Conquering the Americas

I decided to take on a different challenge from what I’m normally used to this morning. Instead of playing as a lower league team in England, I loaded up every country and league in North and South America and have begun a save game unemployed with Sunday League Footballer experience.

My overall goal remains the same - work my way up the ladder. It will be interesting to go this route, however, since I'll be playing in leagues that I haven't played before other than a brief save game in the MLS. I'm also looking forward to the challenge of truly working from the bottom - starting unemployed rather than heading up a team.

After a few months on holiday, I got my first job offer. Not wanting to waste any more time, I agreed to terms:

Escuela Carlos Sarmiento Lora chairman Jorge Santana has offered you a three year contract on $475 per week to take the managerial job at Ingenio Sancarlos.

Transfer Budget: $0
Wage Budget: $11.5K p/w

The job offer has been accepted.

Club Background:

Founded in 1984, Escuela Carlos Sarmiento Lora are a professional Colombian club currently playing in the Colombian Second Division. The club play their home games at Ingenio Sancarlos and possess average training facilities and an average youth setup.

Although Carlos Sarmiento are enduring a thirteen year barren spell, having not won a competition since 1997, the club still have a history of which they can be justly proud. Carlos Sarmiento won the Third Division in 1997.

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This post was edited by joannes3000 (2009-11-21 18:36, 2 years ago)

Friendlies

Escuela Carlos Sarmiento Lora 1 - 3 CD América de Cali (Friendly)

Escuela Carlos Sarmiento Lora went down 3 - 1 as CD América de Cali showed their greater class in this Friendly fixture. A brace from Duván Zapata helped América de Cali to victory.

Experienced striker Léider Preciado gave América de Cali the lead with a smart diving header from close range in the 21st minute. Young striker Yanquier Rodríguez then equalised for Carlos Sarmiento in the 70th minute with a real poacher's effort.

Young striker Duván Zapata then put the away side in front after 75 minutes with a close range header. An error from Jonathan Silva allowed Zapata to score a well timed close range finish.

Attendance: 869

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Escuela Carlos Sarmiento Lora 1 - 1 CS Deportivo Pereira (Friendly)

Escuela Carlos Sarmiento Lora will have undoubtedly been the more contented of the two teams after clinching a somewhat surprising 1 - 1 draw against CS Deportivo Pereira.

Young midfielder Andrés Felipe Allen gave Carlos Sarmiento the lead with a placed shot in the 35th minute. Carlos Sarmiento also saw their 70th minute strike questionably chalked off.

Striker Jaime Sierra then equalised for Pereira after 78 minutes with a placed shot.

Attendance: 414

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Escuela Carlos Sarmiento Lora 2 - 2 CDC Atlético Nacional (Friendly)

The travelling support at Ingenio Sancarlos were overjoyed after Escuela Carlos Sarmiento Lora contained CDC Atlético Nacional in an evenly matched Friendly game.

The match started tentatively for Carlos Sarmiento with Estíven Vélez nearly handing the opposition the lead on 10 minutes. Experienced midfielder Jhon Charria gave Atlético Nacional the lead with a powerful freekick from the edge of the area in the 27th minute.

Midfielder Diego Toro doubled Atlético Nacional's lead with a powerful effort on 40 minutes. Young striker Ricardo Serna pulled one back for Carlos Sarmiento after 63 minutes with a powerful effort.

Young striker Yanquier Rodríguez equalised for Carlos Sarmiento after 73 minutes with a powerful effort from the edge of the area.

Attendance: 900

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Escuela Carlos Sarmiento Lora 1 - 0 CA Boca Juniors (Friendly)

Escuela Carlos Sarmiento Lora taught CA Boca Juniors a lesson at Ingenio Sancarlos this evening.

Things did not get off to a good start for Boca Juniors (COL) as young striker Juan Carlos Gómez seized on an error by Joan Castro to score a well timed close range finish. Boca Juniors (COL)'s Luis Payares received the red card for a professional foul with 90 minutes on the clock.

