely that we will be receiving much in the way of international news for our players in this leg of the save but one exciting thing of note was that Juan Magana and goalkeeper Bernado Orrego will be representing Chile at the upcoming Pan American Games - which is a sort of mini-Olympics for the Americas. Orrego has one international Under-21 cap but Magana has not been involved with Chile at all so it will be a nice feeling for the both of them to represent their country. 

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That concludes a fairly lengthy update but, alongside my previous introduction to the club, you hopefully now have a grander idea of the job that I have taken on at O'Higgins. The cup and league games start very soon and I am very exciting to get going. 

I hope you are all enjoying this next leg of my journey and lets hope it proves to be as successful as my time in Grenada!

 

[rodesire]

Good luck in Chile, few players go there and, hopefully, you can achieve great things there  

[Pablo Sanchez]

Best career on the forum

[yatesiboi37]

On 17 July 2018 at 11:29, rodesire said:

Good luck in Chile, few players go there and, hopefully, you can achieve great things there  

Thanks rodesire for your continued support. It is not somewhere that I have managed before so I am looking forward to the unknown. It will also be fun to play somewhere that I can win promotion!

On 17 July 2018 at 12:24, Pablo Sanchez said:

Best career on the forum

Thanks very much Pablo! 

That is a very bold statement though! There are some absolutely incredible careers on here that have much better stories and are much further into the future than mine!

[shizzo]

how did you get the pan-am games? really enjoy the international aspect of this save

[ClemB]

My favorite thread on FM18, keep it up!

[yatesiboi37]

4 hours ago, shizzo said:

how did you get the pan-am games? really enjoy the international aspect of this save

I used @claassen amazing Megapack Update. Not only does it add a number of unplayable leagues but it also introduces a whole host of competitions that would have previously not existed in the sandbox game. I would highly recommend download it if you have not done already. 

I am pleased you have enjoyed the international side. I think I will stick with just a domestic side for a while but will look for a new international job at some point in the future - any continent that you would like to see me take on?

3 hours ago, ClemB said:

My favorite thread on FM18, keep it up!

Thanks so much ClemB! I really appreciate it!

Hopefully I'll be able to keep this save going far into the future and I hope that you enjoy this South American portion.

[yatesiboi37]

Update 53: August & September 2023 

Club: O'Higgins Fútbol Club 
Division: Campeonato Loto

Having recently taken up a new managerial position in South America it was time to get on with some meaningful fixtures. Although I joined O'Higgins midway through the season I was afforded a couple of months to organise the squad and signs few players given that I arrived during the countries midseason break. 

This update will see us tackle the first few months of life in Chile; where we will be continuing our league campaign but also starting out on our Copa Chile journey. The quality of football in this league, despite it being a second tier, looks set to be much more competitive and of a higher level then what we experienced in Grenada so it will be interesting to see how we get on...

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Campeonato Loto RESULTS:

W = 6, D = 2, L = 1

Considering the club were languishing in mid-table obscurity when I joined, I was not expecting these kind of instant positive results. 

We kicked off my O'Higgins career with a pair of exciting victories, defeating CD Naval in my first ever game before then thrashing Rangers de Talca at home in my next match in charge. We then maintained an unbeaten start with a 1-1 draw away to a strong Deportes Vallenar side before thumping second placed Palestino by a scoreline of 4-0. 

We then defeated Coquimbo Unido thanks to a late winner followed by a boring scoreless drawn game. The next two fixtures saw us record a pair of very impressive victories, including a brilliant 1-0 home win against league leaders Huachipato. This euphoric high was unfortunately then squashed as we limped to a first defeat in the final game of September. 

The most pleasing aspect of this run was our defensive performances, especially given that this was the weakest area of the squad when I joined. We conceded four goals in our first two fixtures but then went on an unbelievable defensive run, conceding just three times in the next seven games and keeping four clean sheets. In contrast we started out excellently in attack, scoring 14 goals in our first five games but then struggled a bit over the final few matches as teams became used to our tactual system. 

Copa Chile RESULTS:

Alongside league fixtures, August also saw the start of the Copa Chile. This is the countries main domestic cup competition and one that sees all the top division and second tier sides take part in a standard knockout tournament, with all games played over two legs. 

As you might recall, the first round would see us face off against top division side Colo Colo. 

First Round: vs Colo Colo (Campeonato Nacional Scotiabank)

Colo Colo were sitting 4th in the nations top division when we played this fixture and are currently ranked as the second most reputable club in the nation.

The first leg saw us play at home in front of a 9,437 capacity crowd and I have no idea how we came away with a victory. Our superior opponents dominated throughout and had 13 shots in total but a solid defensive effort mean we were away to keep a clean sheet. Left fullback Gustavo Mbombaj played excellently at the back with central defender Diego Oyarzun also having a solid game. We scored the winner just before the halftime break, with forward Carlos Villanueva turning home a loose ball following a corner. This goal was actually our only shot on target that we had in the entire game but we managed to secure an amazing first leg victory!

The second leg saw us travel to Colo Colo where we played in front of a humungous 22,338 strong crowd. We set up a bit more defensively but yet again the home side dominated proceedings, having 19 total shots with 13 on target. Julio Sepulveda had an excellent game in between the sticks for us and we somehow managed to secure another clean sheet against this top Chilean side. Yet again, we only had one shot on target but it did not matter as we managed to get through to the second round despite being matched against one of the top sides in Chile. 

Second Round: vs Universidad Catolica (Campeonato Nacional Scotiabank)

The second round saw us once again match up with another top division side in the form of Universidad Catolica. In comparison to Colo Colo our next opponents were not quite as strong, currently sitting in 12th in the top tier following some poor recent form. 

The first leg saw us battle to a 2-1 victory at home. Carlos Villanueva smashed home from the penalty spot in the 19th minute following a push in the box. We then conceded just before halftime but managed to restore our lead almost instantly when Ruben Farfan smashed home a Gaston Zuniga cross with a powerful half volley. We held the majority of possession, at 54%, and had seven shots on target in comparison to our opponents one. 

The second leg saw us romp to one of my most impressive victories to date as we scored a trio of away goals. Farfan added his second of the tie when he rifled home a knockdown header from Villanueva following some impressive team passing. We reached halftime leading the tie by a scoreline of 3-1 and ended the game with a couple of goals around the 70 minute mark. Farfan grabbed his second when he latched onto a superb through ball from Zuniga before sliding a finish under the onrushing keeper. Villanueva then ended the tie when he collected a cross field pass from Lucas Osorio before rounding the keeper and ensuring an impressive victory.

This excellent run of cup performances means we are now in the hat for the quarter finals!

PLAYER STATISTICS:

Obviously these statistics are a reflection of the entire season, not just from my time at the club but thing are going pretty well recently. We currently have seven players who currently have an average rating of at least 7.0. 

The star man since I joined has been new signing Bryan Figueroa (7.44). The attacking-minded midfielder has made nine appearances since I arrived and has been excellent, scoring three goals, collecting two assists, two Player of the Match Awards and playing 17 key passes. 

In defence, the two starting fullbacks Gaston Zuniga (7.08) and Gustavo Mbombaj (7.07) has both been excellent with the former collecting five assists and both averaging at least 3.50 tackles/game. Young shot stopper Julio Sepulveda (7.03) has emerged as the most promising of our young goalkeepers, having played excellently during our cup run. 

In midfield, Argentinian anchor man Gaston Varela (6.92) has made a solid start to his O'Higgins career whilst Claudio Sepulveda (6.90) and Sebastian Galani (6.88) have both been solid in the centre of the park. 

Considering I thought our attackers were the weakest area of our side, both Reuben Farfan (7.25) and Carlos Villanueva (7.14) have been excellent. The later is the clubs leading scorer this season, having netted 14 times in his 28 appearances. Farfan started out as a winger this year but I have been playing him exclusively as a striker since I arrived and he now has six goals for the season to go alongside seven Player of the Match Awards. 

STANDINGS:

When I joined, O'Higgins were languishing down in 9th position but our good run of form since I arrived has seen us climb to 6th position. With just six games left to play the league is still very closely contested and we are now just eight points off the top spot and five off second place; including a potential promotion playoff game. League leaders Huachipato are still favourites to go up but they have endured a poor run of form as of late and have seen their large lead atop the division cut down massively.

We are definitely safe from relegation but now we have a genuine chance to chase a promotion spot, something that I never thought would be achievable when I joined midway through this season. 

OTHER NEWS:

In terms of other news there were some important tidbits from my first few months in charge.

Injuries

Injuries have not been a major setback through my career thus far but we suffered a couple of important ones through the last month of this run. Brian Figueroa was injured in the first leg of our second round cup tie and then we also lost Ruben Farfan in the league game straight after. It is unsurprising that these two injuries coincided with our slip in attacking performances but hopefully, when these two return, we can get back to our goalscoring ways. 

Youth Intake

September saw us receive our first youth intake for O'Higgins and we received a bit of a mixed bag. 

