#2 Rookie Season

[Aleris]

CPT1 player

Viktoria's rookie season didn't start off exactly had she had planned. Changes were coming to the SSL and organizations from D2 were merging with those from D1 to create a more cohesive league for the fans. It was certainly a surprise when Viktoria was called in after practice and the Reykjavik boss was with her manager and asked her to begin focusing more on playing wingback rather than an attacking role. Viktoria talked it over, she of course was known for trying killer balls and cutting inside. The organization would work with her, but ultimately she was happy to play further back. Her Aunt had loved to play wingback but never really got the chance cause she was such a good central defender. She was happy to follow in her footsteps. The change from Edmonton to Laos was pretty dramatic for Viktoria. It was so HOT!!! ALL THE TIME!!!! It definitely took some adjustment. Laos didn't really start off on the right foot. Viktoria started pretty hot though, getting 3 assists in the first 5 games. Unfortunately Laos lost 2 games in the cup group stage so she wouldn't get out of that. But the team was young and looked promising. Players were bonding and clicking at practice. Despite the mixed bag a results. Viktoria was really enjoying her teammates and her manager. Her best game of the season game against Montreal (she must have felt at home in the cold) where she got a match rating of 7.28 as Laos shut out Montreal 1-0. Not the first shutout of the season, but a hard fought one and a memorable game for Snooks. Other than that, it was pretty uneventful first season. She would have to continue to work on her defensive game and especially her headers. But she was settling into the new wingback role and was starting to work on being versatile between DL and DR.

APPROVED @Aleris - sounds like a healthy start.

[Parriyah]

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Biography



Misagh Khabiri's journey so far has been an interesting one to say the least. Going from a player who started football at only 19 years of age and not being looked at by any youth teams in Iran, to playing over at Sweden to prove his country wrong, to moving to the US and becoming part of SSL to further his career and now having finished his rookie season with CA Buenos Aires. Khabiri as expected had a much better season with CABA than he did with Sydney City but it was still far from great.

Misagh's main selling point is his shot stopping ability, and lacks any other skill like you'd want from a sweeper keeper. Even with his solid shot stopping talent, he only amassed an okay 63.5% save percentage with a total of 94 saves and 54 goals conceded in 19 games. He's achieved far under the expected save % which was 80.43% but it seems that CABA still have faith in the young player and expect him to slowly grow into a star. All it takes is time in their own words.

It hasn't been all bad however. Khabiri has had multiple games where he's performed well and stopped the team from conceding way more than they should've, earning man of the match in one of his best performances so far and also saved a late penalty during his debut which gave tons of hope to the fans. It's also been rumored that Khabiri's had a massive growth spurt during the off-season and has grown from 6'2 to an insane 6'6 stature which will surely help with his already good shot stopping.

Khabiri and CABA started their season off hot beating the likes of Reykjavík and holding top of the table for a good while, but slowly fell down and lost momentum as the season went on. This time, they want to change that and make sure they will keep clawing to stay at the top. Khabiri himself has stated how excited he is for the new season and wants to show everyone how much he's improved in a short amount of time. Now only time will tell if he truly has or not.

APPROVED @Parriyah - Keeper life is a hard life.

[Blueline]

Biography

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Looking back on where one has started is always a good measuring stick to see the progress one has made in reaching their goals. Although the journey to the top of the mountain is still a long way out, but it is now finally in view. For Sean O'Leary, his dream of becoming a professional footballer has finally become a reality, as he was drafted 2nd overall to CA Buenos Aires. Second overall...the thought alone of something like that happening is unfathomable. Yet it did and he was ready to prove himself. However, the CA Buenos Aires management decided that it would be best for O'Leary to take one more year to develop in the minor league before making the full transition to the major league. As tough as the news was, he knew that this would only make him stronger.

As O'Leary deboarded the plane in Athenai, a large group of fans were outside with banners, signs and singing the Athenai FC chant. The energy and love were immense, and the situation started to set in for O'Leary. The gravity of it all, almost felt suffocating, but at the same time exhilarating. He was going to be playing in a much more difficult league, with much better players and the room for error was nil. O'Leary's rookie debut was only 8 days away and the cities energy was palpable. The highly touted striker was the talk of the town, in every pub, radio show and on the tele. If this is how electric the fans are here in Athenai, how crazy are they going to be in Buenos Aires, O'Leary thought to himself. As the driver opened the door, O'Leary gave one final wave to the crowd then tucked himself inside.

A short ride later, the care came to a stop. The driver looked up into the rear-view mirror and said, "We are here Mr. O'Leary. Give em hell, rookie!" with a smirk on his face. O'Leary returned a big grin and exited the vehicle. With a long exhale, O'Leary said to himself. "Let's get to work!"

APPROVED @Blueline - the growth curve is real.

[BUM®]

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Biography


Debuting in Season Nine of the SSL's Division 2, young Attacking Midfielder Jean-Claude Goddamn had a mixed season for Cairo City. He made 17 appearances including Cup games, with the highlight being his 2 Goal, 1 Assist effort against Accra, which resulted in an impressive 8.91 rating. On the other hand, his 6.01 rating against Tokyo in a Round 1 Cup game where he contributed absolutely nothing to his team, despite running around like a madman for 12.1 km. 

