[FM22] West Afri-Can we bring newfound glory to the club? Yes, we can! [Complete]

[corinthiano]

2067/68 West African Review

A very strong presence with 7 teams, with 4 of them making up Group B and 4 making it to the Quarter Final.

With 3 out of the 4 Semi-Finalists being West African it was disappointing to see ES Tunis walking away with their 11th Champions League.

CAF Confederation Cup

A very poor showing as 4 teams make it to this stage and only Enyimba Aba progress to the Quarter Final.

Enyimba Aba did well to beat North African opposition in the Quarter and Semi-Final, but lost on penalties in the Final to Kaizer Chiefs, who earned their 3rd title.

West African League Rankings

No movement between West African Nations this season, with the only big movers overall Guinea who jump from 26th to 23rd.

League Champions

Biggest highlight is Génération Foot equalling the record of titles with CNEPS Excellence. We also saw some of the "second sides" in countries winning titles, such as Hearts of Oak, Enyimba Aba, ASKO and Mindelense.

Former Champions

 

MC Breweries: Great on their time back from an unplayable league as the win the second tier for the first time and are promoted to the top flight again.

Kamboi Eagles: Spent the season in an unplayable league and no confirmation if they will come back up.

Nô Pintcha da Brava: Win the Liga Brava for the first time in 8 years and get to 2nd place in their Group in the Cape Verdean Competition. Knocked out in the Semi-Final of the Taça Brava.

AFC Nhacra: Finish runners-up again in the league and are knocked out early in the cup.

Ayéma FC: Hisotry repeats it self as they go to the Relegation Group but finish it comfortably away from danger.

CNEPS Excellence: Miss out on Ligue 1 again as they finish runners-up and dont have any success in the cups. In the Champions League they are defeated by Hearts of Oak in the Quarter-Final.

Banjul Utd: Challenged for the title but ultimately finished in 3rd.

ASN NIGELEC: Terrible year as they finish bottom by a mile in the Superligue and are relegated into an unplayable division.

Unisport: Disappointing in the Championship Group again as they finish bottom.

CFFEB: Finish 3rd this season and are knocked out early in the Coupe du Faso.

Flamme Olympique: Slight improvement again as they finish 4th in Ligue 1.

Avenir AC: Not a great year as they finish 5th, are knocked out at the first time of asking in the Confederation Cup and go out in the Quarter Final of the Coupe du Mali.

[corinthiano]

September 2068

Unfortunately our first African campaign with Cosmos ended shortly in the Preliminary Round of the Confederation Cup. We had a tough draw in Ebedei from Nigeria but had a chance to do a lot better. We started the first leg well but they pegged us back immediately leaving the game poised for the second leg. When we went 2-0 up in the first 30 minutes I thought we would go through, but they went on to score 6 goals in the next 30 mins to completely put us out of the tie. We pulled back 2 goals to end the game on a crazy 6-4 and left wondering what could have been.

[corinthiano]

2068/69 Season Preview

We are predicted one place higher than last season, which makes sense considering we have not made massive changes to the squad in the off-season. I am looking to consolidate a top 3 finish so that we make continental football a regular thing.

Transfers

In

Out

With the financial situation of the club and tight wage budget we went back to loans for squad players, whilst only bringing in a few players for the first team. One the outgoing front we made the decision to cash in on Kondwani Banta as $275k was too much to miss out on a player that clearly didnt want to renew his contract. We also made over $200k on outgoing squad players which is excellent for us financially. Here are the players that will compete for a first team slot.

Went back to my old club Flamme Olympique to repatriate this decent GK.

My scouts thought he was better than he actually is, but he is a decent option on the left for us and has excellent physicals.

This one was agreed a while ago as I couldnt miss out on this great prospect on a Bosman.

Is the Banda replacement, not as good as him but has very decent potential.

Assistant XI

Almost in full agreement as Musa is out injured for the season and Macuacua will take over as left back.

Initial Fixtures

We already have a tough fixture in the second game of the season, would like to get a point there.

[corinthiano]

November 2068

A frustrating game against Sol FC where we once again were wasteful in front of goal. But we made it up by pulling off an amazing comeback against AFAD Djékanou, going from 2 goals down to winning it on the 90th minute!

Transfers

Out

With the signing of Ouattara in goal I felt that I should cash in on Jean Agbo, to the displeasure of some of our players.

Next Fixtures

Busy December is upon us, lets hope we can carry momentum from the AFAD Djékanou game.

[corinthiano]

December 2068

A great month if you ignore the game against Séwé FC and ASEC Mimosas where we twice got punished for chasing the game with an extra man in the field. Draws here would have meant being level at the top, but at least we are not too far and have a bit of a gap to 4th too.

Next Fixtures

A couple of games against mid-table teams and we will hope to keep up the pressure on the top two.

