[FM23] Born to Run - A Journeyman’s Escape from America - AC Milan

[Hootieleece]

Interesting when I play MLS Clubs I try to build through the draft and use Free or Cheap European Transfers (Almost Wonderkids or aging Journeymen) to fill my roster.  I will usually trade anyone I don't definitely want to keep for a First round Draft Pick (Especially if top ten) and will always consider if I can find a "cheaper" alternative for any player as long as the new player has a similar skill set. 

I almost never have the Highest Payroll in the league and I often build a "Dynasty" similar to Austin FC.

I have used TAM but never made it central to any of my roster moves. (I also often use the re-entry draft in December to help fill out the roster or have players to move in trades).

[GIMN]

Heartbreaking result in the WC Finals.  I doubt it would've made a difference to your job prospects, but it definitely adds a nice narrative to staying at Austin.  Hopefully bouncing back even stronger, winning everything this season then bowing out in a blaze of glory!!

[13th Man]

On 05/04/2023 at 03:52, Hootieleece said:

I will usually trade anyone I don't definitely want to keep for a First round Draft Pick (Especially if top ten) and will always consider if I can find a "cheaper" alternative for any player as long as the new player has a similar skill set.

This definitely works well for the moneyball style, and I can see how the MLS brings its own interesting challenges in transfers and team building.  Not sure it's quite my style but its very interesting!

 

On 05/04/2023 at 17:08, GIMN said:

Heartbreaking result in the WC Finals.  I doubt it would've made a difference to your job prospects, but it definitely adds a nice narrative to staying at Austin.  Hopefully bouncing back even stronger, winning everything this season then bowing out in a blaze of glory!!

It was so very, very brutal.  Again, the temptation to savescum was so very strong.  Thinking of how disappointment my vast army of fans would be in me...

Still, time will tell if Lindsay can continue to keep the good times rolling in Texas...

[DavidBeckham]

Great work mate! I've always wanted to try a save in the MLS but the transfer rules have put me off so far! You are handling it really well mate! KUTGW 

[13th Man]

5 minutes ago, DavidBeckham said:

Great work mate! I've always wanted to try a save in the MLS but the transfer rules have put me off so far! You are handling it really well mate! KUTGW 

It's a tough ask, and it took a season and change with the DoF taking care of all the transfer business for me to get a sense of how it works - and I'm an American who's been listening to (American) Football salary cap talk since it started in the 90s!

[13th Man]

Here we go again

With the tactic and main variations pretty set, I don’t plan on going into detail on anything other than big (NACL) or especially interesting matches. Instead, I’ll be looking at longer trends and overall play.

The return of the MLS season and a packed schedule. One month, eight matches.  This season, however, Lindsay felt more prepared, both mentally and in terms of the squad at his disposal. 

Two key elements would be crucial - making sure that players rarely, if ever, started more than three matches in a row and making sure those that he planned on starting in the next match were subbed early if at all possible. He had to plan out the rotations in advance, looking to make sure, for instance, that his best aerial CBs could play against a side with big tall forwards. 

He now had a deeper, more trustworthy squad so that rotation wouldn’t lead to a massive drop off in quality. Over the course of March he even added a few developmental players to fill out the ranks and not expect too much game time, but could do a job in an emergency.

In Necaxa they had a NACL tie that would be easier than normal. Necaxa were in 13th place in the Liga MX, compared to Monterrey in 3rd, so Lindsay hoped that he might not be forced to sink as many resources into that tie.

Who needs the draft? (Two in on waivers and a trade)

Over the month Lindsay picked up two younger players off waivers and let one player leave on a trade.

Spoiler

18 year old Noah Cobb was a high potential product of Atlanta United’s academy that appeared to be a salary cap casualty and Austin picked him up on waivers.

[When a player is ‘cut’ by an MLS team the rest of the league has the chance to ‘claim’ them on waivers, but they must be able to register them immediately.]

The 18 year old was raw, but he had a great deal of intelligence for such a young player and could learn alongside veterans [and fellow C names] Carlos, Criscito and [not a C] Gabrielsen.  He likely wouldn’t see much game time but Lindsay felt he could trust him more than his other emergency backup in Kip Keller - who had excellent physical traits but was lacking mentally. The fact that Keller got to become an emergency backup rather than a regular rotation option was a sign of the newfound depth at the club.

Spoiler

Also claimed off waivers from neighbors FC Dallas, Keogh was also raw, but he was brave, determined, fast, and already a good finisher.  By the end of March he’d already made two appearances.

Spoiler

Just after Lindsay had picked up Cobb, Portland came in with an offer for CB Jack Maher.  The player had gotten injured in preseason, and had yet to feature for Austin.  In fact, Lindsay had begun wondering when the player would play once healthy.  With CB/DM De los Santos looking solid at CB, and with Carlos and Gabrielsen the first choice pairing in the league, Lindsay wasn’t sure if Maher would get much time.  The deal was a good offer - two first round draft picks and $300k.  Lindsay took it, thinking especially that it would open up cap space.  In the end, Maher never played a competitive minute for Austin, but the Texas club had netted about $200k (minus a few month’s wages).

The three matches before the NACL quarters featured good results and solid play. This wasn’t the free scoring Austin of the early 2023 season, but they were winning.  The result against a decent DC United team (managed by Wayne Ronney) was especially satisfying as Lindsay rested many of his starters for the NACL midweek game.  Good signs overall, especially as Austin bedded its new players.

NACL Quarters - Necaxa

For the first time in the two years Austin had played in the NACL, they were drawn at home first.  Austin FC rode the home support to a 3-1 win over Necaxa.  The difference was quality, pure and simple.  Necaxa couldn’t handle the combination of Garcia and Druissi. The winger found the forward after only two minutes, and Garcia outpaced Necaxa’s backline to slide it into the net.  Druissi headed in a cross from Rigoni only six minutes later to put Austin up 2-0 before 10 minutes had passed.  Garcia repaid Druissi’s assist with a strong cross that the winger turned in on the volley.

Lindsay would have been thrilled if it weren’t for allowing Necaxa to get back into the tie only a minute after Garcia scored the third.  It was a classic case of focus dropping after a goal, as Necaxa surged forward and Austin’s backline was caught scrambling and ball watching. Sivera rushed out, only to get caught out in no man’s land, allowing Necaxa an easy finish.

With a 3-1 lead from the first leg, Lindsay rotated for this match.  It was a risk - Necaxa’s away goal and Austin’s poor form in Mexico were both concerns. Having only won once in Mexico, and never in the knockout rounds made him a bit nervous.  Still, he rolled the dice and rested all his starters save Sivera in goal and CB Gabrielsen and - red carded late against LAFC at the weekend, so he would be unavailable for the next MLS match.  The two new ‘waiver’ pickups sat on the bench and would get their debuts in the match.

He almost was made to regret his decision when Necaxa earned a penalty late in the first half.  Sivera, however, guessed right and saved the penalty - and potentially the tie!  Later, rotation forward Plaza scored to ensure Austin were through.

Like the previous year, the matches around NACL ties featured significant rotation. Against DC United it had gone well, but against LAFC? Not so much.  It was a painful loss. Not only was Austin blunt and wasteful in attack, but the normally reliable Gabrielsen had a torrid match.  He responsible for the errant pass that led directly to LAFC’s first goal and he got himself sent off later when the match was still 1-0.  Then, just to twist the knife, CB Miller - traded to LAFC in the offseason - scored in stoppage time.