Goddam's style of play in his rookie season was all-out attack, and made it glaringly obvious to most D2 SSL fans and experts that until he was able to work on the defensive and general play attributes, he would be somewhat of a liability to Cairo City. To his credit however, he did work on those areas and although still weak, his ratings and contributions to a disappointing S9 for Cairo improved and previous critics were now posting a little less on social media and even praising him, although mildly, when the performance warranted it. Overall it was a poor performance for Cairo, who finished with only 3 wins, 11 losses and a goal difference of -25. It was Jean-Claude's first exposure to the reality of senior professional football and the sheer class difference between Pro level play and where he had come from in Belgium the previous year. 

Media outlets were questioning Cairo as to why they persisted with such a mediocre player when they were trying to climb the league table and compete for promotion to Division 1. It was a fair question, but persist they did and their faith in Jean-Claude's abilities would be tested as they headed into Season 10 of the SSL.

Code:

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APPROVED @BUM® - I remember letting those two goals in for Accra and wondering "who is this guy?" Now I know.

[Domffl]

CPT 1

Ali Dia


You know, there's just something about being the only active on a Minors team that really just gets you fired up to be in the league, haha. But that's alright, because despite the lack of actives, FC Kaapstad is sitting in a fairly comfortable 2nd place! Winning the Minors league is all but decidedly impossible, but the 2nd place is firmly within our grasp--it's our spot to lose! Kaapstad is also the only team that was able to pull a W out of a clash with North Shore this season, beating them handedly 5-1. But don't let one result fool you, we are not the better team. That's just the power of home field advantage. We still have to play them one more time this season at their stadium, so plenty of time to eat my words. 
But all in all, Ali Dia has enjoyed a favorable rookie season. Even though he has played the majority of the season at RB before switching positions to play AM®, Dia has 3 goals, 1 assist, and contributed 4.22 xG across 11 games between League and Cup. Not bad considering the team around him! The goals that he has scored have been in crucial situations. His one goal in Cup play was part of a 2-1 win that kept Kaapstad's tourney dreams at least attainable in the Group stage, though they did not end up advancing to the quarter finals. And his other goals in league play were also a part of close games that have saved Kaapstad from dropping points. While Dia certainly has a lot to work on in his game, he has at least been a solid defensive force, nabbing a top 5 spot in interceptions through 8 games. And his movement on the ball has helped create scoring chances, as he is also in the top 10 in dribbles. Kaapstad would not be in the position in the table that they are now without Ali Dia.

APPROVED - @Domffl - I wish you a full division 1 locker room, soon!

[bluesfan55]

Player Page
CPT 1: Biography


Teitur Justinussen shocked many people by making the jump to the SSL proper. Justinussen, the 3rd overall pick in his entry draft, skipped the minors and went straight to the big leagues. His new team, Uniao Sao Paulo, trusted him enough to start him up front from the get go. It also kind of helped that Sao Paulo had a young roster looking for talent like the Faroese striker. All he knew was that he wasn't in Klaksvik anymore, and this wasn't the Betrideildin. Justinussen struggled. Every rookie tends to struggle, but Justinussen's were special. Sao Paulo scored eleven goals in the entire season. As a striker, it was Justinussen's job to score goals. He scored once. One goal. On four shots. As a striker. Yes, Sao Paulo didn't have a very good season, but Justinussen, coming off a season where he led the SSL Academy in goals, expected far more of himself. He wanted to hit the ground running. Instead, he landed flat on his face. He didn't cope with this as well as he should have, either. Justinussen had a good salary for the first time. Instead of spending his time dedicated to his craft, he began to party. Sao Paulo has a vibrant nightlife, and Justinussen took advantage of that. He would go out almost every night, drowning his frustration in nightclub drinks. But he had a wake-up moment when he scored his first goal. It was like a monkey had been taken off of his back. He swore to stop clubbing, and dedicate himself 100% to Sao Paulo's future success. Justinussen let himself and his team down by not focusing as much as he could on the sport he was paid to play. Now, with his head fully screwed on, Justinussen is ready to have a great sophomore season and score at least 2 goals.

APPROVED @bluesfan55 - may the "head fully screwed on" be contagious. São Paolo could use it.

[ComebackZak]

CPT 1
Player Page


Pete Martell went from playing in the academy league on Atletico Medellin to being drafted in the first round by Hollywood FC and being called up immediately, essentially skipping the minor leagues of the Simulation Soccer League. While spending time in another country was great for not only life experience and gaining confidence playing outside of his comfort zone, it allowed Pete to primarily focus on soccer and set the foundation for a successful career doing what he loves. Coming back to the United States and not being too far from his home of Seattle felt like a homecoming itself. This is the Mecca of soccer in the United States and he couldn't be more proud to represent his country in this league that spans across the world. Pete was more than ready to defy the odds as a day one rookie and to help the team in anyway he can. Pete's rookie season brought on a lot of learning experiences and some growing pains. While Pete didn't light up the scoresheet he did come away with 4 goals and 2 assists in his rookie season with Hollywood and had one man of the match as well (which came during an SSL Cup match). Pete averaged a 6.88 rating during his rookie season, had a pass percentage at 84%, a tackle percentage at 88%, and drew 31 fouls against opposing players. During this time, there was a ton of encouragement and comradery within Hollywood with such a young roster and a couple of vets. Pete is hoping to emerge as a leader amongst the young guys on the team and is looking toward a scorching bright future with this team.