 

[corinthiano]

January 2069

The draw against Africa Sports was frustrating as the equalizer came in the 86th minute...interestingly ASEC Mimosas are not as ruthless this season and Séwé FC are currently setting the pace, but I dont feel like we have been good enough to keep up with either and instead need to focus on 3rd place.

Transfers

In

Out

Just youngsters being loaned out or let go on the outgoing front, but on the incoming we have two players who will challenge for the first team.

He was a fringe player at AS Tanda and I was happy to snap him up cheaply.

We break the club transfer record to sign this exciting youngster who is already a start for the Benin national squad.

Next Fixtures

Back from the break with a tough game against AS Tanda, avoiding defeat will be key in the race for 3rd place.

[corinthiano]

February 2069

A very decent draw at AS Tanda before FC San Pédro were dispatched easily. We then struggled to break the deadlock at Altantis de Yopougon and Sol FC, only scoring in the last 15 minutes after missing a bunch of chances. I am concerned at how many chances we are missing generally, but at least we got positive results this month.

Next Fixtures

This is a tough month as we face a resurgent AFAD Djékanou and title rivals Séwé FC and ASEC Mimosas. If we get positive results against all three we could be involved in a title fight, but I think that will be tough.

[corinthiano]

March 2069

We did get a couple of positive results somehow and are actually in the title race. Stade d'Abidjan game aside the performances have still not been convincing but we keep grinding out results. If we had avoided defeat against ASEC Mimosas it would have put us in pole position for the title, but as it stands we could still go top if we win our game in hand, which is not the position I would have expected us to be in with the football we are playing.

Next Fixtures

We have a couple of tough away games this month and we cant afford to drop points if we want to extend the title fight until the final month.

[corinthiano]

April 2069

I did say we couldnt afford to drop points in the away games and as we did ASEC Mimosas did capitalize on it and now leads the lead with 3 games to go. On a positive note we did bounce back from the defeat against ES Bafing with the performance of the season against Africa Sports, which has ensured at least a 3rd place finish and therefore continental football for next season.

Next Fixtures

All we can do now is try to win the last 3 games and hope ASEC Mimosas drop points.

[corinthiano]

May 2069

We did win all of our games and ASEC Mimosas did drop points, but it was only 2 as opposed to 3 which meant they still won the league as a result of their head to head results against us...disappointing to be so close but we have played some excellent football in the last two months which is very encouraging for next season.

[corinthiano]

2068/69 Season Review

We didnt start the season convincingly, but started playing better as the season went on. In the end missing out the title by virtue of our head to head record vs ASEC Mimosas was tough to take but fair. Hopefully we can carry momentum into next season and perform well. We also qualified for the Champions League which is great and certainly need to perform better in Africa than this season where we fell at the first hurdle to NIgeria's Edebei.

Squad by Appearances

We used more players this season, but I believe it had more to do with injuries than competition for places as we had quite an established first XI.

Awards

 

A number of awards this year with Kojo winning manager of the season, Kutateladze grabbing top goalscorer and young player of the season. Biggest kudos goes to our defenders though as 4 of the back 5 are from Cosmos, with Ouattar voted best GK of the season.

Top Performer

Made a massive impact after joining after the mid-season break with 8 goal contributions in 13 games.

Was inconsistent at the beginning of the season but his performances did pick up in the latter part of the season.

Like Ouattara he really started playing in the second half of the season. Has been attracting interest from ASEC Mimosas as well as clubs in Nigeria and Ghana and with a year left in his contract I may also have to sell him to make some money.

Finances

Even with close to $500k in player sales we only turn a small profit around and are massively in the red. We really need to get to Champions League Group Stage on a regular basis to sort this out.

Progress

We got as close as you can to the title without winning it, so we are definitely close now. ASEC Mimosas did have an off year though so we will need to hope they dont dominate going forward. A lot of our success next season will depend on who we need to sell and how we replace them, with Kutateladze being the number one key factor.

[corinthiano]

2068/69 West African Review

CAF Champions League

A strong presence again with 8 teams, with 4 making it to the Quarter Finals again.

The Champions League went back to Ghana after a decade as Asante Kotoko edged out their rivals on penalties to win their 8th title.

CAF Confederation Cup

Usually we see few teams here when we have plenty in the Champions League, but this season there were plenty of teams at this stage as 7 made it and 5 made it to the Quarter Finals.

That dominance was cut short in the knockout stages as no West African made it to the final, with Al Ahly winning their third title.

West African League Rankings

A big move as Nigeria move up to first place to become the most reputable league in Africa and taking the top spot in West Africa away from Ghana for the first time in decades. Important to note that at this point this would not change the order in which Kojo will go to these countries as he will finish his career back in his homeland.

League Champions

CNEPS Excellence reign as best in Senegal didnt last long as Génération Foot retained the title to become the most successful club in the country.

Former Champions

MC Breweries: Good first season back in the top flight as they finish 6th, but are knocked out in the first round of the LFA Cup.

Kamboi Eagles: Another season spent in the unplayable leagues.