A 4-1 bounce back against Inter Miami got Austin back on track, though a Cincinnati game ending in a draw was frustrating as Austin had several golden chances to win the match in the final ten minutes.  The game, however, was notable for a 3rd minute 21 year old waiver pickup Keogh who scored on his first MLS start.

An excellent month overall, sullied only by an off game against LAFC.

Unsurprisingly, LAFC sat above them in the Western Conference after winning, and the loss also dropped Austin to 5th in the MLS standings after six games.  So early in the season, and with the focus much more on the NACL, Lindsay was not overly concerned.

[13th Man]

It isn’t easy, but it’s working

Another packed month featuring another 8 matches - six in the MLS and the NACL semi finals. After an easy draw in the quarterfinals, Austin would be facing much tougher opposition in Toluca, who were top of the Liga MX. As usual, Lindsay would focus on the NACL and hope to do enough to win in the MLS matches while keeping players fresh.

A 3-0 win over a poor Salt Lake City team started the month strong, but two frustrating draws followed including a goalless one against Houston which saw Austin hit the woodwork three times.  They were by far the better side, but couldn’t find a way to score.  It made sense on the whole, though with Lindsay resting a lot of starters for the NACL tie that straddled the Nashville match. Austin needed to be at their best too after Toluca..

NACL Semifinal - Toluca

…beat Austin 1-0 in Mexico.  It was just always the same.  This time, however, Toluca all but played Austin off the park.  Austin had the better of the possession, but did nearly nothing with it, registering only one shot on target.  Toluca were especailly good in the first half, and their goal had been coming and it could have easily been worse.  Austin did better in the second half, controlling possession a bit more and even managed to hit the crossbar once off a corner when they really should have scored, but on the whole a 1-0 loss was still lucky.

Once again, Austin would have to come from behind in the return leg…

The Liga MX leaders never stood a chance after a centerback got himself a straight red in the 8th minute for a vicious challenge in the box, and Druissi drilled home the penalty. It’s impossible to say how much the red card changed the match, but Austin were ruthless in taking advantage of their extra man.

The second goal was a masterpiece of one and two touch football.  After PF Garcia won the ball back around midfield with pure workrate, CM(a) Fagundez played it left to BBM Ring, who one touched it back on a diagonal to Garcia who was already charging forward.  Garcia paused just long enough to drag two CBs to him before putting it back to DM Valencia, who hit it first time into the path of Druissi - making an out to in run, charging into the space created by Garcia’s movement.  Druissi, one on one with the keeper, dinked it over to make it 2-0.  

A corner goal finished off the tie that was already long over.

As the dust settles, it dawns on Lindsay and his players are through to their second consecutive NACL Final!

There had been a chance that they would meet old foes Columbus for a repeat, but Mexican side America narrowly beat them in the other semifinal.

Two decent wins over solid opponents was followed up by another disappointing, goalless draw that Austin really should have won.  Atlanta were a good team, though, and Lindsay was resting players for the NACL Final that would be in Mexico City only three days later…

Austin weren’t looking like the runaway champions of the previous season, but they were winning where it counted most - the NACL - and they weren’t losing.  If it weren’t for the fact that Austin really should have won both against Houston and Atlanta, it would have been an excellent month.

Austin were top of the Western Conference and narrowly 3rd in the MLS standings, despite focusing heavily on the NACL.  With the NACL coming to a close, Lindsay hoped that Austin would rediscover their league form from the previous year.

First, of course, there was a trip to Mexico City to play in the extremely unfriendly Estadio Azteca. A massive 83k seater stadium, the Azteca is known as a very hostile environment.  It would be a formidable place to play…

Edited April 11, 2023 by 13th Man

[Hootieleece]

Doing Well with your team, but I bet you wish you had a few more bodies to rotate. Just make sure you beat Club America! Even if it means forfeiting the games before and after NACL Final.

 

Edited April 11, 2023 by Hootieleece
added words I forgot

[13th Man]

4 hours ago, Hootieleece said:

Doing Well with your team, but I bet you wish you had a few more bodies to rotate. Just make sure you beat Club America! Even if it means forfeiting the games before and after NACL Final.

 

Thanks!

Lindsay likely sacrificed 2 points against Atlanta, but the quality in depth showed in that a heavily rotated side managed a draw against a quality side.

Adding depth was the main off-season priority and it’s lead to a much less frustrating season. Many of the players Lindsay couldn’t trust last year but was forced to use regularly are now emergency backups. Several youngsters come in and do a decent job when needed then head back to the reserves without complaint.

Rotation is still the biggest challenge in the MLS, but Lindsay has roughly 20 players he trusts even if there is a clear best 11. Then there’s five or so youngsters who can perform well enough.  Much better than last season, but Austin hasn’t been quite as lucky with some results in the league. A lot of red cards and lucky bounces gave Austin a lot of wins the previous year, while quality showings this season have been unlucky draws.

[GIMN]

It looks like you're still keeping pace though, even if the results haven't been as impressive as last year.  It looks like you will certainly be there or thereabouts come the end of the season.  Not sure if the game will recognise it as such, but that's a pretty darn good achievement in a salary-capped, forced-parity league structure!

[SixPointer]

Another good season well on its way. Any sign of a move across the pond?

[DavidBeckham]

Decent progress as usual! KUTGW mate! And I agree that home advantage is really powerful on this version of the game! 

[13th Man]

19 hours ago, GIMN said:

It looks like you're still keeping pace though, even if the results haven't been as impressive as last year.  It looks like you will certainly be there or thereabouts come the end of the season.  Not sure if the game will recognise it as such, but that's a pretty darn good achievement in a salary-capped, forced-parity league structure!

It’s been an adventure, but I’m surprised at how well it’s working so far. Keep expecting the salary cap issues to blow up, but so far so good.

 

14 hours ago, SixPointer said:

Another good season well on its way. Any sign of a move across the pond?

Nothing yet, an application to Kopenhavn was left on “read” if you will. Looks like the challenge will be keeping up results while Lindsay’s heart isn’t fully in it…

 

5 hours ago, DavidBeckham said:

Decent progress as usual! KUTGW mate! And I agree that home advantage is really powerful on this version of the game! 

It’s really true! I’ve noticed it’s a bit more of an advantage than versions prior.

[13th Man]

The NACL Final

Club America is the most successful in Mexico’s history - and therefore North America’s history. Seven times NACL winners, including two in the modern iteration, to go along with thirteen Liga MX titles. The proud club has struggled over the last few years, by their own lofty standards, but its many fans will be hoping to see their club announce its return to the top of North American soccer tonight.

Their opponents are a club that didn’t even founded when Club America won its last title (2018) or NACL (2016). Austin FC, however, have hit the ground running and enter this match looking for their second consecutive NACL trophy in only their fourth year.  

Last season’s final was a 5-0 win over a hapless Columbus side, but no one is expecting a similar match here today.  For one thing, last season’s final was hosted by Austin in their Q2 stadium.  This match, however, will be played in the crucible of the Estadio Azteca.

Not only do Austin have to overcome their very poor record in Mexico, they will have to do so against eighty thousand hostile fans in what is expected to be a sold out match. Austin have already played a lot of big games their short history but never in an environment like this.

Pre-Match

Austin will be without new mainstays CB Carlos and CM/W Roldan - both unable to register for the competition - but otherwise go into the match in full fitness after heavy rotation against Atlanta over the weekend.

