[FM22] State Hunter - Gotta Catch 'Em All (Save ended due to technical issues)

[corinthiano]

And that is why the big teams in small states keep dominating. This is a huge amount of money just to play in the First Round, which you only do if you win a State Championship. In comparison there is zero prize money in the Tocantinense or Seletiva...

[corinthiano]

Campeonato Tocantinense - Semi Final First Leg

That was frustrating and pretty much a more dramatic repeat of the game in the league stage. We scored earlier this time with Felipe Rabelo cooly slotting a through ball from Elias Maluco. Tocantinópolis never really threatened us throughout the game and just as I thought we had closed it out we left a gap in defense and they equalized in the second minute of stoppage time. This means we need to beat them at home to avoid penalties, there is no away goals or extra time so we need to be more ruthless in the 90 minutes.

In the other match Taquarussú keep their strong run going and get an important away win in stoppage time, putting them in pole position to reach their first ever final.

Return legs are up in 7 days!

[corinthiano]

Campeonato Tocantinense - Semi Final Second Leg

The score makes it look way easier than it was. Tocantinópolis actually played better than us for the majority of the first half until Diego Batista pounced on a loose ball from a free kick. After that our nerves were settled and Diego just proved too much for our opponents. He scored a couple early in the second half and even though Tocantinópolis got one back we were never in danger of letting them get near us.

In the other game Taquarussú completed the upset by sneaking through on penalties after losing during the 90 minutes. For some reason we play the first leg at home...but hopefully we get ourselves a comfortable lead into the second leg. We have beaten them comfortably before so if we dont let nerves get the better of us we should win this Final.

[corinthiano]

They are moving the first leg one day earlier because of a clash with a second tier game, surely it should be the other way around 

[corinthiano]

Campeonato Tocantinense Final - First Leg

Absolutely fuming...we threw away a comfortable lead an now need to beat Taquarússu at their place...

[corinthiano]

Campeonato Tocantinense - Final Second Leg

We quickly put the disappointment of the first leg behind us and stormed to a 3-0 lead inside 35 minutes. That man Valdo tried to revive a comeback again but we were too good this time and scored another two to comfortably win the title. I will write-up a review of the tournament before we move on to the next State!

[corinthiano]

Campeonato Tocantinense Review

An excellent unbeaten campaign that despite a couple of hiccups was very comfortable, with 8 win and 3 draws. We did leave ourselves with work to do in the both the Semi and Final Second Legs but when it came to it we delivered convincingly.

Squad by Appearances

Again not a lot of games and consistently good performances from the team, with Diego Batista leading the line for the team. All other players I have previously shown before did well for us but it is worth mentioning Maranhão, who contributed with five penalties and 8 assists from right back.

And after just over 100 days at the club it is time to move on to Roraima. Nice to get this one done quickly and I realize the rule changes will give me some easier States, but we still have 23 to go and I am sure we will face challenges in some of them.

Edited February 9, 2022 by corinthiano

[corinthiano]

Chapter 5 - Roraima

Roraima is the northernmost State of Brazil and borders the countries of Venezuela and Guyana. It is the 14th largest State in Brazil, roughly the size of Belarus, but is the state with the smallest population in Brazil with around 650.000 inhabitants and has the lowest GDP in the country. It is very isolated from the rest of Brazil as it lies to the north of the Amazon rainforest. Boa Vista is the State capital and by far the biggest city with almost 400.000 inhabitants. The second largest city is Rorainópolis with just under 40.000 inhabitants. The State is also home to some stunning scenery, including Mount Roraima, which was the inspiration for Paradise Fall in the movie Up.

Football in Roraima

I was surprised that Roraima was above Mato Grosso do Sul and Tocantins in the rankings as the football in the State is very similar to what we had in Amapá. Essentially you have only a handful of teams that mostly play in the same stadium in the capital and are almost amateur like. The State CHampionship officially began in 1974, turning professional in 1995. Atlético Roraima are the biggest winners of the State, having won it 23 times, 5 of which were in-game. Them and Náutico (RR) have dominated the State Championship and are the biggest teams.

On a National level there have not been any significant achievements from the teams in this State. In FM there are only 8 teams from Roraima, the fewest in any State. 6 of them compete in the top State tier and 2 in the Second. On a national level there are currently two teams in Série D which are the same that have been dominating the Championship. Getting as job at one of those two would be ideal, but if there is any other club that has a little bit more wage budget then I would look into getting a job with them. All of them have managers at the moment so I will wait until sacking season begins around July and August.

Edited February 9, 2022 by corinthiano

[Punch]

Congrats on ticking off another one! KUTGW!

[corinthiano]

Just now, Punch said:

Congrats on ticking off another one! KUTGW!

Thanks! This next one will be interesting now due to the lack of choice of teams, hopefully I get some sort of job for next season!

[zethani]

Quick and easy, probably good to have a respite after the grind in Mato Grosso do Sul.

Mount Roraima looks sick!

[Bitner]

Good luck on next step. Imagine just travelling all of those distances by car, like Vagner Mancini? hahaha

Cheers,
Bitner

[corinthiano]

7 hours ago, zethani said:

Quick and easy, probably good to have a respite after the grind in Mato Grosso do Sul.

Mount Roraima looks sick!

Definitely nice, especially the fact we actually had money to add to the squad versus trim it down!

2 hours ago, Bitner said:

Good luck on next step. Imagine just travelling all of those distances by car, like Vagner Mancini? hahaha

Cheers,
Bitner

Thanks! Might bring Vagner along on this next trip to keep me company as it is going to be a bumpy and long ride haha

[corinthiano]

Náutico Futebol Clube

Náutico (RR) is a club from Caracaí, a small town of 20.000 people 141km south of Boa Vista, although they do play their games in the State capital. They were founded in 1962 and did not achieve much success until the 2010s, when they won two Roraimense titles in 2013 and 2015. They played in Série D 5 times IRL, being the first team from the State to qualify from the Group Stage in 2016. In-game they have bounced between Série D and the Seletiva every year, with the exception of this year when they qualified in second from their Série D group. They have also added 5 State titles to their name, including this year. The internet tells me the play their games at the Estádio Canarinho which is where most Roraima clubs play, but in FM they are located at the Vila Olímpica Roberto Marinho. It is nice not having to share the stadium and it does look quite nice even though it is small.