There were a couple of decent prospects at the top but not a lot of depth at all. Felipe Hormazabal looks like he could develop into a solid midfielder whilst Carlos Lobos has the potential to be a decent central defender with some training improvements. 

The main man that I am interested in though is Luis Soriano. 

The 16 year old looks very decent and probably could get into the first team squad right away. He has a solid set of physical attributes with good pace and acceleration. His mental traits are actually pretty well developed for a youngster but it is his defensive technical attributes that are the most pleasing. The 6'1" central defender has excellent ratings for tackling and marking, with solid heading and looks to be a good defensive prospect for the future. 

Copa Chile Draw

The final thing of note was the quarter final stage of the Copa Chile was recently drawn. 

We received the toughest possible assignment as we got matched up with Universidad de Chile, the most reputable side in the whole of Chile and the currently league leaders of the countries top division. We played very well against Colo Colo in the first round but, admittedly, we did get very lucky and we will need a whole host of extra luck if we are to reach the semi finals of this tournament. 

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Things have started really well in Chile thus far, with some very impressive league performances and an unbelievable cup run so far. Our new signings, especially Bryan Figueroa, have settled in well but we struggled with scoring through the final few games of the month and hopefully we can turn that around when Figueroa and Ruben Farfan return from injury.  

I will be back soon with a final league update, where we have the chance to push for an unlikely promotion race that seemed unlikely when I joined back in June. We will also check out how I get on in the quarter finals of the Copa Chile, where we will have to face off against the top side in the entire country. 

Thanks again for all your likes, comments and follows! I hope you guys are still enjoying the new leg of this save in Chile!

 

[rodesire]

This is great stuff early on.  I def like the best youngster of the intake, his technicals are class  GL in the cup, looks like you'll need it

[yatesiboi37]

16 hours ago, rodesire said:

This is great stuff early on.  I def like the best youngster of the intake, his technicals are class  GL in the cup, looks like you'll need it

Thanks rodesire!

The youth intake was fairly decent, although I would have preferred some extra depth as we do not have much talent in the U19s at this point in time.

[yatesiboi37]

Update 54: October & November 2023 

Club: O'Higgins Fútbol Club 
Division: Campeonato Loto

The last update saw James Yates kickstart his life in Chile with O'Higgins and we actually recorded some impressive results. Being able to have a month and a half (midseason break) to mould the squad slightly and determine a viable tactic definitely helped as we only lost the one league game whilst simultaneously going on a brilliant cup run that saw us defeat two top division sides in the opening two rounds. 

This update will be the final one of this league season as we play through the final six league games of the Campeonato Loto whilst also taking part in the Copa Chile quarterfinals. 

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Campeonato Loto RESULTS:

W = 3, D = 3, L = 0

This run of games seemingly summed up the season for O'Higgins where they have drawn far too many games over the course of the year. 

We kicked things off with a solid 1-1 draw away to a strong Santiago Morning side before record our second consecutive drawn game against San Marcos de Arica, where we let our opponents come back from a 3-1 advantage which was very disappointing. We made it a trio of drawn contests when we played out a boring scoreless fixture with Universidad de Concepcion. The final three games saw us turn things around as we ended the year with consecutive victories, including an impressive win against top half side Nublense. 

With a few players returning from injury, on the whole, we found our goalscoring form once again as we netted 12 goals in these six fixtures. Defensively we were pretty solid but proved to be a bit of a mixed bag as we conceded seven times whilst only hanging two clean sheets. 

Copa Chile RESULTS:

The first and second rounds of the Copa Chile proved to be very successful for us as we defeated two top division sides (Colo Colo and Universidad Catolica) to ensure that we would progress to the quarterfinal stage. You may recall but here we drew the most reputable side in the whole of Chile, and currently top division leaders, Universidad de Chile and would need a whole lot of luck to make it through to the semi-finals. 

Quarterfinal: vs Universidad de Chile (Campeonato Nacional Scotiabank)

This was by no means an embarrassment as we gave the countries top side a real run for their money across both legs but ultimately they proved too strong and we exit the competition.

The first leg saw us totally dominated. I tried to play on the counter but their players were far too physical and technically skilled for us and we struggled to create chances. They had 16 total shots throughout the contest but we did a good job of limited these to long range efforts or half chances as our organised defence and another fine performance by goalkeeper Julio Sepulveda limited our opponents to just one goal. The most notable O'Higgins moment came in injury time when Sebastian Galani became the first man to get sent off during my reign as he was awarded a second yellow for a cynical foul. 

The second leg actually saw us play really well. We went for an all-out attacking approach in the first half and it paid off. Our opponents sat really deep and we created a whole host of chances but just could not find a way through. The best chance fell to Ruben Farfan who skewed a close range, half-volley onto the crossbar following an excellent right wing cross. Juan Magana also saw his header from a corner aromatically saved by the Universidad de Chile keeper as we grew frustrated with our lack of reward. The second half saw us handed another lifeline when our opponents had a man sent off but Magana was then penalised for a push in the area and the hosts took the lead from the spot. 

This penalty seemed to knock the wind out of us and we struggled to create much in the closing stages despite the man advantage. Overall, a very pleasing performance against the top side in the country and another reflection that if we can get into the top domestic tier we should be able to compete. 

PLAYER STATISTICS:

We end the season with just seven players holding an average rating of at least 7.0, which is probably the lowest total I have had in my managerial career thus far. In fairness, most of these statistics were accumulated prior to my arrival and it will be interesting to see how we get on when I am in charge for the entire season. 

Ruben Farfan (7.26) ends the year as the clubs best player. The raging forward finished with nine goals, four assists and helped create an astonishing 46 chances throughout the year. His nine Player of the Match Awards, in just 29 appearances, is incredibly impressive. 

In defence, our fullbacks again proved very effective as both Gustavo Mbombaj (7.16) and Gaston Zuniga (7.02) ended the year with decent average ratings. Between them, the pair totalled 10 assists and Mbombaj in particular was effective in defence, averaging 4.41 tackles/game. Goalkeeper Julio Sepulveda (7.02) ended the year excellent and was the starter for all of our six cup games. Diego Oyarzun (6.83) was the best of the central defenders as he led the team with 95 defensive interceptions. 

Our midfielders were a bit hit and miss but the star of the show was new signing Bryan Figueroa (7.20). The Chilean bounced back from his injury at the end of the last update and ended the season three goals, two Player of the Match Awards and 21 key passes played in just 15 appearances. All of our other midfielders were pretty solid but none played excellently and this could be an area of the squad I will look to improve next season. 

In attack, Carlos Villanueva (7.19) responded excellently to me moving him to a deep-lying forward role as he ended as the clubs top scorer. The striker finished with 21 goals in his 36 games but also added seven assists and a team high 42 key passes, demonstrating his all-round importance to the side. Unsurprisingly, his performances have drawn interest from bigger clubs and it will be a priority for me to keep ahold of him going into next year. 

STANDINGS:

Despite a lot of drawn fixtures to end the year we climbed one place in the league standings and finish the season in a respectable 5th position. 

Huachipato bounced back from their poor form in the past update and finished atop the division, albeit only nine points ahead of ourselves. Deportes Vallenar will get to compete in a promotion playoff game having ended the season with a six game unbeaten run to overtake Palestino and end in second position. Deportes Valdivia finished rock bottom and will were automatically relegated whilst Coquimbo Unido will have to face a playoff game in order to avoid the drop. 

Our 11 drawn games was the second most in the division, whilst a tie seemed to be a common result in the Campeonato Loto with four sides drawing at least 10 games throughout the year. Our +14 goal difference was actually the third best in the division, which gives me a bit of hope going into next season that are actually one of the better sides in this league and maybe just got a bit unlucky this year. 

OTHER NEWS:

Not too much in terms of other news from these few months as we staved off any severe injuries. 

Records

The one bit of news worth reporting is that fact that Carlos Villanueva entered the O'Higgins record books. The Chilean forward scored all four of the goals in our final league game and, as it turned out, that was the most ever scored by an individual player in a league game for O'Higgins. Whilst not an overly impressive feat, it is something else for our top scorer to be proud of in a very good individual season. 

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So that concludes my final update of the season with O'Higgins. I will be back soon with another post reviewing this season just gone and then hopefully I can get stuck into a full preseason. The aim has to be promotion, we are clearly a good side and with the right additions we could be competing for one of those two spots this time next year!

I hope you are all still enjoying this save! I am obviously focusing solely on club management at the moment but would anyone want James Yates to get back into the international side of things? 

[yatesiboi37]

Update 55: End of Season Review 2023 

Club: O'Higgins Fútbol Club 
Division: Campeonato Loto

As you would have hopefully known from my last update I have successfully finished my first season in Chile. It was in fact just half a season, as I joined during the midyear break, but I am going to write a review anyway because it will hopefully give some insight into things moving forward. 

