#4 Versatility

[TooDear]

CPT 3

Position to be upgraded: AMC

Following an unplanned trip (kidnapping) to Brazil that was organized by his fellow players, Predrag took a while to adjust to his surroundings. Since he was already in the world's most successful footballing country, he thought might as well see the sights and go to a few games. What he didn't plan for was to be followed by a sea of fans, scouts and pundits. Apparently Montreal had a cult following in Brazil, he had no idea.

Every trip from his hotel room was followed by dozens of people, paparazzi hoping to catch a good photo, fans trying to get something signed, pundits and journalists looking to get an interview. Predrag was already planning on how he'd get his revenge on the team for this "vacation". Nevertheless, on the few occasions he would be able to slip past his trackers, he'd be met with a sight he was familiar with. Football being played on the streets, in parking lots, near housing blocks. Despite the fact Predrag wasn't a football fan in his youth, he still played it. It was the "default" game you played as boys in Serbia. They didn't have grassroot pitches or even large yards to play, it was always 10 minutes of rough pushing and kicking followed by a scramble to dodge the coming car.

He picked up more than a few cuts and bruises, at the time he hated playing on the concrete, he only did it so he could spend time with his friends. Looking back on it now, he was just too prideful at the time to admit football could be fun. When he rediscovered his passion for football and joined the Academy, he thought he was meant to be a classic 9. A fast, strong and tough striker who could always be relied on. That he was able to achieve. He was also to prove to himself that he was an asset to his friends and fellow players, that his ability, mind and character were wanted. Yet something still felt missing. 

He pondered that fact as he watched a 12 year old kid nutmeg a grown man. Flare, he was missing a maverick attitude. Yes he could score, yes he could deliver in Montreal's most needed moments, but he wanted more. He wanted to do it in style, with finesse and showmanship. With that newfound desire, he decided to prolong his vacation in Brazil. Predrag was now on his journey to become a Trequartista.

Approved - Will be watching to see how effective Predrag is as a Trequartista!

[Ben]

CPT 3

It has been an interesting off-season for Ben Nelson. After letting Catalunya management know he was looking for something new to reignite his career, he expected there might be a team or two around the league interested in a defensive midfielder. With the expansion draft looming there did not seem to be much movement, but Catalunya left him unprotected so there was an opportunity to join one of the new teams. The expansion draft came and went and Nelson had not heard from anyone. Just as he was starting to wonder if he might transfer away from the SSL, he had a call from his friend Benecio Aguilera III who said his team União São Paulo was interested in trading for him.
Nelson got on a flight to Brazil to catch up with the Mexican goalkeeper and meet the rest of the squad. The day after he arrived he heard that a deal was in place and he would be playing his football with USP in the coming season.
Excited to get started with his new side after completing his physical, Nelson immediately began training at the Estádio de São Paulo facilities. His new midfield partner Chef Gagne helped him to understand his role in the structure of the team, particularly with timing and positioning, when to hold deep and when to step up to keep play flowing. As a wingback Roquefort Cotswold explained Nelson’s role in transition, how to link play wide, create overloads, and switch the point of attack. Striker Julián Rubio worked with him on recognising the types of forward runs made within the system and how his passing skills could be used further up the pitch in the final third, not just from deeper areas.
Nelson had experience in the minors and the academy as a centre back, but his off-season work helped him feel more comfortable higher in the formation as a true central midfielder and also built chemistry with his new teammates.

Upgrade CM please

Approved - Best of luck in USP!

[Giacomino_raiola]

CPT3:
https://forum.simulationsoccer.com/showt...2#pid84922



“Look I know that you have been basically only played on the wings your whole career but you have to understand that we need a player like you in the middle of the field, that’s why you will start specialised training this preseason” said the manager,
to which Santori had to reluctantly agree.

Having always played on the edge (of the field) Santori immediately found himself disoriented, he always had a line near him indicating where the field ended and now there wasn’t, “I hate this, too much choices, too many possibilities, so this is how a midfielder has to deal his whole career? This is simply horrendous" he thought to himself.

“Now let’s start this easy just run from goal to goal with the ball as warm up, then we will work on what you will actually work on the movements and the tactics” said the trainer.

And the training began, at first Santori was confused by too much freedom, it was overwhelming for him, so much so that after the first touches Santori just froze on his place too scared to move, he missed his line, it was a railway track for him.
Santori after returning to his senses said:”I can’t do this without a line telling me where the field ends”.
“Bring in the paint, I have an idea” said the trainer to an assistant, “Since you can't move without a line I’ll paint two for you” said the trainer to Santori.
“Since you can only work in well delimited space I'm gonna paint one for you, every day it’s going to get larger and larger, by the end of the preseason it's going to be the whole field” said the trainer.