The team is having a pretty successful 2032, having comfortably won the Roraimense and qualifying from their Group in Série D. With the First Round against River (PI) just around the corner. They also participated in the Copa Verde and were knocked out by Série B side Paysandu in the first round.

I think I got lucky again, none of the Roraima clubs were looking to sack their managers and the Seletiva and Série D were approaching an end when Roberto Pitio was rewarded for his good work by being hired by Série C side Botafogo (PB). Náutico (RR) do look to be the best side in the State at the moment, especially as Atlético Roraima had an awful year, finishing third in the State Championship and being relegated from Série D. We do have a huge (for me) wage budget of R$620k per month but there is financial trouble ahead looking at their financial history, a heavy financial investment was made 4 years ago and the money has dried with club turning huge loses. I wouldnt be surprised if the wage budget is cut for next season and we have to trim the squad a bit.

With the game against River (PI) just around the corner I will go into it with no pressure. After our Série D campaign is over I will start looking at the squad and prepare for next year, selling players where we can to anticipate the financial duress we might face.

[corinthiano]

2032 Campeonato Brasileiro Série D Review

So...this just happened and still cant quite believe how well we did. I wasnt going to post anything major on the Série D as I fully expected us to be knocked out pretty soon after I arrived but we just kept going and ended up going all the way!

I will take a step back first to explain how the Série D works. It is made up of 8 groups of 8 teams out of which the top 4 qualify to the knockout stages. This is the same as IRL, but what is different is that qualification to Serie D is based on State Championship peformance i.e. the best teams in each State not playing in the top 3 divisions qualify. This is obviously difficult to replicate in FM so the database I am using has the brilliant workaround of relegating the bottom 4 teams in each Group, which make way for the teams coming up from the Seletiva.

After the group stage it is relatively straight forward, 32 teams face each other in two legged ties until and we have knockouts until the Final. The Semi-FInalists all get promoted to Série C, which makes the Quarter Finals a Promotion Playoff.

I was not in charge for the Group Stage, but the team started it off really strongly with seven wins and a draw, but after that the team lost its way, drawing 1 and losing 5 in the last 6 games, also losing their manager along the way. The amazing start to the campaign did however ensure qualification to the knockouts. I took over with less than a week before we took on River (PI). I was not feeling too optimistic even though they had a better team than us, and then even less so when they scored in stoppage time in the first leg. But we then completely outplayed them in the second leg to win the tie 7-3.

Up next in the last 16 was Campinense, a much bigger team than we are (2.5 stars rep vs our 1). I was again not too optimistic and even less so when we had a player sent off in the 20th minute of the first leg of the tie, away. We somehow managed to only lose 1-0 despite Campinense having 24 shots, 7 on target and an xG of 4.01. I thought all that hard work was in vain as we conceded in the home tie in the first two minutes, pulling a goal back and then conceding again to go into half time 2-1 down on the night and 3-1 on aggregate. By that point I went a bit gung ho and we had a storming 7 minutes halfway through the second half, scoring 3 goals and winning the tie 4-3.

It was at that point that I started believing in promotion, we were in the Quarters and two games away from it. We played São Bento (SP), who are also a strong team but not as strong as Campinense. We had the home tie up first this time and managed to get a good 2-0 lead into the second tie. That however di =d get wiped off 17 minutes into the second tie as São Bento (SP) scored twice to level the tie. We did pull a goal back before half time, but on the 61st minute we were down 3-1 and the tie was heading to penalties. But then on the 87th Lucas Luan was put through and kept his cool to seal promotion with a 4-3 aggregate result.

The Semi-FInal was actually a straightforward tie as we beat Ypiranga (PE) comfortably at home 4-1 and contained them away in the second leg to go through 5-3 on aggregate.

In the final we faced Confiança (SE), a team that has spent most of in-game time between Série B and Série C. We only beat them 1-0 at home in the first leg which didnt leave me too comfortable. That was then eased when went two up at their place within 15 minutes. We then let complacency set in and Confiança (SE) peeged us back in the second half, scoring the second on the 81st minute. We sat tight for the last 10 minutes to seal the title!

Squad by Appearances

This obviously has games for the whole season so doesnt necessarily show who I played more in my 10 games in charge. I was pleasently surprised at how balanced the squad was, we had decent back-ups in every position and no apparent weakness which made walking into the job a lot easier. Special mention to my first two foreign players, Robinson Pérez, a good Colombian BPD and Bae Min-Ho a South Korean that somehow got lost in Brazil 

Top Performers

Jorge Alexandre

Such a solid striker and was key for us as DLF, starting every game and scoring 4 goals in the knockouts. Managed to renew his contract for next year which I am very please about.

Guinei Borges

Not as highly rated as my other attacking players but probably the most crucial one in the AP role, another one I managed to extend the contract for.

Adriano

Very solid for us in the Mezzala role. Also very randomly has 17 U21 caps for Austria.

Next Season

I managed to renew the contracts for most of the key players, with the exception of our AF Lucas Luan. He did score quite a few goals but I am confident that we have strikers that can step up in his place if we dont find a replacement. With promotion our wage budget went up by R$200k to RS$825k per month. We will see if that sticks with finances deteriorating but we do not need to overhaul the squad, I will only bring in players that strengthen the first team or if we do decided to release players that are back-ups.

I will not do a full Season Review, so up next is the Brazil Review for 2032 before we look to the 2033 Roraima State Championship!

 

Edited February 10, 2022 by corinthiano

[corinthiano]

2032 Brazil Review

Série A: Another last day title win as Corinthians claim their 9th title, which puts them 3 behind record holders Palmeiras. There was not that much drama this time though as Corinthians only needed a draw on the last day but comfortably beat Fortaleza. 3 of the promoted sides go back down again - CRB, Ponte Preta and Mirassol, with Athletico Paranaense joining them. Similarly three teams come straight back up, with Bahia, Vitória and Ceará promoted and joined by Náutico.

