Last time out the Portland Timbers evolved their way to a historical MLS / Continental treble. Could Chepiga add a bit of flair to his functional Russian machine in Season two?

Intro

When we first started this save, back in November, the nights were drawing in, the kids hadn’t long been out trick or treating, and Mrs Eadster was starting to talk about Christmas shopping. It is hard to believe that we have now reached the end of our two seasons in MLS. The nights are getting longer, the Easter holidays are in full swing, and Mrs Eadster is making plans for summer holidays. In some ways it feels like a long time, but in others it feels so very short. The passing of time in life really is a strange experience, especially as I enter my 40s.

I have thoroughly enjoyed the save alongside FMGrasshopper, and the “masses” who watched on Twitch. No stream ever felt like a “grind”, the conversation never felt forced, or the laughs fake. I had a tough time during parts of 2021 and being able to get lost in this save universe three nights a week has been a very welcome distraction, and I thank FMGrasshopper for being such a great comrade through the otherwise long winter evenings.

Onto the post, in Season one we exceeded our expectations taking out three trophies. This season the aim was to do it again but add a little panache, a little Samba, if you will.

Season Two: 2022

If Season one was famous for “Eadie-Ball”, (i.e. lots going on but penetration was painfully rare) then season two needed something extra. I decided to move from the functional 4231 to a more expansive 3412, 32212, 5212 however you wish to describe it (I will be writing about the tactic itself in a future post). One of the biggest challenges in MLS is building a roster year after year and still maintain compliance with the salary cap, and other squad registration rules. I decided to turn this into a positive and overhaul the squad in the off season.

Recruitment

Center Backs - One of the first things that required my attention when moving to a back three was upgrading our Center Backs. I felt Dario Zuparic had always carried his partner, whether this be Bill Tuiloma, or Larry Mabalia, during season one. I wanted to move into season two with at least four, maybe even five, decent Center Back options. With Mabalia no longer offering value for money in terms of salary impact, he was traded to Philadelphia Union for an International Slot, meaning we probably needed to add at least another three quality Center Backs to our roster. I wanted more physicality, and guile, at the back to implement the “brand” of football Portland wanted.

Nikosi Tafari (waiver draft) - Tafari had been on my radar for sometime having been previously listed by FC Dallas. When he became available in the waiver draft I jumped at the chance to bring him in. He is American, on low wages, and is comfortable with either foot. He was never going to be a first choice, but his more than adequate physicals meant I was never too concerned when I brought him in as a Center Back on cover. Minutes played: 1,264 Average Rating: 7.06

Rivaldo Coetzee ($750k Mamelodi Sundowns) - Coetzee wasn’t completely unknown to me, he used to be a popular signing in FM saves a few editions ago, so when my scouts recommended him I was immediately interested. I felt he could add a bit of guile to our build up play, especially when we were now playing out from the back. Good vision, and world class passing, mixed with the traits of, ‘brings ball out of defense’, and ‘tries long range passes’ make him a perfect Ball Playing Defender for MLS. One major drawback is his injury proneness, my scouts advised me that he could “have real problems with injuries” and so it proved. Coetzee missed 72 days with six different injuries, he never really got a good run in the side and I don’t think I ever saw the best of him. This is reflected in his minutes played and average rating. Minutes played: 1,880 Average Rating: 6.97

Saad Abdul-Salaam (re-entry draft) - Abdul-Salaam was a strange signing. I needed some cover at wing back and having missed out on my first choice, O’Neill Fisher, to Bastardo’s Inter Miami I moved on to FM Stag’s second recommendation which was Abdul-Salaam. It was only after a few weeks of the season that I noticed he could potentially do a job for us in the Wide Center Back role that I was using. Being a natural full back, but possessing the physicals of a center back, meant he could fulfill this new hybrid role and it ended up working very well. With Coetzee missing a lot of the season Abdul-Salaam became an ever more important player for us. Minutes played: 2,620 Average Rating: 7.40