Carlos Sarmiento had a number of attempts at goal but their profligacy meant they didn't score as many as they maybe would have liked.

Attendance: 155

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Escuela Carlos Sarmiento Lora 2 - 1 Palmira (Friendly)

Escuela Carlos Sarmiento Lora taught Palmira a lesson at Ingenio Sancarlos this afternoon.

Centre-back Oscar Díaz gave Palmira the lead with a well timed close range finish in the 12th minute. Young striker Ubel Herrera then equalised for Carlos Sarmiento in the 18th minute with a placed shot.

Young striker Juan Carlos Gómez scored what proved to be the winner for the home side on 73 minutes with a well timed close range finish.

Attendance: 142

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This post was edited by joannes3000 (2009-12-10 16:58, 2 years ago)

You should turn this into a blog.

Interesting stuff to read long term, I may even try the same as you rarely read about people playing as a none european team.

2010 First Phase

Starting Eleven

Goalkeeper (D) - Jonathan Silva
Right Full Back (Auto) - Jose Ramirez
Central Defender (D) - Randy Torres
Central Defender (D) - Francisco Merra
Left Full Back (Auto) - Oswaldo Pajaro
Right Wide Midfielder (Auto) - Hector Millan
Deep Lying Playmaker (S) - Andres Felipe Allen
Ball Winning Midfielder (S)- Jair Palacios
Left Wide Midfielder (Auto) - Guillermo Rojas
Poacher (A)- Ubel Herrera
Deep Lying Forward (S)- Juan Carlos Gomez

S1 - Julian Rojas, MR/C
S2 - Mauricio Toro, ML
S3 - David Mejia, DL
S4 - Edgar Avella, ML/C
S5 - Ricardo Serna, ST
S6 - Ricardo Buitrago, MC
S7 - Yanquier Rodriguez, ST

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Transfers

[IMGw]http://img687.imageshack.us/img687/3183/transfers2009.jpg[/IMGw]

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Nearly everything remains the same tactically from what I've grown accustomed to. One change is that my ball winning midfielder will be playing a support role because he is far better offensively than defensively. The other major change is that I am deploying a poacher as my main attacker rather than the typical target man I've used when playing in the Premier League. Lastly, the team as a whole looks to be an offensive-minded bunch.

With the tactics in place, it was time to fill out the staff. Other than the chairman, I am the only current staff member... Adverts went out immediately for training staff and scouts. We are limited to four coaches and three scouts, which is better than most situations I step into. In terms of coaches, my main priority is to land as good a strength/aerobic coach as possible. As far as scouts go, I want to get the maximum of three - one to scout my upcoming opponents, two to scout the region I'm in.

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This post was edited by joannes3000 (2009-12-18 22:33, 2 years ago)

Media Prediction: 18th

Going into the first phase of league play I feel confident that we will beat the media prediction, which has us pegged for dead last. I really liked what I saw from my squad during friendlies. We hung tight against more talented teams and beat the teams we were supposed to. By the 4th friendly I was playing my starting 11 all game long and they look ready to go.

I'm confident that we will stay out of the basement and have an eye on a top 8 finish and advancement into the second phase of league play. With only 17 games in the first phase of league play, we need to hit the ground running. We only play each team once, so I'm looking at each match as an elimination game.

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League Play, Games 1-5

Escuela Carlos Sarmiento Lora 3 - 2 Atlético Juventud Soacha FC (Second Division 1st Phase)

Escuela Carlos Sarmiento Lora won a hard fought battle against Atlético Juventud Soacha FC on a fine spring afternoon at Ingenio Sancarlos.

Young striker Ubel Herrera gave Carlos Sarmiento the lead with a placed shot in the 23rd minute. Young goalkeeper Jonathan Silva doubled Carlos Sarmiento's lead with a freekick from the edge of the area on 30 minutes. When Ramírez gave away a penalty, Manotas confidently stepped up to score from the spot.