State Championships (in Ranking order)

1. São Paulo: Corinthians beat Santos to win their first title since 2019 and extend their record to 31.

2. Rio de Janeiro: Fluminense beat Flamengo on penatlies to win their 34th title. The beaten finalists are still 9 titles ahead on 43.

3. Rio Grande do Sul: Shock as Grêmio fail to make the final after 14 consecutive titles, with Internacional beating Juventude to claim their 46th title. Grêmio are still record holders with 50.

4. Minas Gerais:  Atlético Mineiro beat América (MG) to win record title number 51.

5. Paraná: Athletico Paranaense beat Londrina to win their 30th title. Coritiba are still record holders at 42.

6. Santa Catarina: Chapecoense beat Figueirense to claim their 13th title. Avaí and Figueirense are joint record holders at 19.

7. Ceará: Fortaleza beat Ceará in the final for the tenth consecutive year to win their 54th title and go eight ahead of their rivals for number of State Championships.

8. Goiás: Atlético Goianiense beat Grêmio Anápolis to win their 17th title and first in 10 years. Goiás are still record holders at 34.

9. Bahia: Vitóriabeat Bahia for the second year in a row and win their 34th title, still way behind their rivals at 56.

10. Pernambuco: Sport win for the third year in a row and go up to 49 in total.

11. Alagoas: ASA break CRBs five year run by beating them in the final and winning their 7th title and first since 2011. CSA fare record holders with 43. 

12. Mato Grosso: Cuiabá win their fifth title in a row and 20th overall. Record holders are Mixto (MT) with 24.

13. Pará: An upset as Caeté beat Paysandu to win their 1st ever title. The beaten finalists are still record holders at 53.

14. Maranhão: Sampaio Correa win their record holding 45th title and ninth in a row.

15. Rio Grande do Norte: ABC win the title again and extend their record to 63.

16. Paraíba: Record holders Botafogo (PB) beat Treze to win their 35th title.

17. Sergipe: Confiança (SE) get their sixth successive title and  31st overall. Sergipe are still ahead on 37 titles.

18. Amazonas: Nacional (AM) win their title to extend their record to 48.

19. Piauí: Record holders River (PI) win back to back titlesand extend their lead with title number 35.

20. Acre: Vasco (AC) reclaim their title and earn their 9th overall. Rio Branco (AC) are still comfortably the biggest winners with 32.

21. Distrito Federal: Gama end the 3 year streak Formosa had and extend their record to 16 titles.

22. Espírito Santo: Desportiva win their fourth in a row and 24th overall, but are relegated from Série B. Rio Branco (ES) are record holders on 39 titles.

23. Roraima: Our very own Náutico (RR) win the title to go up 7. Atlético Roraima are record holders on 23 title wins.

24. Tocantins: State Hunters Palmas beat Taquarussú in the final to extend their lead in number of titles to 5 at 14.

25. Mato Grosso do Sul: Operário (MS) win the title back an extend their record to18.

26. Rondônia: União Cacoalense beat Genus to win their 7th title. Ferroviário (RO) are record holders with 17 despite not existing anymore.

27. Amapá: Santos (AP) beat Trem in the final to win their 10th title, going within 7 of Macapá who are record holders with 17

Former Club Watch

Tapajós (AP): Were relegated from the State Chasmpionship with zero points. They did follow that up with their best Seletiva in a while to finish in 4th place.

Pimentense: Still stuck in the second tier of the State and only finished 3rd this time, although only 3 points off the top. Finished 6th in the Seletiva again.

Pontaporanense: Went to the final group stage in the second tier of the State Championship but missed out on promotion and followed that up with a poor Seletiva, finishing 8th out of 9 in their group.

União ABC: Terrible year again, bottom in the second tier of the State Championship and bottom in their Seletiva group.

Moreninhas: Did well to get to the Second Stage of the State Championship were they finished 5th. In the Seletiva they went all the way to the Semi-Finals.

Costa RIca (MS): A year of near misses, finishing second in the State Championship and runners-up in the Seletiva.

Palmas: After I guided them to the State title they did not have a great year, being relegated from Série D and getting eliminated by Genus in the Preliminary Round of the Copa Verde.

Edited February 23, 2022 by corinthiano

[corinthiano]

2033 Campeonato Roraimense Preview

The format here is pretty simple, there are 6 teams that play each other 3 times, whoever has the most points after 15 games wins the title. We won it last year and have to be heavy favorites again this year. Baré and Atlético Roraima should be our biggest competitors for the title, but the other teams are relatively weak.

There is not much to report on the transfer side. I have about 20 players on trial at the moment and will sign those I feel add quality to our squad. After releasing players we brought the wage costs down to R$515k per month, so have over $300k left in the budget. The only potential big loss is our Mezzala Adriano who wanted to play as Enganche. That is not going to happen so I have just accepted an offer for him. We have enough depth in midfield that I am not too worried about it.

Initial Fixtures

The only challenging game should be Atlético Roraima away, the other three should be straightforward wins in theory...

[corinthiano]

January 2033

We could not have had a better start and I really think we are going to walk the Championship. We beat GAS comfortably despite playing with 10 men from the 35th minute and the completely outplayed what was supposed to be our strongest competition, thrashing Atletico Roraima 5-0 away from home. Real (RR) were really stubborn but once we broke the deadlock we cruised to victory. The game against São Raimundo (RR) was postponed due to a waterlogged pitch but we are still ahead on goal difference.

Transfers

One in, one out. We lost Adriano and our other Mezzala Bae Min-Ho also wants to leave so I brought in Felipe Gabriel who is not any better than the other two but fills the gap they leave.

Felipe Gabriel

Next Fixtures

A busy February with the postponed game, have to say they could do better than pushing it to a Tuesday when we have a game on Sunday...I do hope that after this month we will have solidified our position at the top.

 

[corinthiano]

February 2033

We continue with a solid campaign and are now 4 points ahead of Atlético Roraima, who are keeping up the pace. It hasnt been as comfortable as I thought it would be though. We really struggled at Baré, conceding in the first minute and having a player sent off in the first half again. With a bit of luck we managed to pull it back and rescue a draw. 48 hours later a heavily rotated side scraped by São Raimundo (RR). GAS are the whipping boys so the game was easy and then we had a crucial game against Atlético Roraima where we went ahead 2-0 within 20 minutes and then managed the game effectively. Against Real (RR) we went up 3-0 but conceded 2 and spent the last 10 games in our own half holding out for the win. We are now 4 points ahead of Atlético Roraima, who have only dropped points against us.

