#8 Nearing the Summit

[Squid]

All Tentacles had ever wanted was to win, he was never the player that was focusing on stat padding and trying to win individual awards. As a kid he dreamt of winning the SSL Cup and a Major League Championship and now he has accomplished both, multiple times.

Entering the Academy League late in the season, Tentacles was a key piece for the Victoria Falls Eagles and helped them narrowly win the Academy league. Getting Drafted to Reykjavik United in the S14 entry draft saw him play for North Shore for his first three seasons winning the minor league in his first season. His second season saw North Shore win the double, winning the minor league yet again, and defeating his own Major League team Reykjavik United in the SSL Cup Final to become part of an exclusive group of Minor League Cup winners. He would also pick up his first individual award, making the Minor League TOTY as a LD.
North Shore would pick up their third consecutive title in S16, with Tentacles finishing his minor league career and moving up to the Majors in S17.

Playing for Reykjavik in S17 would see them win the league for the 5th time in 7 seasons, and earn Tentacles his first Major League Title. Reykjavik would experience heartbreak that season as they would lose in the Cup Final for the 6th consecutive season. Tentacles would end up winning the Rookie of the Year award this season despite the finals loss. However the following season, Tentacles and Reykjavik would lose out on the Majors Title and hoist the SSL Cup for the first time as Reykjavik United. In Season 19 they would go on to win both the Majors Title and the SSL Cup again, with Tentacles picking up his second double trophy season in his short 6 year career.

With 5 league titles, 3 SSL Cups, 1 ROTY, and 1 TOTS there is not much left for Tentacles to win. He is content with trying to win more titles and cups for Reykjavik. Hopefully he adds a Major League Team of the Season award to his trophy cabinet and hopefully eventual Hall of Fame career.

A Winner. That is how people will remember Marco Tentacles.

Approved - and thanks for calling out the error in the eligibility.

[Domffl]

CPT 7

It's hard to really accept that Ali Dia is really this close to the middle of his career. It seems like he only began his career a few months ago. From the get-go, Dia knew that he was signing up for a complete rebuild. and what a rebuild it has been so far. From being one of the five actives in Hollywood to finally being the league leaders in TPE and winning a championship*, it's been such a wild (and slow) ride. 
One Major league championship in the cabinet, but Dia is still searching for a Cup, a Minors title, and some personal awards. I think he's been in a TOTY list or something once upon a time, but only as an alternate. He knows that he plays a thankless position; one that is often overlooked for awards and accolades. And he did it on purpose, even. Dia is completely fine with taking the back seat from the spotlight and instead operating as the engine for the team, but not the flashy muscle. Dia has always been okay with a cabinet full of team awards and no individual awards. However, there is now growing a small desire to at least win *something* within his career. It doesn't have to be as prestigious as a golden boot or anything like that. But to perform at such a high level and to have reached 2000 tpe and still have little to no individual awards seems like a waste. So from now on, we are going to see a renewed fire in Dia. Regression will come swiftly, but Dia is ready. He is on a Lebron workout plan, something that emphasizes longevity of physicals more than a peak muscle build. Dia might not ever be the strongest or fastest, but he's going to play for a VERY long time. 

[>300 words]

Approved - Dia is just getting started! 

[sliceruser]

Alexandros Career might be considered a bit of an interesting one as he was already in professional sports before joining the SSL as he played in the SHL affiliate league, but also because when he walked into try outs, he had no idea what soccer really meant. He had the advantage of having major athlete level physique but otherwise he really started from the bottom and fumbled around looking silly. It was only through incredible work ethic and desire to improve that he rose through the draft rankings and even was considered by many to have the best raw skill in the draft. Alas it was his lack of knowledge that caused him to fall from first but that wasn’t a bad thing as he ended up in what would be his forever home in Hollywood at 3rd overall. Hollywood would end up being a perfect destination as he joined a team just at the end of a rebuild who only needed 1 or 2 pieces in which his position fit perfectly and he immediately jumped up to Hollywood never playing in Kaapstad. It wasn’t all sunshine and daisies those first 2-3 seasons on Hollywood, he was a top prospect but he was young and it took a few seasons to come into his own but the next 3 or so saw significant growth for Hollywood and Alexandros with the 7th season they pushed for greatness and became the team to beat. 7 seasons into his career and Alexandros is just short of his prime now sitting perfectly with the rest of Hollywood including his defense partners as one of the best defensive cores in the league all peaking together. While not singlehandedly having the greatest stand out states they work together as a team and have become a terror for all other teams’ offense trying to enter our side of the field. Hollywood looks to be the team to beat once again and Alexandros looks to be perfectly placed with this team which he is ready to continue being dominant with for many seasons to come and at this point he does not have much left to achieve except a fun ride to the end.
 
