[FM20] The North Remembers

[bpecanha]

Paysandu Sport Club - The North Remembers

 

April 24, 2003. The brazilian side Paysandu Sport Club headed to Argentina to face Boca Juniors in their most important match ever. In the Round of 16 of the Copa Libertadores, the South American version of the Champions League, Papão da Curuzu shocked the continent and won by 1-0, with the goal scored by striker Iarley. Unfortunately, they lost by 4-2 in the second leg, played at a packed Mangueirão, in Belém, Pará state, and were knocked out. But history was made.

Before that game, only two brazilian clubs had won Boca away in a Copa Libertadores match: Pelé's Santos, in 1963, and Cruzeiro, in 1994. After that match, Fluminense (2012) and Palmeiras (2018) also managed to win in the mighty stadium.

Since that match, no other club from the North of Brazil managed do get into the Copa Libertadores again. In fact, Paysandu was the last club from the region to play in the Brazilian First Division, in 2005.

My aim at this career is to win the Copa Libertadores with Paysandu. In real life, the club plays at the 17k seater Curuzu, and big matches at the 45k Mangueirão stadium. After some seasons in the Série B, the club went down to the third division in 2018. Their biggest rivals are Clube do Remo (also in the Série C), making the Re-Pa derby. Paysandu also has a minor rivalry with non-league side Tuna Luso Brasileira, who were a regular Série B club in the 80s/90s.

Curuzu stadium in Belém, Pará

 

In next posts, I'm going to explain what happened in the career so far, as I've started posting here while I was in 2024 - keep reading. But first, here are some game details so far:

Patch: 20.4

Databases used: FC'12 Brazilian Teams Colors & Kits Hoftix 2020, MRT90 Brazil and Realistic Transfer Preferences by DaveIncid and MajesticEternity

Leagues loaded: Brazil (non-league teams and above), Argentina (Primera B), Chile (Primera División B), Colombia (Torneo Postobon), Peru (Copa Movistar), Uruguay (Segunda División), Mexico (Ascenso MX), England (League Two), France (National), Germany (2. Bundesliga), Italy (Serie B), Portugal (Liga II Ledman), Russia (FNL), Spain (LaLiga 2), Turkey (TFF 1. Lig) and Ukraine (Persha Liha).

Current player count: 109k

Career progress:

Edited August 3, 2020 by bpecanha

[bpecanha]

2020 RECAP
Pará State Championship and Serie C winners

When I arrived at the club, I found a squad with high wages, but also high quality for the third division. My first match in charge was against our fierce rivals Remo and a defeat would be terrible, but a late goal from Nicolas (who would become favoured personnel of the club) sealed the important 1-0 win.

In terms of tactics, we played in a 5-2-2-1 formation with two quick wing backs in Bruno Collaço and Tony. With that, Paysandu managed to win the Pará State Championship with zero losses, knocking out Remo in the semis (3-0 agg) and thrashing Águia de Marabá in the final (7-0 agg).

Our start in the Série C was thunderous, with 40 points in 16 games, securing qualification to the Promotion Group Stage with two rounds to go. But I decided to play the last two matches in the regular stage with reserves and the result was tough: 0-3 against Manaus and 1-5 against Santa Cruz. 

These two losses really affected the team. The Promotion Stage consisted of two groups with four teams in each, with every club playing six matches. Two best clubs from each club are promoted to Série B, and group winners play in the final to decide the Série C champions. Our form dipped and we started wih only two points in three matches, meaning that we would need an perfect 2nd half of the stage to qualify. 

With time running out, I've changed to a more conservative 4-2-3-1 and things went well: wins against São Bento away (1-0), Ypiranga home (2-1) and Santa Cruz away (1-0) secured us the promotion and the first position. In the final, we have faced Vila Nova. With wins in both games (2-0 home and 1-0 away), Paysandu lifted the Série C trophy.

In terms of cups, we went with reserves and lost in the 1st round of Copa Verde (competition with North and Midwest clubs plus Espírito Santo, in southeast) against non-league side Anapolina. In the Brazilian Cup, our run ended in the 2nd round against top Série B side América Mineiro with a 1-0 loss at home.

Transfers:

We only brought in four players: ball winning midfielder Jéferson Silva, an argentinian experienced playmaker in Damián Escudero and two youngsters on loan: center back Ericson (from Grêmio) and right back Cayo Tenório (from Vasco da Gama).

Four players also went out: Cayque, Paulo Ricardo and Lucas Geovani on loan, and right back Netinho was sold to swedish side Vasteras SK.

WHERE ARE THEY NOW?

In:

• Jéferson Silva - retired from football.
• Damián Escudero - retired; now unemployed Ast. Manager
• Ericson - playing for Série D side Barbalha
• Cayo Tenório - playing for Série B side Chapecoense

Out:

• Cayque - playing for non-league side Goianésia
• Paulo Ricardo - playing for Série D side Central
• Lucas Geovani - playing for non-league side Rio Preto
• Netinho - playing for currently swedish runners up Hammarby IF

Youth intake:

We have signed with five players - most notable was Alexandre Vitor, a talented striker who was quickly snapped by Flamengo for 450k). The other prospects were Giovanni (BWM), Ângelo Vicente (ST), Severino (AM) and Edicleber (DM).

WHERE ARE THEY NOW?
Alexandre Vitor - still at Flamengo. He broke into the 1st team in 2023 and has made 18 appearances so far, but failed to score.

Giovanni - he only made one appearance for Paysandu in 2021, but failed to impress and was released in 2022. In 2024, he signed with portuguese side Vitória de Setúbal and was quickly loaned to youth club Desportivo Beja.

Ângelo Vicente - still at the club, but currently is loaned at non-league side Inter de Limeira. He made his first appearance in 2021 (in a total of 13), with one goal scored in 2024 Série A, but he's far from our standards right now.

Severino - the last Number 10, he's a classic Enganche and made several appearances for our club: 75, to be exact. He was really important in our 2022 Série B campaign, with six goals and nine assists. He won the Pará State Best Player prize in 2022, and was also elected to our seasonal squad in 2021 and 2022. Now, he's at our reserves as he didn't developed as I expected.

