April-May

‘After a very disappointing first month, we follow up with two months of League Football, and a Cup Game against Rochester Rhinos towards the end of March in the US Cup 3rd Round. By the end of May, we would have played 15 league games, almost halfway through the league season. The Champions League should start from around July-August, so now we are building our squad for it, as we have to face the dreaded Mexican teams.’

MLS

‘Absolutely smashing. 9 wins in 10 games, with a hiccup in the Philadelphia game which isn’t too much of a problem. Squad depth is becoming much less of a problem, so is the adaptation to the tactics and teammates. The players are gelling together and everything and everyone is in high spirits, with harder games coming up e.g. FC Toronto, who seem to be running away with 1st place.’


‘We top our conference! From the bottom of our conference to the top, I am very proud of how we are playing right now. Keeping the ball, and passing short. Fantastic, and I am looking at another Champions League win in a few years time, if - IF - we can handle the Mexicans and surprise Costa Rican outfit Alajuelense. Colorado just battered us 4-1 (spoiler) therefore they are two points behind us with a game in hand, which means they could possibly go top by a point.’

US Cup - 3rd Round - Rochester Rhinos

‘A good 3-1 win in which I let my assistant handle, getting goals from Sean Franklin, Arvydas Novikovas and Shane Brown. We kept possession and passed well too.’


‘We face Seattle, I am happy with the draw - as anyways, we are stronger than 90% of the teams in the MLS.’

Player(s) who Impressed

‘Hector Ortigoza has been the most dangerous man in the league, and has had the 2nd best average rating in the league, while racking up the most assists. He has been fantastic on the right, battering left-backs as they come and go.’

June-July

‘What a month we had in June. We had as many as 8 games in the space of 4-5 weeks, along with the North American Champions League Draw. All will be revealed soon, as many of you will be shocked at how we are doing right now. Anyways, the league...’

MLS

‘A great month with 5 wins out of 6! I am absolutely ecstatic with how we are playing right now!’

Colorado: We were appalling although we weren’t supposed to lose as much as that. Our players were tired and I couldn’t do anything about it. Nevertheless we kept our heads high, and we moved on.

FC Dallas: A great away win to shut Carlos Valderrama up, with Israel Lara continuing to impress! I just rejected a 2.3M bid with add-ons for him, that’s how bad I want him to stay!

San Jose: We completed a first half hammering of San Jose, and we continued to keep possession for the 2nd half which is amazing to see by my players.

Seattle: This was a great game, but Israel Lara struck twice to deny them a draw. It was hard to take going 2-0 up and losing the lead, but Lara is just amazing and won’t stop.

New York: A great win with Frank Acheampong continuing his form after being put into the starting line-up in recent games. Perea also doing well, considering I thought he would not be cut out for this level.

FC Dallas: We grinded out our second win in 5 against FC Dallas as 16-year-old attacking midfielder Ross Reynolds scored his first ever goal for LA Galaxy! 3 points, and Carlos Valderrama pissed off.


‘7 points ahead of Colorado, it is very good to see how much we improved. 14 games left of the season and then the MLS Cup starts, I am happy to get the season over with, because I want the North American Champions League ASAP!’


‘Well would you look at that! We are top by a point, AND we have two games in hand to Toronto FC! To think that some fans wanted me to get the sack! I am lucky that Chris Klein stuck by me, and it didn’t even take a few weeks before we went to the top. Haters are my motivators. Yes they are.’

NACL Group Stage Draw

‘We were drawn with Herediano of Costa Rica and Real Esteli of Nicaragua. We should get past this group easily, but I have a feeling Herediano might cause some upsets. Although, anything besides qualification is not good.’

US Cup

‘We had two US Cup games this month, and if we won both of those games, we would be in the semi-finals, which is very good as I would like to win this cup!’

US Cup 4th Round - Seattle vs. LA Galaxy - Starfire Sports Complex, 14/6/2017

‘Taiberson (a fantastic 23-year-old Brazilian striker who we tried to go for, but failed) started the scoring with a good header in the 13th minute. Mlamuli Kaplan equalized half an hour later, with Luis Perea and Iain Marks completing the 3-1 win over Seattle.’



‘Sporting Kansas City, we should be winning this game.’

US Cup Quarter Final - LA Galaxy vs. Sporting Kansas City - StubHub Center, 28/6/2017

‘We were cruising the game, 3-0 in the first half. We were doing very well, until they scored three in the second half to equalize the game. I was furious, although former Jomo Cosmos lad Mlamuli Kaplan won the game for us in the 119th minute!’



‘Houston.. it should be a good game. We should be winning, but we won’t write them off.’

Player of the Month

‘Mlamuli Kaplan was instrumental! He fully deserved it this month, and I know Israel Lara did well, but Mlamuli Kaplan was sensational.’