-366 words

Career PT #7

Approved - Congrats on nearing the peak Hollywood certainly looks like a tough team again!

[Xotcin]

CPT 7

It has been a long and relatively straight road for William Williams. The veteran goalkeeper is staring at the peak of his career and welcoming it with open arms. It was not long ago Williams was in Montreal being the brick wall they needed to win the division in season 19 and good enough to win the Golden Glove back to back in seasons 19 and 20. He has not found the same success in the major leagues as of yet. There is still plenty of time for that though.
Williams had an unorthodox career so far, he has spent more time in the minors than the majors, but would not have it any other way. While some around the league may have asked why he wanted to stay in the minors so long, Williams would smirk and say he loved the organization so much that he would do whatever was needed to see it succeed. He also got to play under, and learn from, the great Muunokhoi Sarantsatsral. Not everyone was so lucky to have that opportunity.
When it was time to take over the net, Williams understood the pressure that came with being the keeper for Schwarzwälder Fußballverein and has given his all at every opportunity. Realistically, Williams has time left to achieve his goals. He would love to win a Cup in the majors at least once before he sets off into the sunset. Winning a major Golden Glove would also be really cool, but not necessary for him to feel fulfilled. These are not unrealistic goals, but they are not going to be easy to do and Williams recognizes that his teammates around him will also need to do their parts for this team to succeed. Afterall, this team’s success matters more to Williams than any personal glory. Williams plan is to play as long as he can and help keep Schwarzwälder a powerhouse team for many seasons.

[322]

Approved

[roquefort]

CPT 7

Now entering the 8th season of my career, I honestly cannot believe how soon it has come and gone. It still feels like I am a naive and excited rookie, awestruck by the stadium lights in the Sao Paolo and the roar of the crowd each time I enter the field. To break character a bit, it's been a journey. When I first joined Uniao Sao Paolo the team was a mess, an empty shell of an organization, with only a handful of actives. Thanks to the great work of Kahri, Pyro, and Saba we've turned that once dead team into a perennial contender. We began to sniff success pretty early, our young players boosted by strong tactics - and as the years progressed we began to win more and more. We first tasted gold when Paris won the Minors back in S19, with Sao Paolo a game away from the majors. Despite the major league chokes we managed to win the cup twice and nearly won it a third time in S22. This past season was special, with our team really clicking and exceeding our expectations - only dropping a single match out of 22 in the league play. 

As a player, I have become one of the most well rounded players in the league. Participating in both attack and defense, I have turned into an eclectic goal scorer who's capable of carving up the defense and rounding the keeper or delivering a strike from halfway across the field - with 5 goals from outside the box last season. I have been snubbed by TOTS a handful of times, but hopefully that will be a trend of the past as I enter my true prime. Truthfully, as I think on my career in retrospect I feel a deep sense of pride and accomplishment with how much I've already done in the past year. I never once imagined I'd end up a manager here, nor that my team would be so successful. I've really fallen in love with the SSL and I can't wait to see what comes next, for both USP and the league at large.

Approved - Don't get too nostalgic on me Roque! 

[Wiggli]

CPT 7

Following Hollywood's S21 title win Hercule headed to the Alps to work on his fitness and reflect on his goals for the future. It is always a difficult task to build upon success, but to be truly great requires one to continue stacking win on win. But at that pinnacle of European geography Hefeweizen decided that his career trajectory should not so quickly begin its decline.

Season 22 was a small letdown individually and for the team. Winning the cup is no small feat but their standing for the league title race fell. Hercule over the course of his career has moved more and more toward a more defensive slant. Possessing some of the skill to create or finish chances (at least in set pieces) there can be moments where all eyes on him, but for the most part he is doing the unheralded work that helps a team succeed. Being the person who makes the pass before the pass before the pass is something the Belgian can take pride in, but at the peak of his powers there are times when he wishes he could do a little more to help his team win.

Season 23 has so far seen an even stronger move toward a defensive focused Hefeweizen, often occupying the central role in a back 3. Gone are some of the opportunities he enjoyed in his youth to dart forward with a dribble as he is tasked with anchoring the back line for the squad relying on his experience and composed demeanor to keep things settled.

In the near future he will return to international play for his beloved Benelux. It will be another interesting contrast, where he enjoyed so much success as a youthful team organizer now he faces high expectations as one of the more seasoned players but at the same time must balance taking a step back to let the next crop of players guide the team as they see fit.

While his career may no longer be in ascent, if he can maintain that balance Hercule hopes to continue to his high level of play for club and country for as long as possible.

Code:

361 words

Approved - Father Time never loses. But hopefully Hercule has a few more great seasons in the tank!