I am going to cover our performances within the domestic league and cup competitions whilst also taking a deeper, more detailed, look at some of the players who starred this year.

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COMPETITIONS:

Campeonato Loto. Final League Position: 5th

Played: 30 (W = 13, D = 11, L = 6)
Goals Scored: 43, Goals Conceded: 29, Goal Difference: +14
Points Total: 50

When I joined the club back in June they were languishing in 9th position in the league and were in need of a serious revival. The midseason transfer window meant I was able to bring in some of my own players and also allowed me to install a tactical system of my choosing. All this led to some fine league performances and, after just 15 games in charge, I was able to lift the club to a respectable 5th placed finish. 

Over the course of the year we actually only lost six games, one fewer than the league champions, but the main story throughout was too many drawn fixtures. Our 11 draws were the second most in the division and, considering we only finished nine points adrift of first place, if we had turned a few of these into victories this season might have been even better still. 

Huachipato will be joined in the top division by Deportes Vallenar as they won their playoff fixture whilst at the other end Coquimbo Unido also won their playoff game meaning they remain in our league, with Deportes Valdivia are the only side relegated this year. 

Copa Chile. Final Position: Quarterfinals 

The final domestic competition that we partook in was the Copa Chile. This fairly straightforward knockout tournament sees each round played over two legs, a home game and an away game, with the aggregate winners advancing onto the next stage. 

Amazingly, despite this cup containing some of the top teams in Chile, we were able to reach the quarterfinals after some very impressive performances. The first round saw us drawn against an impressive Colo Colo outfit from the countries top division and we somehow battled to a 1-0 aggregate victory. The second round saw us face off against Campeonato Nacional opposition again but we played some excellent attacking football and cruised through to the quarters. 

Here we were drawn against Universidad de Chile, the most reputable side in the entire nation, and unfortunately our journey was ended as we failed to score a goal in either of the two legs. 

This was a very magical cup run though and proved to be a great start to life in Chile. I am not expecting to compete for the title in this competition any time soon but a run such as the one we had this year would be very much appreciated next season. 

PLAYER STATISTICS:

We ended the year with a lowly seven players holding an average rating of 7.0 or higher, although some of these stats were acquired during the first half of the season when I was not present. Below are some key stats from my first year in Chile:

• Carlos Villanueva emerged as a dangerous threat in the domestic competitions and finished as the clubs top scorer, with 21 goals throughout the course of the season. The next highest total was the 9 scored by Ruben Farfan but after that we struggled for goals from other sources.
• The leading assist provider this season was also Carlos Villanueva, as the deep-lying forward tallied 7 assists in total. Fullbacks Gustavo Mbombaj and Gaston Zuniga were tied for second with 5 assists apiece.
• Veteran forward Ruben Farfan ended the season with the most Player of the Match Awards, picking up a very impressive 9, whilst Carlos Villanueva ended the year with 4 of his own. 
• Back-up fullback Oscar Tunessi led the team with an impressive average of 4.63 tackles/game in his 16 appearances whilst central defender Diego Oyarzun collected a team-high 95 defensive interceptions. 

All-time Best XI:

I obviously was not around prior to this season but this year saw central defender Juan Magana inducted into the O'Higgins all-time best XI. The central defender, who is a former youth product, has now made 72 appearances for the club and looks set to become one of the best players current at the club. 

He joins a number of veterans who are still playing here including anchor man Sebastian Silva, attacker Ruben Farfan and midfielder Sebastian Galani. Club captain Claudio Sepulveda is named amongst the substitutes. 

It is also interesting to see some of the other players utilised by the club during the earlier parts of this save. Gustavo Gotti is an Argentinian who played for six years with the club and one who netted 50 career goals whilst holding midfielder Alejandro Marquez, who totalled over 100 appearances, is now playing in the top division with Colo Colo. 

PLAYER AWARDS:

1) Player of the Year: Ruben Farfan (ST) - 29 matches, 9 goals, 4 assists, 46 chances created, 2.62 dribbles/game, 9 PoM Awards, Ave Rating: 7.26

This veteran forward was identified a one of the clubs best players when I arrived and he had a stellar season. He made the move from winger to forward upon my arrival, which explains why his goal tally is not quite as high as one might expect. That being said he contributed enormously and ended up receiving a total of 9 Player of the Match Awards. 

As you can see his attributes are a bit on the declining side but that was always going to happen given his advancing years. You might also notice that there is a fair amount of interest in him so it will be interesting to see if I choose to keep him around for next year, or cash in now before he regresses too much. 

2) Defensive Player of the Year: Gustavo Mbombaj (LB) - 17 matches, 5 assists, 22 key passes, 4.41 tackles/game, 26 defensive interceptions, Ave Rating: 7.16

A free transfer during the midseason break, Gustavo Mbombaj proved to be a superb acquisition at the left fullback spot. He had five assists and 22 key passes whilst also being very solid on the defensive front, averaging the most tackles per game of all defenders in the starting eleven. 

He is even older than Farfan but, as of yet, has not experienced any rapid decline in attributes. He fits the mould of fullbacks that I like to use; primarily attacking with good levels of crossing and dribbling. His physical stats are still up to the standard of this division and it is likely that we will see him return next year manning the left flank of our formation. 

3) Midfield Player of the Year: Bryan Figueroa (CM) - 15 matches, 3 goals, 2 assists, 21 key passes, 72% pass completion, Ave Rating: 7.20

Another player who I managed to sign during the midseason break was Bryan Figueroa. The £35k fee paid was actually the highest of my managerial career thus far but it proved worth it as the young Chilean was excellent in his attacking playmaker role. He demonstrated an all-round solid gameplay and became integral to our attacking movements, playing 21 key passes and chipping in with a trio of goals. 

He has some outstanding traits for this level, with solid physicals and some of the best technicals in the squad. His his ratings for dribbling, finishing, passing and technique make him an attacking threat that is probably a bit too strong for the standard of football that we currently play. He is under contract for next year and, withstanding any changes, he will definitely be returning next season.

4) Attacking Player of the Year: Carlos Villanueva (ST) - 36 matches, 21 goals, 7 assists, 42 key passes, 29 chances created, 4 PoM Awards, Ave Rating: 7.19

The attacking player of year is easily Carlos Villanueva. I pushed him further up the field from his attacking midfielder position and utilised him as a deep-lying forward in our tactic and it worked excellently. The 24 year old Chilean netted an impressive 21 goals throughout the course of the year but also provided seven assists to go alongside a team-high 42 key passes, highlighting his dual asking and scoring threat. 

He is another who has a very well-rounded set of attributes. His physicals are very solid with his pace, acceleration and agility making him a handful for opposition defences. I love that he has the 'attempts overhead kicks' trait - not that I have seen him score one just yet, but it makes him even cooler still. Although he is not an out and out striker, I will definitely be giving him  second season leading the line following his breakout year with me this time around. 

5) U21 Player of the Year: Julio Sepulveda (GK) - 12 matches, 11 goals conceded, 4 clean sheets, 42 saves, Ave Rating: 7.02

It was not easy to pick a winner for this award as not many of my youngsters played well. Then again, we do not seem to have many younger guys in the first team squad at all so just finding someone who would qualify for this award was a bit of a stretch. In the end I decided to give the prize to young goalkeeper Julio Sepulveda. He was not actually my first choice when I joined but some excellent performances in the domestic cup saw him inherit the first team gloves and he ended the season excellently, conceding less than one goal per game. 

My assistant manager reckons he has some room to grow in terms of development but he also needs more game-time to get those mental up, which at this point are not amazing. Everything else is pretty solid and he has impressive ratings for agility and handling which are important. At this point in time, Sepulveda is probably the main candidate to be the clubs number one next year but I will definitely be having a shop around for a shot stopper so he may well end up getting replaced. 

FINAL THOUGHTS:

Nothing much else to report on from this season I'm afraid. We adapted to my playing style much quicker than I had anticipated and we actually put together a decent run of results during the second half of the league season. The cup run was a very unexpected surprise but one that meant we eventually reached the quarterfinals and brought in some extra monetary funds thanks to tv rights. 

I am looking forward to having a full offseason to work with but the squad registration limit of four foreign players might prove a bit tricky with regards to bringing in new signings. The aim for next year has got to be one of the top two promotion places and I think that is achievable, especially given that we were not too far off this year!

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Thanks again for all your support. I will be back again soon with an update covering all my preseason transactions and dealings, of which there will hopefully be many! In the meantime I was looking at international vacancies but there were none that interested me to be honest, save maybe Kazakhstan? 

 

[yatesiboi37]

So I am currently playing through my first full preseason with O'Higgins and I thought it would be a good time to remind everyone exactly who my new club side are as we prepare for the upcoming season. 

I took over this role midway through last year, following my resignation with the Kenya national team and then with Mount Rich in Grenada, where I had been for almost seven years. Last year saw me take charge for the final half of the domestic season and we played pretty well, a fact that has already started rumours suggesting we should be pushing for a promotion spot this time around. 