Rojas scored with a screamer from the edge of the area in the 42nd minute to extend the lead further. With Juventud Soacha staring at defeat, there was controversy as young winger Emmanuel Prisco then had a penalty shout turned down. An error from Randy Torres allowed striker Eyder Sinisterra to score a well timed close range finish.

Attendance: 638

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Escuela Carlos Sarmiento Lora 2 - 0 CA Bucaramanga CD (Second Division 1st Phase)

Media pundits are claiming a triumph of tactics for the Escuela Carlos Sarmiento Lora manager after defeating CA Bucaramanga CD 2 - 0.

The first incident of note was on 42 minutes as Bucaramanga were denied claims by Diego Peralta for a penalty. Carlos Sarmiento finally took the lead when midfielder Hector Millán scored a placed shot on 50 minutes.

Then followed controversy as Carlos Sarmiento were denied claims by young midfielder Andrés Felipe Allen for a penalty. Young midfielder Guillermo Rojas finally rounded off their victory on 90 minutes with a placed shot.

Attendance: 801

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Boyacá Patriotas FC 2 - 1 Escuela Carlos Sarmiento Lora (Second Division 1st Phase)

Boyacá Patriotas FC's fans left La Independencia wondering quite how their team had only managed to win 2 - 1.

Striker Anuar Guerrero got Patriotas FC off to a flyer by scoring a placed shot on 8 minutes. Striker Erwin Carrillo doubled Patriotas FC's lead with a powerful effort on 58 minutes.

Carlos Sarmiento captain Mauricio Toro managed to grab the consolation for Carlos Sarmiento in the 80th minute with a placed shot.

Attendance: 2801

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CD Atlético La Sabana 1 - 2 Escuela Carlos Sarmiento Lora (Second Division 1st Phase)

Escuela Carlos Sarmiento Lora recorded a somewhat fortuitous win over CD Atlético La Sabana on a fine spring evening at Arturo Cumplido Sierra.

Atlético La Sabana finally took the lead when striker Johnny Ruiz scored a well timed close range finish on 56 minutes. Carlos Sarmiento's equaliser came through Ubel Herrera as he seized on John Caicedo's mistake to score a close range header. Enthusiastic full-back José Ramírez had a chance to score from the penalty spot for Carlos Sarmiento on the 90 minute mark but missed his spot-kick.

Gómez was able to make amends for the miss however by knocking in the rebound. Gómez's impact delighted the fans with his late goal.

Attendance: 1147

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Escuela Carlos Sarmiento Lora 2 - 1 CDS Deportes Palmira FC (Second Division 1st Phase)

Escuela Carlos Sarmiento Lora won a hard fought battle against CDS Deportes Palmira FC on a fine spring afternoon at Ingenio Sancarlos.

Experienced striker Nelson Cerquera gave Deportes Palmira the lead with a placed shot in the 18th minute. Carlos Sarmiento's equaliser came through Randy Torres as he seized on Julián Ruíz's mistake to score a penalty. Then followed controversy as Deportes Palmira were denied claims by young midfielder Alvaro Esteban for a penalty.

Young midfielder Andrés Felipe Allen then clinched a late winner for the home side on 80 minutes with a screamer from the edge of the area. Allen's impact delighted the fans with his late goal.

Attendance: 605

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Five games into league play, we are looking as solid as I could have hoped for. We are sitting 3rd, with a four team logjam sharing 4-0-1 records. Barranquilla FC (2/2/1, +1) is in the final spot for advancement to the second phase of group play.We've only had one comfortable win thus far (2:0 win v Bucaramanga CD), so I'm concerned at how the team will hold up as the season wears on.