Ike Opara (free agent) - Opara was signed purely as a back up. Whenever we needed someone to make tackles, blocks and clearances he was the man for the job. Without the emergence of Abdul-Salaam he probably would have played more minutes. He is also American which is always a bonus. Minutes played: 431 Average Rating: 7.02

Bring out the Samba - One of the main criticisms of season one was the manner of our victories. Very often we scored early and dominated possession in our own half without really stretching the opposition or generating any exciting periods of play. Don’t get me wrong, I was very pleased with season one but I wanted season two to be a bit more of a spectacle. With this in mind I set about recruiting players at the top end of the pitch who could provide those magical moments that the Timbers Army would remember forever. It just so happened three of them were Brazilian, and the other was an old familiar face.

Paulinho (free agent) - The weakest area of our side in season one was center midfield. An aging Diego Chará couldn’t be expected to play every game this season across four competitions. Eryk Williamson is a good squad player, thus leaving Cristian Paredes as our only real MLS standard midfielder. We needed an all rounder in there, someone who was equally adept in both boxes. Enter free agent Paulinho formerly of Tottenham and Barcelona, now 33, he still possesses all the attributes required of a box to box midfielder, along with the traits ‘gets forward whenever possible’ and ‘arrives late in opposition box’ #perfect. Minutes played: 2,703 Goals: 8 Assists: 10 Average Rating: 7.36

Nathan ($1.4m Atlético Mineiro) - Despite playing with a number 10 throughout season one I never felt I got the best out of Diego Valeri or Sebastien Blanco (both now retired). I needed someone different here, someone to orchestrate our attacks as well as provide a reliable goal threat. I spent a long time looking for the right player but as often is the case in MLS it was difficult to attract the level of player I wanted, especially from Europe. In the end I “settled” for Nathan who, on the face of it, I felt was no more than a good option, when really I wanted a great one. I couldn’t have been more wrong! He came into the side and immediately lifted us to another level. In his first 11 games he scored 10 goals and while his form dipped slightly towards the end of the season I couldn’t be happier with his contribution over the whole season. Minutes played: 2,999 Goals: 16 Assists: 15 (Portland record) Average Rating: 7.53

Johnathan Goiano (Free - Chengdu Rongcheng) - Look at this beast. “GOLANO” was plucked from the Chinese second division, I am amazed I haven’t heard of him before. A mental and physical specimen with technicals not too far behind. I had to use a chunk of Targeted Allocation Money to buy down his contract as I had no Designated Player slots left by the time I signed him. His trait of ‘comes deep to get the ball’ did, however, cause me to rethink his positioning within the team, in the early part of the season. In the end I opted to play him as a deep lying forward and relied on Nathan and Paulinho to make late runs into the box. The link up play between Nathan, Goiano and advanced forward Yimmi Chará was a thing of beauty at times during the season. Despite playing as a DLF he still managed 16 goals and when chances were laid on for him I was confident he would take them. I’d be interested to hear if anyone else has come across him in their saves. Minutes played: 3,087 Goals: 16 Assists: 12 Average Rating: 7.60 (Fan’s player of the season)

Carlos Tevez (free agent) - Tevez was another strange signing. I was doing a number of searches for a new number 10 and Tevez popped up, as a free agent, having left Boca Juniors. More out of curiosity I entered contract negotiations with him. I was surprised to see he was happy to be an impact sub and only wanted the MLS Senior Minimum Wage of $84,000 per annum. This meant his salary would not count against the MLS salary cap. Tevez also has the trait of ‘comes deep to get the ball’ and when I played him alongside Goiano both of them dropped into midfield at times. This left us short of runners in behind, so I made the decision early on that I couldn’t play Goiano and Tevez at the same time. The form, and availability, of Goiano meant that Tevez’s appearances were limited, but I was still happy to use him as an impact sub as he came off the bench 19 times during the season. He has since announced his retirement, goodbye FM legend. Minutes played: 945 Goals: 3 (Portland’s oldest goalscorer 38) Assists: 2 Average Rating: 6.92

Lamar Hunt US Open Cup

Portland Timbers are the current Lamar Hunt US Open Cup champions, and having already lifted the trophy I was happy to rotate heavily in these games during season two. We even handed out game-time to Portland 2 players not registered to play in MLS.