Before we get stuck into my preseason actions, I would like to re-introduce you all to O'Higgins Fútbol Club. 

Club Background:

O'Higgins Fútbol Club are a profesional club based in the South American country of Chile. Situated in the central city of Rancagua, O'Higgins were founded back in 1955 and they have spent their time developing an extensive footballing history. They have won the Chilean second division on two previous occasions but, most impressively, they won the top league of Chile back in 2013 with a single Chilean Cup victory then following in 2014. 

As you may recall, the club have endured some tough times since then. In 2017 the club were still playing in the top division of Chile and actually managed to secure a 3rd place finish. This was followed in 2018 with a 4th placing but then they experienced a disastrous year next and time around which ultimately ended in relegation to the countries second tier. Unfortunately, the club have found it very difficult to get themselves back into the top division, having now remained in the second tier for the past four seasons. 

Despite their recent struggles, O'Higgins are still one of the most recognisable clubs in the second division and hold a 2 star, national level rating in terms of reputation. 

Facilities:

 

O'Higgins play their home matches in the 15,533 all-seater El Teniente stadium. The ground has a bit of footballing history behind it as it was actually used as a venue for World Cup fixtures back in 1962 and a recent rebuild saw it used once again as part of the 2015 Copa America. The council owned stadium remains in a very good condition but the pitch could probably do with re-laying, as it currently sits at OK. 

In terms of other facilities, I have been busy requesting improvements and fortunately the board were more than happy to accept! The youth training facilities will remain at adequate but I was able to secure funding to improve our senior training facilities, which means they will increase from their current good level. Most pleasing was the improvements to both the youth recruitment, which is now at an above average level, and to the junior coaching, which is now at good. 

Squad registration rules mean that we have to rely heavily on Chilean players and hopefully, with a few upgrades, our youth intakes will start to improve and provide us with an easy way to recruit talented domestic players. 

Competitions:

Having moved from the Caribbean to South America last season, I now have a whole host of different domestic competitions to contend with. 

The first that we will be taking part in is the Campeonato Loto. Hopefully you will all remember this competition from earlier as it is our main league tournament. It is essentially the second tier of football in Chile and is currently ranked as the 21st best division in South America. It consists of 16 teams who all play each other twice across the course of the season, for a total of 30 league games. Only the side finishing 1st receives automatic promotion to the top division of Chile, with the side placing second entering into a one-off playoff game. The side finishing bottom are relegated with the 15th placed team entering into a relegation playoff. The league campaign runs from February to November but there is also a midseason break, between June and July. 

In terms of league rules there are a few that will limit my squad selection. Firstly only four foreign players are allowed to be registered in the squad at any one point and so it looks like I will be relying heavily on Chilean players once again. In addition, the match day squad must have at least two Under-20 players included who are then subsequently required to play 50% of the time played across the 30 league games, effectively forcing them to be used for 45 minutes each match. 

Our 5th place finish last season was actually a step backwards with regards to what we achieved in 2022, when we finished in second place. Both the sides who won the league the past two years managed to remain in the top division the year following, demonstrating that there is not a huge gap between the sides in the league above and ourselves. The hard part is gaining promotion given that only one team is granted an automatic spot. 

The other competition that we will be participating in is the Copa Chile. This is the main domestic cup competition of Chile and runs from July until December. The tournament follows a very simple knockout format, with 32 teams entering the first round, and all games being played over two legs (home and away). The foreign and Under-20 player restrictions that apply in the domestic division are also applied in this cup competition. 

We actually managed to reach the quarterfinals of this competition last year and, given that six different teams have won the Copa Chile in the past seven years, it looks as though these tournament is a bit of a free-for-all. Some of the top teams seem to play weaker sides and therefore this competition becomes far more open and I would love a repeat of our impressive cup run, from last year, this time around. 

Chilean Football:

The standard of domestic football in Chile is actually fairly good. The top domestic division is ranked the third best in South America, only behind the top leagues of Brazil and Argentina. The best side in the country are Universidad de Chile, the team who knocked us out in the quarterfinals of the cup last year. They have won the top league an astonishing 16 times, including three title victories in a row over the past three seasons. Their closest rivals are probably Colo Colo but they finished 5th last year and have not won a full league crown since 1998. 

As you may recall, international football in Chile has endured some excellent results since I started this save as the nation won the 2018 World Cup before then reaching the semifinals of the 2022 competition. The 2023 Copa America saw the national side defeat Brazil in the Third Place Playoff to record another impressive tournament performance. At this point they had climbed back up to 7th in the world rankings but since then things have unravelled. 

They have recently begun the CONMEBOL qualification campaign for the 2026 World Cup and things have gone appallingly. 

Defeats against Brazil, Colombia and Argentina as well as a draw with Ecuador have seen the nation get off to a terrible start in attempting to qualify for the next World Cup. I am not really sure what is going wrong but hopefully it is just down to a tough opening schedule and they should be able to get back on track when they face some of the 'easier' teams. 

That being said the squad is now definitely on the elderly side, with nine members being at least 30 years old. Alexis Sanchez is still going but he is on the decline at the age of 35 and with no real superstars coming through, it looks like the golden age of Chilean football could well be done and dusted...

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So that concludes my reintroduction to life in Chile with O'Higgins. It looks as though this year could be the one where we make a real push for a long awaited promotion but with just one automatic spot available we are going to have to be at our very best throughout!

I will be back soon with a preseason update where I will cover any new additions to the squad and have a look at the slight change of tactic that I will be implementing this coming season. I hope you are all still enjoying this side of the story and hopefully I will get to experience a promotion for the first time in this save sometime soon!

[yatesiboi37]

Update 56: Preseason 2024

Club: O'Higgins Fútbol Club 
Division: Campeonato Loto

Having joined my new club side back in June 2023, I never really had time to organise things the way I wanted them. Granted I did get to play through a midseason break, which allowed me to install a new tactic and make a few additions to the squad but this full preseason would allow me to really start moulding things in my image. 

This update will take a look at the staff members, transfer activity, squad overview and friendly results as I take O'Higgins into the 2024 season. The aim for this year is to make a solid promotion push and we definitely have the tools to do so!

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BOARD ROOM:

Despite being stuck in the second division of Chile for quite a while now, the financial side of things at O'Higgins is all fairly positive. I was able to request facility upgrades (see previous update) and over overall club balance is still good, with £2.2 million in the bank. This healthy financial outlook means the board have, once again, handed me a very solid looking budget:

Both of these figures are similar to what I inherited last year and both are far more than I am probably likely to need. I have not had such a large transfer budget at my disposal for a while but I am always reluctant to spend money without scouting a player properly. I view myself as more of a low-risk taker, signing free agents and negating the financial risk associated with signing players from other clubs. That being said, maybe I should look to use the financial backing I am being given to develop a squad that should totally blow away the competition in this league. 

Board Objectives (2024)

Campeonato Loto - Reach the Playoff 
Copa Chile - Reach the Second Round

Having spent just half a season in charge the board are already pilling on the pressure and expect us to finish in the top two for this upcoming season. Whilst that is also an aim that I would like to achieve, it is likely going to be easier said than done given the small gap in quality between many sides in the Campeonato Loto. In terms of the Copa Chile, the board would like us to at least win our first round matchup, a feat we did manage to achieve last year. 

CLUB STAFF:

I spent a bit of time in the offseason attempting to upgrade the clubs backroom staff. Whilst most of the personnel here were of higher quality than those I had utilised in Grenada with Mount Rich, I felt like there were a number of positions that could be upgraded further and this led to a number of new hirings. 

Assistant manager Luis Flores Manzor kept his job, having been with the club since 2019 but I hired a new Head of Youth Development in the form of Chilean national Claudio Munoz. The new man has a determined personality which I hope will rub off on the new young players that he manages to bring through in September. 

I also hired a trio of new coaches, all Argentinians, in the form of Walter De Lemos (goalkeeping), Gaston Biain (fitness) and Norberto Batista (general). All three have exceptional attributes and should bolster the training effects of our squad with Batista, the former assistant manager at Boca Juniors, especially looking like an excellent addition. 

The physio and scouting departments remain the same from last season. 

TRANSFERS:

Now we can get on tot he exciting stuff, the transfers. 

(Out)

We will start my looking at the players who left the club and a quick glance over these lists reveals that some prominent first teasers from last year departed. 

In terms of those released on a free, the only two of note are Sebastian Silva and Tomas Alarcon, with the others all being failed youth players. Silva operated as our back-up anchorman last year but his advancing years, 33 years old, meant that he was allowed to leave. He has since retired and is currently looking for work as a Head of Youth Development. Alarcon was a back-up central defender who appeared in just five league games last season. He has, weirdly, since joined Deportes Vallenar in the top division but I cannot envision him getting much playing time. 