6 min

CHANCE! Austin’s BBM Ring is caught in possession by two America players, and the ball is played out to Mora at the edge of the box.  His shot is decent but without enough power to trouble Sivera in Austin’s goal.

26 min

CHANCE! An America set piece is taken beautifully to the far post.  Mora again gets a shot on target, this time with a powerful header.  Sivera makes a fantastic save from point blank range and RW Rigoni is able to clear the ball.  That was as close as either side have gotten to scoring here.

35 min

GOAL! AMERICA 0 - AUSTIN 1 (Druissi 35)

Druissi scores in the aftermath of an Austin free kick!  The ball was cleared out to the edge of the box where the Argentinian was waiting.  His powerful shot had to go through a lot of bodies before nestling into the far corner!

37 min

GOAL DISALLOWED! AMERICA 0 - AUSTIN 0 

A long VAR check has found a foul in the buildup, with PF Garcia being a bit too physical with an America player.  Austin are furious and Lindsay is standing in disbelief.

45+1 min

GOAL!!! AMERICA 0 - AUSTIN 1 (Druissi 45 + 1)

DRUISSI puts the ball in the net again and this time it stands! It’s both a glorious team goal and an excellent piece of dribbling and finishing from Druissi.

Austin hit America with a sudden burst of quick insicive passing after a spell of playing slowly out of the back.

A BBM Ring pass to CM(a) Fagundez in space at midfield was all it took.  The ball went wide to Rigoni who took a touch and sent a low, perfectly weighted crossfield diagonal into the path of his opposite winger.

Druissi kept his nerve, rounded the keeper and tucked the ball into the net as America’s backline converged on him!!!

Austin are ahead just before half time and America’s 80 thousand fans are silenced!

Half time

It’s been an even match so far, but a brilliant play by Austin was complimented by a brilliant finish by Druissi.

Surely Club America will not collapse here though. Expect them to come out strong after the half.

58 min

GOAL!!! AMERICA 1 (Aquino 58) - AUSTIN 1

AMERICA HAVE LEVELED IT WITH AN UNBELIEVABLE GOAL!!!

An America corner was cleared only as far as the taker Candido, who cut it back to his teammate Aquino on the edge of the box.  The screamer beat Sivera at his near post with pure power.  What a goal!  The Estadio Azteca is rocking now!

62 min

CHANCE!!! Sivera comes up huge again with a fantastic save for Austin.

Less than five minutes after the equalizer, a ball over the top caught Austin out and America’s Mora was through on goal.  Sivera came out to meet him, and kept himself big.  Mora tried to beat him with power but Sivera put out a strong hand to send the shot wide.  That was a GOLDEN opportunity for America to take the lead, and a fantastic stop by Sivera.

65 min

CHANCE!

A good spell of Austin possession ends with Druissi sending PF Garcia through on goal.  The striker’s touch is a bit heavy and sends him a wide and GK Ochoa is able to cut off his angles and save the Garcia’s shot from a tight angle.  A missed opportunity for Austin, but a great save by Ochoa.

This game is just end to end now!

88 min

GOAL!!! AMERICA 2 (Aquirre 88) - AUSTIN 1

AMERICA HAVE PULLED AHEAD at the death! It’s a good piece of play by America, with two passes slicing open a tired Austin backline. The ball is threaded perfectly through to Aquirre who beats Sivera with a perfectly placed finish into the bottom corner.

The roar in the Azteca is deafening as America have one hand on their third NACL trophy!

90+1 min

GOAL!!! AMERICA 2 - AUSTIN 2 (Garcia 90+1)

WHAT A FINISH BY GARCIA!!! WHAT A FINISH TO THIS MATCH!!!

Just as America thought they’d won it, Garcia pulls Austin level in second half stoppage time! Only a minute before America had a set piece in Austin’s territory, thinking they might be able to run out the clock. Instead, an incisive passing move saw Austin cut through America with pace and precision and hit America with a brutal counter.

After playing it quickly out from the back, the ball found Rigoni. The right winger paused just long enough to pull the fullback to him before seeing Garcia’s diagonal run into the space he’d created. America had players back, and two converged on Garcia, but the Austin forward managed a snap shot across the face of goal that beat Mexico international Ochoa on its way just inside the far post.

A stunned Azteca is suddenly, deafeningly silent other than Austin’s four thousand away fans who are in full voice! 

ET 91 min

CHANCE!

It was so nearly an exact, if flipped, copy of America’s first goal. A corner was cleared by Austin to the taker and cut back to the top of the box. This time, however, the ball grazed the top of the crossbar on its way over.

End of Extra Time

The two sides were completely gassed after a frantic 90 minutes, and neither could produce much in extra time. A fantastic match will be decided by penalties!!!

Penalty Shootout

Both teams have held their nerve through the first five penalties. Sivera got a hand to two of America’s tries, but was unable to keep either out.

Candido steps up for America…

SAVED!!!

Sivera guesses right and Candido’s shot lacks the pace to beat him! Austin can win it here!!!

It’s Valencia up for Austin. He missed the crucial penalty in the 2022 MLS Cup Final, but scored the winning one against Atlas in last year’s NACL Quarterfinals. Will his right foot give Austin their second consecutive NACL trophy?

HE SCORES!!!!

Ochoa guesses the right way but Valencia hits the ball perfectly into the right corner and leaves Ochoa no chance!!! 

AUSTIN WIN THEIR SECOND CONSECUTIVE NACL!!!

As an American team celebrates in this cathedral of Mexican football, one has to give credit to Austin for keeping their nerve. 

In a completely even match, it took a penalty shootout to choose the eventual winners. Even then it took six perfect penalties and a good save from Austin’s Sivera to decide the tie.

Sivera especially was incredible in goal tonight while Druissi and Garcia both played their parts as well.

[Hootieleece]

Austin wins the NACL! Hurrah! 

Now will you start looking to Europe for work at the end of the season?

Perhaps a Championship or Ligue2 job with a storied club fallen on hard times......

[GIMN]

What an absolute rollercoaster of a final.  Everything you want as a neutral...which is a shame as you're not a neutral!  Congratulations on the victory!!

[13th Man]

6 hours ago, Hootieleece said:

Austin wins the NACL! Hurrah! 

Now will you start looking to Europe for work at the end of the season?

Perhaps a Championship or Ligue2 job with a storied club fallen on hard times......

Thanks!!!

The Ligue 2 etc is the plan. Likely at the end of the season but Lindsay is open to a sooner move if something comes up. I’m hoping for something outside England just for the sake of variety, but we’ll see what happens!

3 hours ago, GIMN said:

What an absolute rollercoaster of a final.  Everything you want as a neutral...which is a shame as you're not a neutral!  Congratulations on the victory!!

It really was crazy. Them scoring in the 88th minute. Lindsay thinking about he was proud to have made two finals even if they only won one…then the hope with a promising break…then Garcia too wide and surrounded…but somehow scoring! The complete redemption of Valencia coming back from losing one final on penalties only to have the winning penalty here!

And all that at the Azteca??? That's what football is all about!

[13th Man]

The need for speed

Before the regular update, Lindsay was honored as one of America’s top coaches!

The second consecutive NACL win secured  Lindsay’s place among the most successful American managers with three major trophies to go along with the Western Conference win during his first season.

It was an honor to have his accomplishments recognized, but it showed how low the bar was for American managers. Bruce Arena did have a fantastic record with the national team - including a World Cup quarterfinal appearance in 2002 where they lost to Germany in a match where they looked the better side for much of the match.  Outside of America, however, American managers didn’t exactly have a good record.  That the most successful coaches include those such as Jesse Marsch [recently sacked by Leeds] who only won his trophies at RB Salzburg says all you need to know really.