MLS sides enter the competition in the Fourth round and we were pitted against Tucson, Arizona (as per the Beatles song.). A comfortable 2-0 win with both goals coming from Dairon Asprilla, who operated as an experimental number 10 in this game. Next up was Orange County, California (as per the TV show “the O.C”.). The main take home of this game, wasn’t another routine 2-0 win, it was their beautiful stadium complete with Orange hot air balloon.

It wasn’t until the Quarter Finals that we came up against an MLS side, Chicago Fire FC. I decided to keep faith with my rotation policy and I was very proud of the guys who came in, as we battled to a 1-0 win with a late goal from substitute Yimmi Chará who I had thankfully kept in reserve should he be needed!

We welcomed Colorado Rapids to Providence Park for the semi-final. With this being a semi-final I decided to use the medical center (sorry Samo) and rest only those guys who had a high match load and still play the other first team players. So it was a fairly strong Timbers side that took to the field. Goals from Nathan and Mora had us 2-1 ahead as we entered the final 15 minutes. Unfortunately two late goals from the Rapids ended our hopes of retaining the Lamar Hunt Trophy as we fell to a late 3-2 defeat. Orlando City took the title this year.

CONCACAF Champions League

Another competition that the Timbers were the reigning champions, however, unlike the US Open Cup I was determined to win this again. Our campaign started off against Santos from Costa Rica in what turned out to be two rather scrappy performances we managed to get through 3-1 on aggregate. With the CONCACAF starting in April I put this down to the new tactic taking time to bed in. I was fairly confident heading into the Quarter Final draw and I just wanted to avoid Inter Miami (aka. Inter Higuaín), I felt I had the beating of everyone in the CONCACAF but Miami would be tougher. I don’t think either of us were happy with meeting so soon in the competition but I was still confident that over two legs we would prevail, especially with away goals still counting double; we would surely score in Miami.

The game was an epic affair, a real rollercoster, we were ahead four times in the tie, and twice by two goals. When Yimmi Chará chipped record signing Esteban Andrada to put us 5-3 ahead, on aggregate, after only 11 minutes of the second leg, I must admit I felt the tie was over. I hadn’t counted on the scourge of Portland Gonzalo Higuaín though, he was simply fantastic in both games. Two hat-tricks, six goals, in a 6-5 aggregate victory tells its own story. The Timbers had been felled by Inter Higuaín once more. I really felt over the two legs we deserved to win by two or three goals, and the stats back this up, with us winning the all important xG battle 4.80 v 2.66 (Higuaín scored six goals from two xG :vomit:).

You can watch a loop of Higuaín’s goals in this post by FMGrasshopper if you like that sort of thing.

MLS All-Stars

It didn’t take long for the Commissioner of MLS, Don Garber, to recognise Chepiga’s talent. With the annual crunch match between the best of MLS and the best of Liga MX coming up he appointed Chepiga manager of the MLS All Stars. FMGrasshopper and I decided to make this an interactive experience with our ones of fans on stream and put a call out for tactics to be sent to me to use. In the end I decided to go with “Wangball” submitted by @lewrich14 for the first 60 minutes, you can see the tactic here. This proved to be a wise decision with the MLS All stars 3-0 up at the half with goals from Portland’s Johnathan Goiano, Atlanta United’s Josef Martinez, and Inter Miami’s Gonzalo Higuaín. At 60 minutes I switched to “Gavball” submitted by @GAV300879 and this slightly more defensive tactic, and I mean slightly, saw us home 4-1, a second goal from Portland’s Goiano was very pleasing, before a late consolation from Tigres’ Guido Pizarro. Another trophy was heading to Chez-Chepiga.