I only brought in one additional players this month. Leidimar is a very decent midfielder and and has taken the Mezzala spot ahead of Felipe Gabriel and scoring in every game he has played.

Next Fixtures

I am hoping for 12 points in the Roraimense to get us closer to the title and we do have a Copa do Brasil game against Red Bull Bragantino. Not expecting much from that one and might play a rotated team.

[corinthiano]

March 2033

Could not have asked for a better month, winning all games and not conceding in the State Championship. We also managed to pull of a big upset by beating Série A side RB Bragantino in the cup by scoring a stoppage time equalizer. We were lucky here however as they had a player sent off in the first half which gave us control of the match. This is great news for the club as it ensure another R$1M for playing in the second round.

I brought in a couple of players this month, none of them are outstanding additions but do add more quality to our team.

Josa

Brought in on loan and unfortunately my scouts thought he was better than he is. Still plays as LB ahead of Jones though as I am not a fan of having a right footed players in that position.

Erick Brendon

Brought in to play in the BBM role as part of our midfield pair.

Next Fixtures

Three games remaining and the next one is the big one. If we avoid defeat here I am very confident we will retain the title. We also play in the Second Round of the Copa do Brasil and have another tough draw in Série A side Sport.

 

[Bitner]

Great result vs Bragantino!
 

Probably hoping out of Roraima ASAP tho

Cheers,
Bitner 

[corinthiano]

12 hours ago, Bitner said:

Great result vs Bragantino!
 

Probably hoping out of Roraima ASAP tho

Cheers,
Bitner 

thanks!
 

Yeah we should be able to wrap up the Roraimense easily. It’s a bit of a shame to leave this one as I enjoyed the Série D campaign with them and would have been interesting to see what we could do in Série C.

Edited February 14, 2022 by corinthiano

[corinthiano]

April 2033

What I had not realized before my last update was that if we won at Atlético Roraima we would have won the title. It was not meant to be though as despite us going ahead early in the game they fought back to end the game in a draw. We then switched our attention to the Copa do Brasil where we did put up a fight against Sport, but were simply second best.

After that it was smooth sailing though with the comfortable win against São Raimundo (RR) sealing the title before a good send off against Baré. In the end an easy win but Atlético Roraima made it as difficult as they could, they only dropped points against us and won all their other games.

Squad by Appearances

We didnt use a lot of players, only rotating on the two weeks where we had Copa do Brasil matches. Jorge Alexandre lead the line for us very effectively after Lucas Luan left. Two players worth highlighting that I have not before.

Dunga

Has been a great defender both in Série D and the Roraimense and occasionally pops up with a goal of his own.

Bae Min-Ho

Despite being unhappy at now playing as a DLF Bae has continued being a super sub for us, with 7 goals out of just 3 starts - scoring not just penalties but also some cracking free kicks.

Next Steps

Another short stint but a really enjoyable one with the bonus of a great Série D campaign and my first national trophy. We now have a very long journey to the Southeast with Espírito Santo our next stop!

[DaneBramage]

Two in a row, very nicely done. Smashing your way through now.

[corinthiano]

Chapter 6 - Espírito Santo

Espírito Santo is a State located in the Southeast Region of Brazil, north of Rio de Janeiro, south of Bahia and east of Minas Gerais. It is the 23rd largest State by size, but the 14th by population with around 4.1M inhabitants. The captaincy of Espírito Santo was founded 35 years after Brazil was discovered, with the first capital being Vila Velha, but which was changed to Vitória after frequent attacks from Amerindians. It was elevated to province status shortly before independence in 1821 and was established as a State with the First Brazilian Republic in 1889. The State has a strong economy driven by the service and industrial sectors, with strong production of steel and iron ore. The capital Vitória is an important port in exporting these products. Despite Vitória being the capital it is not the largest city in the State, with around 360k inhabitants. Serra, the largest city with 520k inhabitants, followed by Vila Velha and Cariacica are all larger cities.

Espirito Santo has a long coast line with plenty of beaches, but the most famous tourist attractions are Pedra Azul National Park and the Penha Convent, built in 1558 and home to Espírito Santos patron saint, Our Mother of Penha

Football in Espírito Santo

Espírito Santo is a little bit like the ugly cousin of football in the Southeast region of Brazil due to the small size of the State and the much stronger and traditional teams that there are in Minas Gerais, São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro. To highlight that, the teams in the State play in the Copa Verde, a regional cup for North and Midwest teams...plus Espírito Santo.

The State Championship or Campeonato Capixaba as it is called, started in 1919 with only teams from Vitória before allowing teams from the entire State to compete in 1930. Rio Branco (ES) are the biggest winners of the State Championship, having won 37 title pre-game, although only two of them have come after 1985. They have also the best national performance when they finished 7th in Série A in 1963. In recent years it has become very even in the Capixaba, with 8 different teams winning the title in the last 8 years between 2014-2021. In-game we have seen more concentrated domination, with only Estrela do Norte, Rio Branco (ES) and Desportiva winning the title.

Top clubs by Reputation

Desportiva have been the most succesful club in the State recently and won promotion to Série B in 2031, but unfortunately came back down to Série C last year. They have just beaten Rio Branco (ES) to win their 5th title in a row. They are clearly the team to beat, but I would consider jobs with any of the clubs with a star rating or more depending on the wage budget. Also, dont mind some of the clubs appearing to be in a different Seletiva, just a visual thing on this screen and they are definitely playing in the right State!

So on to holiday until a job pops up, lets see if I am as lucky as in the last two States!

 

Edited February 14, 2022 by corinthiano

[corinthiano]

2 hours ago, DaneBramage said:

Two in a row, very nicely done. Smashing your way through now.

Thanks! Changing the rules was definitely the right way to go, still a lot of them to get through so would not have worked sticking around each State for so long.