Edicleber - the ball winning midfielder is on loan at non-league side Sinop. He only made two senior appearances for us.

SEASON SUMMARY

Campeonato Brasileiro Série C
Media Prediction: 1st
Final position: 1st (C, P)

Pará State Championship
Media Prediction: 1st
Final position: 1st (C, unbeaten)

Copa Verde
Board Prediction: Semi-finals
Final position: 1st round (knocked out by Anapolina)

Brazilian Cup
Board Prediction: 2nd round
Final position: 2nd round (knocked out by America Mineiro)

[bpecanha]

2021 RECAP

Pará State Championship winners and Brazilian Cup quarter-finalists

Our first season at Série B saw a very active Paysandu at the transfer market (which will be detailed later). In the Pará State Championship, we managed to win again unbeaten, with only one draw at the regular stage, against the brave 10-men side of Itupiranga. We also registered our biggest win so far, with an incredible 12-0 thrashing against São Raimundo.

After knocking out Águia de Marabá in the semis (5-2 agg), our rotated team faced Paragominas in the finals and almost lost. In the first match, they scored two goals in the stoppage time to draw 2-2, but we won 1-0 at Curuzu to secure another unbeaten trophy.

In the Série B, we had a difficult start with only nine points in nine games, fighting against relegation. However, our form became better and we managed great wins against Ceará (6-1), Oeste (5-0) and league leaders (at the time) Botafogo (3-1), but our chances of promotion were over with some rounds to go. With five consecutive wins at the end of the season, Paysandu finished in a respectable 5th place.

But our best run was in the Copa do Brasil. Starting in the 1st round, we easily won União Rondonópolis (4-0) and Barbalha (5-0) to advance to the 3rd round, where we faced money powered Hulk's Red Bull Bragantino. Surprisingly, we won 3-0 at home with a hat-trick from Igor Cássio. In Bragança Paulista, Erik scored twice, but the Bulls were unable to score again and we advanced.

After that, we have faced two other Série A clubs: Atlético from Goiás and Coritiba. Against Goianiense, two wins (4-0 and 2-1). Against Copa Libertadores side Coritiba, a 2-0 away win secured a great advantage, but they managed to score 3-1 at Curuzu. Again, Igor Cássio appeared with a late goal to make it 3-2 and qualify Paysandu to the quarter-finals.

In the quarter-finals, we have faced the brazilian champions in Santos. Our exhibition away was nice and Santos only won by 1-0 with an early goal from Marinho. However, our match at home was poor and the Peixe easily made 4-0 to advance.

Our Copa Verde run ended in the quarter-finals against Goiás. After a draw (0-0) at home, we lost 2-1 away.

Transfers: 

It was a busy market for Paysandu, with a lot of loans and free transfers. Our only two money signings were of Igor Cássio (ST) and Reginaldo (AMR). We have also loaned lots of players and sold three of them: youth prospect Alexandre Vitor, Phillipe Guimarães (DM) and Afonso (GK).

WHERE ARE THEY NOW?

In:

• Leonel Mosevich (CB) - played for us on loan for only six months. He went for argentinian side Los Andes and now Série B side Sport Recife bought him.
• Ulisses (CB) - another player who came on loan, this time from Vasco da Gama. Now he's at Série B side Bahia, signed for a fee of 475k in 2024.
• Igor Cássio (ST) - Signed for a fee of 375k, he was an absolutely steal for our club. A very competent pressing forward, he made so far 136 official matches (excluding the State League), with 57 goals. His market value is at 8,5M and he's a favoured personnel at the club.
• Giovanni (DL) - Loaned from Bahia to be a backup, he had a sad injury that unfortunately ended his career. He's retired from football.
• Ricardo Ryller (DM) - Loaned from portuguese side Braga, he signed on a free with our club in 2022 and here he still. Now he's only a squad player, but with 98 matches and 15 goals, he's surely an important name in our run.
• Nenê Bonilha (AM) - He came on loan from Fortaleza and was really important in 2021. The playmaker is now at Al-Ra'ed from Saudi Arabia.
• Gabriel Veron (LW) - The youngster was loaned from Palmeiras and quickly became one of the best players at the club. Now, he's a regular starter for them.
• Reginaldo (RW) - Not the best piece of business from our club. Bought for 49.5k, he only made six goals in 54 apps and was released in 2023. Now, he's playing for Série C side Fortaleza.
• Mathías Laborda (CB) - Brought on a free from uruguayan side Nacional, he became our best center back and still at the club, with 119 apps and seven goals scored.
• Ramon (LB) - A great left back who was loaned from Flamengo and developed his football here. He was our first choice until this year, when his contract with Flamengo ended and we couldn't renew his loan or sign him on a free (he's kinda stuck at the club at the moment).
• Yan (RW) - Loaned from Palmeiras, his incisive style of dribbling quickly settled into our tactics and he became really important. In 2023, he signed for us on a free. He has made 124 apps for the club, with 38 goals and 21 assists.
• Paulo Vitor (GK) - He came to be an option in goal and that was exactly what he was: a decent sub goalkeeper. Now he's at Aimoré, in the Série D.
• Bakary Koné (CB) - The experienced player from Burkina Faso came to add depth into the position, but failed to impress. He ended his career in 2023 at argentinian side San Telmo and became an Assistant Manager yet to get a job.

Out:

• Micael (GK) - An experienced goalkeeper, he was sold to Académica from Portugal and ended his career in 2022. He's now a HOYD.
• Alexandre Vitor (ST) - please read 2020 youth players section.
• Diego Matos (LB) - He was our reserve left back in the Série C, at the time he was loaned to Red Bull Brasil. Now he's at non-league side Esportivo.
• Alan Calbergue (AM) - Same case of Diego Matos. Now he's at Série D side Campinense.
• Cayque (DM) and Lucas Geovani (DM) - please read 2020 transfers.
• Willyam (DM) - At the time, he was loaned to non-league side Juventus from São Paulo. He turned into a decent name who could play for Série C side, but currently wants to leave non-league Caldense.
• Jorge (ST) - He was the best prospect when I arrived at the club, but failed to develop. Loaned to River from Piauí in 2021, he was finally sold in 2024 to Série D side Brasiliense.
• Philippe Guimarães (DM) - The defensive midfielder was important in our Série C, but then lost space and was sold to Desportivo das Aves. Now he's at portuguese third division side CD Sobrado.
• Afonso (GK) - He was a decent young goalkeeper, but Lyon-Duchére from France came with an offer and I decided to sell him. Now he plays for non-league side Nova Iguaçu.