Nô Pintcha da Brava: Manage to retain the Liga Brava and go all the way to the Semi-Final of the Cape Verdean Compeition, but are knocked out in the Semi-Final of the Brava Cup.

AFC Nhacra: Finish off the pace in the title race in 3rd, but win their record holding 10th cup.

Ayéma FC: A strong showing this season as they make the Championship Group, finishing 6th.

CNEPS Excellence: Second best to Génération Foot again and no success in the cups.

Banjul Utd: Were not able to challenge for the title again as they finish in mid-table at 7th.

ASN NIGELEC: Spent the year in an unplayable division and it is still unknown if they will be back next season.

Unisport: Disappointing in the Championship Group again as they finish bottom.

CFFEB: One position below this season as they finish 4th and are knocked out in the Quarter Final of the Coupe du Faso.

Flamme Olympique: Repeat last years 4th place in Ligue 1.

Avenir AC: Significant slide down the table as they finish 10th and to top it all off are knocked out in the first round of the Coupe du Mali.

Edited June 23, 2023 by corinthiano

[corinthiano]

September/October 2069

So as usual with West African leagues the Champions League qualifying rounds are way before the league starts which is always awkward. Additionally, in Ivory Coast the Transfer Window only opens after the squad registration cut off which means you have to essentially play with the prior season's team.

In the preliminary round we faced Mozambican opposition which we dispatched off easily. In the First Round (and final one before the Group Stages) we played Stade Malien. Initially I thought we would be able to give them a good game as this side was probably better than the Avenir AC side which Kojo guided to glory in Mali, however Stade Malien completely dominated both ties and never gave us a chance.

Teams that lose in the First Round get a second chance at Continental Group Football so off we go for the Second Round of the Confederation Cup. We draw ASC Kara which I think is very favorable and I fancy our chances of getting through. The games will be played after the league begins so I will cover them as part of the usual monthly update.

[corinthiano]

2069/70 Season Preview

ASEC Mimosas are still overwhelming favorites and dominate the Media XI, but our odds have been slashed in half and we are now second favorites in the league. We'll need ASEC Mimosas to have another wobbly season for us to stand a chance of finishing ahead of them, but we should be aiming to be the best of the rest from now on.

Transfers

In

Out

There was one big out and that was the sale of Nodar Kutateladze. The board accepted the offer on my behalf but I was happy to let it go considering that he was not going to sign a new deal and we needed the money. With that big sale I got a bit carried away and signed quite few players, a few of them being promising youngsters for the future, the ones making a claim for the first team will be below.

The Nigerian was transfer listed for a relatively low amount and is a significant improvement in goal for us.

He is old and I am not sure how long he will command a place in the first team, but he was available for free and we can use his leadership skills.

Another left back that was highly rated by my scouts but didnt end up being that great.

Very excited about this one, easily our best player and still very young.

Good option in midfield for us, will be fighting for the BBM slot.

Our Kutateladze replacement, not as good as him but still a good player.

Assistant XI

Other than midfield this is what my ideal XI would also look like. Diallo comes out for Ouorou, with Abobka and Sidibé as center mids.

Initial Fixtures

We get AFAD Djékanou early in the season again before our first leg against ASC Kara for a Confederation Cup Group spot.

[corinthiano]

November 2069

A great start in the league as we absolutely walk over AFAD Djékanou before leaving it late against ASC Kara and leaving the tie too close for comfort.

Transfers

Out

Warri Wolves activate Federicos release clause a day after the transfer window closed in the only position I didnt feel we had adequate cover...am prioritizing scouting right backs so we can have someone lined up for when the transfer window opens in January.

Next Fixtures

Busy December got even busier with the addition of a Confederation Cup game.

[corinthiano]

December 2069

The month started with the very disappointing elimination from the Confederation Cup. It was an even game against ASC Kara with few chances and they scored from a set piece to take the tie to penalties and win the game from there. This is the second season in a row we have underperformed in Africa and we need to improve.

Then at least it looked like we were doing really well in the league with some impressive results including beating Africa Sports at their own place, but then we lost the last couple of games to see us drop down to 3rd, 3 points off the top.

Next Fixtures

3 games against sides lower down the table are an opportunity for us to get our campaign back on track.

[corinthiano]

January 2070

Great to get a perfect month, which included coming back from 2-0 down to beat SO Armée right at the end.

Transfers

In

Out

On the outgoing front Ouattara was back-up Goalkeeper and so it made sense to move him on and whilst I was still using Bashir regularly the midfield was a bit crowded and $65k made sense for us. On the incoming front we went to the South of Africa to sign three first-team challengers.

Not the ideal RB I wanted, but he was available on a free and will do the job for the remainder of the season.

Splashed the cash on this great Zimbabwean defender.

Was available on a free and with clubs sniffing around Aristide Ouattara it made sense to bring him in.

Next Fixtures

A huge game against ASEC Mimosas and we really need to pick up a point here to try and keep up with them.