Lindsay has every intention of pushing past these paltry successes and doing so in Europe rather than just America.

Before then, Lindsay still had more to prove in America, however.

With the NACL campaign resulting in another trophy in the cabinet, Austin’s focus turned fully to the MLS. The challenge would be to plan rotations without the focus of the NACL to guide Lindsay’s selection.

As the month went along, Lindsay found himself forced to switch things up a bit tactically on occasion as the MLS finally began to find a way to nullify his Austin side…

The Charlotte match seemed a classic case of a team shattered by an extra time cup final midweek and major forced rotation. Austin were honestly lucky to escape with a point, with a rested CB Carlos and GK Sivera were both immense in Austin’s rearguard.

Following a decisive 3-0 win over Seattle at home, a worrying trend began to emerge - when looking at results over the previous few months. Austin, a team which tended to score a goal or more a game, was suddenly suffering from a rash of goalless draws this season. The positive was that they weren’t conceding, but they weren’t scoring either.

Lindsay reached the milestone of 100 matches as manager of Austin FC following the goalless draw against Colorado that brought back memories of the Western Conference Final when Austin again had several good chances to win the match in the final ten minutes. After a second consecutive goalless draw, this time against City Group’s NYCFC [boooo!!!!], Lindsay began to think some tweaks were needed.

A potential solution occurred to Lindsay and the next match brought about the need to try it.

Minnesota (A)

Let’s zoom in a bit to look at the way that Lindsay managed to use tactics to turn around a match.

Despite the final scoreline, this match started so much like the other goalless draws, only worse. After 30 minutes of Austin dominating possession but lacking a cutting edge, Minnesota scored off a set piece.

Lindsay had been noticing a trend in those goalless draws - teams had apparently been learning from Austin and using their own “coiled spring” tactics. They were sitting back a bit more, letting Austin play in the middle third, but upping the pressure when Austin approached the final third and then hitting them down the flanks. It hadn’t generally been leading to goals, but it had been effective in limiting Austin. 

Now that Austin had to rescue points, Lindsay instructed his players to up the lines and, in a newer wrinkle, upping the tempo. He didn’t want to let the opposition settle into their shape or get out of their own half when they won the ball back.
 

Spoiler

 

 

First, Austin’s higher lines refused to let Minnesota out of their half when they tried to break and Austin looked more urgent with possession and this led to the first goal.  DM Valencia made an aggressive interception near midfield and two quick passes later - Valencia to RW Rigoni, Rigoni diagonal into the box to Druissi - the match was level. 

Pressure forced a rushed clearance only a few minutes later, and Ausitn picked up the pieces. This time it was a pure counter, with CM(a) Fagundez running free only for BBM Ring to overcook the pass a bit.  Austin were streaming into the box, though, so Fagundez’s cutback - though deflected off a defender and counted as an own goal, was heading right for Garcia who would have had a tap in.  

[See the sudden shift after the tactical adjustment!]

A third added in second half stoppage time was simply icing on the cake.

A rather easy win over Salt Lake was followed by a much tougher one against Toronto that again required a switch to higher press/lines plus quicker tempo to gain control. Toronto scored on the counter against the run of play, but Lindsay didn’t panic and was rewarded with three unanswered goals.

Another month without a loss and Austin trending in the right direction after a spell of difficulty in front of goal.

Lindsay spent more time on the training ground on playing higher press and quicker tempo, and though he didn’t often start games that way, it was a useful switch to make as an adjustment when needed.

Just past the halfway point in the season, Austin were in a great position. Austin’s seven draws - joint most in the MLS - meant they were still a point behind MLS leaders NY Red Bulls [booooo!!!!]. They were, however, starting to pull away from the rest of the Western Conference with 2nd place Portland 7 points back and early season leaders LAFC a full 10 points behind.

Edited April 15, 2023 by 13th Man

[Hootieleece]

Making the Hall of Fame in less than 100 games is quite an achievement even if it is in the USA!

[13th Man]

10 hours ago, Hootieleece said:

Making the Hall of Fame in less than 100 games is quite an achievement even if it is in the USA!

Thanks! Lindsay is proud but not satisfied…

[13th Man]

Let’s get serious

Things finally began to slow down, with eight MLS matches in two months instead of the usual eight in one. [The Leagues Cup would start in late July, but will be covered in the next update]

Before turning the attention to the MLS, there was the distraction of the US Cup which arrived as a midweek fixture in early June. Neither Lindsay nor the board cared about that competition. Which is why Lindsay rotated the entire 11, and why the scoreline looked like this…

Lindsay wasn’t heartbroken to go out, but it was disappointing when Austin went up 2-0 in the first twenty minutes only to capitulate. While youngster CB Cobb had a tough match, and many of the rotation options were found wanting, the biggest problem was in goal.

Backup keeper Luthe, signed to replace Chapeco after his sudden transfer at the end of the previous season, showed that Lindsay had been right not to trust him.  Luthe was dire in this match. Some if it surely came down to rustiness, but 4 conceded from an xG of 1.64 was simply inexcusable. Three of the four were also very saveable.

Lindsay had kept him on because Austin had enough salary cap space, and having a quality backup seemed prudent  Luthe’s contract was not cheap, however, and Lindsay now regretted it. A few weeks later Luthe would announce his retirement at the end of the season and Lindsay wasn’t about to try and dissuade him. 

Back in the league, Austin managed a tough, goalless away draw against New England in Foxborough, Massachusetts [in the stadium where Gisele Bundschen’s ex-husband played another kind of football for a long time and was apparently quite good at throwing an oblong football.] It was a tough match and while Austin controlled possession, it could be said that New England had the better chances.

Then one misplaced pass and a wonderstrike under pressure got Columbus a point when overall Austin were the far better side. It was only one of two Columbus shots all game, but after going behind it was good to get a point at least.

Lindsay worried briefly if Austin would be stuck back in the swamp of draws…

Two weeks of rest allowed Austin to recover and prepare for a Portland side that was gaining on them in the Western Conference.

Previously, Austin had been effective against Portland’s 4-4-2 by going narrow, but Portland themselves set up quite narrow in this match. With Portland now a side that tried to maintain possession, Lindsay again changed to his uptempo, higher pressing game. It took a penalty early in the second half, earned and taken by Druissi, to start the rout, but by the end Portland were dazed.

Austin had crushed their closest challengers in the west, and proceeded to go on a rampage. 

A 1-0 scoreline against Philadelphia was lucky for the visitors, before Austin put three past both San Jose and Salt Lake City.

Transfer Alert!

CB Willer Ditta was cut from the Atlanta squad and the quality player cleared waivers [wasn't claimed by any other MLS teams] and that’s when Lindsay pounced.  As he was out of contract, Lindsay was even able to shave $100k/a off his previous contract to lower it to an excellent $489k/a for a player of his quality.  The Columbian was an international player, and Austin were at their allotment, so GK Luthe was cut to make room for him.

The scouts said he was intelligent, well rounded, and consistent.  From a stats point of view he wasn’t spectacular, but one thing did stand out - he’d completed 100% of his attempted tackles. He also averaged a solid 3.6 interceptions per 90 mins.

Right after his signing, CB Gabrielsen went down with a minor injury, opening up a spot for Ditta to claim. He announced his arrival with a debut goal against San Jose and otherwise looked like a top MLS defender.