Code:

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APPROVED @ComebackZak - a fine start to your career.

[Blueline]

CPT 1

Player Page


Season 15 has come to an end and Athenai fans dreamed up a much different ending but that is the way of sports. The media has had a lot to say about the rookie season of young striker Sean O'Leary. Most would admit that the start of the season was an underperformance. But you could have said that about the entire Athenai team at that point in the season. Now that the season has concluded we can take a look and see the real impact Sean O'Leary had on this Athenai club. Looking at all games, Sean O'Leary appeared in 17 games with an average rating of 7.09. He finished with 8 goals and 2 assists. Experts projected that his expected goals on the season would be closer to 5.79, so you can already see that he has a special gift of finding the back of the net when he shouldn't. He placed 32 shots and 8 of them found the back of the net for a shooting percentage of 25%. For a rookie season that is pretty good. O'Leary was not afraid to defer shots to teammates as he attempted 507 passes for a 81.66% success rate. One area of his game he could work on is his headers as he is only winning about 53% of his attempts. Serviceable but there is plenty of room for improvement. He attempted 47 tackles and was 75% successful. He only had 1 mistake on the season that lead to a goal against. Another area that stood out to critics, was how clean of a game he plays. O'Leary only received 2 yellow cards and no red cards all season. While drawing 21 fouls against opposing players. If you are Buenos Aires, you look to call Sean O'Leary up next season. He has exceeded expectations at the minor league level and is ready to join the majors club. Fans should be excited to see what kind of season he can put together with a much better team around him.

[337 Words]

APPROVED @Blueline - 7.09 is a solid rookie year.

[JR95]

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After being drafted to  the Hollywood/ Kaapstad franchise 1st overall in the S15 draft, Cormier got straight to work preparing for his first season of pro soccer. Like just about every player, he thought he would be playing for his new team's minor league affiliate, but after the first few games of training camp, he was informed that he would be starting for Hollywood this season and not Kaapstad like he expected. He knew Hollywood was rebuilding but he didnt think it was bad enough that he'd be playing there in his first season. Although the team didn't do great this season, posting a record of 5-1-8, there were quite a few signs of promise for the franchise both in the major and minor leagues. Nathan Cormier and Ali Dia Had great seasons as rookies in their respective leagues and when you throw in the upcoming draftees Hollywood will be adding in the draft, you can really see the formation of a future core group of players. 

And honestly, saying Cormier had a great season might not soumd right when you look at his stats, but then you remember that this kid is 18 years old playing pro soccer for the very first time in the major league. It was trial by fire and despite the odds being against him, he still managed 64 interceptions and won 47 of his 61 tackles. Considering how depleted Hollywood is, those are pretty decent stats to build off of. Cormier even managed to provide some offense this season with 2 assists and somehow putting up 16 shot attempts. 

The team may still be a few seasons away from actually digging themselves out of the bottom of the leaderboards, but the future is bright for Hollywood as long as they can hit on the high picks they have in the next few drafts. They'll have quite a few chances to surround the young core with those picks, so it will be exciting to see how the team shapes up in seasons to come.

APPROVED @JR95 - don't forget to link the previous career task in these posts.

[sköldpaddor]

Career PT #1
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Freja had a solid season in her rookie year in the Academy, and I am here to talk about the statistical reasons I believe that. First, I have to admit that I have learned next to nothing about statistics since the last time I did this Career PT for my first player, but shoutout to Rashford for telling me some things to look out for when it comes to "what is good stats for CB." First of all, Freja had ZERO mistakes leading to a goal, which is important, because the other team scoring goals is a bad thing. She finished fourth in the academy in key headers with 13 of those. She also won 21 out of 24 tackles she attempted, which seems good to me. She had 42 interceptions which is not a stat Rashford mentioned, but I am mentioning it now because she also finished fourth in the league in those. Her header percentage was 75.97% which was good for second in the league! That's about it for the individual stats, but let's also not forget to talk about how good the entire team was! It was pretty much the Sterling Scott show, as he ran away with so many of the goals (18), and Freja was proud to support that effort. Stockholm finished first in the Academy, and I would like to think that there is a special little trophy for that, which Freja will proudly display on her dresser back at home in Visby. She will now look forward to her rookie season in Cairo, where she is excited to play alongside her future Tokyo/Cairo teammates, and face off against some of her Academy teammates as they all head off to the various teams that have drafted them. Of everyone in Stockholm, only fellow defenseman Zeki Al-Turkis will be joining Freja in Cairo, so it will be interesting to see how she forms chemistry with her new teammates.

APPROVED @sköldpaddor - with 42 interceptions, Freja needs to become a two-sim-sport star and play American Football somewhere.