It felt much better for Santori, now he had his lines to guide him, his movements adapted well to his new position, the tactics had been studied and everything went well.

Then it arrived the last day of the preseason and suddenly Santori had an epiphany, “wait the whole field is delimited by 4 lines, I have never thought about that i only really cared about one, but now i’m ready I have trained hard and I can say that I can now play as a CAM”. 



Upgrade to CAM.

Approved 

[santimit]

CPT #3
Position to upgrade: CM

After finishing his third season, Santiago Mitidiero felt it was time to take a real step forward. He had always been the classic “5,” the one in charge of setting the pace and keeping things organized. But he knew that modern football demanded being versatile, being able to adapt. That’s why he decided his offseason couldn’t be like the ones before.

His first stop was Montevideo, Uruguay. There, alongside a group of young players from around the region, Santiago threw himself into intense training sessions that mixed pure technique with tactical drills. They worked on high pressing, quick transitions, and clean build-up plays. It was in those days that Santiago started to discover a new side of himself: not just the holding midfielder, but also someone who could push forward, break lines, and arrive in the box with better timing.

The next part of his journey took him to Quito, Ecuador. Training at the LDU facilities, Santiago quickly realized how tough the altitude was. At first, he felt heavy and short of breath, but little by little it started paying off. His stamina improved, his recovery between sessions got faster, and he felt sharper than before. The extra agility work helped too, giving him the quick reactions he knew he needed to face faster-paced matches.

Back in New Zealand to close out the break, Santiago continued playing footbal in pick-up games with his North Shore teammates and some friends he made during the stay, trying himself out in different roles. Sometimes as an interior, other times even as a right-back. Those games gave him the confidence to know he could step out of his comfort zone.

Now, heading into his fourth season, Santiago feels ready. Not just as a “5,” but as a player who can adapt, grow, and give his team more wherever they need him.

Approved

[Amidships]

CPT 3

Upgrade LWB

Alex Calderon spends most of his offseason relaxing with friends and family... or training. It will come as no surprise to the people surrounding him that he has put in a ton of time in the offseason to improve his overall physical skills. He knows that in order to succeed at the highest levels of the sport, he will need to be stronger and faster than the opponents. What some people may not expect from Calderon is his off the pitch workouts. He spends time in the evenings studying formations, tactics, adjustments made by the best players in the game, and anything else that he thinks will give him the mental edge over his opponents. At the beginning of the offseason, Calderon takes a week or so to relax and rest himself. He takes time to visit his friends and family, and recover from the tough work of the season. Then he takes a deep dive into his business venture planning stages with his team to make sure they have the resources needed to keep functioning while he is busy with everything else. Within a few weeks of the offseason, Calderon is right back at training to get better. He starts by reviewing the formations and tactics of the opponents that he had the most trouble with the season prior. From there, he picks apart every piece of their game to learn as much as he can about how it works. Knowing as much as possible about what his opponent will do will make it easier for him to prevent them from completing their goals. Once he has completed his review, it is time to get back to the physical training, improving his overall speed, strength, and general athleticism. Only then does he continue to improve his technique and start adding new things into his repertoire of skills. As the season quickly approaches, Calderon will wind down and get some additional rest each week to be prepared.


327 words

Approved

[TontoTut]

CPT 3 - https://forum.simulationsoccer.com/showt...3#pid82233 

Position upgrade - CDM

The Techno Clan and Krung Steppers are buzzing for the S22 season, because now Techno boast a new striking partnership in the form of a droid that fell from space, Roger Roger, and a big/little/medium Dom Patterson, whose size is irrelevant anyway when he jumps higher than Chichen Itza. We’ve told Roger not to bring his E-5 Blaster rifle to training, something he could get away with in the Minor League, but new SSL rules this season have clearly stated weaponry is not allowed in the Major League. It was my fault these rules were revised, since apparently sharpening your studs to carve Marcel Voda’s calves from his shins like brisket is “going too far”. If only this was the early 2000s – the game’s gone! We’ve also kindly asked Dom to train on his knees, as our CBs are having to play in high heels just to challenge him in the air. At least the Jimmy Choo brand deal paid off for a while.
 
This doesn’t mean Dom’s headers always burst the net, however, as newcomer Gianlugia Bufoon at Minor League Krung Thep has proven to be a worthy replacement for Calvin Ball between the sticks. We’ll see if he can maintain his training ground form for Krung, but in any case, he needs a couple of seasons under his belt first before Ball passes his LED Techno gloves on to his protégé. Strangely, Ball never talks to anyone in training, and his gloves need new batteries.
 