In addition to releasing players we also sold a few. First off was Argentinian fullback Gustavo Mbombaj, who was one of the better players from last year and one I signed during the midseason break. The 32 year old became a victim of my foreign player limit and unfortunately I had to let him go, which I am hoping is not a massive mistake. We also allowed back-up right fullback Oscar Tunessi to depart. The Argentine was never going to be registered as one of our four foreign players and was getting paid way too much so he was also allowed to leave on a free. 

The final two departures could turn out to be massive losses. Firstly we allowed Bryan Figueroa to leave for Everton de Vina in the countries top tier. I had signed the advanced midfielder midway through last season and he had an excellent few moths with the club but unfortunately his form attracted a lot of interest from higher ranked sides. As soon as offers started coming in he became very adamant that a move away was what he wanted and eventually I settled for selling him for double what we paid six months ago. 

The final player out was last years Player of the Season, Ruben Farfan. The ageing forward drew lots of interest and when Oriente Petrolero, from Bolivia, came in with a £140k bid I could not turn it down. Granted, this might have been a huge mistake but I decided to cash in on a player who's attributes were already starting to decline. The veteran ended the league campaign with an average rating of 7.30 last year and he will definitely prove difficult to replace. 

(In)

It is not all doom and gloom though as I ended up signing nine new replacements who I am very excited about. 

Lets start with the bad first. I signed 30 year old Brazilian fullback Raphinha right at the start of the window and he looked to be a solid addition. Unfortunately, my temptation for foreign players took over and he became the odd man out in terms of squad registration meaning he currently cannot play in league fixtures and I am looking to source him  loan move, otherwise he might be released straight away!

I signed a pair of 18 year old Brazilians in the form of central midfielders Anderson and Albano Colachequi. Both have substantial potential and will play in the U19 squad this season where they can hopefully develop and then potentially contribute to the first team in the future. I also signed Gonzalo Candia, a 29 year old attacking midfielder who played in the league below ours last year. He should operate as a fairy reliable back-up option in the midfield. I also grabbed Gerson Godoy from Barnchea in the league below us. The 18 year old Chilean defensive midfielder looks like an excellent prospect for the future and he will likely be heavily involved in first team affairs this coming season. 

Then came the more exciting additions. Late in the window I picked up Ivan Sandoval on a free transfer. 

The 28 year old signed a cheap contract and, whilst not as talented, he should provide a solid replacement in the starting eleven for the departed Bryan Figueroa. Sandoval has played his entire career with Cobresal in the Campeonato Loto where he made 208 appearances and averaging a solid rating of 6.98 last year. 

We also brought in a new fullback in the form of 27 year old Dilan Zuniga. 

The versatile defender, who can operate on either the left or right flank joined from top division side Addax Italiano where he had made just two first team appearances the previous season. He will likely compete for the starting job on the right flank but has a set of attributes that look really adept to the tactical approach that we want to play. 

We then ended up spending some money, albeit not very much, as we signed Brazilian forward Rhuan. 

The young poacher had spent the past three seasons on loan in Armenia, of all places, where he managed to score 22 goals in the countries top division. He hopefully now has found a permanent home, leading the attacking line for us in Chile, and he looks set to operate as a prototypical poacher. He lacks height, and any ability in the air to be honest, but he has the pace, dribbling and finishing required to be a threat in this league. 

Finally, I spent my largest feee of this save yet to bring in 18 year old fullback Luis Schoonewolff. 

The Venezuelan has played a few times for his U21 national side and joins us from his native country. He played 32 times in the Venezuelan second division last year and looks set to take over from the departed Gaston Mbombaj on the left flank for us this year. He has some insane physical traits for a youngster and now just needs to up the technical aspects of his game and he could become a real threat on the wing. 

THE SQUAD:

So those are the new faces but there are plenty of the old guard still around so it is time to take a look at the squad going forward into this new season. 

Seniors:

So, after one full offseason in charge, this is the squad that I will be utilising this year. I am pretty happy with how things have turned out and we seem to have a capable starter at all positions, along with some solid depth options. The starting eleven is a lot younger than it was at the end of last year as we now have just one player over the age of 30.

We also have a number of U20 players who will be in and around the first eleven which means I should have no probably hitting my league quota for minutes played regarding these individuals. 

Goalkeepers:
Just two goalkeepers in the main squad and both are 22 year old regens. They are very similar in terms of ability and I think I will start with Bernardo Orrego as the clubs first choice. He was actually outplayed by the other shot stopper, Julio Sepulveda, at the end of last season but the later was injured for much of preseason and Orrego impressed in his place. I would not be surprised if these guys are swapped out for one another a lot as the season progresses though. 

Central Defenders:
Having been unable to find many 'traditional' central defenders during this transfer window, I have gone with a slightly different approach this year and will be utilising some of my defensive-minded midfielders as defenders instead. The best out-and-out centreback is definitely 23 year old Juan Magana, a former youth academy product. I was able to retain him following some strong transfer interest and he will be a key cornerstone in defence this season. 

Alongside him I will be playing Claudio Sepulveda and Gaston Varela. Both these guys operated in midfield last year but they look equally capable of playing as central defenders. New youth product Luis Soriano already looks good enough for the first team and he will definitely get some gametime this season. We also retained veteran backup Diego Oyarzun and 19 year old Marco Medina, a decent future prospect who made his professional debut last season.

 

Fullbacks:
Our fullbacks are probably the most improved group from last season as we brought in two new starters in the form of Luis Schoonewolff and Dilan Zuniga. Our other right fullback is the talented Gaston Zuniga, the 24 year old who has been an O'Higgins player for his entire career. He was the starter last year and averaged a decent raring of 7.02 across 22 league games, which suggests he is more than good enough for this level. Former youth academy product, 19 year old Lucas Osorio, will be the primary back-up on the left flank.

Midfielders:
With some slight changes to the position that players will be operating in, we have a bit of a new look for the central midfield this season. Florindo, our young Brazilian ball-winner who joined midway through last year will likely be promoted to permanent starter alongside Chilean veteran Sebastian Galani, who had a very solid year last time out. New signing Ivan Sandoval will likely operate in the more advanced attacking role with his primary back-up being fellow signee Gonzalo Candia. 

We also have new signing Gerson Godoy who will play in the centre and looks to be a very decent youth prospect whilst Bastian Araneda returns from last year as the attacking-minded rotation man in midfield. Given that some of our defenders can also operate in midfield and we look set to have a number of different options for the centre of the park this time around. 

Forwards:
I likely will be rolling with two forward players again this season and I am quite excited to see how the partnership between new signing Rhuan and last seasons top scorer Carlos Villanueva pans out. Both these guys are just 24 years of age and look set to become a devastating attacking pairing for years to come. 

Their primary backups will be a pair of youngsters in the form of poacher Manuel Cornejo and 6'6" targetman Claudio Ibarra. Ibarra in particular looks like an intriguing prospect and I am hoping I can mould him into a similar role to how I used Michael Olunga during my time with the Kenyan national side. 

Under 19s:

This is what the U19 squad currently looks like and, it is safe to say, we do not have too many exciting prospects. 

One position that we do seem to have some talent in actually is in central midfield. The two newly signed Brazilian prospects, Anderson and Albano Colachequi, team up with some decent looking Chilean nationals to form a solid midfield unit. 16 year old Felipe Hormazabal and 18 year old Marcos Nunez look to be very decent prospects whilst 17 year old Gonzalo Fuentes seems to fit into a more attacking role. The two forward, Orlando Rodriguez and Francisco Morales both look fairly handy but the rest of the squad is lacing any real talent.  

I did try and sign some youth players from other teams but clubs were asking ridiculous prices for very average youngsters. Instead I am going to hold out for a strong youth intake this season, which I am hopeful of since we secured some facility improvements and added a new HoYD this offseason. 

Tactics:

With the introduction of some extra players to play in central defence, I am going to be switching  tactic slightly and utilising the one that I had so much success with during my time at both Mount Rich and Kenya. 

The my focus of this tactic is for the midfield three to work the ball into the box but when this fails, or the opposition sets up too narrow, we look for the overlapping fullbacks who are then instructed to hit early crosses into the area. This formation worked wonders during my previous job managerial roles and resulted in a lot of goals scored. We will again be playing with an attacking mentality and a fluid team shape whilst utilising similar team instructions to those I have used in the past. 

The majority of players are once again given individual instructions, mainly influencing their willingness to dribble, shoot and play risky passes. I am hoping that I can continue the success of this set-up here in Chile following some very successful results elsewhere on my managerial career. The main concern is in the centre of midfield, where we can sometimes get overrun, and it seems looks of club sides here like to play with three players in the middle (or at the minimum a midfield pairing and a defensive midfielder) which could cause us some problems. 

Friendly RESULTS:

W = 6, D = 0, L = 0

That being said, the tactic seemed to work wonders in the preseason as we romped to six straight victories. 

We actually played some decent sides during this run including San Luis de Quillota from the division above us and San Antonio Unido from our current league. We also faced off against a solid Argentinian side in the form of Independiente Rivadavia but we proved too strong for all three of these and cruised to victories. 