[corinthiano]

February 2070

On the face of it a draw against ASEC Mimosas at their place is a great result, but considering they went down a man late in the first half it feels like a missed opportunity. We then followed that up with a definite missed opportunity as we missed so many chances against 9-men FC San Pédro for 30 minutes...at least we resumed good form at Sol FC.

Transfers

In

I missed signing him before the squad registration closed, but considering he was wanted by West Africas top clubs such as Enyimba Aba and Génération Foot I was glad to have him sit around until next season.

Next Fixtures

Some tough games against this month as we go to AFAD Djékanou and Séwé FC, as well as hosting Africa Sports. All games crucial in the race for continental football.

[corinthiano]

March 2070

It was almost a perfect month until Séwé FC scored an equalizer in the 85th minute, that could see our gap to ASEC Mimosas stretch to 6 points if they win their game in hand. I think we have too much work to catch them, but are in a strong position for Champions League qualification.

Next Fixtures

We play AS Tanda first thing in the month in a clash crucial to Champions League qualification, before a run against lower placed teams we need to capitalize on.

[corinthiano]

April 2070

It was another almost perfect month, only this time we let OFC Adiaké score twice in second half stoppage time to throw away the win...ASEC Mimosas did however lose their last game to give us a glimmer of hope with 5 points difference and us hosting them next month.

Next Fixtures

We will need to beat ASEC Mimosas, win all of our other games and hope they drop points in another game to win the title, which sounds very unlikely...

[corinthiano]

May 2070

We didnt beat ASEC Mimosas or win all of our other games, so the title went to ASEC Mimosas with one game to go and we finished a comfortable second.

Milestones

 

[corinthiano]

Big news coming out at the end of the season. Not sure how the president intends to fund this but it is certainly needed with our current stadium only holding 1,800.

[corinthiano]

2069/70 Season Review

On the face of it little progress this season as we finish with the same amount of points in Ligue 1 and failed to make the Group Stages in Africa again. I do howver feel like the squad is getting better, so with less changes to be made for next season we may well have set up a nice platform for the club to perform well.

Squad by Appearances

We had a less established first team this year, with only 5 players appeating in over 80% of our matches. This was particularly true in midfield where we rotated the Mezzala and BBM quite often.

Awards

 

Aristide Ouattara wins Top Goalscorer and PLayer of the Year despite missing almost 6 weeks injured. Abokpa and Koné join him in the Team of the Season.

Top Performers

Really stepped up with Kutateladze leaving, scoring one goal a game. I have him tied up for another couple of seasons but can see big clubs going in for him and hope he does not become unsettled.

The only player to start all of our games, improved massively this year and provided an amazing 28 goal contributions in 32 appearances.

Stepped in well in the DLF role and made sure we kept scoring when Aristide Ouattara was injured.

Finances

$500k loss this year despite over $600k in player sales, I dont know how this gets better especially with a new stadium being built. Hoping the president sorts this out, especially considering he raised the wage budget significantly again.

Progress

Very little progress this season but we are firmly the second best side in Ivory Coast now, just need ASEC Mimosas to have a bad season...

[corinthiano]

2069/70 West African Review

CAF Champions League

8 teams make it to this stage for the second year in a row, but impressively 6 of them make it into the Quarter Final.

The West African dominance continues as all 4 Semi Finalists are from the region. In the final Nigeria confirm their recent stance as best league in the continent through Enyimba Aba winning their 4th title by beating Hearts of Oak of Ghana in the final.

CAF Confederation Cup

Really light performance here with only three sides making it these far, with unusual guests SONACAOS and Kwara Utd making it past to the knockouts.

The fairytale continued as Kwara Utd beat some strong North African opposition to win their first ever trophy, and they havent even won a national title in Nigeria yet!

West African League Rankings

Surprisingly after having teams win both African titles Nigeria's top flight lost 1st place to Ghana, who jumped two places. Elsewhere Togo jumps ahead of Guinea.

League Champions

More of the dominating teams winning, with one interesting exception being Nigeria, where Kano Pillars have not won for three seasons and Enyimba Aba seem to be entering a period of domination.

Former Champions

MC Breweries: Second season syndrome in the top flight as they only pick up 9 points from 22 games and finish dead last, being relegated in the process.

Kamboi Eagles: Another season spent in the unplayable leagues.

Nô Pintcha da Brava: Win the Liga Brava for a third time running but are knocked out in the Group Stage of the Cape Verdean Competition. The Taça Brava still eludes them as they finish runners-up.

AFC Nhacra: Drop off into 6th and are knocked out early in the cup.

Ayéma FC: Make the Championship Group again but this time only finish 9th.

CNEPS Excellence: Had a better season but still went largely frustrated as they finished second to Génération Foot and were knocked out in the Semi Final of the Champions Legue. Did win the Coupe du Senegal though.

Banjul Utd: Finished far off the title, but were best of the rest in 2nd.

ASN NIGELEC: Were promoted back to a playable league, finished last though and are back in the unplayable league again.