YOUTH INTAKE:

It was a really poor intake, to be fair, but I tried to give a chance to this youth players, so I signed with almost all of them. I'll show briefly how everyone is doing right now:

Jesus (GK) - Failed to breaktrough our senior squad. He's now at Colorado (non-league).

Alessandro Monteiro (CM) - played only one senior match for us and was released in 2024. Now he's at Série C side Bangu.

Julimar Constância (ST) - Still at our Reserves, but failed to appear for our senior squad so far.

Éder Diego (DM) - Still at our U20s, but failed to appear for our senior squad so far.

Welliton (DM) - He's on loan at non-league side Linense after 10 senior appearances for us, with an average rating of 7.14.

Mauro (ST) - Played five senior matches (all in 2024), with four goals.

Auricélio (CB) - Failed to appear for our club, now he's at non-league side Jaciobá.

Danubio (CM) - On loan at Rio Claro, he has appeared in twelve matches for our club, with one goal and five assists.

João Daniel (RW) - Failed to appear for our club, now he's at non-league side Independência.

Gio (LB) - Still at our U20s and has made eight appearances for our club so far.

Formiga (LM) - Still at our U20s, but failed to appear for our senior squad so far.

Thárcio Vinícius (RM) - Still at our U20s, but failed to appear for our senior squad so far.

SEASON SUMMARY

Campeonato Brasileiro Série B
Media Prediction: 8th
Final position: 5th

Pará State Championship
Media Prediction: 1st
Final position: 1st (C, unbeaten)

Copa Verde
Board Prediction: Semi-finals
Final position: quarter-finals (knocked out by Goiás)

Brazilian Cup
Board prediction: 4th round
Final position: quarter-finals (knocked out by Santos)

 

Edited July 31, 2020 by bpecanha

[bpecanha]

2022 RECAP

Pará State Championship winners and promoted to Série A

 

Another busy season at the transfer market, with 15 players coming in and 14 going out. I'll detail it later. Our squad got balanced and determined, and the main goal was promotion to the Série A. In the state championship, an easy run to the trophy, with only two draws: 1-1 against Águia de Marabá in the regular stage and a 1-1 against Bragantino in the semifinals (we won 1-0 in the 1st leg).

In the finals, two easy wins against our rivals Remo to secure a 5-0 aggregate win and the third trophy win in a row.

In the Série B, we again had a irregular start, with three losses in the first five games, but after two great matches (6-0 against Náutico and 6-1 against Ferroviário), we ran riot and would only lose again in the 18th, away against Figueirense (3-1). The last match in the 1st half was against giants Cruzeiro, and we won 4-1.

After a really good start of 2nd half, our form sadly went from bad to worse in the last five matches, with just one win (against Figueirense), but that was enough to secure promotion. However, Cruzeiro overtook us on the lead and we needed a win away against them in the last round to be champions, but they won 1-0 with an early goal scored by Claudio Villagra, with only two minutes played. Despite that, it was a season to save as we came back to Série A.

In the Brazilian Cup, another good run. We won against ASA (3-0) and América Mineiro (1-0) to advance into the 3rd round, where we faced Sport Recife. After a 2-1 defeat in Pernambuco, we repeated the score at home. On penalties, Sport started winning 2-0, but we reacted and managed to advance.

In the fourth round, we knocked out Athletico Paranaense with two surprise wins (2-0 away and 2-1 home). But our run ended in the Round of 16 against Fluminense. We lost 2-0 at Maracanã, and our good match at home wasn't enough as we drew 0-0.

In the Copa Verde, we knocked out Porto Velho easily (5-0 agg), but had huge disappointment against Goiás. After a 0-0 draw away, they scored twice with Lucão in the early stages of the game to make it 2-1 and advanced.

TRANSFERS

Last year, we spent all our budget with Igor Cássio, in a decision who proved to be successful. This year, our budget was spread into a lot of players. In the end, the sale of Uilliam Barros made the balance reasonable. Let's check in detail what happened and see where are they now:

In:

• David Moura (CM) - We paid 110k to GD Chaves from Portugal to get him, and he was really important in the Série B. He still at the club as a fringe player and has made eleven appearances in 2024. So far, he made 74 appearances, with 16 goals scored.
• Guillermo De Amores (GK) - Experienced in the first division with spells with Fluminense and Avaí, the uruguayan came for 44k plus Nicolas. He still our number one goalkeeper and is reliable; so far, he made 96 appearances, with 79 goals conceded.
• Kevin (RB) - He came for 31.5k plus Caíque Oliveira from Fortaleza and is, since then, a good option at the defence. He's currently our starter right back and has made 80 appearances, with one goal and 15 assists.
• Ferreira (LW) - Transfer listed by Grêmio, he came for just 29.5k and became one of the best players at the club until we sold him to Internacional for 2.1M. Now he's at argentinian side Newell's Old Boys.
• Jairo Nunes (DM) - A young player who came from Brasiliense for just 6k, he's currently on loan at non-league side Madureira. He made five senior appearances so far.
• Quiel (RB) - So far, our best signing. We snapped him from lower league side PSTC for 2.8k and he quickly started to play and was our best right back. After 75 appearances, with four goals and 18 assists, Palmeiras bought him for 4.6M. We also have 50% of his next transfer fee - and he's transfer listed at Palmeiras.
• Matías Odone (LB) - He came on a free from Newell's Old Boys, but was a huge disappointment and played only 23 matches, with three assists. We sold him to Operário in 2024 for 70k.
• Ricardo Ryller (DM) - loan extension, read 2021 transfers.
• Reginaldo (CB) - He was released from Fluminense and we have wasted no time to sign him on a free. He still at the club as a squad player, but was important in the Série B. So far, he has 77 league games for us, with six goals.
• Wanderson (CB) - Another free signing, but he didn't played that much with us. With 25 games and three goals, he's at our reserves squad and will be released at the end of the current season.
• Leonardo Povea (DM) - This chilean midfielder had his contract expiring at Avaí and we snapped him. He was useful, but we sold him in 2024 to portuguese side Gil Vicente for 115k.
• Higor (DM) - He came on a free from lower league side Porto Velho and is a good prospect. Currently, he's on loan at Botafogo in the Third Division, but has made five senior appearances for us, with two goals. Maybe I'll use him next season.
• Eduardo (CM) - He came on loan from Nova Iguaçu just to add depth to our squad; now he's at Série D side Lagarto. 
• Leandro Godoy (ST) - We needed a striker to be a backup of Igor Cássio and Racing loaned him. He scored 14 goals in 37 matches, but I had other plans and he returned to Racing, where he still.
• Michael Rangel (LB) - A decent let back who came on loan from Flamengo, but didn't have played that much. Now he's at non-league side Jaraguá.