Colorado (H)

To finish out the league fixtures in July, Colorado returned to Austin’s Q2 stadium where they’d somehow managed to win in the previous season’s Western Conference Finals despite being dominated by Austin. They’d gone on to win the MLS Cup over Atlanta.

The press helpfully made a point of reminding Lindsay that his side had failed to get past GK Bond in their previous three attempts.

The match started no different, with Garcia and Druissi both spurning great chances and Colorado’s Bond making a series of excellent saves. Then, of course, Colorado scored against the run of play. After not one, not two, but three different lose balls fell directly to a Colorado player's feet in Austin’s half, a far post cross was headed in.

Here we go again, Lindsay thought.

At that time, Austin had an xG of 1.42 to Colorado’s 0.2 and they’re the ones who score? That’s football though. Colorado looked set to disappoint and frustrate Austin again.

Only Garcia decided to finally finish one of his chances against Colorado and drew Austin level just before the half. Finally, after 253 minutes of knocking on the Colorado goal, Austin finally beat Bond. Garcia had been so free and open that Lindsay had known he was offsides, only for VAR to show that he’d timed his run to perfection.

Colorado remained firm for the second 45, however, and Lindsay was at least relieved that they’d scored and were not going to lose…

Then Garcia pulled out another stoppage time winner as he bundled home a far post cross after ghosting away from his marker.

Finally, Austin managed to beat a Colorado team that had haunted them since their Leagues Cup exit the previous summer. It ended a streak in which Austin had lost three and drawn one. Lindsay hoped that they curse had been broken, and prayed that if they met again, Austin wouldn’t forget how to score all over again.

It was only a so-so June, but after a welcome two weeks without a match, Austin showed how truly good they were. In that 5 game stretch they scored 12 and only conceded 2.  What was even more impressive about this run was that RW Rigoni was sidelined with a twisted ankle from mid June on, and still Austin were deadly.

Lindsay now had Austin back top. Even with a game in hand they were top of the MLS standings with a three point lead on new challengers Montreal and six on NY Red Bulls [booo!!!!].

In the Western Conference they were a distant spec on the horizon for Portland, Colorado and Houston, who were all 17 points behind Austin. Portland especially had gone into a tailspin after their loss to Austin and were on a four game losing streak.

Edited April 15, 2023 by 13th Man

[GIMN]

Fantastic seeing how the team is adapting (and how those changes are reaping rewards).  Despite some disappointing draws, you're very much in control of your destiny.  5 teams from the Eastern Conference fill the top 6 in the MLS standings - is this indicative of the Eastern Conference being more competitive, or is your dominance in the West just supressing the teams in your division?

[13th Man]

14 minutes ago, GIMN said:

 5 teams from the Eastern Conference fill the top 6 in the MLS standings - is this indicative of the Eastern Conference being more competitive, or is your dominance in the West just supressing the teams in your division?

Likely a bit of both.  Austin have crushed a few souls in the Western Conference just as they were rounding into good form - see 3-0 to Portland and 3-1 to San Jose after which both went on very poor runs of form - and the Western teams have to play Austin twice, while the East only sees them once, which changes things as well.

Still, the East looks just a bit stronger overall, with Montreal and NY Red Bulls both good sides, while the West only has Austin as a standout team.

 

[13th Man]

Player Spotlight - GK Antonio Sivera

Spoiler

During Luthe’s terrible showing in the US Cup, Lindsay was reminded four times why Sivera had been a smart piece of business.  The Spaniard had been immense for Austin all season, his intelligence allowing him to always be in the right place at the right time. He’d also been fantastic against penalties, saving both of those he’d faced in matches, as well as the crucial one in the NACL shootout that had allowed Valencia to win the trophy with his next kick. 

He was third in the MLS in xG prevented, had a MLS leading 14 shutouts, and had been named the best keeper in the NACL.

Costing only $1.2m, Sivera had been as good, and possibly better than previous GK Chapeco who had cost Austin $3.4m. Where Chapeco may have been the more imposing physical presence, Sivera brought another level of intelligence to the position and appeared, on the whole, even better.

Sivera was proving to be a steal. Judging from Luthe’s horrific US Cup showing, Austin would have been in a very different place without Sivera between the sticks.

[SixPointer]

I have no love lost for SOCCER or any American sports for that matter but your save really has my attention and makes me ponder what If I gave it a try! Perhaps even just as a beta save. Sublime work as always!

[13th Man]

Leagues Cup

The Leagues Cup is a competition between the all MLS and Mexico’s Liga MX teams that starts with a two game group stage followed by five knockout rounds. It doesn’t completely interrupt the season, but the MLS slows to a trickle.

Austin had made it to the South Semi-Final (quarterfinal) the previous year before being knocked out by Colorado in a taste of what awaited them in the MLS Playoffs.

Another completion, another trophy for Austin.  They smashed through all comers, scoring 15 goals and only allowing 1 across 7 matches.  

The Leagues Cup had marked a turning point the previous year - it was during this competition that Austin’s squad truly began to tire and injuries piled up, leading to a difficult end of the season.  They’d won the Supporters Shield [League Title] on the back of the rest of the season’s results, but labored towards the end of the year.

In the 2024 edition, Austin seemed to go from strength to strength - and this despite two NACL group stage matches and two MLS matches which happened in the middle of all this [more on that in the next post.]

Highlights from the Leagues Cup included a come from behind 2-1 win over Colorado and two thorough demolitions of Liga MX sides, both times in Mexico.  The Colorado result showed that the league win in July wasn’t just a one off against their boogie team and the Mexico wins showed an Austin side that was no longer intimidated by hostile crowds.

LB Venegas especially enjoyed the win over his old club Tigres, who had not renewed his contract and allowed Austin to pick him up on a free. Since then, Austin had met Tigres three times and come out on top each time. Venegas even provided the assist that opened the scoring in route to their 2-0 win.

A surprisingly easy 3-0 win over MLS side Atlanta at home in the Q2 seemed simply inevitable…

The semi-final match against Toluca was especially enjoyable after Austin’s previous visit there in the NACL had been extremely difficult.

A wonderstrike from Rigoni - a curling effort from outside the box into the top corner - started Austin off, but their other three goals were simply excellent team play.

The third was a move of pure quality, showing not only Austin’s excellent movement, but also an example of playing through a Toluca team that was pressing hard, especially in midfield.

DM Valencia receives the ball under pressure, turns, and finds CM(a) Roldan who was intelligently showing back to the ball from where he’d been previously, in line with the forwards.  He then receives the ball with some space to operate in.

RW Rigoni follows Roldan’s example and drops into the space as the CM turns and plays a quick ball to Rigoni. With a Toluca midfielder bearing down on him, Roldan moves the ball quickly. On the right, RB Lima starts to move into the space opening up on the flank.

Rigoni receives the ball and quickly turns, playing Lima into the space down the right.

Given the open grass in front of him, Lima is surely tempted to drive to the byline and put in a cross.  Toluca’s backline, however, are tracking back well and the cross would likely have been dealt with easily.  Instead, Lima carries the ball long enough to pull the CB out to the flank before spotting the run of CM(a) Roldan.  The out of position CB creates a huge space in the center for Austin to exploit.

With one CB out of position, Garcia gets inside his marker and charges into the open space.  Roldan doesn’t even take a touch, sending a perfectly weighted ball into the box first time. 

Garcia is in, and tucks the ball just inside the near post to put Austin up 3-0.