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This post was edited by joannes3000 (2009-12-10 17:00, 2 years ago)

League Play, Games 6-9

CDC Deportivo Tuluá 0 - 0 Escuela Carlos Sarmiento Lora (Second Division 1st Phase)

Escuela Carlos Sarmiento Lora were relieved to hear the full-time whistle after hanging on to a 0 - 0 draw by their fingertips against a dominant CDC Deportivo Tuluá side.

The first incident of note was on 69 minutes as Carlos Sarmiento were denied claims by Guillermo Rojas for a penalty. Then followed controversy as Cortuluá were denied claims by full-back Harry Zúñiga for a penalty.

Despite conceding a number of corners, Carlos Sarmiento found them largely easy to deal with.

Attendance: 4753

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Escuela Carlos Sarmiento Lora 1 - 0 CD Barranquilla FC (Second Division 1st Phase)

Escuela Carlos Sarmiento Lora battled to a deserved 1 - 0 victory over CD Barranquilla FC on a fine summer's evening in their Colombian Second Division First Phase game at Ingenio Sancarlos.

Midfielder Jossymar Gómez was left red-faced in the 8th minute as he managed to put the ball into his own net.

Carlos Sarmiento had a number of attempts at goal but their profligacy meant they didn't score as many as they maybe would have liked.

Attendance: 666

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Depor Aguablanca FC 3 - 1 Escuela Carlos Sarmiento Lora (Second Division 1st Phase)

The underdogs of Escuela Carlos Sarmiento Lora never threatened to cause an upset as they succumbed to a 3 - 1 defeat at Olímpico Pascual Guerrero.

Midfielder Jefferson Quejada got Depor FC off to a flyer by scoring an effort from the edge of the area on 5 minutes. Striker Yamil Chará doubled Depor FC's lead with a screamer from the edge of the area on 46 minutes.

Things went from bad to worse for Carlos Sarmiento as young midfielder Jair Palacios earned himself an early bath for persistent fouling on 51 minutes. Young striker Juan Carlos Gómez pulled one back for Carlos Sarmiento after 79 minutes with a powerful effort.

Striker Mauricio Mina completed the scoring for Depor FC with a powerful effort from the edge of the area on 88 minutes.

Attendance: 950

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Escuela Carlos Sarmiento Lora 1 - 1 CD Bogotá FC (Second Division 1st Phase)

Escuela Carlos Sarmiento Lora will have undoubtedly been the more contented of the two teams after clinching a somewhat surprising 1 - 1 draw against CD Bogotá FC.

Striker Yorlan Cabezas got Bogotá FC off to a flyer by scoring a mighty header from within the six-yard box on 3 minutes. With Bogotá FC already beginning to celebrate, Carlos Sarmiento captain Mauricio Toro then scored a close range header in injury-time to snatch the equaliser for Carlos Sarmiento.

Better late than never for Carlos Sarmiento and the fans were clearly delighted with Toro's impact.

Attendance: 634

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Nine games in, and we are still looking good for promotion into the second phase of league play. We have slipped into 5th place, and our 17 points (5/2/2, +3) puts us 3 points ahead of the 8th and final promotion spot. Our two losses so far have come on long pitches and I hope this isn't our undoing.

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This post was edited by joannes3000 (2009-12-10 16:59, 2 years ago)

League Play, Games 10-13

CDF Municipio de Rionegro 1 - 0 Escuela Carlos Sarmiento Lora (Second Division 1st Phase)

A fine summer's afternoon at Alberto Grisales saw CDF Municipio de Rionegro come out on top against a surprisingly lacklustre Escuela Carlos Sarmiento Lora side.

The match began in controversial circumstances as Rionegro were denied claims by Jhonatan Mosquera for a penalty. Striker Julián Pérez gave Rionegro the lead with a well timed close range finish in the 36th minute.

Carlos Sarmiento were carved open a number of times but despite the ability of their opponents to create chances, they struggled to put them away.