Out:

• Uilliam Barros (ST) - A decent striker with 22 goals in 60 matches for us, he was sold to Desportivo das Aves for 160k. With just 3 apps for the portuguese side, he ended his career with 29 years and retired from football.
• Willyam (DM), Bakary Koné (CB) - See 2021 transfers.
• Gabriel Leite (GK) - He was our backup goalkeeper, but lacked the level to play in the Série B and was sold for 7k to Itabaiana. Now with 36 years, he's an unemployed scout.
• Serginho (DM) - A starter on our Série C winners squad, he's also a Syrian international, but was released on a free to Boa Esporte. Now he's a free agent.
• Bruno Collaço (LB) - One of our best players when I arrived. I could still have used him if I wanted, but he had high wages and was aging, so I sent him to saudi club Damac. Now he's the reserves manager of Tupi.
• Tony (RB) - The exact same situation of Bruno Collaço, he went for saudi club Al-Ra'ed, where he played with Nenê Bonilha. Now he's an unemployed scout.
• Caíque Oliveira (CB) - He was a decent center back/defensive midfielder on his day, but was also aging, so I decided to let him go to Fortaleza in a swap with Kevin. Currently, he's an scout.
• Nicolas (LW) - He's one of the favourite personnel at the club and was decisive on our Série C campaing, but guess what? He was also aging, so he left to Avaí in a swap with Guillermo De Amores. And guess what? He's now an unemployed scout.
• The rest are loans and their situations were already explained, so I'll not extend myself.

YOUTH PROSPECTS

For me, our best intake so far. We had at least three players with conditions to break into the first team, and one of them is one of our best players already (and he wasn't the HOYD highlight). Let's see:

Jairo (CB) - He lacks potential, to be honest. But he's at our U20s and has made six senior appearances, with one goal.

Cacau (CM) - The man is a star. The box to box midfielder started as our second or third prospect, but developed really quick and is our main BBM right now. He has made 34 senior appearances so far, with 10 goals and two assists.

Zalor (ST) - Labeled as the best name in the intake, he's not progressing as I expected, but has already made 11 appearances, with four goals and four assists - good numbers so far. Oh, I almost forgot: he has Lebanese nationality and played eight games for his country, with three goals.

Popó (AM) - Another promising player, I'm receiving a lot of offers for him from Brazilian clubs and Shakhtar Donetsk, but he's happy at the club. Despite that, he only made two senior games so far.

Pepe (CM), Admilton (CB), Guilherme (RB), Yuri (CM) and Allan Petterson (LW) - They all still at our U20s, but failed to appear for our senior squad so far.

SEASON SUMMARY

Campeonato Brasileiro Série B
Media Prediction: 7th
Final position: 2nd (P)

Pará State Championship
Media prediction: 1st
Final position: 1st (C, unbeaten)

Copa Verde
Board Prediction: Semi-finals
Final position: quarter-finals (knocked out by Goiás)

Brazilian Cup
Board prediction: 4th round
Final position: 5th round [Round of 16] (knocked out by Fluminense)

[bpecanha]

2023 RECAP

Pará State Championship winners and qualified to Copa Libertadores

One would expect that a newly-promoted club would spend a lot on players, trying to build and stay in the first division, and that is exactly what happened with Paysandu, with 12 signings. However, only three players left.

In the state championship, another easy win, but we actually lost a game by 3-0 against Bragantino. In the finals, two wins against rivals Remo (3-0 and 2-1) to secure the trophy. Our cup runs, by the way, brought a lot of disappointment. In the Brazilian Cup, an early exit in the 2nd round after a 1-0 away loss to Operário. 

In the Copa Verde, we finally got into the finals, after knocking out Amazonas (5-0 agg), Manaus (6-2 agg) and Goiás (2-1 agg), but we shockingly lost against our rivals Remo. After a 3-1 defeat in the first match, they managed to recover and made 2-0 at home. On penalties, Valdívia missed and gave the trophy to them.

Despite that, our Série A run was nothing less than incredible, with four wins in the first four matches, including two 5-1 results against Red Bull Bragantino and Internacional. After that, our form dipped and we dropped to 10th, but a good run in October and November, with only two losses in 14 matches, saw us secure a Copa Libertadores spot after a 2-2 draw against Grêmio in the Round 37, finishing 6th.

TRANSFERS:

As a Série A club, we spent more than ever (925k), but also relied on loans and free transfers. Ferreira, one of our best players, left to Internacional for 2.1M euros; that value alone was enough to pay every transfer that year. Let's check:

In:

• Valdívia (LW) - An experienced player with spells at clubs like Internacional, Atlético Mineiro, São Paulo and Vasco da Gama, he was at Red Bull Bragantino and came for 400k. He's currently our reserve left midfielder, with five goals in 34 matches.
• Diego Raposo (RW) - He's a model citizen and is helping a lot the young players, but also has the technique to play in the Série A. He came from Beira-Mar for 400k and is our reserve right winger at the moment, with 56 matches and six goals for the club.
• Marlone (LW) - Another experienced player with spells in bigger clubs, he was bought from korean side Suwon for 325k. His stats dropped hard after a hip injury and I'm planning to sell him at the end of the season as he's 32, but he played 43 games for us and scored seven goals.
• Marcos (GK) - He's a goalkeeper who came to be a backup for De Amores, but wasn't good enough and was sold to América Mineiro the next year.
• Diego Carpio (CB) - This young uruguayan prospect came for just 6K from Nacional but has made only six starts for the club. He's on loan at Série B side Santa Cruz.
• Ivonei (AM) - That was a steal. He's only 22 and is one of the best players at a squad. Highly rated at Santos, he was unhappy and his contract expired, so we brought him on a free. He played 55 games for us, with six goals and 16 assists.
• Yan (RW) - Signed in definitive after two seasons on loan from Palmeiras.
• Xavier (CB) - A young defensive midfielder who has all that is needed to be a good Ball Playing Defender and in the end of his contract with Corinthians. Why not? He's a good squad player and scored one goal in 35 matches so far.
• Alexander Oroz (ST) - Another prospect who came on a free after his contract with chilean side Colo-Colo expired. He's Igor Cássio's backup, but is proving to be a good player, with 13 goals in 43 games.
• Kau (CB) - He came on loan from Belenenses SAD and stayed only for six months. Currently, he plays for Liga NOS side Boavista.
• Luan Freitas (CB) - He also came on loan after Kau left the club. Currently, he was loaned again by Fluminense, this time to Ukraine top flight side Karpaty Lviv.
• Vander (CM) - He's a good deep lying playmaker who came on loan from mexican side Querétaro. In 2024, we have renewed his loan. With 13 goals in 52 matches, he proved to be a good addition to the squad.

Out:

• Ferreira (LW) - I didn't wanted to sell him, but our finances were bad and we needed to make money as our finances were poor, so he went to Internacional for 2.1M euros. Inter already sold him and now he's playing for Newell's Old Boys.
• Perema (CB) - He was our best center back in Série C and played a good role in Série B, but was way below the standards of Série A, so I decided to transfer list him and he went to Náutico for 525K, where he still today.
• Paulo Vitor (GK) - Our backup goalkeeper left to Aimoré for 42.5K, where he still today.
• Severino (AM), Zalor (ST) and Diego Carpio (CB) - Young players who were loaned to minor clubs: ASA, Santos from Amapá and Penapolense, respectively.
• Reginaldo (RW) - After a poor Série B, he was loaned to non-league but traditional side Portuguesa. Now he's at Fortaleza.

Youth intake:

A really poor intake to be honest, we only signed with three names and only one of them can turn into a good player.

Hélder (GK) - Our goalie has a lot of potential, but unfortunately is Unambitious, so I'm hoping our squad members will correct this trait. He debuted in 2024 against Atlético Goianiense and conceded three goals, but we turned a 3-1 deficit into a 4-3 in a big way.

Emerson Julio (AM) and Mica (AM)- Still at our U20s, but failed to appear for our senior squad so far.

SEASON SUMMARY

Campeonato Brasileiro Série A
Media prediction: 19th
Final position: 6th (Q to Libertadores)

Pará State Championship
Media prediction: 1st
Final position: 1st (C)

Copa Verde
Board Prediction: Finals
Final position: runners up (lost the final against Remo)

Brazilian Cup
Board prediction: 5th round
Final position: 2nd round (knocked out by Operário)

[bpecanha]

2024 SEASON (so far)

Pará State Champions

Here we are, at our current season. In the state championship, our young players won the trophy after a win against Águia de Marabá (3-1 agg). 

But our biggest challenge in the 1st half of the year was surely la Copa Libertadores. We faced a group with biggest competition winners Independiente from Argentina, Alianza Lima from Peru and Unión Española from Chile. We lost 0-2 at home to Independiente in the opening round, won 2-1 against Unión away and drew 0-0 with Alianza away. At home, another 0-0 draw with the peruvians, but a 3-0 against Unión Española gave us hope. We needed to win away against Independiente to qualify; however, they made their chances count and won by 2-1.

Third position in the group meant that we had qualified to Copa Sudamericana, and we had a HUGE game against Boca Juniors in the 2nd round, the same club of the famous win in 2003. But history didn't repeated itself: after a 1-1 draw at home, we lost 3-0 in Argentina and our continental run ended.

As we qualified to Libertadores last year, our Brazilian Cup run started automatically in the Round of 16, and look who we faced: Remo! They also started in the Round of 16 as they won the Copa Verde against us (genius thing, no?) and we simply thrashed them with our full squad, with a 7-0 win at home. Away, with reserves, we drew 1-1 and secured our ticket to the next round. In quarter-finals, an in-crisis Atlético Mineiro was our opponent and we won both matches (5-2 agg). In semifinals, our opponents were Flamengo, a much stronger side. After two losses (5-2 agg), we were knocked out, but the 3.2M euros combined prize since the Round of 16 was really important.

Now we are playing in two competitions: Copa Verde and Série A. In the Copa Verde, we knocked out lower league sides Trem (8-1 agg) and brave Vitória from Espírito Santo (1-0 agg). Now we will face Goiás in the semifinals.

The first division didn't started well, with one point in two games. After that, we managed to stay eleven games unbeaten, with 10 wins and one draw, who pushed us into the 2nd place, level in points with Grêmio. Our end of first half, however, wasn't bad and we are now in 4th, 10 points behind the leaders - but it's a great season so far.

Transfers:

Another busy season, with 10 players coming in and 14 out, but some of them were youngsters. Our biggest movement was selling Quiel to Palmeiras for a record fee for our club (4.6M euros). Let's check:

In:

• Vitinho (LB) - Young left back who came from Paraná for 950K, he's our best choice at the position so far and has made 18 matches for the club, with one goal scored.
• Marcos Felipe (GK) - Our saga to find a backup goalkeeper continues, and this one came from Fluminense for a 450K fee. He conceded only nine goals in 17 matches so far, but I don't think he's reliable.
• Djalma Castanheira (AM) - He's a great prospect spotted by a scout in a small club called Itupiranga, who was relegated to the Pará State 2nd division this year. He only cost 23K and is currently on loan at Série B side Guarani, with just 17 years. He'll surely be a great player.
• Luiz Penteriche (ST) - Another youth player spotted by our scouts, this time from Rio Branco of Espírito Santo. We just paid 1K for him, and he started in eight matches for our club, but failed to score at senior level so far.
• Bruno Lamas (CM) - We didn't really needed a player in this position and this is giving me some problems with him and Ivonei in terms of game time, but he's a good Série A player and came on a free, so I think it was useful. He started 14 matches so far, with two goals and three assists.
• Luiz Gustavo (CB) - He came on a free after Vasco da Gama released him. As a Vasco fan in real life, I know he isn't the best player regarding defensive skills, but he's decent and well-rounded. He started in 18 matches so far, with two goals scored.
• Abel Pasiani (AM) - Young players spotted in small clubs, anyone? He came from lower league side Penapolense and is now at our reserves, but started in three games, with one goal and one assist.
• Guido Cuenca (RB) - Who cares about bad technical attributes when a player is quick, mentally gifted and ambidestrous? This is Cuenca, who came on a free from Deportivo Ovetense of Paraguay. He already plays for Paraguay national team and was called up for the 2024 Copa América, scoring one of the best goals of the tournament. For our club, he has 21 games, with one goal and five assists so far.
• Exequiel Zeballos (LW) - After Marlone's serious injury, we were desperately in need of a left winger and he was on loan from Grêmio. With 14 games for the club, he's already established in the first team, with four goals (all in the same match) and three assists.
• Mayk (LB) - When I lost Ramon after his loan expired, I was in need of a left back and found Mayk listed for loan by Juventude, who is in Série B. However, he's decent for this level and played in 12 games, with one assist.

Out:

• Quiel (RB) - He was one of my favourite players at the club, but his last year of contract and a fierce interest of many clubs forced me to sell him. We managed to get a good value for him and a 50% next sale clause, so I'm ok with that. He's at Palmeiras nowadays.
• Leonardo Povea (DM) - His time at the club was over with increasing competition, and he agreed terms with Gil Vicente of Portugal, who paid us 115K.
• Matías Odone (LB) - Same case of Povea, he left us to Operário in Série B for 70K.
• Marcos (GK) - Same case above, he went to América Mineiro for 80K.
• Jorge (ST) - He didn't developed as I wanted and clubs of Série C didn't wanted him, so I sold him to Brasiliense for 21.5K.
• The other ones were young players on loan, so I'll not extend myself.

CLUB CURRENT STATUS

Finances | Facilities | Staff

SQUAD:

Marcos Felipe | Guillermo De Amores

Mayk | Vitinho | Guido Cuenca | Kevin | Reginaldo | Luiz Gustavo | Xavier | Mathías Laborda

David Moura | Vander | Ricardo Ryller | Cacau | Bruno Lamas | Ivonei

Diego Raposo | Yan | Exequiel Zeballos | Valdívia | Marlone

Igor Cássio | Alexander Oroz | Luiz Penteriche

*in bold = currently in the Starting XI

Our main tactical setup:

 

[bpecanha]

2024 YOUTH INTAKE

Far from being our best intake to be honest, but at least we have an promising midfielder in Thallyson Gabriel. He lacks in terms of technical atributes, but his Driven personality is something that really draws attention. Maybe he can do a great pairing in midfield with Cacau in the future?

We will also sign with right-back David Luís and striker Marcos Antônio. 

In the Série A, we have played two matches before the youth intake reveal, with two wins: an incredible 6-3 against Paraná and a 3-0 win away against Red Bull Bragantino. Six important points that made us overtook Vasco da Gama in 3rd place.

 

Edited August 1, 2020 by bpecanha

[bpecanha]

New contract to Igor Cássio:

I don't like to pay exhorbitant wages, but Igor Cássio is an exception. I feel like I can change any player in the squad, but Igor is irreplaceable. For comparison: our highest paid player except for Igor Cássio is Bruno Lamas, he earns 34,5k per month. Cássio always guarantee 20 goals in a season for us and was being tracked by Santos and SPAL, so he deserved this deal.

In terms of sales, Marlone's time at the club is over and he's leaving to K-League side Daegu in the end of the year for a potential 69K deal. I'm not worried about the transfer price, but he has too high wages for a fringe player.

Campeonato Brasileiro Série A

We have recovered our great form, with just two losses against Corinthians and São Paulo, but our players are doing great and are well fitted with our tactics, so we are dominating most of the matches. With that run, we overtook Santos and are now 2nd. Unfortunately, our title hopes are almost done thanks to Marcelo Gallardo's Grêmio, who only lost two games in the entire competition.

Our final six games are, in order: Goiás (H), Grêmio (A), Atlético Mineiro (H), Atlético Goianiense (A), Santos (A), Fluminense (A). It will be tough as we'll play our last three matches away from home, but I'm hoping that we secure at least the second place to earn a prize money of 2.47M euros.

Copa Verde

With Goiás in a respectable 8th place at Série A, I'm surprised to say that we have won both matches with our alternative XI: 3-0 at home and 2-1 away. In the finals, we are going to face Série D side Luverdense and I'm hoping this will be the year that we'll finally lift this trophy.

[bpecanha]

2024 COPA VERDE CHAMPIONS

Copa Verde is far from being one of our most important competitions, but I'm delighted to say that we have finally won it with our rotated squad! It was easy in the end, we won 5-1 against Luverdense away from home. At Curuzu, we just needed to complete the job and try to win to make our fans happy, and Yan (who lost his spot in our XI to Diego Raposo) scored an absolutely beauty to seal the 1-0 win.

We also received 50K for winning the competition - a little bit of money is always nice. With the trophy, we have also guaranteed our spot in the Round of 16 of the next Brazilian Cup. Paysandu has lifted the Copa Verde trophy for the third time, equaling with Goiás and Cuiabá as the biggest winners of the tournament ever.

However, I'm gutted for Luiz Penteriche — I gave him many chances in the cup, but he simply didn't managed to score his first senior goal, even against weaker opposition. 

[bpecanha]

2024 END OF SEASON

Sadly, our team entered in a bad run of form at the end of the season, with just one win. We have faced three clubs who played with three strikers and lost every single match, so we need to learn from that and improve. However, we should have done better against weaker opposition.

But even with that poor run in the end, we still managed to finish 3rd, which means that we'll be again in the Copa Libertadores! Paysandu has also finished in their highest league position ever, so there are a lot of reasons to celebrate.