[corinthiano]

Associação Desportiva Ferroviária Vale do Rio Doce

Desportiva is a club from the city of Cariacica, one of lthe largest cities in Espírito Santo with around 380k inhabitants. They were founded as merger of various clubs controlled by the mining giant Vale do Rio Doce in 1963. It was seen as the rich club in the State for a long time due to the financial support of the then public mining company, which donated the stadium to the club and helped with running costs. This saw Desportiva be very competitive and fight out the State Championship regularly with Rio Branco (ES) from the 60s to the 90s. In 1996 however the Vale company went private and withdrew funding, even requesting payment for the stadium given. Despite the legal win that allowed the club to keep the stadium it left the club looking for financial support and a number of management groups unsuccessfully ran the club which caused it to be relegated from Série B in 1998 and even period of inactivity in the 2000s. In 2011 the club restructured and saw some return of success, winning the State Championship in 2013 and 2016 to bring their total number up to 18. In-game Desportiva are definitely back to better days, sealing another 7 State Championship to get them up to 25, including winning the last 5 in a row. They play their games at the Estádio Engenheiro Araripe, which has quite a nice background.

The club is actually not having a bad year, having won the State Championship and still with a shot of getting to the next stage of the Série C. Having just been relegated from Série B the expectations must have been higher though and apparently there was a pretty bad atmosphere in the dressing room too. We are also still to play the regional Copa Verde and the Copa Espírito Santo, which is a cup version of the State Champiopnship. Some States have this as a way to fill the calendar in the second semester. If we dont have any other competitions we will take it seriously, otherwise it is not a priority.

My luck continues as this is the best team in the State. The job was actually Stable most of the time and out of the bigger clubs on Rio Branco (ES) had insecure status with their relegation to the Seletiva almost confirmed, so it was a surprise to see the Desportiva manager sacked. This might be a fun second semester though if we are able to qualify to the next stage of the Série C and potentially have a decent run in the Copa Verde, although Paysandu are a pretty tough draw.

There is a very decent R$680k per month wage budget which we are using R$670k out of, so not much room to go and get more players. The squad does seem decent so I will probably keep things the way they are for now and wait until December to make any changes. We have a busy start with the game against Paysandu the day after I take over and the rest of the Série C first phase within the first month. The Copa Espírito Santo starts in mid September, so these next 5 games will determine if its the only thing we are playing for or if our calendar will be busier for the coming months.

Edited February 15, 2022 by corinthiano

[corinthiano]

August 2033

Quite a busy month in the end as we kept progressing in the Copa Verde. First we did really well to easily dispatch Série B side and one of the favorites Paysandu. Up next was União Cacoalense in a return to Rondônia for me in what was another straight forward tie. In the Semi Finals draw we had absolute favorites Atlético Goianiense, Série D side Nacional (AM) and Seletiva side Luverdense, so we obviously drew the hardest team. We lost the first leg at home and it looks like a tough ask to get back into now. They scored in the 3rd minute and despite us putting pressure throughout the entire match we could just not find the net.

In Série C we did well do beat my former club Náutico (RR), but the draw away at Confiança really dents our chances of going through the next round. We had scored what I thought was a winner in the 90th minute, but they went and scored an equalizer straight from kick off...We are now a point behind our opponents and Ypiranga, but have played a game more. We close out our campaign with Santa Rita (AL) at home and should get the 3 points, but need to hope either one of the teams above us fail to win one of the 2 games they have left.

Our squad is pretty good and even though a few of them want to leave we have enough depth to keep the quality without having to do a major overhaul. Here are the three best players.

Luis Antônio

Excellent right back with great physical and mental attributes.

Carlos Airon

Very solid striker but unfortunately wants out due to the clubs relegation from Série B. I have slim hopes he may stay if we get promoted but am not counting on it and to be honest we could get 3-4 players in with the wages he is on.

Bimbão

Was signed on a free from Vasco this year and has been developing well, with potential for him to be a Série A standard midfielder.

Next Fixtures

The next two games will determine how hectic our September will be. If we get knocked out both in Série C and the Copa Verde we will still have a busy schedule with the start of the Copa Espírito Santo at the end of the month. If we do get through then a B team will definitely be playing that and I dont even know how they will fit all those games in the calendar.

[corinthiano]

September* 2033

Another busy month in which I played into October by mistake...oops

Copa Verde

I thought our chances went over after losing to Série B side Atlético Goianiense at home, but an impressive first 30 minutes of the return leg saw us 3-0 up and even though they pegged us back in the second half we held on to get through to the final. There we faced Luverdense who played Série B football in the 2010s but have been bouncing between Série D and Seletiva since. We played out a dull 0-0 at their place before easing past them at home to win the trophy. This was one of the regional titles I wanted to win alongside the Copa Nordeste and I am very happy to do it this early in the save, I thought I would realistically only have a shot once I was in Pará or Goiás.

Copa Espírito Santo

This is a weird tournament. It works very similar to the State Championship but qualification is decided by the best team at national level from the prior season (I think). You will notice Flamengo won it last year in what must be a bug. I think because Desportiva were in Série B they were theoretically ineligible for this tournament, but instead of being replaced by the next best team in the State Flamengo took part. They absolutely dominated the tournament but I can imagine this clogged up their calendar big time last year!

We started our campaign in the middle of the Copa Verde final so we played weakened sides in the first two games and got mixed results. Now that we have only this to play for I expect us to be stronger.

Next Fixtures

We play 5 games in the next 15 days in a crazy schedule, but have more than enough to finish in the top eight that go into the quarter finals.

 

[corinthiano]

October 2033

Another busy month in which we finally took the Copa Espírito Santo easily and beat most of our opponents easily in the First Phase, with the exception of Vitória (ES) who we dominated against but couldnt find the net. We then played Vilavelhense in the Quarters and beat them easily in the first leg before a heavily rotated team saw out the tie.

In the Semi-Finals we have the 4 best clubs in the State in what will be an interesting preview to the State Championship next season. In November we finish of the season with hopefully another title.

 

[corinthiano]

November 2033

Another trophy wrapped up. The Semi-Final was a very straightforward affair, where we easily won the first leg and controlled the second one. The final looked to be the same, especially after we went 1-0 up in the second leg after winning 4-1 at home, but Estrela do Norte played really well after that and came within one goal of equalling the tie on the 72nd meeting and we had to sustain a bit of pressure to win the trophy. Still bodes well for next season when we play these teams in the State Championship. Other than Estrela do Norte no other team really worries me so hopefully we can knock another State out of the way soon.