FAYAD JOINS JAPAN, ONE DAY BEFORE GOLD CUP

‘A day before the Gold Cup started - for Fayad to pursue his first International trophy - Hamoudi Fayad has left El Salvador for the mighty Japan, who just finished as Confederation Cup Finalists. Japan apparently offered a big wage deal, which will be revealed later in the article.’



‘Fayad’s El Salvador started off the year with a loss to Guatemala, before the Copa Centro Americano. The Salvadorans were on the verge of drawing with Costa Rica before 3 late goals crushed them. A 94th minute winner from Jaime Alas saw El Salvador defeat Panama, before beating Belize 2-0. Two consecutive 4-1 losses ensured a 4th place finish in the Central American Cup. A win over Andorra, a draw with Cuba and a loss to Canada were played as preparations for El Salvador for the Gold Cup.’



‘Japan had a great year, qualifying for the 2018 World Cup and reaching the Confederation Cup Final, losing to Lionel Messi’s Argentina. Their best win of the year came up against Germany, and their most impressive against USA - where Fayad manages now.’



‘Apparently Hamoudi Fayad is earning 56,000 pounds per week in Japan.’

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August-October

‘Sorry for the lack of updates guys, I had exams this week and some internet problems therefore I couldn’t update a lot. Although, I played 3 months worth of FM, and i have reached the end of the season with LA Galaxy. The NACL Group Stages have finished, the US Cup Final has been played, and the MLS Regular Season has finished. Where will we have reached? All will be revealed. Also, 4 friendlies with Japan have been played.’

MLS

‘One draw and all wins. I’m very excited, and our form has been exotic since our bad start. We have been unstoppable - bar a few hiccups - but I am absolutely ecstatic, and hopefully next year after I am more familiar with the rules, we can have better depth!’


‘We finish the season in 1st place, and even though the previous manager won the MLS Cup with Galaxy, they finished in 3rd place in their own conference, but in the end they came out on top. Us on the other hand, we were rampant and nobody could stop us!’



‘A nice touch, although this doesn’t count as a trophy. We need to win the whole MLS Cup for it to count.’



‘The Youth Facilities will be worked on! I like to leave the clubs I manage in good hands, so it is always nice to see things like this!’

US Cup

‘We were drawn against Houston in the semi-finals, could we reach the Final on my first try?’

LA Galaxy vs. Houston, StubHub Center - US Cup Semi-Final - 9/8/2017

‘We were winning 2-0 but we messed it up in the second half and I knew 100% we were going to. Thiam was really good and they kept pressuring us, and they finally got us. Although, we did win on penalties! So we progress to the Final. We face, Columbus.’

Columbus vs. LA Galaxy, Columbus Crew Stadium - US Cup Final - 4/10/2017

‘We’ve done it! The US Cup is in our hands, and this is my 1st trophy in North America, hopefully the first of many (depending on how long I stay). This was a thriller of a game, we went 1-0 up and then were 2-0 down by the 40th minute! A late first-half penalty put us back in with a shout. Ortigoza scored a brilliant free-kick for us, but a late penalty by Lima tied it all up. In extra-time, we killed the game off with a Mike Ferguson goal. He is our new signing which I forgot to mention, we got him as a Waiver player. He has scored 6 goals in 4 games for us. Brilliant.’

NACL

‘We had a very easy group and we easily progressed, a very good confidence helper. 12 points won us the group with our opponents far behind. The draw hasn’t come out yet, but I’m hoping I don’t get the Mexican teams and they get eliminated by other teams. Oh, I hope.’








‘We played four friendlies with the Japanese National Team, but I want to show a few bits of info.’


‘Who else? Shinji Kagawa and Keisuke Honda are our best players without a doubt. Gotoku Sakai is an unreal full back for Dortmund, and let’s see how we did in the friendlies. Honda, and a few others are injured which sucks, although we have a lot of depth in midfield and attack. We have a Goalkeeping problem, as our best GK is 34 years old (Kawashima) and our next best goalie is 18 years old and is shit… Regen Day passed for Japan but nobody came, I sent scouts out to Japan, no one yet...’



‘We played against Australia in a bid to gain a respectable result and keep possession. We did exactly that. Our passing was fantastic and so were the players, I can’t wait for this team to gel.’



‘What a game! and what a comeback! 5-4, what an absolute smashing win. We passed the ball and kept possession but we needed a win. This was a must-win game, and we were 2-0 down in the first 30 minutes. Kagawa struck twice in 5 minutes, before Otsu and Havenaar doubled our lead. A fantastic finesse from Gotoku Sakai killed the game.’



‘Disappointed with the loss, but they are a better team. We passed and kept the ball, all good signs for me.’