With a fifth trophy added to Austin’s cabinet, they now looked to finish off the season strong, retain the league title, then grab the MLS Cup which had narrowly eluded them the previous two seasons.

Lindsay’s stock was rising further as he led Austin to a fifth trophy. Now he’d made it not just into the American hall of fame, but the North American (continental) roll of honor as the 15th most successful coach to manage in North America.

[13th Man]

8 hours ago, SixPointer said:

I have no love lost for SOCCER or any American sports for that matter but your save really has my attention and makes me ponder what If I gave it a try! Perhaps even just as a beta save. Sublime work as always!

The whole trades and salary cap thing is frustrating but also quite interesting. There are players that are an absolute steal in terms of transfer fees, but not worth it due to the salary cap impact. Then there are top players you can get for practically nothing because they get cut by other teams.

Adding in the need for a lot of depth as if you’re in Europe even if it’s just the MLS due to the compact schedule, and you have a very interesting and challenging team building exercise.

Lindsay is still hoping to move, but despite continuing success in the MLS, no European clubs have shown any interest…

Edited April 16, 2023 by 13th Man

[Hootieleece]

8 hours ago, 13th Man said:

Lindsay is still hoping to move, but despite continuing success in the MLS, no European clubs have shown any interest…

I feel sorry for Lindsay in my current Journeyman (As an American that started in England (No Badges) I am in the '26-'27 season. Started Unemployed in March '23. Started in VNN with Brackley in June of '23.  Promoted as Champions. Team Survived in VNL ('24 -'25) but wouldn't go Professional after the season. I resigned. Joined Boreham Wood (VNL) Two weeks later. After an overachieving made playoffs from Pre-season 15th place ('25-'26). I was offered an Interview with Swansea in the Championship. (I now have Continental Badge B) Didn't get it and started a new season with Boreham but will look to move after this season.

I think there is a Bias against Coaches from MLS without "European Seasoning" just like in real life. 

Only Bob Bradley has made the jump and he lasted 3 months at Swansea!

Jesse Marsch got a chance because he had been at RB Salzburg and RB Leipzig.

[GIMN]

The trophies just keep on coming!!

Any possibility of a move south of the border?  Mexico or South America to see if that helps increase your profile/reputation?

[13th Man]

5 hours ago, Hootieleece said:

I think there is a Bias against Coaches from MLS without "European Seasoning" just like in real life. 

Only Bob Bradley has made the jump and he lasted 3 months at Swansea!

Jesse Marsch got a chance because he had been at RB Salzburg and RB Leipzig.

This is absolutely true...but it's also been shown as correct including Marsch's recent stint at Leeds.

Glad your avatar gets to climb the English ladder by starting there.  I did a test save where England was open, but felt like a random League 2 midlands club reaching out to a random American sounded far fetched.  This was back in FM22, so they may have changed that up a bit.

[13th Man]

1 minute ago, GIMN said:

The trophies just keep on coming!!

Any possibility of a move south of the border?  Mexico or South America to see if that helps increase your profile/reputation?

Mexico would be similar, reputation wise - especially with Austin now a 3.5 star club.  South America could be interesting, but I think that would be a very unusual path to take - and I wonder if Brazilian and Argentinian clubs would be even more wary of an American manager than European ones.

[Hootieleece]

3 hours ago, 13th Man said:

This is absolutely true...but it's also been shown as correct including Marsch's recent stint at Leeds.

Glad your avatar gets to climb the English ladder by starting there.  I did a test save where England was open, but felt like a random League 2 midlands club reaching out to a random American sounded far fetched.  This was back in FM2to a2, so they may have changed that up a bit.

I applied to a bunch of VNN and VNS Clubs and other low-level clubs before I got the job with Brackley.  I don't use anything other than regular database, so these are some of the smallest clubs available. Also I got hired in the summer after season was over.

I also start looking for employment on the day that I started the save. I vacationed till 3/23/23 before I started putting in applications.

No MLS teams would touch me.......no badges!

I justified it in my mind as I was emigrating to England to further my love of Soccer!

 

 

[Hootieleece]

To end the Jesse Marsch/American Manager in Europe talk. I found this article:https://theathletic.com/4408908/2023/04/14/jesse-marsch-debate-leeds-usmnt-southampton-leicester/

 

I apologize if you can't read it. I found it very interesting. Sorry for derailing the thread.

 

 

Back to Lindsay's Quest!

 

[dtown1414]

1 hour ago, Hootieleece said:

To end the Jesse Marsch/American Manager in Europe talk. I found this article:https://theathletic.com/4408908/2023/04/14/jesse-marsch-debate-leeds-usmnt-southampton-leicester/

 

I apologize if you can't read it. I found it very interesting. Sorry for derailing the thread.

 

 

Back to Lindsay's Quest!

 

Thanks for sharing this article. For years, I've been hoping that more American players would make it to the higher level clubs in Europe. Still not many in the English Premier League, but slowly improving. As far as Managers, still got a way to go there. 

[13th Man]

9 hours ago, Hootieleece said:

To end the Jesse Marsch/American Manager in Europe talk. I found this article:https://theathletic.com/4408908/2023/04/14/jesse-marsch-debate-leeds-usmnt-southampton-leicester/

 

I apologize if you can't read it. I found it very interesting. Sorry for derailing the thread.

 

 

Back to Lindsay's Quest!

 

Interesting article certainly.  I didn't watch a lot of his Leeds side, but I did feel like it was very American.  Lots of running and...I wasn't quite sure what else. I wanted to root for the guy but...

[13th Man]

In other news

In the middle of their run in the Leagues Cup, Austin also had two MLS matches, and the first two group stage matches of the 24/25 NACL.

All of which went fantastically well.  

In the NACL, a solid Liga MX side Leon were blown away in their own stadium.  Between Austin’s Leagues Cup exploits in Mexico, Lindsay was beginning to think that Austin had to be considered the best team in North America.  Before, they’d had difficulty in Mexico, and were only dominant in Austin.  With CB Carlos and CM(a) Roldan able to register for the NACL, and new arrival Ditta forming an excellent partnership with Carlos, it seems that they were just dominant everywhere.  Later a heavily rotated Austin team were able to trot to an easy victory over Canadian Premier side Forge FC.

In the MLS, the Vancouver match was notable, but not even because of the 5-1 scoreline.

Truth be told, Vancouver looked the better side for the first ten minutes. Set up in a deep 3-4-1-2, they were able to frustrate Austin and hit them on the counter - which is how they scored the opening goal.

With Lindsay already playing with a traditional LB instead of the usual IWB to overload the flanks, he decided to make a slight tweak to LW Druissi’s role.  Instead of a IW - staying wide until he received the ball - he instructed Druissi to be an IF and take up more central positions in general knowing that LB Criscito would provide the width.

The result?  A ten minute hat trick for Druissi as Austin went from a goal down to comfortably in front in the blink of an eye.  Druissi’s positioning in the half spaces caused Vancouver all sorts of problems.  They couldn’t just mark him with the fullback and give support with their CBs or DMs. His more central positioning forced them to either get out of shape or allow him space in which to operate.  They chose the latter and it cost them dearly.

The 3-0 win over Nashville with an entirely rotated side not only allowed Austin to stay rested for the Leagues Cup semi-final that resulted in the 4-0 win over Toluca, but clinched the Western Conference for Austin with six matches remaining.  It also widened the gap between them and Montreal to six points.  The Supporters Shield wasn’t quite in the bag yet, but Austin were in an excellent position to retain the league title.