Unisport: Had another shocked and failed to qualify for the Championship Group.

CFFEB: A strong season but not strong enough for CF Rahimo as they finish runners-up to them both in the league and in the cup.

Flamme Olympique: Great season as they win their first Ligue 1 since the Kojo era.

Avenir AC: Great comeback season as they finish 3rd and win their maiden Coupe du Mali.

Edited June 28, 2023 by corinthiano

[corinthiano]

September/October 2070

It is third time lucky for Kojo as he is finally able to guide Cosmos to a continental group stage. It wasnt easy though as penalties were needed in the Preliminary Round against Al-Nassr after two terrible games. Against Highlanders there games were also close, but here Cosmos were more clinical and scored when it mattered to take control of the tie. The Group Stage draw is in January, with ASEC Mimosas also in it.

[corinthiano]

2070/71 Season Preview

Predicted 2nd again with better odds and we now have two players in the Media XI. We should be finishing 2nd at a minimum and challenge ASEC Mimosas again. We do have Champions League football to contend with during the campaign this season though but the squad should have enough depth to handle that.

Transfers

In

Out

Significantly less incoming activity this year as I was happy with our midfield and forward players, who are all young and improving. I was able to keep hold of all of our star players and surprisingly the board didnt go over my head even when some of the offers were north of $600k for Ouorou. This meant I was finally able to reduce our squad size which was bloated since I joined. The three players we signed will all be challenging for a first team place. I am still trying to sign a left back before the transfer window shuts in a few days time but am losing hope as we dont have many affordable options.

Another year, another goalkeeper - not great for continuity but I couldnt say no when this guy showed up as an option on a free.

He was a pre-arranged transfer as we signed him on a Bosman. Comes into central defence to replace Constant Koné who retired.

Another free signing, will challenge Carl George on the right side of defence.

Assistant XI

I dont know why the Assistant keeps thinking Ourou should play in centre mid when his best position is in AP and I wouldnt drop Ouattara up front, but the rest of his suggested XI I agree with.

Initial Fixtures

Hoping to start with two wins, although FC San Pédro have been somewhat of a bogey team for us.

[corinthiano]

November 2070

Couldnt have wished for a better start!

Next Fixtures

Now the challenge really begins, some tough away games this month.

[corinthiano]

December 2070

I dont know how to feel about this month. We played 3rd-6th all in this month and got two solid wins at AFAD Djékanou and Séwé FC, but let AS Tanda equalize with the last kick of the game and saw a red card hinder our chances to beat Africa Sports at home. The draw at home to OFC Adiaké was unacceptable though. We are misifiring up front, especially Aristide Ouattara, which concerns me and might lead me to address it in the mid-season transfer window if a decent striker becomes available.

CAF Champions League Draw

That is one tough draw which includes the reigning champions, will be happy to just pick up a few points.

Next Fixtures

We play a couple of lower placed sides before the mid-season break and come back from it early to play the games re-arranged due to the Champions League, which will include a crucial game against ASEC Mimosas.

[corinthiano]

January 2071

Another disappointing result this month as we lose to ES Bafing. We did have 5 players that already left for the Africa Cup of Nations but we should have done better in that game. After the mid-season break we have looked a lot better though and even comfortably beat ASEC Mimosas to give us a glimmer of hope in the title race.

Transfers

In

Out

Most of the incoming signings are opportunistic other than Peter Origi, who comes in to provide additional options in central defence with Bonga Van Wyk leaving. On the outgoing front most of the departures are fringe players, Sikirou Abokpa was playing quite a bit, but with Nkoa and Abdalas coming in and him unhappy at playing less it made sense to let him go for some money.

When an 18 year old that is attracting interest from Ajax, Benfica and Salzburg becomes available on a free you cant really say no, really excited about this signing and he has already shown his quality in his first couple of games.

I have been getting frustrated with the amount of chances Ouattara and Codjo are missing, so when Wydad Casablanca released Mohamed I made a move for him.

Next Fixtures

The next three games are also re-arranged fixtures due to the Champions League and we have a couple of tough ones there before we start our continental campaign, for which I dont have high hopes.

[corinthiano]

February 2071

Great month as we go 100% in Ligue 1 which included some tricky matches and reduced the gap to ASEC Mimosas to 1 point. In the Champions League we have been surprisingly competitive, only narrowly losing to Enyimba Aba despite them dominating the game and taking 4 points off of Sundowns. At home we were probably lucky to get a point but we played better than then in South Africa and fully deserved the 3 points.

Next Fixtures

Some tough games in Ligue 1 again this month and in the Champions League we could still be with a chance of qualifying to the Quarter Finals if we have a bit of luck in both of our home games.

[corinthiano]

March 2071

A brilliant month all around as we have a 100% record in Ligue 1 to keep the pressure on ASEC Mimosas whilst pulling a couple of upsets in the Champions League, with the thumping of TP Mazembe meaning we can lose 4-0 at their place in the last game and still qualify for the Quarter-Final.