As expected, the tactic was devastating in terms of attacking success and we scored a remarkable 20 goals in this short run. Also as probably expected, it led to some massive defensive frailties and we managed just one clean sheet, which might mean that I need to make some subtle changes prior to the league season starting. 

OTHER NEWS:

Not too much to report on in terms of other news from this offseason but we did get hit by a bit of an injury bug!

Injuries:

We kicked things off by losing Rhuan, Julio Sepulveda and Gaston Zuniga to small knocks, meaning the trio failed to complete a full offseason programme and whilst they will be available come the start of the league fixtures, they may be lacking a bit of match sharpness. 

We then lost the above three players to slightly bigger injuries and all of these guys will definitely miss the first league games. Bastian Araneda suffered a concussion in a friendly fixture and the rotational man looks set to miss the first few games. He was quickly joined on the sidelines by Ivan Sandoval, as the newly signed attacker twisted his ankle in training. 

The biggest blow though was to top scorer Carlos Villanueva. The forward twisted an ankle in the penultimate friendly fixture and now looks set to miss the first month of league action, which is a huge blow to our title credentials. 

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So that concludes a long offseason programme for me at O'Higgins and it is time to start playing through my first full season in Chile. The board expect a promotion challenging campaign and, whilst I would too love that, I have to be realistic and acknowledge that that is likely to be tough, especially if our new tactic fails and we continue to get hit by injuries. 

I will be back soon with a first league update of 2024 where I will be going to get off to a good start and continue our fine preseason form. Thanks again for all the support, hope you guys are still enjoying this read!

[rodesire]

Love new signings, love the write-up.  You look set for a promotion tilt at least.

[yatesiboi37]

5 hours ago, rodesire said:

Love new signings, love the write-up.  You look set for a promotion tilt at least.

Thanks again for your continued support rodesire!

We are definitely set for a promotion push but this league looks very competitive and could cause us some issues!

[yatesiboi37]

Update 57: February & March 2024

Club: O'Higgins Fútbol Club 
Division: Campeonato Loto

After a short, fairly productive offseason we get started with the new league campaign. The Chilean league season begins in February and runs all the way through to the start of November, so things are pretty busy here all the time. 

This update will cover how we get on in the early stages of the Campeonato Loto and, with the Copa Chile not starting till after the midseason break, this competition will be my sole focus for the time being. The media are predicting us to easily top the division and the board are expecting a playoff spot as a minimum, so the pressure is on to see if James Yates can manage a club outside of the Caribbean. 

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TRANSFERS:

Although the Chilean transfer window had closed we were still able to sell players to clubs from abroad.

(Out)

One name who I had been trying to ship since the start of this season was fullback Raphinha. The 30 year old Brazilian had joined the club in January but missed out on the final squad registration due to my foreign player limitations. Despite only being with us for three months, and never playing a competitive game, we were able to sell the veteran for a fee of £38k, potentially rising to £47k. Not a bad bit of business I think!

Enough of other news, lets crack on with some league results!

Campeonato Loto RESULTS:

W = 5, D = 2, L = 1

Not a terrible start to the league season, as we ended March on a seven game unbeaten run. 

We had a shocking opening day as we fell to a crushing defeat at home to Deportes La Serena, a rather unremarkable side but one that made us look pretty average. We followed up this humiliating loss with a 2-2 away draw against a Union Espanola side who had come down from the top division, throwing away a two goal advantage and meaning we collecting just one point from our first two games. 

We responded very well though, going on a run of three straight victories, including a very impressive 3-0 away win against a talented Palestino side. We did record a poor 0-0 draw midway through March but then ended the run with a pair of victories, including a 3-2 away win against another relegated side in the form of Curico Unido. 

Our attacking tactic, the one I had used previously in Grenada and with the Kenyan national team, worked a treat in terms of going forward and we record an impressive tally of 18 goals scored. Defensively we were a bit of a mixed bag, recording three clean sheets but then conceding 10 goals in the other five contests. 

PLAYER STATISTICS:

This is the first time that the O'Higgins statistics reflect solely my influence at the club, having joined midway through the league year last time out. Some good performances to start the year have seen eight of our players hold a rating of at least 7.0. 

One man has stood out amongst the rest so far this year. Newly signed Brazilian forward Rhuan (8.08) has been an absolute revelation up top and has scored 11 goals in just eight league appearances. His four Player of the Match Awards are easily the most in the squad and the youngster has quickly become one of the most efficient forwards in the division.

Defensively, another new signing has been impressing. Right fullback Dilan Zuniga (7.26) has had a great start to his O'Higgins career, providing a pair of assists alongside 15 key passes played and 22 crosses connected. The other most impressive defensive player thus far has been Luis Soriano (7.23). The youth academy product from last season has been inserted into the starting line-up and has played brilliantly, leading the way with 24 defensive interceptions. Argentinian defender Gaston Varela (7.03), who played in midfield last year, has been solid in his new role whilst young Venezuelan fullback Luis Schoonewolff (6.95) has had a good start to his career. Goalkeeper Bernardo Orrego (7.00) has retaken the first eleven goalkeeper spot after some impressive performances to start the year. 

Our midfielders have not been overly impressive although Sebastian Galani (7.05) has been the top player, playing 15 key passes thus far. Brazilian ball-winner Florindo (6.95) has also been fairly solid and is averaging an impressive 4.39 tackles/game. 

Rhuan has obviously been the superstar in attack but he has been effectively supported by youngster Claudio Ibarra (7.57). The 6'6" targetman has proved to be a real handful for opposition defenders and leads the team in chances created, with 12. The 20 year old has scored two goals, and provided another two, whilst playing the supporting role alongside the Brazilian. Carlos Villanueva (7.18) has been a bit limited in terms of first team performances having recently returned from injury but he has already collected four assists from his four league appearances. 

STANDINGS:

Our solid start to the new league season sees us end March atop the Campeonato Loto!

We are one of five sides in the league who have lost just one game but, unlike last year, we have managed to avoid the huge number of drawn games that seem to plague the division. Our five victories are the most in the division and we currently hold a two point lead ahead of Santiago Morning, whilst we are then four points ahead of third placed Deportes La Serena. 

In the whole division there have already been 18 drawn fixtures, with newly relegated side Union Espanola proving the biggest affected having drawn six of their opening eight games. We also have the best goal difference, +8, at this early stage and if we can sort out our defensive inconsistencies then we could potentially remain atop the division for a while longer!

OTHER NEWS:

Not too much in terms of other news following the early transfer outgoings.

Squad Dynamics

We did have a bit of squad unrest early on in the league campaign as Claudio Sepulveda demanded a transfer. The midfielder turned central defender caused a lot of problems with regards to squad dynamics as he got a lot of the other players to support his campaign for a move away. At first I was reluctant but when other players started to get involved I decided to give him what he wanted. We finalised a deal with Nublense in our division but Sepulveda then rejected personal terms, meaning he is now still in our squad, constantly moaning about not being able to move away. 

I then decided to relegate him to training with the U19 squad and he has not made a first team appearance since opening day. Luckily, everyone else in the squad seems to have forgotten about him and our recent fine form has restored morale. 

Injuries

Following a flurry of injuries during the preseason we were once again unable to stave off the injury bug. 

Firstly we lost two fullbacks, with back-up right back Gaston Zuniga suffering a severe twisted ankle and then Venezuelan Luis Schoonewolff dislocating his jaw during a league fixture. This massively dented our wide play and at one point we had just one fully fit fullback but luckily they are back to full fitness. 

We then suffered another huge blow late in March when Carlos Villanueva, who had just returned from a preseason knock he picked up, went own with a double hernia. Our key man from last year will again miss another run of league fixtures and, even this early on, it is looking like this might be a troublesome season for the attacking star. 

Mount Rich

I have not reported much on Mount Rich since I moved to Chile but I noticed one very exciting piece of news from my former Grenadian club.

As you might recall, I won the CFU Club Championship during my last action with Mount Rich and that title victory meant the club qualified for the next edition of the CONCACAF Champions League. That tournament has only just begun and, in the opening round, my former club recorded one of the best results in their history. In the first leg they managed a 1-1 draw against MLS side New York City thanks to a goal from Kyle Thomas. 

Granted they did lose the second leg 3-0 but this was an excellent performance and it is pleasing to see my old side still doing well. 

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So that concludes my first two months of the new league season with O'Higgins. Our attacking play has been impressive and led to a league-high goal difference which has aided us in reaching the top of league at this early stage. 

There is still a very long way to go but things are looking positive early on as we push for a possible promotion chance. I could do with avoiding the injury curse as the season progresses. We do have some depth but if we keep suffering big injuries to major players then ur league form will unlikely be able to be maintained. 

 

 

[yatesiboi37]

Update 58: April & May 2024

Club: O'Higgins Fútbol Club 
Division: Campeonato Loto

A fine start to the league season in Chile saw us top the division following five victories in our first eight games. We managed to put together some very impressive attacking displays but a number of injuries had dented our form slightly and led to growing inconsistencies in terms of performances. 