Player-manager Caetano has kindly given up his permanent on-field position in rotation with ballet dancer Billy Elliott, who enjoys his game time with brother and ever reliable Jonny Elliott. They share a great understanding on the left side of the pitch, so will be providing the usual service to the new Techno striking partnership. I even managed to have my father Roy Keane ask David Beckham to come along pre-season to teach the Elliotts some pinpoint crossing, though I wasn’t expecting by father to come along too. He stayed all day barking order at me to stamp my authority on the game. “it’s only f***ing training!”, I screamed back. He wasn’t happy. Looks like the next lunch bill is on me.

Approved

[scoous]

CPT 3


Upgraded Position: Central Attacking Midfielder



Sam Albinson knew that needed to step up his game if he wanted to keep up with his fellow peers. He was once on top of the academies top talents, but both his drive to improve and his lack of any training regiment has led to him falling behind. He did everything, asked his coaches, searched up online on ways to perhaps improve, tried meditation, anything and everything he could do, he tried. Any yet, no progress seemed to be made.

He got back from training, throwing his bag into the living room after another frustrating session of being played around and not being able to dribble past a traffic cone. He laid on the couch and rested his eyes...


'Sam... my son.' 


His eyes shoot awake! It can't be...




'Sam. You mustn't give up. Meet me atop the highest mountain, if you wish to be the best of the best.'


In the blink of an eye, just as quickly as he arrived, he was gone. Sam wasted no time, grabbing just his football boots and shin pads before sprinting his way to the only mountain range he knew... the Himalayas. Sprinting for hours and hours upon end, his speed couldn't help but increase and increase the longer he ran. Running across mountains, only his kit protecting him for the harsh terrain and weather, he began to realise the opportunity he was given once more. The opportunity to be a footballer, the opportunity to fight to be the best, the opportunity to live his dream. 

Every action was a way to improve, jumping up steep cliffs to increase his jumping reach, using rocks as footballs to increase his shooting, rock climbing to increase his strength. Everything he did was a new opportunity to improve his game, he only just saw it now.


He finally made it atop the cliff, ready to meet the man who had summoned him here to be the best he can be...



...


Maybe he was just hallucinating... 

But nonetheless, he took something away from this journey, with enough motivation, he can do anything. And he would do everything he could to bring himself and his team to the top, even if it meant tracking across the whole pitch and playing wherever the team needed him. Midfielder, striker, goalkeeper, manager, whatever his role was, he would do his very well best just to keep his team up.


As he scaled down the mountain, he could hear the faint shouting of 'Hammond, you blithering idiot!' but he didn't look back. He just smiled as he slowly made his way down the mountain, taking in the lovely... sub zero temperature cold air.

Okay, maybe he should hurry.

Approved - You couldn't pay me to climb the Himalayas LOL 

[Ghost]

Career PT3 - Media Day
Word Count: 390

(Previous Related Article)

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It is I, your excited beat writer once again with an update so soon after my most recent. Becoming quite the habit, is it not?


I write this update today on the back of following James Asprey’s progress the last couple of weeks since his surprising contract signing announcement with the Shanghai Dragons organisation. With special access to Magyar’s training grounds I have watched on with great interest from afar, much like I did during his season with Port Royal in the academy league. I see in Asprey now the kind of player I saw way back in Jamaica at Port Royal. A player enjoying himself and quite content with his surroundings – and the people within it.


Preseason came perhaps a bit too soon for Asprey to be fully up to speed with his new defensive unit and the requirements of him in his new role, but that hasn’t stopped him from putting in the extra effort to learn the system and his new teammates. Extra training sessions over the last couple of weeks with Petter Lind (@Canadice ), Stig Stampe (@Suckiest Sucker ) and Allie Bunson (@Beavie ) looked to have paid off too as the Magyar defensive unit looked solid in their efforts to hold Montreal at bay in the Season 22 opener, earning themselves a well deserved clean sheet in the process.


Between the training sessions and match days, our Welsh shot stopper appears to be comfortable among his colleagues during free time too. Sharing lunches and coffee breaks with members of both the major and minor squads, even partaking in a few weekend mountain climbing hikes with the likes of Marcel Voda (@Daleks ), Sam Albinson (@scoous ) and Shingo Takechi (@Darthus ) – how the organisation’s insurance policy allows this I do not know… assuming they know… I hope they know...


This was for sure a transformed James Asprey, and with this transformation my job too has changed dramatically. There is a night and day difference between following a player who I now know to have been uncomfortable and unhappy in their environment, to one who feels like they are home and belong. I too am content.


I look forward to the rest of the season, and with the drama and chaos behind Asprey now, I expect to be providing no new updates for the time being.


Thank you once again for reading,
Your very content beat writer.

Approved - and glad Asprey is happy in his new org! 

[Daleks]

CPT 3

Position upgrade: CDM

Entering the majors instantly after his draft, Voda had to learn and adapt, fast. Now entering the fourth season, Voda is finally turning into the player that everyone expected him to be.