Next Fixtures

We look to maintain the pressure on ASEC Mimosas and confirm our place in the Quarter Final of the Champions League. If we do there is likely to be a couple additional fixtures in the month.

[corinthiano]

This will be fun 

[corinthiano]

April 2071

In Ligue 1 the home draw with RC Abidjan means ASEC Mimosas have extended their lead again. That result was frustrating as we had a penalty when 1-0 in the second half, missed it and then let two goals in the next 10 minutes. We did manage to get back level but we should have really won that game.

In the Champions League we beat TP Mazembe away to not only get through to the Quarter Final but also top our group. This saw Kojo go up against CNEPS Excellence again, who were just more clinical over the two ties. An excellent campaign from Cosmos though and the prize money helps a lot, with $875k earned for reaching this stage alone.

Next Fixtures

It is still all in our hands in Ligue 1, if we win all remaining 4 games we will be champions. The big if there is that the last game is at ASEC Mimosas.

[corinthiano]

May 2071

We won the three games leading up to the title decider against ASEC Mimosas, including two emphatic results. We even had the title in our hands for a couple of minutes when Coffi Ouorou slotted in the first minute of the game, but ASEC Mimosas pegged us back two minutes later and turned the score around halfway through the first half. We chased the game in the second half but collapsed once they scored their third halway through the second half. Tough to take, but the team is certainly on the up and we pushed ASEC Mimosas all the way again.

[corinthiano]

2070/71 Season Review

Over the last 3 seasons the points gap to ASEC Mimosas went from 0, to 2 to 6 points, but in fact this season was probably the closest we got to the title as we essentially played a final at their place in the last game. I do feel the team progressed a lot this year and the Champions League campaign was absolutely superb to actually make this a very decent season.

Squad by Appearances

Even though we had more games this season we actually used less players as we had a bit more of an established side and trimmed squad, down roughly 10 players year on year.

Awards

Coffi Ouorou wins Player of the Season and Aristide Ouattara is Top Goalscorer for the second successive season but surprisingly neither makes it into the Team of the Season, which is very light from a Cosmos perspective with only Kasambala making the Team.

Top Performers

Aristide can be so frustrating, he misses an incredible amount of chances and has terrible patches of form, but we miss him every time I decide to drop him and then goes on to score an incredible amount of goals for us.

The rock at the center of what has been a very solid defence this year.

I was excited about him and he has not failed to deliver with a goal contribution per game. Trying desperately to get his release clause removed from his contract because at $525k I can see it being activated sooner rather than later.

Player of the season for a reason, continues to be a huge creative force for us.

Finances

This is why getting to the Champions League Group Stage is so important, we made a cool $1M this year and are almost in the black again.

Progress

Still not the year we beat ASEC Mimosas as they win their 30th consecutive title...we need to keep our best players and either have a perfect year or hope they have a blip to be able to win Ligue 1.

[corinthiano]

2070/71 West African Review

CAF Champions League

We have 8 teams again at this stage with less rare appearances from the bigger leagues such as Cosmos, AFE and Enugu Rangers IFC.

Despite 5 teams making it to the Quarter Final we have no West African representation in the final, with ES Tunis beating Al-Ahly to claim their 12th title.

CAF Confederation Cup

Better performance than last year with 5 sides making this stage and 4 of them getting through to the Quarter Final.

Three West Africans make it to the Semi Final but none of them win the title as Pyramids beats Kano Pillars and Stade Malien to claim their 3rd trophy.

West African League Rankings

Shift at the top again as Nigeria now has the top league in the continent and Ghana's Premier League moves down to 3rd in Africa.

League Champions

Quite a few upsets this year as we have first time champions in Niger and Cape Verde, as well as AS OTR breaking up the ASC Kara and ASKO dominance in Togo.

Former Champions

MC Breweries: Back to back relegations as they will be in an unplayable league next season.

Kamboi Eagles: Another season spent in the unplayable leagues.

Nô Pintcha da Brava: Disappointingly only 3rd in Liga Brava and knocked out in the Semi-Final of the Taça Brava.

AFC Nhacra: Move up a place in comparison to last season as they finish 5th, but are knocked out early in the cup again.

Ayéma FC: Becoming regulars in the Championship Group again and finish 8th this year.

CNEPS Excellence: Managed to wrestle back the Ligue 1 title from Génération Foot after 5 years and got to the Champions League Semi-Final. No success in the domestic cups though as the best performance was a final appearances in the League Cup.

Banjul Utd: Dropped down a little to 3rd this season.

ASN NIGELEC: Spent their season in an unplayable league.

Unisport: Qualified for the Championship Group this year but were awful, finishing bottom with no win to their name and 5 points from 10 games.

CFFEB: Dropped off in the league as they only finished in 6th. Lost in the last 16 of the Coupe du Faso and just missed out on the Confederation Cup Group Stage as they lost to Cape Town City in the Second Round.