Attendance: 1541

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Escuela Carlos Sarmiento Lora 0 - 0 CD Alianza Petrolera (Second Division 1st Phase)

Escuela Carlos Sarmiento Lora will have undoubtedly been the more contented of the two teams after clinching a somewhat surprising 0 - 0 draw against CD Alianza Petrolera.

The match was remarkable for the number of fouls committed by Carlos Sarmiento, who seemed more concerned with disrupting the flow of the game than playing it.

Attendance: 536

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Real Valledupar FC 3 - 4 Escuela Carlos Sarmiento Lora (Second Division 1st Phase)

Both teams served up a game to remember as Escuela Carlos Sarmiento Lora came out on top in this 4 - 3 goal-fest.

One pundit commented that this match should be taped and shown to any doubters of the beautiful game. The highlight of the game was undoubtedly a superb hat-trick from Carlos Sarmiento's José Ramírez.

Striker Ricardo Vidal got Valledupar off to a flyer by scoring a powerful effort which blasted against the inside of the post before hitting the back of the net on 2 minutes. Carlos Sarmiento's equaliser came through José Ramírez as he seized on José Julio's mistake to score a penalty. Ramírez had no trouble in scoring from the spot when Canales conceded a penalty. Valledupar's equaliser came through Andrés Uhía as he seized on José Ramírez's mistake to score a powerful penalty. Ramírez had no trouble in scoring from the spot when Canales conceded a penalty. Valledupar were nearly gifted a goal on 59 minutes through Carlos Ramos' lapse in concentration but they failed to capitalise on the opportunity presented to them.

Striker Ricardo Vidal then equalised for Valledupar in the 80th minute with a well timed close range finish. The last goal of the game came from young full-back Wilmer Nobles whose 88th minute own-goal will undoubtedly cause him some embarrassment.

Attendance: 1538

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Escuela Carlos Sarmiento Lora 1 - 0 CD Centauros Villavicencio (Second Division 1st Phase)

Escuela Carlos Sarmiento Lora turned this match on its head to gain a smash and grab victory at Ingenio Sancarlos.

The first incident of note was on 82 minutes as Centauros were denied claims by Julio Valero for a penalty. With the game nearing an end, it was Hector Millán who scored a powerful effort to give Carlos Sarmiento the lead on 90 minutes.

Millán's impact delighted the fans with his late goal.

Carlos Sarmiento were carved open a number of times but despite the ability of their opponents to create chances, they struggled to put them away.

Attendance: 586

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We just wrapped up the next leg of play with a HUGE win at home against Centauros. Coupled with an even bigger win on the road against Real Valledupar, we find ourselves back in the upper half of promotion contenders. With only four games to go, these wins couldn't have come at a better time.

Table snapshot:
2. Expresso Rojo - 8/2/3, +9, 26 pts.
3. Carlos Sarmiento - 7/3/3, +4, 24 pts.
4. Patriotas FC - 7/2/4, +8, 23 pts.
9. Centauros - 5/4/4, +6, 19 pts.

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This post was edited by joannes3000 (2009-12-10 16:59, 2 years ago)

League Play, Games 14-17

CD Expreso Rojo 2 - 0 Escuela Carlos Sarmiento Lora (Second Division 1st Phase)

The underdogs of Escuela Carlos Sarmiento Lora never threatened to cause an upset as they succumbed to a 2 - 0 defeat at Fernando Mazuera.

The match began in controversial circumstances as Expreso Rojo were denied claims by Johny Mosquera for a penalty. When Mejía gave away a penalty, Alegrías confidently stepped up to score from the spot. Centre-back Hélmer Caviche finally rounded off their victory on 79 minutes with a mighty header from within the six-yard box.

Attendance: 1910

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Escuela Carlos Sarmiento Lora 1 - 1 CD Real Cartagena (Second Division 1st Phase)

Escuela Carlos Sarmiento Lora were relieved to hear the full-time whistle after hanging on to a 1 - 1 draw by their fingertips against a dominant CD Real Cartagena side.