[13th Man]

The wall

Austin were a side known for their attacking talent.  Two of their three designated players were wingers, and their eye catching possession numbers and many highlight reel goals gave them a reputation as an attacking team.  Though they’d spent much of the season in the top three for goals scored, their recent resurgence propelled them to the top spot - with 50 in 28 MLS matches, with NY Red Bulls just behind with 49 and Montreal with 47.

What isn’t talked about as much, is that Austin boasts the best defense in the MLS this season by a wide margin.  Lindsay inherited a very good attacking side, but what has improved each year is the defense, which this year has been smothering.

Conceding one every other game on average, they’ve only conceded 14 in 28 matches. The second best defense is Montreal who’ve conceded 22, 8 more than Austin. They’ve conceded more than one goal in any single match only once in the league - the early season 2-0 loss to LAFC - and four total occasions all season long - Sivera’s first match away to Monterrey, the NACL final, and the US Cup match with a fully rotated side and Luthe in goal.

I

LB Venegas is continuing to prove perfect for the IWB role in this Austin side, combining solid defensive work with excellent on the ball skills. He’s really a hybrid defender and midfielder and plays both roles in a way that allows Austin to be at their best. What’s interesting is that almost none of this shows up on the stat sheet, where he looks distinctly average.

His role doesn’t give him many opportunities for assists, but he’s crucial to linking the backline and the midfield to allow Austin to play out of the back. In possession he essentially joins the duo of DM Valencia and BBM Ring while allowing the CM(a) to charge higher and join the forward line. This is the IWB role in a nutshell, but Venegas performs it perfectly and with total comfort. He rarely loses possessions in dangerous areas, usually keeping things simple - but he’s also good for an excellent cross field ball on a regular basis.Defensively, he was rarely beaten on the dribble, and generally was able to make life difficult for opposing wingers. 

A few Mexican sides had shown interest in during their offseason, but he had shown no interest in returning home. While one offer was significant, and matched the business office’s valuation of him, it wasn’t nearly enough to tempt Lindsay to sell. The last thing he needed was to scramble for a mid season replacement.

The relatively new partnership of Carlos and Ditta, born out a fortuitous free transfer, was proving to be an extremely effective one. In the 11 games that Ditta started, Austin allowed just 5.  As a partnership, however, Ditta and Carlos were incredible, with only 2 allowed in 8 matches started together - and those being the first two.  They had not conceded as a pair in six straight matches.

Beyond his defensive abilities, Ditta’s impressive 8.29 progressive passes from the CB spot showed his quality on the ball. Playing as a ball playing centerback Ditta did an excellent job of starting attacks on Austin’s overload right side. He could often be seen confidently playing the ball 30-40 yards up to the CM(a) or the RW.

Otherwise, like Venegas on the left, the stats weren’t especially impressive. What Ditta and Carlos were able to do, instead, was be in the right places to stop opposing forwards from having much of a chance to cause problems. They did the simple things well so they rarely were forced into last ditch blocks and tackles. Austin’s ability to keep possession also kept stats like tackles and interceptions per 90 low.

Ditta had proven to be a slight but noticeable improvement upon Gabrielsen, who was generally excellent, but prone to losing his focus on occasion. More importantly, he had four trusted CBs. With Carlos and Ditta being top class, reliable MLS CBs, he also had former MLS Defender of the Year in Gabrielsen, NACL winner De Los Santos (though he was also depth at DM) and a promising youngster in 19 year old Cobb.

On the right RB Lima was quietly solid, contributing in all phases of play. His backup young Brazilian Ataide was more than capable and while he was a bit less polished as a defender he was possibly a bit better than Lima in possession.

With the previously covered Sivera excellent in goal (and seeming getting even better) and DM Valencia’s aggression and interceptions protecting them from many a through ball, Austin’s backline was quietly proving to be as much of a strength as their star wingers.

[Hootieleece]

Even though your known for Attacking prowess. I thoroughly endorse being defensively sound first.

Usually, my first actions when taking over a club is finding a CB pairing and a GK. As well as build up team support with outings to the Local Pub!

 

[13th Man]

On 18/04/2023 at 04:51, Hootieleece said:

Usually, my first actions when taking over a club is finding a CB pairing and a GK. As well as build up team support with outings to the Local Pub!

This is always my focus too - Lindsay started with a great CB pairing, but a terrible keeper and no LB - both those were fixed as a priority!

[13th Man]

Home Stretch

The final stretch of the season was very nearly perfect. They ended the season with 12 straight wins before drawing with Orlando City on the final day. In a league known for its parity, this was quite an accomplishment.

Highlights included a 4-0 thrashing of LAFC and a tough 2-1 win over NY Red Bulls (booo!!!!).

The win over LAFC was especially satisfying after Austin’s early season loss in LA. That loss turned out to be Austin’s only loss of the season. It happened early enough that it was never a question, but it showed how close Austin were to an “invincibles” season.

The 2-1 win over NY Red Bulls had the feeling of a playoff preview, with two of the MLS’s best three teams facing off. Red Bulls had led the standings for a long while before falling away but were still in contention for the top spot in the Eastern Conference.  The match itself featured excellent play from Austin as they leapt out to a 2-0 lead by passing through NY’s high octane press. The Red Bulls kept fighting hard though, and eventually managed to score through a penalty and push for an equalizer. They were getting joy down Austin’s right, to the point that Lindsay put a center back at RB to solidify that side.

A draw at Orlando was a disappointment, but only slightly as Austin had played a strong side midweek in the NACL group stage match that ensured Austin’s progress to the knockout rounds - and secured the single point that gave them the MLS points record in a season with 79.

Unsurprisingly, after a dominant end to the season, Austin won its second consecutive Supporters Shield (league title) well before the end of the season. Not only that, but without the draws that plagued them mid season, Austin ended up finishing 18 points ahead of their closest competitors in Montreal, and 26 ahead of the closest Western Conference side. Their goal difference was greater than that of the two closest teams combined.

After a truly dominant season, Austin looked set to finally jump that last hurdle and actually win the MLS Cup that had eluded them the previous two years.

The last match before Austin’s playoffs began, however, was a horrifying reality check in their last NACL group stage match.

Against a team that barely snuck into the Eastern Conference playoffs [though did beat 3rd best in MLS NY Red Bulls in the first round], Austin scored first and seemed to be in control of the match. Austin’s supposedly vaunted defense crumbled in the final 30 mins, allowing three goals.

The blame could not be placed on an single player, with all of the back four and Sivera suddenly looking strangely disorganized and vulnerable [especially annoying after the glowing write up they just got!].

Lindsay very much hoped this was just an off game - a sort of dead rubber with Austin very much looking past this match with the Western Conference semifinals just around the corner [aka, MLS Cup quarters].  As it was, it meant Austin were unable to top their group in the NACL.

Austin couldn’t afford another off match such as their first opponents in the playoffs would be Colorado team that always played Austin tough.  Able to absorb a lot of pressure and hit teams on the break, Colorado were built to beat Austin.  Lindsay had been able to get the better of them in the past two meetings, but this match would surely bring back memories of the Western Conference final the year before… 

[13th Man]

Decisions, Decisions 

Lindsay is surprisingly torn as a third season in Austin comes to a close.

From the beginning, he’d hoped to escape to Europe as soon as possible, but he’d grown more attached to Austin after taking control of transfers and contracts, allowing him to fully implement his vision. So he was met with a similar choice to the previous season.