During his time, he was incredibly lucky to be working with very talented teammates, who were able to guide him. Billy Bob (@Billy Bob)  has been of the major influences. The Shanghai tactician and fellow CM has a mind and eye for the art of the midfield. Cool under pressure, ready to create a defense splitting pass at any moment. Voda was naturally talented in this department as well, but the guidance from Billy Bob has catapulted his progress massivelly and brought up the best features of Voda to an even higher level.

Later, Shanghai would sign a contract with the only other slovene star in the league, Vito Habjanič (@ChiefVito) . He was a player of a different calibre. He was able to teach Voda in the ways of how to attack in the final third, how to perfect his movements on the ball. No longer would Voda be just the one who gives the ball to someone else to finish it. Voda himself would now be capable of turning around the game and producing a result of his own. While Voda was initially criticised for having a weak physical game, this weakness has been getting progressivelly patched.

However, Voda has always been a unique type of player. Ever since he came into the league, he was always a player who was extremely intelligent and aware of his surroudings. To call him the next iteration of an existing player would be a diservice. His goal is now finally clear, he will be the first 'Voda'.

Part of that was returning to some old roots and find his old identity again. A hard working and reliable player, who is able to turn the game around in an instant with one crucial pass. This time, there would be no experienced mentor to guide him. However, he has found an unlikely teacher, one that has come in the same class as him. Big Mac Johnson @Newkbomb might not yet be one of the stars of the league, but his talent makes it impossible for him to not be a future unbreakable wall. While he posseses great playmaking abilities as well, his strengths lie in holding the backline of the midfield. He encapsulates the never stop trying and hard working work ethic that is the key to reach the greatest of heights a midfielder can accomplish.

Thus, Johnson and Voda went to work with lots of practice. Morning to midnight, they brought the best out of eachother. Voda himself managed to teach Johnson some lessons in playmaking as well, making Johnson into even more of a versetile player.

In the end, the result was clear.
The career trajectory of Voda could have been very different. It was only due to the combined powers of all his teammates that Voda has been able to blossom into the player he is now. And the fact is, we are nowhere close to the peak of his career yet.

The path is now clear. We are seeing the making of a new type of player, a player that will be able to turn the league around on its head. The very first: Voda.

Approved 

[Jubka]

CPT3

CONTEXT: Kupinas was re-rolled this offseason from RAM (with secondaries CAM and LAM) to CAM (with secondaries ST and CDM), so he basically has to improve both his CAM and ST position in the story.

Juozas Kupinas knew the routine by now. If he was in the starting XI, he would be subbed at half time. If he came off the bench, it would always be at the 46th minute. The FC Kaapstad right wing position belonged to two men, himself and Marean Dohbra. Neither of them was clearly better or clearly worse than the other, and thus the easy solution was to have them share the playing time.

Juozas was sick and tired of this though. He felt with the way he had improved over the last seasons, he deserved to play full matches. He met up with the head coach and told him he doesn't want to split the game time anymore. The head coach responded by telling him that on the right wing, he'll always have to share the time, but in the middle, at the central attacking midfielder and striker position, we don't have enough depth yet. The coach explained that he wants to experiment with double striker formations, but Louis Ashworth is the only player currently in the team who can play at the striker position. If Juozas would learn to play there as well, that would be very useful for the team and would guarantee him 90 minutes of playing time!

That summer break didn't end up being much of a break at all. It became a very busy time for Juozas in which he had to reinvent himself. From playing on the flanks for most of his life, he had to change to a player always playing in the center of the pitch. He already had some experience as a central attacking midfielder, but playing as a striker was completely new to him. He spent his mornings on finishing routines from several spots on the fields. Practicing them until it became muscle memory.

The evenings were spent studying. Watching hours upon hours of video footage of the likes of Kevin de Bruyne, Karim Benzema and Thomas Müller. Analyzing their off the ball positioning, how they got past defenders, their dangerous passing and their scoring abilities. The acquired knowledge would then be practiced and mimicked the next morning. And this routine repeated itself the entire summer.

By the time he went back to Cape Town for preseason, his teammates immediately saw the difference. He asked for the ball in cramped up positions, put himself under pressure and slipped between central defenders and showed off the results of his improved finishing skills. He looked like he had been a forward his entire life!

After impressing in preseason with four goals in two matches, the head coach had a lot of faith in him and Juozas started in the striker position in the first match of the season, in which he scored a brace. He followed that up with a hat-trick in the second match from the central attacking midfielder position. Juozas succeeded in what he wanted to achieve. He became a player who would play full matches from now on and that in multiple positions!


Position upgrade: ST

Approved - Hard work paying off for Juozas!