Major League Soccer

Everything so far as been ‘fluff’, success in these competitions would be the icing on the cake. It was success in MLS, and ultimately the playoffs, that I craved the most. How did we do?

The results during the regular season were nothing short of remarkable. One defeat (an MLS record) in 34 games which included another MLS record of 19 games undefeated, and a 5-1 thrashing of Bastardo’s Inter Miami in our Rose City fortress. We also increased our potency in front of goal scoring a staggering MLS record 93 goals and conceding a league low of 29. Comparing this to last season, we increased our points tally by 32 points, and our goals scored by 46, all without losing our defensive solidity, in fact we conceded one less goal this season than last. It was clear looking at the Supporters Shield table that we were the greatest side in MLS history, winning the Shield by 11 points. I put much of this down to our change to a back three, and the introduction of Samba football. It would, however, be remiss of me, to not mention Yimmi Chará. Yimmi moved from a wide position last season to be our main striker (Advanced Forward) this year in our 5-2-1-2, I actually only did this as last season’s top scorer Felipe Mora was injured at the start of the season. It turned out to be a blessing in disguise as Yimmi Chará ended the year as MLS top scorer with 31 goals (35 goals in all competitions), a Portland Timbers record (who needs Higuaín eh?). We qualified for the playoffs about halfway through the season and secured the Western Conference with seven games to spare, we rotated and planned ahead for the playoffs. It was the MLS Cup that we needed to complete our set in the US, one final push would see us reach immortality.

MLS Playoffs

Having won the Western Conference for a second time, we were awaiting the winners of FC Dallas and the Seattle Sounders. My only league defeat all season had come at the hands of Seattle so I was keen to avoid a Cascadian Derby if possible. Dallas duly obliged beating the Sounders 3-2 (AET), I was very confident we would defeat Dallas, as we had already done so twice in the regular season. So it was the case as the Timbers ran out 3-1 winners with two goals coming from Player of the Match, Yimmi Chará. That win got us to the Western Conference Final against Sporting Kansas City (as in the Wizard of Oz). I was brimming with confidence as we had also beaten Sporting KC twice, fairly comfortably, in the regular season. They say pride comes before a fall…

We fell 1-0 to Sporting KC in what was a very disappointing display, it was only the second time all season that we had failed to score, and our fourth defeat in all competitions. Sporting were worthy winners, grabbing their goal early in the second half and defending for their lives after that. Their absolute demolition of Inter Miami in the MLS Cup Final left a real sense of what might have been.

What’s Next

I have enjoyed the streaming element of the save more than I was expecting, but I could never do it alone or even with a camera on. I have a new found respect for people who try and do this for a living. Most of all, it was fun interacting with people in the chat on stream and while we didn’t attract large numbers we did have a core social group of guys who seemed to log in most nights. I thank you for spending your evenings with us and getting involved in the random conversations Tony and I were having.

Myself and Tony agreed from the start that a two season network save would be the perfect length, and it does feel that way now we have finished. Another off-season of trades and transfers would surely see us move even further away from the AI. Intelligent squad building is a challenge at the best of times for the AI but, add in the complexities of MLS and I think it is clear, from some of the decisions we have seen, that the AI really struggles with it.

So FMGrasshopper and I have both resigned from our positions as manager and are each taking a copy of the save file away to find new jobs. It will be interesting to watch the two save worlds evolve and diverge from one another over the next few months. Tony has kindly made the save file available at the end of his post which you can get to HERE. Why not have a go and try to rebuild Portland or Miami (they need help after our short termism!).

Despite my disappointing end to season two it is clear from the trophy cabinets of both Portland and Miami that the save was a roaring success. Eleven trophies in two seasons, which include two CONCACAF Champions Leagues, Two Supporters’ Shields, and an MLS Cup - not bad.

As ever thanks for making this far, I intend to write up a separate tactic post looking at my 5-2-1-2 in more depth in the next couple of weeks.

Until then,

Over and out.

FMEadster!