Up next Season Reviews before we head into 2034!

[corinthiano]

2033 Season Review

A lot of competitions for Desportiva this year, although I only played part in 3 of them. In the Série C I joined with 3 games remaining and despite picking up 7 points we finished in 5th in our group, just missing out on qualification to the Second Stage. We were superb in the other two competitions though, winning both the Copa Verde and the Copa Espírito Santo.

Squad by Appearances

Best Eleven

A really well balanced squad, I didnt have to bring anyone in and still had plenty of options. We do have a few outgoings though that I am worried about. Diego Enríquez wanted to move so I sold him back to Peru and he will join Municipal for R$120k. I therefore played Caio Roberto in goal for the Copa Espírito Santo to get him some game time in case I cant find a replacement. Our DLP Josivan Elias also wants to leave and with his contract expiring in a month we will probably lose him. We do have a decent back up in Vitinho but are thin on options so we will need to bring someone into that position. Most worringly our striking partnership also looks set to leave on a free in a month and the back-up strikers are nowhere near as good. That will be the priority for me in the next month.

Top Performers

Carlos Airon

So good up front and will be hugely missed. I still have slight hopes we ends up staying but it is unlikely.

Talles Brener

Probably the best BPD I have had this save, is on loan from Vasco and I am very happy to have extended it into next season.

José Lairto

The other striker leaving us, formed a deadly partnership with Carlos Airon.

Finances

Terrible as usual in lower league Brazil so wouldnt be surprised if wage budgets were cut. The key players leaving are on high wages though so even if budget is cut we should be able to manage OK.

Next up a Brazil Season Review!

 

[corinthiano]

2033 Brazil Review

Série A: São Paulo claim their 9th title, finishing comfortably ahead of rivals Corinthians. This puts them 3 behind record holders Palmeiras. 3 of the promoted sides go back down again - Vitória, Ceará and Náutico, with Goiás joining them. Cruzeiro, Ponte Preta and Athletico Paranaense are promoted along with surprise package Vasco (AC) who make it to the top tier for the first time in their history.

State Championships (in Ranking order)

1. São Paulo: Corinthians beat Ponte Preta to win for the second year in a row and extend their record to 32.

2. Rio de Janeiro: Flamengo get revenge on Fluminense by beating them in the final and winning record holding title number 44.

3. Rio Grande do Sul: Grêmio bring things back to normal by winning title number 51.

4. Minas Gerais:  Atlético Mineiro beat América (MG) to win record title number 52.

5. Paraná: Athletico Paranaense beat Londrina to win their 31st title. Coritiba are still record holders at 42.

6. Santa Catarina: Avaí beat Figueirense in the final and are now biggest winners with 20.

7. Ceará: Fortaleza beat Ceará in the final for the eleventh consecutive year to win their 55th title and go nine ahead of their rivals for number of State Championships.

8. Goiás: Goiás win a first title in 4 years and extend their record to 35.

9. Bahia: Bahia reclaim the title after two years to extend the record to 57.

10. Pernambuco: Náutico end the 3 year run Sport had and win their 27th title. Sport are still record holders with 49.

11. Alagoas: CRB win the title back and earn their 39th overall, leaving them just 4 behind CSA with 43. 

12. Mato Grosso: Cuiabá win their sixth title in a row and 21st overall. Record holders are Mixto (MT) with 24.

13. Pará: Another upset as Cametá beat Paysandu to win their 2nd title. The beaten finalists are still record holders at 53.

14. Maranhão: Sampaio Correa win their record holding 46th title and tenth in a row.

15. Rio Grande do Norte: ABC win the title for the fourth year running and extend their record to 64.

16. Paraíba: Campinense beat surprise package Sousa to win their 27th title. Record holders Botafogo (PB) have 35.

17. Sergipe: Sergipe break Confianças (SE) six year winning streak to extend their record to 38 titles.

18. Amazonas: Rio Negro (AM) win a surprising first title since 2001 and 17th overall. Nacional (AM) are record holders with 48.

19. Piauí: Altos (PI) win their first title in 4 years to get their 8th overall. Record holders River (PI) have 35.

20. Acre: Vasco (AC) make it 2 on the bounce and 10 overall. Rio Branco (AC) are still comfortably the biggest winners with 32.

21. Distrito Federal: Brasília finally make their position as best side in the national leagues by winning the championship for the first time since 1987 and 9th overall. Gama are record holders with 16.

22. Espírito Santo: Desportiva win their fifth in a row and 25th overall. Rio Branco (ES) are record holders on 39 titles.

23. Roraima: Náutico (RR) win the title for the fourth year running to go up 8. Atlético Roraima are record holders on 23 title wins.

24. Tocantins: Tocantinópolis demolish Palmas in the final to win their 4th title and first since 2016. Palmas are still record holders with 14.

25. Mato Grosso do Sul: Costa Rica (MS) win the title back from Operário (MS) to claim their 4th title. Last years winners are record holders with 18.

26. Rondônia: Rondoniense win their 2nd ever title and first since 2016. Ferroviário (RO) are record holders with 17 despite not existing anymore.

27. Amapá: Trem end the recent Santos (AP) and Ypiranga (AP) dominance to win their 8th title and first since 2022. Macapá are record holders with 17

Former Club Watch

Tapajós (AP): Didnt manage to get promoted from the Second State tier and finished 5th in the Seletiva.

Pimentense: Standards have dropped, only finishing 4th in the second tier of the State Championship and 6th in the Seletiva.

Pontaporanense: 7th in the second tier of the State Championship but missed out on promotion and followed that up with a poor Seletiva, finishing 8th out of 9 in their group.

União ABC: Average, 8th in the second tier of the State Championship and 6th in their Seletiva group.

Moreninhas: Have dropped a bit, finishing 4th in their group in the State Championship and only 5th in the Seletiva.

Costa RIca (MS): Had a great year, winning the State Championship and the Seletiva, winning promotion back to Série D. Also eliminated in first round of Copa Verde.