Our finances are really good, considering our past. We have received 1.66M euros for finishing 3rd, and paid 300k to our players and staff. Our initial budgets for the next season are also the biggest since I started this save, but I'm not willing to spend a lot and will try to find good deals on loans and free transfers, as usual.

SEASON SUMMARY:

Campeonato Brasileiro Série A
Media Prediction: 16th
Final position: 3rd (Q to Libertadores)

Copa Libertadores
Board Prediction: Group Stage
Final position: 3rd in Group Stage (Q to Copa Sudamericana)

Copa Sudamericana
Board Prediction: 2nd round
Final position: 2nd round (knocked out by Boca Juniors)

Pará State Championship
Media prediction: 1st
Final position: 1st (C, unbeaten)

Copa Verde
Board Prediction: Finals
Final position: 1st (C, unbeaten)

Brazilian Cup
Board prediction: 5th round
Final position: Semi-finals (knocked out by Flamengo)

Awards and stats:

Fans' Player of the Season: Cacau
Signing of the season: Bruno Lamas
Young player of the season: Cacau
Team of the Season: Guillermo De Amores; Vitinho, Mathías Laborda, Luiz Gustavo and Kevin; Vander, Cacau, Exequiel Zeballos, Bruno Lamas and Yan; Igor Cássio.

Top goalscorer: Igor Cássio (24)
Highest avg rating: Cacau (7.36)
Most assists: Diego Raposo and Guido Cuenca (11)
Most player of the match awards: Cacau (7)

Other awards:

• Guillermo De Amores has won the "Goalkeeper of the Year" award for the second time in a row.
• Kevin has won the "Right Back of the Year" award.
• Exequiel Zeballos (alongside Santos' Gabriel Pirani) has won the "Midfielder of the Year" award.
• Igor Cássio (alongside Grêmio's Cauê Santos) has won the "Striker of the Year" award.
• De Amores, Kevin and Igor Cássio are in the Série A's Team of the Season

Edited August 3, 2020 by bpecanha

[bpecanha]

Money, money, money!

Paysandu is seeing a money influx like never before. With new sponsors, TV deals and Copa Libertadores' Group Stage prizes, we already had a boost, but our main business in Brazilian summer (December to March) was surely the selling of Bruno Lamas to Ludogorets Razgrad of Bulgaria in a deal that can reach 8,5M euros.

This is our highest ever selling, but it wasn't the only one in our pre-season so far: 32 year-old centre-back Reginaldo, who wasn't in our plans for this season, was offloaded to CSL side Chongqing Lifan for 2,5M euros. Marlone completed his move to Daegu and we have released four players in end of contract: centre-back Wanderson (retired from football), two youngsters in Formiga and Thárcio Vinícius and our loyal servant Ricardo Ryller, who was with us since 2021.

But Paysandu has also signed some players - two, to be exact: centre-back Emerson Santos arrived from Vasco da Gama for 140K and is ready to fight for first team places. We have also bought the argentinian left-back Elías Pereira from Série B side Náutico for 180K. Elias is likely going to be a backup to Vitinho, but I like his playing style and he has some margin to develop despite being 25 year-old, so let's hope it happens. I'm open for market opportunities, but I'm not planing to sign another player right now.

With these deals, we have reached an overall balance of 14 million euros, our record so far. This allowed me to invest in some areas like Youth Recruitment, Youth Facilities and Training Facilities.

 

Copa Libertadores draw

I want to establish Paysandu as a domestic title contender before our main target, the Copa Libertadores. However, I'm hoping to advance at least to the Round of 16. Here's our group in the Cup:

No argentinian or brazilian sides to face, so I'm confident in our chances of advancing, even against three well established clubs of South America.

In other news, the State championship is yet to start and I'm going to give more first team minutes to Hélder, Djalma Castanheira, Popó, Abel Pasiani, Welliton, Edicleber, Luiz Penteriche, Zalor, Diego Carpio, Jairo Nunes and Higor.

[bpecanha]

Biggest win ever

 

Just a friendly against lower league opposition to keep our first team players fresh, as we are playing the State Championship with youngsters. But that was some result! We have also played against Abaeté (10-0) and Ananindeua (8-0).

Edited August 3, 2020 by bpecanha

[bpecanha]

Pará State Championship - something went wrong...

We thought it would be easy to win the Pará State Championship again only with youth players, but things didn't happened in the way I have planned. We got into the finals relatively easy, and despite our dominant performances during both games against Remo, they managed to overturn their 2-1 home deficit to win 5-3 on penalties. I hope it will bring more experience to the boys, they are starting their careers and surely have a lot to improve. In terms of players, these are the 10 most used so far:

Except for Valdívia, they all are REALLY young and I loved to see their improvement - Popó was the most remarkable one and he's now an established first team player. I've sacrificed his determination a little to make him improve in other areas.

If you are a keen observer, you've probably seen an unknown name: Matheus Vinícius. And you're right, so let's talk about transfers:

Transfers:

I said that I wasn't interested in signing other players, but I saw the oportunity to bring some youth players, so I'm going to present them:

Matheus Vinícius (RB) - He's fairly quick, he's determined, he works for the team - that means something: he has almost everything I want in a football player. However, his technical attributes need some improvement. Our first team right-back Kevin is being chased for many teams, so I might have to use him. Now that Pará League is over, I will loan him to some Série B club.

Rodriguinho (CM) - He came to the club as Rodrigão (Big Rodrigo), but with just 1,74m I had to rename him. His mental attributes are great, he has pace and he also know how to mark and tackle. I'm hoping that Rodriguinho will improve even more and I expect him to be a backup for Popó in the future.

Thiago Carioca (AM) - This particular player was recommended by our scout team, and at first I didn't had the intention to sign him. However, I want him to become a right winger, more specifically an inside forward, so I'll leave him in Paysandu Reserves this season to see his development.

Luciano Garcia (RW) - This argentinian guy knows how to play. I don't see any major flaw in his attributes, but I want him to develop his weaker foot in order to make him even better. His signing was expensive - but there was a reason why I paid that much for him.