With the midseason break fast approaching, we had two months until the halfway stage of this new league season, my first full year in charge of O'Higgins. This update will cover the league results from those two months and look at the player performances for this season as a whole. 

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Campeonato Loto RESULTS:

W = 3, D = 4, L = 0

We were successful in maintaining our unbeaten run but the curse of the Chilean draw struck us hard as we tied four of our seven league games. I have mentioned previously that this league seems to produce a high proportion of drawn games in comparison to other leagues I have played in and in fact, drawing too many games was our downfall last year. Up until this point we had successfully avoided too many ties contests but at one point we drew four consecutive fixtures resulting in a lot of lost points. 

We kicked the month of April off with a superb 4-0 drubbing against a struggling Coquimbo Unido side before our run of drawn contests took over. Firstly we failed to score against mediocre Independiente team despite dominating the contest before we then drew 1-1 against a Santiago Morning team who were battling at the top of the division. Our next two fixtures saw us record another two score draws against a pair of top-half teams. We ended May back on track with a 4-1 home victory over CD Naval before only just managing to overcome a Rangers de Talca side who were right at the foot of the league table.

Our attacking form from the previous months failed to continue and although we did score 13 goals, eight of them came over the course of just two matches. Defensively we were actually pretty good, conceding just five goals over this run of seven fixtures, but we were unable to keep clean sheets when it mattered the most!  

PLAYER STATISTICS:

At the midway stage of the season we have an impressive nine players who hold an average rating of at least 7.0. 

The best performer again is newly signed forward Rhuan (7.47). The young Brazilian was unable to maintain the blistering scoring pace that he started out the league season with but he has still been superb and currently has 14 goals in just 15 appearances to go alongside a team-high four Player of the Match Awards. 

Defensively our fullbacks have been very impressive. Injuries have meant that both right fullbacks, Gaston Zuniga (7.13) and Dilan Zuniga (7.13) have got plenty of playing time opposite left-sided Venezuelan Luis Schoonewolff (7.12). The trio between them have contributed nine assists whilst Schoonewolff leads the team with 24 crosses connected. In the middle of the defence, last seasons youth academy product Luis Soriano (7.11) has been excellent in his debut season, collecting 40 defensive interceptions and scoring his first professional goal. Goalkeeper Bernardo Orrego (7.03) has had a solid season between the sticks whilst Gaston Varela (7.01) has proved he is very capable playing as a central defender. 

The standout in the centre of midfield has definitely been Sebastian Galani (7.14). The versatile player has scored two goals, played 16 key passes whilst also averaging 5.12 tackles/game. Brazilian Florindo (6.90) as had a solid, if not spectacular, season thus far but he has also proved a reliable ball-winner as he averages 4.17 tackles/game. 

In attack, Rhuan has been supported well my young targetman Claudio Ibarra (7.47). The 6'6" giant might not score many goals, four in 13 appearances, but he provides for his teammates and he currently leads the squad in assists and key passes played. Ivan Sandoval (6.97) finally seems to be settling into his role following some early season injuries and the attacking midfielder has notched three goals and played 25 key passes in his 14 appearances. 

STANDINGS:

Despite drawing four games we still manage to retain top spot in the Campeonato Loto, albeit only via goal difference. Santiago Morning have slipped away and Deportes La Serena have emerged as our new title rivals having the same win, draw, loss record as us. Universidad de Concepcion are just two further points back with another three sides then all within five points of our top position, meaning this league really is anyones for the taking at this point. Rangers de Talca are already looking in a spot of trouble at the halfway stage, having collected just six points, and they will need a miracle second portion of the season to stave off relegation. 

Our six draws are crazily high but it still is not the most in the division as Union Espanola, who are down from the top division this year, have draw eight of their opening 15 games. Our +16 goal difference is the best in the league however and we just need to make sure that we can turn some of these potential draws into victories and we should once again be able to build a lead atop the division. 

OTHER NEWS:

Not too much other news to report on. The midseason break does see the opening of the transfer window and a number of our players are tracking interest from teams in the top division of Chile, meaning it is looking like we may have to do some selling.

Injuries

The injury bug seems to not want to leave us as we firstly lost starting right fullback Dilan Zuniga to a broken lower arm. Luckily for us, Gaston Zuniga is a superbly capable backup at the right back spot and so this was not a huge loss but it was another injury to another fullback.

We then lost another defender when Diego Oyarzun, one of our back-up central defenders, went down with a damaged foot.

I thought I had done a good job during the offseason of building up depth but injuries seem to have hammered us hard this year and a couple of the youth players have had to step up and lay first team games unfortunately. 

International Selections

My previous club job saw my players receive constant international news as almost everyone at Mount Rich became involved in the Grenada national side. At O'Higgins the opposite is true, mainly due to the strength of the Chilean national team but also because we are currently a second tier side. 

That being said we did receive some exciting news in that Luis Soriano, our youth product from last season, was called up to the Chile U20s team whilst newly signed Luis Schoonewolff was once again included in the Venezuelan U21 set-up. It is always fun to see my players competing on the international stage and the experience can only benefit the youngsters in the long-term. 

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So that concludes the final two months of this league season prior to the midway break. I am permitted to make some new signings, maximum of three, and I may well have to do so if we lose some of our better players to more lucrative offers from teams in the top division. 

The league itself is going well but, despite only losing one game, we only top the table on goal difference whilst there are a whole host of teams poised and motivated to knock us off the top spot. We will have to make sure this habit of drawing games does not continue when we get back to league action in late July, otherwise we could quickly see ourselves slide down the table; something I do not plan on doing given that the aim for this year is a promotion push!

 

[dllu]

Great first half of the season, but the Chilean second tier is surprisingly competitive! 

[shizzo]

On 18/07/2018 at 22:51, yatesiboi37 said:

I used @claassen amazing Megapack Update. Not only does it add a number of unplayable leagues but it also introduces a whole host of competitions that would have previously not existed in the sandbox game. I would highly recommend download it if you have not done already. 

I am pleased you have enjoyed the international side. I think I will stick with just a domestic side for a while but will look for a new international job at some point in the future - any continent that you would like to see me take on?

Thanks so much ClemB! I really appreciate it!

Hopefully I'll be able to keep this save going far into the future and I hope that you enjoy this South American portion.

Ah cheers. As for internationals I think it would interesting to see you manage a small footballing country such as DR Congo, Jamaica and other caribbean  countries convincing players to switch to playing for their lesser known nationility. 

[yatesiboi37]

On 30 July 2018 at 13:12, dllu said:

Great first half of the season, but the Chilean second tier is surprisingly competitive! 

Thanks! It is a weird division, with loads of teams being of similar strengths. Even stranger is that the top tier has a number of sides who, on paper, look far weaker than some of the clubs in our league. The difficulty is getting promoted, with only one side being granted an automatic route into the first division. 

 

On 30 July 2018 at 22:41, shizzo said:

Ah cheers. As for internationals I think it would interesting to see you manage a small footballing country such as DR Congo, Jamaica and other caribbean  countries convincing players to switch to playing for their lesser known nationility. 

I think I will stick to club management only for now but I would love to return to the Caribbean for some international management one day. I have been keeping tabs on the Grenada position for ages but the manager has been in charge since the start of this save (and does not look like leaving any time soon). 

[yatesiboi37]

Update 59: July & August 2024

Club: O'Higgins Fútbol Club 
Division: Campeonato Loto

The previous update, which was written quite a while ago, saw us enter the midseason break atop the league albeit courtesy of a better goal difference. We had been playing well but a few too many drawn games had seen a number of other sides drag themselves into contention for a league title and a possible promotion to the top division of Chile. 

This update will contain all the news from our midseason exploits as well as covering our return to league action and the start of the Chilean domestic cup competition. 

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As previously mentioned, the Campeonato Loto has a one month midseason break and during that time teams are permitted to sell and buy players. There are a few limitations, with the main one being that teams are only permitted to sign three players maximum. 

TRANSFERS: 

A number of our top players had been attracting interest from teams in the Chilean top division and this had led to quite a bit of unrest amongst the squad. In the end I made the decision to jettison some of our key men, those who the majority of squad felt should be allowed to leave, and this meant three names were out of the club.

(Out)

All three of these guys should be recognisable. 

The first, Claudio Sepulveda, had been spending a lot of time training with the Under-19s after his desire to leave the club sparked some rathe large protests from his teammates. The midfielder come central defender had made just one league appearance for us this season and was allowed to leave, eventually joining Deportes Puerto Montt in the top division for a bargain fee. 

We then also allowed Argentinian defender Gaston Varela to depart. The 26 year old was a valuable player for us this year but he wanted to leave and, given the foreign player restrictions that we are under, I thought it best to sell him as well. He joins Mineros in the Mexican second tier for a fee of £85k. 