‘What. A. Win. Perfect! 4-0 against one of the best teams in Asia, this really brightened up the mood of the team!’

‘So there you have it, a bit of a huge update and I know it seems rushed but I am trying my best. Although, my last exam is tomorrow, so expect a lot of updates for the next 3-4 weeks. Thanks for all the support guys!’

‘Finally...’
Next Time…

End of the Season - December

‘We are almost there. Let me explain the process of the “MLS Cup”. There is the US Cup, the MLS Regular Season and the MLS Cup. The US Cup is equivalent to the FA Cup, the MLS Regular Season or Supporters’ Shield is the equivalent of a normal league season. Although, the top 3 teams from each conference qualify to their conference’s respective Knockout Semi-Final, and the next best two teams from each conference will play in a Wild Card match to see who joins the trio from each conference. We are the best team, therefore we go into the Western Conference Semi Final against Portland.’

MLS

Portland vs. LA Galaxy - MLS West Conf. Semi Final #1

‘We were very poor in this match. Well, attacking wise we were. We kept the ball and we passed it very well, averaging over 85% of passing completion yet our shots off target amount was huge! They scored two late goals, but Mike Ferguson scored a consolation to put as back in with a shout. Is it over for us, or can we overturn this at home?’

LA Galaxy vs. Portland - MLS West Conf. Semi Final #2

‘A great win in which Sean Franklin shone in. He is 33 yet he is our most consistent player! I was about to let him go but I canceled the deal, as I knew what a player we were going to miss. He is just fantastic, and he can play anywhere from full back to the centre of midfield and also at right-wing. We were 2-0 up until the 66th minute but we pressured Moran to scored an own goal just two minutes later to win us the game.’

San Jose vs. LA Galaxy - MLS West Conf. Final #1

‘This game also involved a late goal but it was us this time! A late away goal (Which doesn’t matter in the MLS) from Hector Ortigoza won us the game, and now puts us in the driving seat for the Home game. Can we reach the MLS Cup Final? Will we face Montreal Impact, or Toronto FC?

LA Galaxy vs. San Jose - MLS West Conf. Final #2

‘What a game this was! A small injury for Frank Acheampong wasn’t that nice, but we won! We went into extra time though which was a bit of a worry, but Luis Perea struck twice in 8 minutes to win us the game. What a guy. He hasn’t failed me at all, and we reach the MLS Cup Final because of him… against Montreal Impact… can I win my 2nd trophy with LA Galaxy?’

LA Galaxy vs. Montreal Impact - MLS Cup Final

‘Fantastic! A pair of headers from centre back Iain Marks wins us the MLS Cup at Home in great fashion! I am ecstatic to win this, with the odds stacked on me at the start of the season after a bad start. The whole team was fantastic and I cannot wait for this team in the Club World Cup and the NACL, hopefully we can prove that we are a challenging team. Next Up, the Awards are out.’

Awards

‘This is proof that the team as a whole were fantastic. 6 players in the Best XI, and 5 different award winners. It is sad that I didn’t get Manager of the Year, but it is great for my players who have been just top notch! Zacharie Boucher and Omar Gonzalez were sublime and helped our defence be the best in the MLS this year! Acheampong was an honest and clean player while Sean Franklin won Humanitarian of the Year. Finally, our MVP Hector Ortigoza who is by far our best player. I will definitely try and bring him with me to South America or Europe!’

Players of the Season

#3: Mlamuli Kaplan - MC/AMC - South Africa

‘What a debut season for this lad. He completed 86% of his passes, of course, as he knew my style of play from Jomo Cosmos. We have won 73% of the games he’s played in, and he completed 74% of his tackles! Not bad for a 20-year old who has never played a full season of regular team football before! He also racked up 6 goals and 12 assists on the way.’

#2: Iain Marks - DL/DC - USA

‘4 POTMs, 85% of tackles completed, 4.22 tackles per 90 minutes AND he scored two goals in the MLS Cup Final! What a sensational player, isn’t he? I am looking forward to play with this kid again as he seems phenomenal! Great season, lad.’

#1: Hector Ortigoza - MR/AMR - Paraguay

‘5 POTMs, the MVP of the MLS 2017 Season, 11 goals, 4.76 dribbles per game, and 22 assists! Without a doubt our best player of the season and the best player in North America! What a player, he has shone in every game and is consistent throughout. He even gave a hat-trick of assists once! I am looking forward to coaching him again, and as I said before, I would like to bring him with me to Europe or South America.’

CWC Draw

‘We were drawn against Waitakere United in the Playoff of the Club World Championship, a game we should easily progress from.’