Midfielder José Nájera gave Real Cartagena the lead with a placed shot in the 38th minute. With Carlos Sarmiento staring at defeat, there was controversy as young full-back David Mejía then had a penalty shout turned down. Carlos Sarmiento's equaliser came through Hector Millán as he seized on Reinaldo Alegría's mistake to score a well timed close range finish.

Attendance: 632

Qualified teams - Expreso Rojo, Itagui Ditaires, Patriotas FC


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Fifteen games into life with his new club and the jury still remains out on current manager joannes 3000's tenure at newly-promoted Carlos Sarmiento.

With no major transfer transactions of note and with a good, if unremarkable record in the league so far, 3000 appears to have made a steady if unspectacular start at Ingenio Sancarlos.

I'm a little disheartened that my overall efforts aren't being recognized. Our 7/4/4 record certainly isn't dominant but we have managed to notch those wins and draws against teams that are at least our equal, if not markedly better, in terms of talent.

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AD Unión Magdalena 2 - 0 Escuela Carlos Sarmiento Lora (Second Division 1st Phase)

The underdogs of Escuela Carlos Sarmiento Lora never threatened to cause an upset as they succumbed to a 2 - 0 defeat at Eduardo Santos.

Unión Magdalena captain Leandro Vargas got Unión Magdalena off to a flyer by scoring a close range header on 3 minutes. Striker Wálter Franco finally rounded off their victory on 70 minutes with a placed shot.

Attendance: 3209

Qualified teams - Expreso Rojo, Itagui Ditaires, Patriotas FC, Depor FC, Cortulua, Carlos Sarmiento


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CD Itagüí Ditaires 2 - 2 Escuela Carlos Sarmiento Lora (Second Division 1st Phase)

Escuela Carlos Sarmiento Lora will have been the happier of the sides after a 2 - 2 draw on a fine summer's afternoon at Metropolitano Ditaires.

Centre-back Jimmy Bermúdez gave Itagüí Ditaires the lead with a good header from just inside the six-yard box in the 31st minute. Young striker Ubel Herrera then equalised for Carlos Sarmiento in the 55th minute with a placed shot.

Young midfielder Jair Palacios then put the away side in front after 64 minutes with a freak goal. Itagüí Ditaires also saw their 90th minute strike questionably chalked off. Itagüí Ditaires' equaliser came through Anderson Zapata as he seized on Jair Palacios' mistake to score a close range header.

Better late than never for Itagüí Ditaires and the fans were clearly delighted with Zapata's impact.

Attendance: 3887

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Table snapshot:
1. Itagul Ditaires - 11/3/3, +10, 36 pts
2. Patriotas FC - 10/3/4, +15, 33 pts
3. Expresso Rojo - 10/2/5, +12, 32 pts
4. Cortulua - 8/4/5, +6, 28 pts
5. Depor FC - 8/4/5, +2, 28 pts
6. Carlos Sarmiento - 7/5/5, even, 26 pts
7. Centauros - 6/6/5, +6, 24 pts
8. Real Cartagena - 6/6/5, even, 24 pts

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This post was edited by joannes3000 (2009-12-10 16:59, 2 years ago)

The first half of league play comes to a close and we handily outdid our 18 place media prediction. And while I felt confident going into league play, there were plenty of times that my confidence was shaken. Our fast start to begin the season quickly gave way to more realistic results and while we remained within the top half at all times, it was clear to me that we were going to be up against it during most of our matches. The final table standings tell the story. An impressive looking 6th place finish helps to cover the fact that we only finished 3 points ahead of 9th place.

We head into group play now, and we have been drawn in First Phase Group B of the Colombian Second Division along with Cortulua, Patriotas FC and Real Cartagena. During league play, we drew even (0:0) at Cortulua, lost (1:2) at Patriotas FC, and drew even (1:1) against Real Cartagena. Each time will play one another twice, and the top team will qualify for the first phase playoff.