Palmas: A shocking defeat by Tocantinópolis ended their 5 year winning run in the State Championship, but they made up for it by winning the Seletiva. Also knocked out in the First Round of the Copa do Brasil and Copa Verde.

Náutico (RR): After winning the State Championship for them they did not have a great second half of the season, finishing their debut season in Série C in 9th in their group and being relegated straight back down to Série D.

Edited February 23, 2022 by corinthiano

[corinthiano]

2034 Campeonato Capixaba Preview

The format here is more like the traditional State Championship style. 10 teams, everyone plays each other once and after 9 games the top 8 go into the quarter finals and the bottom two are relegated. The knockouts are over two legs with one key difference from other State Championships - if the the score is tied on aggregate after the second leg the team with the higher finish in the First Stage goes through, which means getting 1st place will be important.

Desportiva have won the title in the last 5 years running and we are the only Série C side in the State so we are absolute favorites. Estrela do Norte are probably the second strongest team, but Serra, Rio Branco (ES) and Rio Branco VN are also decent.

Signings

After losing our strike partnership and defensive midfielder I knew I had to get players in quickly. Loans did the trick there although I am still not happy with how we are looking up front. I had 20+ players on trial and have offered contracts to some of them so there will be more movement during the tournament.

Bruno Vítor

Signed on a free from Ponte Preta, will initially be played up front but may shift him to our AP if I get the right singings up front.

João Victor

On loan from Cruzeiro, is a good option for DLP.

Shaylon Kallyson

Another loanee, still very raw and nothing more than a back-up option, but we do need the numbers up front.

Eduardo Vinicius

Better option on loan from Grêmio, but still not quite the quality I would like.

Rodrigo Antônio

Another defensive midfield option on loan, but also an option for our center midfield roles.

Initial Fixtures

Potentially tricky start away to Rio Branco VN followed by two games we should be winning easily. Target has to be 9 points to get us off to a good start.

[corinthiano]

January 2034

Three very straightforward wins, but despite our 100% record we only lie in third as Estrela do Norte and Serra have outscored us in their games. No surprises at the top 3, closely followed by Rio Branco (ES), with the only surprise being how poor Rio Branco VN have been.

Transfers

Three more transfers in since the last updated as we strengthen the squad, in addition to a few players leaving on loan. We have also received a R$200k offer for a fringe player which will hopefully go through and I have two more players I am negotiating with to strengthen our front line. We still have around R$70k of wage budget left so we can make at least 3-4 more signings if needed. Here are the three guys we signed this month.

Santos

Good centre midfield option, will be our starting BBM but can also play at Mezzala or AP if needed.

Basílio Costa

We were a bit short on back-up fullbacks and this guy can play in both sides so thought it would be  handy addition.

Luis Fernando

I have been really struggling to find decent strikers. This one was the best DLF I could find and will be starting for us.

Next Fixtures

February will be key in our quest for first place, playing all our direct rivals.

[corinthiano]

February 2034

Advantage Estrela do Norte. We were clinical in all our other games but fell short against Estrela do Norte and now look set to finish behind them in the first stage. We were ahead until the 82nd minute when they got a penalty and fell behind to a free kick 3 minutes later. Heartbreaking but they did dominate the game and probably deserved the result. With two games left I think they will finish in first and have that all important draw advantage if we meet in the final.

Transfers

A couple of loans and we did manage to sell Huanderson Junio for R$200k to CSA. We only brought in one player this month but it is a familiar face.

Jorge Alexandre

The struggle to find a good striker continued and when my scouts brought the player that stood out during my time at Náutico (RR) I knew I had to get him in. He joins on loan and despite being better suited as a DLF he will play AF for us.

Next Fixtures

Two straight forward games to finish the First Stage and we should probably aim for 2nd place.

[corinthiano]

I may have run into a game ending issue 

With the Winter Update all the Brazilian team names went back to 3 letter abbreviations. I updated what I had to but the names have not changed. Now I tested it on a new save and it worked so not sure if existing saves can’t be fixed. I know talking about this in the forums is frowned upon, but if anyone has any idea how I can get this fixed please send me a message, otherwise I may well have to end the save…

[corinthiano]

March 2034 - First Stage

Thanks to a great helping hand we are back  . Finished the first stage in style but Estrela do Norte carried their good run forward so we finish in second place. This will give them crucial advantage if we meet them in the final as they can play for a draw over two legs.

So in a bid to claw back some of that advantage we signed Jazón from Estrela do Norte on loan. He does not look great for a forward, but my scouts say he is better than what we have and he was scoring for fun at our rivals. He has scored 3 goals in 2 games for us so I guess the good form is continuing and his absence certainly weakens their team.

Knockouts

We play Vilavelhense in the Quarters and with us beating them 3-0 in the First Stage I am confident of making it through to the Semi-FInals. Will report on a game to goma basis now until the end of the tournament.

[corinthiano]

Campeonato Capixaba - Quarter Final First Leg

Easy away win, now just need to see it out in the second leg.

 

[Bitner]

Hope you win this easily.

YOUR KEEPER IS YOUR PENALTY TAKER??

Cheers,
Bitner

[corinthiano]

Campeonato Capixaba - Quarter Final Second Leg

Managed the game effectively to make it through to the Semi Finals.

No surprises in the other ties with the four favorites progressing to the Semi Finals. It is Serra up next for us, who we beat 2-0 at home in the First Stage. It will be a closer tie but I am still confident of the win.

[corinthiano]

10 minutes ago, Bitner said:

Hope you win this easily.

YOUR KEEPER IS YOUR PENALTY TAKER??

Cheers,
Bitner

Thanks! Haha yes, he has by far the best penalty taking rating and has been pretty good, scored 6 out of 7 so far this season!

[corinthiano]

Campeonato Capixaba Semi Final - First Leg

The game was a lot closer than the scoreline suggested, we were just a lot more clinical than Serra. This should see us into the Final now...

[corinthiano]

Campeonato Capixaba Semi Final - Second Leg

Saw out the game effectively, but @Bitner I think I jinxed my goalie, second penalty in a row that he misses!

Estrela do Norte edge out Rio Branco (ES) to make it to the final. I think this is going to be a very close one.