Yeah, São Paulo came with a good offer for our Model Citizen right winger Diego Raposo, so I sold him. I really like his football, but he will not improve and isn't even that good, so it was better for him, for the club and for me. In other news, Severino wanted to play more, so I loaned him to Série C side Bangu.

Copa Libertadores

Yes, boys! This is much better. A great campaign so far, with easy wins against Colo-Colo, Libertad and Emelec (twice). We should have won the away match against Libertad, but a lack of concentration in the final minutes of the match saw Ayrton Cougo equalize in a match that Paysandu controlled almost everytime.

As a result, we have qualified to the Round of 16 for the second time in Paysandu's history - the last one was in 2003. Will we get revenge of Boca Juniors, twenty two years later?

Cup draws

In the Brazilian Cup, we will face a tough opponent in Palmeiras in the Round of 16, and we need to make the fans' support count in our first match. In Copa Verde, we'll face Trem from Amapá, the same opponent from the last edition first stage.

[bpecanha]

Copa Libertadores Round of 16 draw

Our group stage campaign ended with a 3-1 win against Colo-Colo away, a great exhibition with an rotated squad and two goals scored by Valdívia.

This isn't bad! Cerro Porteño is a good side, they qualified 2nd in Group E, behind Brazilian champions Grêmio. I expect tough games, but in my view, we are favourites to this one. 

There are the other matches:

• Universidad (Chile) vs São Paulo (Brazil)
• Alianza Lima (Peru) vs Peñarol (Uruguay)
• Talleres (Argentina) vs Athletico Paranaense (Brazil)
• San Lorenzo (Argentina) vs Vasco da Gama (Brazil)
• Libertad (Paraguay) vs Grêmio (Brazil)
• Boca Juniors (Argentina) vs Santos (Brazil)
• Flamengo (Brazil) vs Millonarios (Colombia)

Santos are looking especially tough, they won all their six matches against San Lorenzo, Argentinos Juniors and Blooming. Behind them, I would higlight Grêmio, Peñarol (who qualified first in a group with Talleres and strong Brazilian side Internacional) and why not us? With 16 points, we bossed Group F. However, as we have already met the board expectations (qualify to the Round of 16), I'm taking everything else as a bonus.

And look who can we get if we advance... can we get revenge on Boca?

Edited August 5, 2020 by bpecanha

[bpecanha]

Club affiliation

After years of denied request, I've finally got our first affiliated club, and that was a great choice. We are now linked to Botafogo from Paraíba, a club that is currently in Série D, but are favourites to clinch promotion. We have a good relation with them: in 2023, I've loaned our defensive midfielder Higor to them and he developed well - in that year, Botafogo almost got promotion to Série B. Their facilities are really good for Série D level, and I'll surely loan a lot of players to them.

Brazilian Cup

That was tense! After a 1-1 draw at Curuzu, we held Palmeiras to another draw away from home, despite Birinha hitting the post in the 91 minute. On penalties, Marcos Vinícius missed Palmeiras' eight kick and Paysandu advanced to the quarter-finals! Our next opponent is Corinthians, and the decisive game will be again away.

Série A

Tough, tough start. Our team is struggling as we are playing at Mangueirão stadium, and pitch dimensions were suddenly changed to 105x55. We aren't creating enough chances and as I result, we are only doing enough to qualify to Copa Sudamericana.

 

Copa Verde

Two easy wins with our State League XI against Trem and we are qualified to the quarter-finals, now we'll face either Atlético Acreano (Série D) or Gama (Série C).

[bpecanha]

Cacau sold

He was already unhappy and wanting to move to a bigger centre, so I promised I would sell him if a club activated his release clause. That's exactly what Burnley did. He'll be missed at the club, such a great player, but let's see if some youngsters can step up. This season is going to be tough.

[bpecanha]

Oh no!

Things are going from bad to worse! Now Valdívia is injured for 8-9 months after a horror tackle from Rodriguinho in a training session. We'll need to find a quick replacement as our only option is Exequiel Zeballos (on loan).

New formation, Série A disaster and Brazilian Cup

Our Série A run is becoming really complicated this year. We tried to tweak tactics, but it didn't worked and we only managed to win one game in five matches, against newly promoted side Figueirense. We were completely dominated against Atlético Mineiro, Corinthians and Fluminense, and now we are fighting against relegation. Hard times ahead.

However, I'm trying to implement some Bielsa-esque kind of football here, as I want us to press higher in home games, due to the reduced size of the pitch. Attack, press and exploit every single area of the pitch: that's my goal.

After the tweak, I've played two matches. First one was the 1st leg of Brazilian Cup quarter-finals, where Corinthians managed to get an (undeserved, I would say) 2-2 equalizer in the stoppage time. In Série A, a great 2-0 win against Botafogo brought the hope back.

New signing

Again, if you are a keen observer, you have seen a different name in our match against Botafogo: Néstor Coyto. He's a Uruguayan box-to-box midfielder who came from Peñarol for 4,2M euros (his release clause). He isn't as good as Cacau, but we were desperately needing a replacement. I want Coyto to improve his finishing, but he's a well rounded player and I hope he'll bring us some good things. He started with two assists - that's what I'm hoping he'll do every single match!

 

Edited August 7, 2020 by bpecanha

[wesl]

That's a very interesting tactic. Are you using something else in away matches?

[bpecanha]

1 hora atrás, wesl disse:

That's a very interesting tactic. Are you using something else in away matches?

Yeah, I'm using my default 4-2-3-1 away (or in matches played at Curuzu). I don't know why pitch dimensions changed, but I felt that 3-3-3-1 tactic was necessary because if we can't create too wide spaces, at least we are not giving them to the opposition.

[bpecanha]

Sad news: unfortunately, the power went out for like 15 seconds in my house, but that was enough to corrupt my save file as I had just saved the game.

Just to make you aware: I was knocked out of both Brazilian Cup and Copa Libertadores. Against Corinthians in Brazilian Cup, I lost 2-0 away, and Cerro Porteño beat us on penalties - they won 1-0 at home and lost 1-0 away. Just after the Cerro Porteño match, I've saved and then the power went out, so I lost my save.

Thank you for reading, maybe I'll start another thread here in the next days.

[wesl]

That's a shame, man. I was looking forward to reading about this tactic. No backups?