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This post was edited by joannes3000 (2009-12-06 22:07, 2 years ago)

2010 Group Play, Games 1-6

Table Snapshot
1. Real Cartagena - 3/1/2, Even, 10 pts
2. Patriotas FC - 2/3/1, +2, 9 pts
3. Cortulua - 2/2/2, +1, 8 pts
4. Carlos Sarmiento - 1/2/3, -3, 5 pts


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As you can see from the table results, we were clearly outclassed during group play. After an inspiring 3:1 victory over eventual group winners Real Cartagena, we had to scrape just to get two draws.

As we head into the second phase of league play (same format as first phase - 1 game vs each team), we need to improve defensively. While we were able to surprise a lot of teams during league play, there was no hiding our deficiencies against three other top qualifiers.

Top transfer targets:
1. A true defensive presence at center mid.
2. A defensive upgrade at left fullback.
3. A defensive upgrade at center back.

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This post was edited by joannes3000 (2009-12-18 22:34, 2 years ago)

2010 Second Phase

Starting Eleven

[imgw]http://img260.imageshack.us/img260/8980/secondphasestarting11.jpg[/imgw]

Transfers

[imgw]http://img264.imageshack.us/img264/8821/transfer2010.jpg[/imgw]

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The only movement of note was the signing of Ivan Vargas. He steps in as our ball winning midfielder and should be a big improvement to the position. The remaining loan moves were ones initiated by our parent clubs. None of the players should see much playing time and they were simply brought on as free depth since we don't have to pay their wages.

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This post was edited by joannes3000 (2009-12-18 22:34, 2 years ago)

League Play, Games 1-6

[imgw]http://img684.imageshack.us/img684/4503/fixtures6.jpg[/imgw]

League Table

[imgw]http://img297.imageshack.us/img297/9809/table6.jpg[/imgw]

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Whatever magic we had bottled for the first phase of league play certainly isn't present for the second phase. We didn't notch our first win until the six league game and all signs were pointing toward a meltdown. Or at least I was beginning to get concerned with when we would finally break through with a win. We are still behind in terms of talent, and we're doing well to draw or only lose by one goal. I'm not content with the results for any reason, however, so we will continue to look for ways to shore up the team.

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This post was edited by joannes3000 (2009-12-16 22:25, 2 years ago)

League Play, Games 7-12

[imgw]http://img710.imageshack.us/img710/2755/fixtures12.jpg[/imgw]

League Table

[imgw]http://img340.imageshack.us/img340/4322/table12r.jpg[/imgw]

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Signs of life! After a horrific 1/3/2 start, we have managed to put together a string of solid performances. Over the past six games we have gone 2/3/1. We are still stuck in 11th but we are now within striking distance of the 8th and final group play position - down two points with five games to play. Can we do it? With our recent run of games, I dare say that we can.

Injuries are starting to mount, however, just as it seemed like we would get back to full strength. Rojas and Herrera are starters at their positions, so it's been even more of an uphill battle than I would like. It's tough enough when we're outclassed. The last thing I need is any more depletion of talent.

[imgw]http://img412.imageshack.us/img412/292/injuries12.jpg[/imgw]

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This post was edited by joannes3000 (2009-12-16 22:27, 2 years ago)

League Play, Games 13-15

[imgw]http://img31.imageshack.us/img31/1888/fixtures15.jpg[/imgw]

League Table

[imgw]http://img686.imageshack.us/img686/6168/table15.jpg[/imgw]

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Don't look now, but here we come with a late charge up the table! An eight game undefeated streak is currently being punctuated by two consecutive victories and three in our last four games. This has us occupying the 8th position, one point ahead of 9th place Patriotas FC. The doom and gloom from earlier in the season has given way to a wave of confidence and we're looking really good on the pitch as a result.

Fantastic read... Very interesting. May I ask how you customized your player databse for this?