Next Time…
-LA Galaxy face off with Waitakere United
-Youth Intake for LA Galaxy
-FIFA World Cup Draw
-Japan Announce Friendlies

Japan - World Cup 2018 Preparations

‘As the end of 2017 came, we had the FIFA World Cup Draw. It isn’t possible for me to win it with Japan, so I would like a Knockout Round spot depending on how hard our group is. There were some very easy teams as First Seeds, although we got these teams:


Nickname: La Selecao
Population: 201M
Manager: Cuca
World Ranking: 3rd
Top Players: Neymar (Barcelona), Lucas Leiva (Liverpool), Doria (Barcelona), Oscar (Chelsea), Marquinhos (PSG)
World Cup 2014? Lost to Belgium in Quarter Final


Nickname: Ay Yildizlilar
Population: 74.72M
Manager: Fatih Terim
World Ranking: 5th
Top Players: Nuri Sahin (PSG), Mertkan Aykurt (Bayer 04), Gokhan Tore (Gala), Arda Turan (HSV), Selcuk Inan (Gala)
World Cup 2014? Lost to Colombia in Second Round


Nickname: Les Fennecs
Population: 32M
Manager: Vahid Halihodzic
World Ranking: 36th
Top Players: Sofiane Feghouli (Napoli), Aissa Mandi (Basel), Ishak Belfodil (Inter), Saphir Taider (Inter), Faouzi Ghoulam (St-Etienne)
World Cup 2014? Did Not Qualify

‘We have a tough group for the World Cup. We are already beaten against Brazil, while I have no idea how we will fare against Turkey. Turkey’s attack seems great, but their defence doesn’t seem so good. Algeria is a team we should be beating easily despite their good players, although I think we have big defensive problems. I would be happy with 3rd, but we will try to push for 2nd place for a Knockout Round Spot.’

Pre-World Cup Friendlies

‘My assistant recommended Cyprus and Bolivia, while I added in Croatia so we can have more competitiveness before the World Cup, and hopefully a win there will boost our confidence.’



‘We get a fantastic training camp! Hopes are high!’

Finally:



‘Shinji Kagawa has been sensational, without a doubt he was first place.’

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Club World Cup and Youth Intake

‘This month we had nothing notable besides the FIFA Club World Cup and the announcement of our new Youth Players by the end of the month. I reached the semi-finals with Jomo Cosmos, could we better it this time with a better team, or achieve the same fate? We start of with a Play-Off match against Waitakere United of New Zealand, the O-League winners.’

LA Galaxy vs. Waitakere United, CWC Play-Off - Rose Bowl - 6/12/2017

‘We won 6-0 in a great match where we dominated with 70% of possession and not letting them get a shot on goal. Oriol Rosell bagged a brace in what could be his last game for LA Galaxy, while Israel Lara shone with a hat-trick performance. We were very clinical in this match, scoring 6 out of 10 shots on target.’

LA Galaxy vs. Alajuelense, CWC Quarter Final - Rose Bowl - 9/12/2017

‘We were drawn against the North American Champions League Winners, and I figured if we could beat them in this match then we would have a chance for Champions League Glory this season… and we did. A good 2-1 win, which saw us get the edge on possession although we were poor attacking-wise, something we should improve for games like this.’

LA Galaxy vs. Atletico MG, CWC Semi Final - Rose Bowl - 12/12/2017

‘We were slight favourites over Atletico MG although we couldn’t do it, Ortigoza and Franklin were injured, leaving us to 9 men in extra time and of course we would lose. We were very good in the first 90 minutes but it was tough to lose out like this. Third Place PlayOff it is, which I will be handing over to my assistant.’

LA Galaxy vs. Al-Ahly, CWC Third Place - Rose Bowl - 16/12/2017

‘We lost, something which shouldn’t have happened although we played very well in this tournament and I am not too disheartened. I am looking forward to next season, and the draw for the NACL is out. All will be revealed soon enough… who will we play? One of our American compatriots, or our Mexican rivals? Could we end up facing Alajuelense again?’

NACL Draw

‘We had the North American Champions League Draw for the quarter-finals… who were we drawn against?’





‘Alajuelense. Yes, we play them again, this time Home and Away. I think we can progress from this easily if we concentrate. If everything goes how we want it to, there can be 2 US Clubs, 1 Mexican Club and one other club left in the competition, which is a plus sign for us!’

Youth Intake

‘Everything in the MLS is so confusing to be honest, apparently they’re at another club and we drafted them but who cares…’



‘It’s not a bad intake neither is it an excellent one, but I think we already have a few back-ups for the first team which is very good as they won’t take up any international slots!’





‘We also got a few other players from the SuperDraft:’



‘He is decent and will provide depth in the centre.’



‘One for the future.’



‘He is very good and is going to be the replacement of Sean Franklin in the Future.’

Next Time...
-Transfer Dealings for LA Galaxy
-Tactics Revelation
-Fixtures List Announcement

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