Flamme Olympique: Terrible defence of their title as they finish 8th and elected underperformers of the season in the Champions League as they lose to Kenya's Tusker FC in the Preliminary Round.

Avenir AC: Go one place higher and finish second in Ligue 1, qualifying for the Champions League. Do not manage to defend their Coupe du Mali title though as they are knocked out in the first round.

Edited July 4, 2023 by corinthiano

[corinthiano]

September/October 2071

We got kind draws in the qualifying rounds of the Champions league in opposition from Gabon and Congo and made light work of getting to the Group Stages, which will be crucial financially. ASEC Mimosas did not make it to the Group Stages this year which will be an interesting dynamic as they will in theory be fresher for league games.

[corinthiano]

2071/72 Season Preview

 

Our odds have shortened and we now have 6 players in the Media XI, this is the best position we have been in to beat ASEC Mimosas.

Transfers

In

Out

It looks like we changed things up a lot but we essentially just shuffled back-up options and went on a search for better full backs, where we are a little overloaded now...the biggest story was a non-transfer though as ASEC Mimosas went hard in their pursuit for Hicham Abdalas, bidding up to $1.8M on the player. That is a lot of money, but with PSG, Benfica, Porto and Besiktas all interested I would rather sell him abroad when the time comes. He still has 3 years left on his contract and hasnt made much noise, but that will certainly change when Europe calls. For the First XI we only have a 3 new full backs that will compete for two positions, none of them that exciting to be honest:

Assistant XI

This is now a team that has played together for a while and has really gelled well together, if we keep the core of the team we should do well.

Initial Fixtures

We host RC Abidjan before a tricky tie at AS Tanda.

 

[corinthiano]

November 2071

What an underwhelming and disappointing start to the season. After going behind late in the first half where we played terribly we did well to turn the game around in the early part of the second half, but were then sloppy in letting RC Abidjan back in. At least we beat AS Tanda in what could have been a game we dropped points.

Next Fixtures

The first clash against ASEC Mimosas, 3 points would be vital here.

[corinthiano]

December 2071

It is safe to say we will not be winning the title this season...losing to SO Armée was terrible but then we had a chance to equal ASEC Mimosas when we hosted them and were leading 3-2 until haldway through the second half, but the collapsed to lose heavily against them again...

CAF Champions League

Tough group once more, with our current form I dont think we will get out of it.

Next Fixtures

We need to pick up our form to secure 2nd place.

[corinthiano]

January 2072

Still not playing great and dropped points again before the mid-season break.

Transfers

In

Out

Some significant movement in the mid-season break. A few unsettled back-up players left and James Yohane also asked to leave once interest from Saudi Arabia came, before eventually singing for a Peruvian side. Close to $300k was made on those transfers so Kojo splashed the cash on Abel Tchinto who was supposed to be an eventual Abdalas replacement but will step in for Yohane already. Him and Joseph Mohammed will be challenging for a First XI spot.

Most expensive signing Kojo has made, but Abel is talented and judging by his value post move a good deal was made.

Was surplus to requirement at his previous club so they were willing to let him go on a free, should be able to do a good job as BPD for us.

Next Fixtures

We start our month with a crucial game in the race for 2nd place before we have to juggle Champions League along Ligue 1.

[corinthiano]

February 2072

We finally hit form in Ligue 1 as we win all 3 tough matches this month. In the Champions League an excellent win against Hearts of Oak gives us a glimmer of hope of qualifying for the Quarter Finals.

Milestones

Next Fixtures

We face the dreaded re-match with ASEC Mimosas this month and hope it doesnt get in the way of our race to finish in second place. In the Champions League we will have to get something at ES Tunis to have a realistic chance of qualifying, which will be a tough ask.

[corinthiano]

March 2072

Another excellent month in Ligue 1, which included an impressive away win against ASEC Mimosas. With that win and their loss to Africa Sports we have a glimmer of hope going into the last couple of months of the season. In the Champions League we did amazing to beat the reigning champions at their place but then somehow managed to let two goals in added time to drop points at home to Golden Arrows, which means instead of playing for a draw in the next match we will have to beat Hearts of Oak in Ghana in the last match.

Transfers

Out

Aliou was now a fringe player and with him being unhappy it made sense to let him go back to Senegal.

Next Fixtures

A crucial game against Hearts of Oak to start the month before we hope to continue the good form in Ligue 1.

[corinthiano]

April 2072

We didnt have enough to beat Hearts of Oak in the last game but can be proud of our performance in the group stage. In Ligue 1 we are absolutely on fire right now, but unfortunately ASEC Mimosas are not dropping points either and look like they will win yet another title.

Next Fixtures

Not much to play for in our last 3 games.

[corinthiano]

May 2072

Our winning run comes to an end in the final match of the season as we miss out on the chance to achieve a points total record.