Edited February 28, 2022 by corinthiano

[Bitner]

Yeah, i'm to blame :>

Cheers,
Bitner

[corinthiano]

Campeonato Capixaba Final - First Leg

I didnt expect this to go so well. We had a slightly reshuffled team as Jazón cant play against his parent club and I had to sell our right back Luis Antonio to Atheltico Paranaense after a handful of Série A clubs were aggressively bidding and unsettling him. Even so we dominated the game from start to finish and even our goalie went back to scoring penalties with his 7th of the campaign. Title is ours to lose now.

[corinthiano]

Campeonato Capixaba Final - Second Leg

When we conceded in the first 9 minutes I was a little worried. It was a pretty uneventful game after that though, which suited as well and we held on to win 3-1 on aggregate and lift the Espírito Santo State Championship! Competition Review to follow before we move to Distrito Federal.

[corinthiano]

2034 Campeonato Capixaba Review

Another emphatic campaign, with the only defeats coming in both away games to Estrela do Norte. After they beat us in the first stage I did think it would be a closer final, but we were excellent in the first leg and that saw us come through. Our defensive record was amazing too, only conceding 6 goals in 15 matches, keeping 12 clean sheets in the process.

Squad by Appearances

The core of the team remained unchanged during the campaign, with seven players starting all 15 games. We did make a couple of additions once the tournament started but stability was key. Loan signings were the way to go with this team, dont think I signed as many for the first team as I did with Desportiva.

Top Performers

Talles Brenner

Extending his loan was key, commanding at the back andf popped up with a few goals too. Improving significantly too.

Jorge Alexandre

Not the goalscorer I was looking for, but was really good in build up play as our DLF.

Bimbão

Was excellent as our AP and made up for our strikers not being as clinical in front of goal.

Stats and Summary

Probably my most successful stint so far, winning three trophies in under a year. Interestingly the favorite to replace me is managing the club that just won back to back titles in the next State in the list...

[corinthiano]

Chapter 7 - Distrito Federal

The Distrito Federal, or Federal District, is the smallest federal unit in Brazil and the only one that has no municipalities, instead being divided into 31 administrative regions that are part of the Federal District and the Federal Capital Brasília. Distrito Federal was created especially to move the seat of government and capital of Brazil away from Rio de Janeiro. There were plans to move the capital since the republic was instituted in Brazil in 1889, but the move was only formalized in 1955 and completed in 1960. A piece of the State of Goiás on the border with Minas Gerais was carved out. The intent was to move people away from the coast to the more sparsely populated central Brazil.

Over 30 thousand workers coompleted the construction of the new capital Brasília in 41 months and the city was declared a World Heritage Site upon completion. There are many iconic buildings constructed, such as the National Congress, the Cathedral of Brasilia and the Itamaraty Palace, all designed by the legendary architect Oscar Niemeyer.

Football in the Federal District

The State tournament is called Campeonato Brasiliense or Campeonato Candango in reference to those that are from the State. The tournament was amateur from 1959 until 1975, with none of the previous winners from that time still in existence. Since professionalization in 1976 until 2021 there have been three predominant winners each with their more dominant period - Brasília in the 70s and 80s, Gama in the 90s and early 2000s and Brasiliense in the 2000s and 2010s. Gama are the most succesful team with 13 titles overall. In FM there has not been a dominant side, with the three big teams adding a few titles each as well as unfancied Ceilândia and Formosa. Gama are still the most successful side with 16 titles, but Brasília have won the last 2.

There has not been a great deal of success on a national level from the Federal District sides, with Gama finishing in 15th in Série A in 1999 the highest finish by one of its sides. Other than that the most notable achievement was Brasiliense reaching the final of the Copa do Brasil in 2002, losing out to Corinthians. In-game the teams have mostly hovered between Série D and the Seletiva, with Brasília being the first side to make it up to Série C. They seem to be the strongest team in the State at the moment, but it is a pretty even field with 6 sides being around the same level. Surprisingly SESP Samambaense went up to Série D last year and joining Gama and Real Brasilia there. The rest of the teams are in the Seletiva (ignore the wrong Seletivas in the screenshot again, these are all Distrito Federal sides).

I would probably take any job from the top 6 in the list, although I have to say it would be great if the Brasilia manager does end up making a move to Desportiva! Lets see what happens next!

 

 

[corinthiano]

Brasília Futebol Clube

Brasília is a club from the city of the same name and the capital of Brazil. They were founded in 1975 as Brasília Esporte Clube by two local entrepreneurs. They were the first professional club in the city and the dominant force in the Federal District in the 1970s and 80s, winning 8 State Championships between 1976 and 1987. They went into decline in the 90s however and were overtaken by Gama and Brasiliense as best clubs in the State. In 1999 they were the first club in Brazil to become a plc, but this did not result in any success. In the early 2010s however they restructured the club, giving the youth academy more importance and were rewarded with the clubs biggest title, the 2014 Copa Verde, were they were underdogs all the way through but managed to beat Paysandu in the final.

In FM they are slowly claiming back the reigns and are the best club in the State at the moment. They won the Seletiva twice in 2024 and 2026 and were promoted three years in a row to play a single season in Série B in 2030. Two successive relegations followed but they managed to win Série D in 2033 and are now the only team in the State playing in the National Third Tier. The national success did not initially translate into State championships, but they have now won two State Championships on the bounce in 2033 and 2034.

They play their games at the stunning, but often empty, Estádio Mané Garrincha, which was modernized in 2013 and hosted games for the 2014 World Cup, 2016 Olympics and 2021 Copa América. This is definitely the most grand stadium in State Hunters career so far.

The club is having a great year, winning the State Championship and having a good Série C campaign, where they are 2nd in their group and have qualified for the Second Stage of the tournament.

Lady luck is on my side again, but this time it just felt that it was going to happen right from the beginning. The previous manager, Judvan, was doing an excellent job and was linked to every club that sacked a manager in Série A or B. Eventually Vitória hired him and the opportunity arose for me to take over. We take over another strong squad with good momentum. We only have one game scheduled, but will have at least 6 more games to play in the Second Stage of Série C. I will get those underway before introducing some of the players.

Edited March 1, 2022 by corinthiano