Stay in Austin another year and enjoy what he’d built? Or leave and begin his journey in Europe?

On the one hand, even if Austin should fall short in the playoffs again, Lindsay’s Austin have been the dominant force in not just the MLS but North America. Lindsay has won nearly every competition there is to compete in - two league titles, two NACL trophies, the Leagues Cup, and a Western Conference Championship. They’ve been a kick away from winning the MLS Cup once, and were very unlucky not to reach the final the second season. Lindsay didn’t have anything more to prove at Austin.

On the other hand, Lindsay had plenty of reasons to stay.  After building a tactic to suit the players he started with, he’d now built a squad that could execute that tactic at a very high level. He also had some ideas in mind to make the tactic more flexible with the personnel he’d have coming in. 

He was also about to finish his Continental A license, but could likely get his Continental Pro the following year.

Several team leaders were set to leave - one due to a contract dispute, the other retiring. This was both a reason to stay and keep the ship steady (Lindsay had plans) or to leave before he was forced into a rebuild.

So staying would give him the chance to cement himself as a club legend and Austin as a dynasty, while continuing to grow his reputation and get his badges.

But what more did he have to prove?

He was only 37 and had most of his career ahead of him. Why not enjoy one more year of competing for major trophies before he headed off to what would likely be a difficult slog in Europe? Wouldn’t his reputation be bettered by more trophies? European teams weren’t exactly knocking down his door looking to sign him.

But was that enough to keep him interested?

Edited April 23, 2023 by 13th Man

[GIMN]

5 hours ago, 13th Man said:

Several team leaders were set to leave - one due to a contract dispute, the other retiring. This was both a reason to stay and keep the ship steady (Lindsay had plans) or to leave before he was forced into a rebuild.

Not that I'm doubting your ability to keep Austin at the top, but this feels like a good reason to desperately try and leave after this season.  Maybe even just to a higher reputation MLS club, if Europe still eludes you.

[13th Man]

2 minutes ago, GIMN said:

Not that I'm doubting your ability to keep Austin at the top, but this feels like a good reason to desperately try and leave after this season.  Maybe even just to a higher reputation MLS club, if Europe still eludes you.

Funny thing is - Austin is one of the few 3.5 star teams in the MLS after all the success so far. It’s possible that some still have a higher reputation, but not by a lot.

[GIMN]

8 minutes ago, 13th Man said:

Funny thing is - Austin is one of the few 3.5 star teams in the MLS after all the success so far. It’s possible that some still have a higher reputation, but not by a lot.

I don't know the mechanics in game, but maybe success with one of the more "established" franchises will help grease those wheels.  That said, the Continental Pro license will probably help more!

[Sahaj Oberoi]

Go to a European club in my opinion. You have built a great foundation for success at Austin and with some good succession planning it will remain a top tier MLS team for many years. I would recommend you to pick a mid table club in Europe's top 5 leagues or a club like Ajax, Benfica, Celtic or Anderlecht.

[Hootieleece]

Are you actually applying or waiting for a European Club to come to you?

As an American unless you have some success in Europe (even in the VNL) you have to be proactive and apply on your own.

Try to find a "Sleeping Giant" in the Level Two Leagues (Championship, Ligue 2, Bundeliga 2, Serie B etc.) get them promoted and then assess if you want to leave for a bigger job.

[Jogo Bonito]

I've read quite a lot of this and really like the difference of the MLS career. You're doing a fine job there.

I've only ever tried Stateside once, a long time ago with NYRB. I really liked how different it was, but don't think I have the time or bravery to reacquaint myself with all their rules!

Keep up the good work.

[13th Man]

6 hours ago, Sahajpal Oberoi said:

I would recommend you to pick a mid table club in Europe's top 5 leagues or a club like Ajax, Benfica, Celtic or Anderlecht.

This has been the hope, but the MLS is considered a backwater. Even though Austin have been dominant there, anyone in the the big 5 won’t touch Lindsay, and neither will legendary clubs Ajax etc. So the question is - better to win more with a dominant Austin team and get that final coaching badge? Or move to a struggling struggling side, whether that’s in the Eredivise/Jupiter Pro, or in the 2nd division of a bigger country, but at least be in Europe?

6 hours ago, Hootieleece said:

Are you actually applying or waiting for a European Club to come to you?

Lindsay has been applying sporadically, lowering hopes and expectations along the way. The sleeping giants/under-performers have said he’s a good candidate but doesn’t make the shortlist.

He hasn’t been declaring interest, however, after getting in a bit of trouble with the Austin board.

3 hours ago, Jogo Bonito said:

I've read quite a lot of this and really like the difference of the MLS career. You're doing a fine job there.

I've only ever tried Stateside once, a long time ago with NYRB. I really liked how different it was, but don't think I have the time or bravery to reacquaint myself with all their rules!

Keep up the good work.

Thanks! I didn’t expect to dig into that side of it - was going to let the DoF take care of that. Until he torpedoed the end of a great season by letting two important players go.

Since then I actually enjoyed the strange combination of the American and World squad building challenges!

[13th Man]

The only thing to fear, is fear itself

It was a match that Austin really should be winning, but Colorado had always been a difficult matchup for Austin.  Even though Lindsay had gotten the better of them in the 2024 season (2W-1D-0L), the awful memories of the 2023 Western Conference final were still fresh in Lindsay’s mind.  To have another promising season end in bitter defeat at the hands of Colorado was a thought Lindsay couldn’t bear.

There was no repeat of the 2023 Western Conference Finals. Austin took control of this match early and never let go.  While it may have just been a fortuitous bit of luck and hard work combined, the first goal seemed to stem from a new instruction that Lindsay had added to this match.

With Colorado happy to absorb pressure and dangerous on the break - with wingers that could cause trouble by physically overmatching Austin’s fullbacks - Lindsay didn’t want Colorado to be able to break.  So he decided to counter-press when they lost the ball.  This would hopefully force some rushed clearances or at least some backpasses that would allow Austin’s backline to get organized.

It only took 12 minutes for Garcia to follow these instructions to get himself the opening goal.  Colorado recovered the ball in their own box, but were instantly put under pressure.  The CB turned, trying to lay it back to his keeper, but Garcia pounced, nicked the ball, and blasted it past Bond in goal to set Austin off on a far easier win than Lindsay had expected.

In the end, Garcia bagged another goal, and Rigoni joined the fun with a curling effort in the 82nd minute.  More importantly, however, Colorado were allowed only two shots all match, and none on target.

Austin had beaten San Jose twice, including a 3-1 win in San Jose.  The only issue?  Due to the NACL match against DC United, the game against Colorado had been postponed to…three days before the Western Conference final.  That meant that while San Jose were on a full week of rest, Austin had only two days between their win over Colorado and another massive playoff match.

[Hootieleece]

Recovery sessions are your friend during those short turn arounds. I often do one each morning and something light like Community Outreach for the midday session the day before a match (especially home games).

Good luck.

 

PS. My Avatar (when American) has never started in MLS and tried to jump across the pond.  I've done it with non-American avatars with good badges and backgrounds.

I think that any amount of success in Europe is overrated by FM.....in current save I went from VNL to the Championship. (Multiple Clubs chose to interview me (Stoke, Swansea, Cardiff, Millwall, QPR) after a promotion VNN to VNL and several Playoff runs) 

I may try your way (MLS to Europe) or do my Preston NE project as my next Career Update. I'm beginning to feel the itch again.