Finally, and perhaps most significantly, we allowed forward Carlos Villanueva to depart. The 25 year old scored 18 goals last season but had struggled to hit the same heights this time around, netting just twice in eight appearances as injuries had derailed the start of his year. The talented striker joined Union San Felipe in the Chilean top tier for a £200k feee, the highest that I have received for a single player on this save thus far!

(In)

In response to selling a trio of players we signed three new bodies as replacements. 

The first was Jorge Carrasco, a 19 year old Chilean fullback who is equally comfortable playing on the right and left flank. He is yet to make a professional appearance, having come through the youth system of Universidad Catolica in the top division. It is likely that he will spend the majority of this season in the Under 19s squad with he view to becoming a rotational option in the future. 

The other two signings were both pretty significant!

The first man we picked up was Argentinian attacking midfielder Joaquin Pereyra. The 25 year old was available on a free transfer after his contract with Union Huaral, of the Peruvian top division, expired. He made 40 league appearances last year for his old club side and looks to be an excellent fit within our system, possessing the ability to play as a central midfielder, as an advanced playmaker or even as a forward. 

He is already valued at an impressive £525k and looks to be an absolute steal for a side such as ours. He will replace the recently departed Gaston Varela as our fourth registered foreign player. 

The final player we signed was done so for a fee of £175k, the most I have ever paid for a player on this save so far. Diego Rojas is a player very much in the same mould as Carlos Villanueva and I am expecting him to play a similar role within our tactic. The 29 year old signs from Universidad Catolica, where he scored four goals in 21 league appearances in the top division of Chile last year. 

I will look to play him just behind our two forwards and take advantage of his exceptionally well-rounded attribute set, which includes strong ratings for passing, dribbling, crossing and technique.  

Campeonato Loto RESULTS:

W = 4, D = 1, L = 1

Just the six league games through the end of July and all of August. During this run we came very close to putting together a nice unbeaten run but a final defeat saw us undo some strong work straight after the midseason break. 

We kicked off July with an absolutely remarkable result, and one of the best of my managerial career this far, as we absolutely demolished Deportes La Serena in a game that saw the top two sides in the division clash. As you may recall, we were only ahead of our rivals on goal difference going into this one and so I was expecting a tougher contest. We won our next game, a home victory against a talented Union Espanola side, before dropping a couple of points in a 2-2 draw with Palestino. We were quickly back to winning ways with a pair of impressive victories over Universidad de Concepcion and San Marcos de Arica respectively before a disappointing defeat against lowly Deportes Santa Cruz ruined what was otherwise a very good run. 

Despite failing to score in our final fixture, our attacking ability was a joy to behold during this run as we managed to score an impressive 16 goals. We only managed a pair of clean sheets though, showing that our defensive play definitely needs some improvement if we want to prevent anymore costly drawn games as the final games of the season get started. 

Copa Chile RESULTS:

Alongside league fixtures, August also saw the start of the only domestic cup competition of Chile. The Copa Chile is a very simple knockout tournament, with each round consisting of two legged fixtures and the aggregate winner progressing onto the next stage. 

In the opening round of the Copa Chile we were drawn against a side from the top division, Union La Calera. Although being in the league above us, this was not the worst draw ever as our opponents were struggling in their league campaign, currently sitting in 13th position. 

First Round: vs Union La Calera (Campeonato Nacional Scotiabank)

A fine home performance set us up brilliantly and we easily progressed to the next round. 

The first game saw us take an early lead when new signing Diego Rojas netted his first goal for the club. Ivan Sandoval grabbed a second goal midway through the first period and rangy targetman Claudio Ibarra headed home in the second half to help secure an excellent 3-0 victory whereby we had 57% possession and had 23 total shots in comparison to our opponents 8. 

The second leg saw us once again produce a solid attacking display and record another deserved victory. We took the lead after 20 minutes when Felipe Hormazabal, a youngster from last seasons academy intake, rattled home an excellent 25 yard screamer which was also his first ever professional goal. Juan Magana slammed home a header from a corner shortly after to put the game beyond doubt and, despite a late consolation, we easily won the tie with a 5-1 aggregate scoreline. 

We actually reached the quarterfinals of this competition last season and we are now just one more aggregate victory away from repeating that feat this year. Check out who we were drawn against in the second round further down in this update. 

PLAYER STATISTICS:

We are now over halfway through the league season and our excellent attacking performances have seen 14 of our players now hold an average match rating of at least 7.0. 

The key man is definitely young Brazilian forward Rhuan (7.55) who looks far too talented for this level of football. The striker has scored 23 goals in just 23 club appearances and has collected a very impressive seven Player of the Match Awards. 

In defence, our trio of talented fullbacks have been excellent. Dilan Zuniga (7.24), young Venezuelan Luis Schoonewolff (7.20) and Gaston Zuniga (7.17) have all had excellent seasons. Our tactical system relies on our fullbacks to contribute to the attacking phases of play and all three of the aforementioned players have done so, contributing 16 total assists between them this year. Juan Magana (7.06) leads all central defenders with 84 defensive interceptions whilst youngster Luis Soriano (7.09) has become a regular in the starting eleven despite only joining the club from the youth academy late last season. In addition, goalkeeper Bernardo Orrego (7.06) has cemented his place as the clubs number one shot stopper. 

Our midfielders have not been outstanding, although the emergence of youngster Felipe Hormazabal (7.55) has been a bright spot and the youth product has impressed in his eight first team appearances. Florindo (6.97) has had a fairy solid season without ever being overly spectacular whilst Ivan Sandoval (6.95) has scored four goals and collected 32 key passes, the most of any non-forward player. New signing Joaquin Pereyra (6.55) has been limited since joining the club and has not quite settled yet. 

In attack we have developed a formidable duo in the shape of Rhuan and targetman Claudio Ibarra (7.32). Ibarra, who does an excellent job of holding the ball up and bringing other players into play, has collected 8 goals of his own whilst also leading the squad with 37 key passes played. New signing Diego Rojas (7.49) has made an excellent start to his O'Higgins career, scoring three goals and collecting three assists in just eight appearances. 

STANDINGS:

Our victory over Deportes La Serena at the start of this update means we have managed to open up a small advantage atop the division but it is only just two points. We have managed to open up a bit of a gap over 3rd placed Nublense, currently eight points, and the prospect of finishing in the top two is becoming more of a possibility. 

Union Española have shown remarkable improvements since the midseason break and they have flown up the table to a 6th placing thus far. San Antonio Unido, who gained promotion into this league last year, have had a decent year and currently find themselves in 7th despite losing 10 games. Things are not looking good for Rangers de Talca, who currently sit bottom, and for Independiente who are now five points adrift of 14th placed Deportes Santa Cruz. 

Our excellent attacking play is clearly highlighted by our dominant goal difference, a league leading +27, and our 47 goals scored. We are definitely in the hunt for a promotion chance and a possible league crown with just nine fixtures left to play. 

OTHER NEWS:

After a fairly hectic midseason break and some excellent league performances I also have some extra news to fill everyone in on. 

Injuries

We kick things off with some bad news, namely a few more injury worries. 

We lost a pair of midfielders midway through August with back-up man Bastian Araneda damaging his neck before new signing Joaquin Pereyra picked up a thigh strain which has limited his impact at the start of his O'Higgins career. 

Records

You may remember that we opened this update with a rather impressive 6-1 demolition of title rivals Deportes La Serena and what I failed to mention was that that fixture contained an unbelievable individual performance. 

Rhuan, who has been a scoring machine for us this season, smashed the club and league records for number of goals in a game as he managed to find the back of the net an astonishing five times! He scored his first in stoppage time at the end of the opening half before netting four goals in just 23 second half minutes.  

Copa Chile Draw

Having made it through the opening round of the Copa Chile we found ourselves in the hat for the second round and we received a fairly favourable tie as we were matched up with Deportes Santa Cruz. 

These are the guys who managed to beat us in the final league game of August but they are having a pretty poor league season on a whole, currently sitting in 14th position just above the drop zone. This fixture will not only give us a chance at redemption following our recent league defeat but it should give us a solid chance at reaching a second successive quarterfinals in this competition. 

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So that concludes a fairly lengthy update and one that has seen a number of our top players depart whilst we have still managed to hold on to our top position in the league, albeit only just. 

With just nine league games left to play, the prospect of a first domestic trophy in Chile is becoming ever increasingly more realistic and James Yates is on the verge of winning promotion for the first time in his managerial career. 

I will be back soon with a final season update detailing our league progress and Copa Chile performances hopefully very soon!

 

[rodesire]

Doing real good and love love love the detailed write-up.

[yatesiboi37]

35 minutes ago, rodesire said:

Doing real good and love love love the detailed write-up.

Thanks rodesire!

I'm pleased you like the detail. It does mean it takes me a little longer to get through things in comparison to other saves on here but good to know you appreciate it!

[Mbasnett6]

I'll second that - the detail is fantastic. Enjoying this immensely, great work.