[corinthiano]

2071/72 Season Review

We end this season exactly like the last, on 64 points and 6 behind ASEC Mimosas. Disappointingly though this time we were never in contention for the title. In the Champions League we did well to qualify for the Group Stage again and gave a good account of ourselves against Hearts of Oak and ES Tunis.

Squad by Appearances

Not a lot of changes to the squad this year and little rotation as we avoided big injuries.

Awards

Coulibaly wins Goalkeeper of the Season but somehow misses out on a place in the Team of the Season, which is dominated by ASEC Mimosas.

Top Performers

Another season with plenty of goals, he has been attracting interest from Nigeria and Senegal.

Another great season by Hicham, who amazingly is still improving.

Played a lot better than I expected him to and made left back his spot for the season.

Finances

We made less money than last season but are now finally in the black, further highlighting how crucial it is to get to the Champions League Group Stage.

Progress

Cosmos is now the club where Kojo has spent the longest time as we struggle to break the ASEC Mimosas dominance. I am fearful for next season as interest in our key players has picked up and we might need to go through a squad rebuild next season, which will make things harder for us.

 

[corinthiano]

2071/72 West African Review

CAF Champions League

We are down to 6 teams making this stage and only half of them progressing to the Quarter Final.

Enyimba Aba take the title back to Nigeria and win their 5th trophy.

CAF Confederation Cup

7 teams make it through this stage, with all but one going to the Quarter Final.

Dominant from West Africa as Asante Kotoko beat ASEC Mimosas in the final to claim their 3rd title.

West African League Rankings

The pendulum swings again and Ghana now have the top league in the continent. Cosmos campaigns in Africa are seemingly he;ping as Ivory Coast move a couple of places up to 8th in the continent.

League Champions

After two new champions last season we dont have any this one, but Akokana did retain the title in Niger.

Former Champions

MC Breweries: Spent the season in an unplayable league but will be back in the second tier for next season.

Kamboi Eagles: Another season spent in the unplayable leagues.

Nô Pintcha da Brava: Reclaim the Liga Brava and finish 3rd in their Group in the Cape Verdean Competition, but are knocked out early in the Taça Brava.

AFC Nhacra: Step it up this year to win their 8th title, but are knocked out early in the cup again.

Ayéma FC: 8th again in the Championship Group for them.

CNEPS Excellence: Poor season by their standards as they finish 3rd, are humiliated in the Group Stages of the Champions League and knocked out early in the domestic cups. This all lead to their legendary manager Ibrahima Mendy, who took over from Kojo and made CNEPS Excellence a dominant force, resigning and retiring after 30+ years at the club.

Banjul Utd: Dropped down a little again to 5th this season.

ASN NIGELEC: Back in the Superligue and they avoided relegation by finishing 11th.

Unisport: Terrible year as they finish 4th in the Northern Group and miss out on the Championship Group.

CFFEB: A decent season as they finish 3rd in the league and runners-up in the Coupe du Faso.

Flamme Olympique: Continue the bad form as they finish 10th in the league.

Avenir AC: Push Stade Malien all the way but finish 2nd again. Stade Malien also beats them in the Semi-Final of the Coupe du Mali and continentally it was a disappointing season as the lose to Tanzania's Simba in the Preliminary Round of the Champions League.

Edited July 15, 2023 by corinthiano

[corinthiano]

September/October 2072

A campaign of familiar faces so far. We played MangaSport again in the preliminary round and made easy work of it as we did last year. We then had a tougher draw in the First Round this year as we played Stade Malien, who had knocked us out at this stage 3 years ago. We took a slender 1-0 lead into the second leg and looked to be going away with a 0-0 in Bamako before they scored a winner in stoppage time. Luckily we were composed during penalties to get Cosmos into the Group Stage of the Champions League for a third year in a row.

[corinthiano]

2072/73 Season Preview

The pressure and expectation is building for us to win the title as we have now been made favorites for it. I think that is unrealistic considering ASEC Mimosas had a $1.8M net spend and we have not made any significant addition to our First XI. Our board this year still only expects us to qualify for the Confederation Cup, but they do want us to win the title in 3 years time, lets hope we get a lucky break until then.

Transfers

In

Out

Another season with no major transfers as our key players still have a few years left on their contracts and I managed to keep them all happy at the club despite bids. I did look for future replacements for them, but there was no one decent within price range for us. The only two players that will fight for a First Team place actually came in on a free from ASEC Mimosas.

Strong experienced defender, should start at the back for us.

Only signed him because it was on a free, he will provide competition for Mindelis at RB and also defensive midfield coverage.

Assistant XI

A relatively unchanged side for this season, not sure if this is a good thing or not.

Initial Fixtures

This should in theory be a straightforward start to the campaign, but we have begun poorly in the last two season so will need to remain focused.

[corinthiano]

November 2072

No bad start to the season this year as we win all three games comfortably. ASEC Mimosas naturally also start really well so looks like it will be another strong year for them.

Next Fixtures

A couple more challenging fixtures in December as we look to keep up with ASEC Mimosas.