#4 Versatility

[CamGoldenGun]

Career Point Task #3


Player Page +1 to CD

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Users will have the opportunity to write 300 words on their players off-season training that helped them develop into a more versatile player. They are encouraged to write who they trained with, where they trained, etc. 

Sophomore season done and over with. Seth McNeil heads over to his buddy Luke Walker's locker. Empty. Confused, he goes to look for the manager and walks past his own. Empty. No name plates, no uniform hanging up. His concern was growing. Walking at a faster pace he gets into the manager's office.

"Ah, just the person I needed to see," the manager says to Seth.

"Coach, what's going on...? Where's my Luke's stuff--- where's mine?" Seth asked almost reaching a panicked state.

"We're making some changes. You've been traded. Same with Luke."

Seth, mistakenly thinks that they've been traded together calms down a bit, "Oh ok," he's a professional after all, Seth can't his personal feelings get in the way of the club's business. "Where are we going?"

"You're going to Argentina, Luke is heading to Spain, or Seoul wherever they're going to put him." The manager clarified.

"CABA? Catalunya? Wait what? Was it because of my lack of production...?" Seth asked confusingly again.

"No no, just business kid. Now, we really appreciated your time here. You had a promising rookie season and while you might not have contributed the same numbers this season, you're still a great player. Anyways, your stuff has been shipped down there, I'll let them know that you've been informed. Someone will get a hold of you for your plane ticket. Not a short flight to Buenos Aires."
Coincidently, the manager's phone rings. Saved by the bell. He nods to the door for Seth to leave the office. "Shut it on the way out would you please?"

Still shocked, Seth mumbles, "Sure thing boss..." and walks out the door. He dropped off his security pass with the guard at the reception desk and walked out the building.

A couple hours later when he was home Seth got the call and email confirming his transfer and got an email with his plane tickets that night to Buenos Aires. 

The 14-hour flight was the longest 14 hours he'd spent in awhile. Had this trade been coming? Was the manager lying when he said it wasn't about his performance? Either way, it doesn't matter now. He was greeted by a driver after making it through customs who took him right away to his new organization. He was happy to find out that with this move he was moving up to the Majors. He wouldn't be with CABA's minor team affiliate, Athenai, but with the parent club - in his preferred position. A couple of midfielder's, Giacomo Santori and Daryl McManus introduced themselves and explained the formation that would be in use for the upcoming season. 4-2-3-1. Perfect. Gives him plenty of space to run up and down the pitch and cross it to the front. With this new training Seth is getting more comfortable marking his opponents defensively but also getting better at positioning himself where he needs to be to intercept those errand passes and capitalize on the opposition's mistakes. He's also getting used to passing it up with the defensive midfield doing one-two's in an attempt to blast past the other team. It'll be an interesting year and Seth was glad for the time he spent in Masques but as they say, carpe diem, seize the day. And he'll intend to do just that and make the most of this opportunity on the Suns.

[558 words]

Approved

[Darthus]

Career PT#3

Saturday, May 17th 2025, a day that Takechi would remember for the rest of his career. He had joined the newly formed Shanghai Dragons for Season 20 of the SSL, although at that point in the season Shanghai had already dropped out of the Majors League title picture (they would end up finishing 11th out of 12th teams with just 7 points scored in a 18 game season). This was not a league game however, it was leg 2 of their SSL cup quarterfinals match against Tokyo S.C.

Shanghai had the advantage heading into the match, they had won the first leg 3-1, but their advantage was halved just 4 minutes in, as a goal from Amore Delo made the aggregate score 3-2. Shanghai would then increase their advantage once more, as Aaron Ford scored in the 42nd minute. Then, right before half time, Delo got his second goal to bring Tokyo back to one goal behind. And right at the start of the second half, Tokyo would draw level with a goal from Zlatan Ibruhimovic. The game would then settle down, full time came without any more goals, and there wouldn't be any goals in extra time either. Thus, Tokyo vs Shanghai would be decided on penalties.

And it would be a legendary penalty shootout.

Takechi stood between the goalposts, sweat dripping from his upper brow. He was facing his 21st penalty in the shooutout, after his teammate Trick Johnson had missed his previous spotkick, Tokyo had a chance to win this game once and for all. So up stepped Jia Yun, Takechi would dive to his left, but Yun would shoot the other way, and won the penalty shootout for Tokyo 19-18.

This loss was devastating to Shanghai, and none took the loss as hard as Takechi did. He felt he had let his team down, that had he just saved one more spotkick, or saved one of Delo's or Ibruhimovic's goals, they would've made it to the Cup semifinals.

Thus, Takechi spent the offseason training with his best friend and team captain, Thomas Hohenhahn, working on his penalty saving such that the loss against Tokyo would not repeat itself in the future. Takechi even helped to train new goalkeeper hire, Snor Lax, who would be playing for Shanghai's minor league squad for season 21. Through training it even seemed that Takechi was getting pretty good at scoring penalties himself, who knows, maybe one day he'll become the main penalty taker for Shanghai and he'll have the chance himself to fire in a penalty to bring Shanghai to glory.

Approved

[McLumberjack]

Career Point Task #3
Player Page   Upgrade RD


The offseason has always been a mixed bag for me, I love competition, I love playing football, having the chance to win. The drama the adrenaline, it fuels me and makes my life worth living. However on the other hand, the offseason is also the perfect time to hone my skills. Improve myself so I can be even better next season. I realise the value in having time off to focus on specific skills.

For this season I picked an interesting one, I say interesting because if you asked a couple years ago what position I would be upgrading, right defender would NOT make that list. Having started as a creative, dribbling and assisting left attacking midfielder, going to the back right of the field is quite possibly the furthest away (not role wise but pure distance) from what I was used to. Although some days I do miss the glory of being an attacker, I have really started appreciating the fullback/wingback position. Above all I have realised that the team should be put above everything else and getting more versed in the right defender position will give Paris more tactical flexibility.

This tactical flexibility will be crucial in the upcoming season where we will try to regain our title from Kaapstad. It will be a tough fight, especially with North Shore coming up and looking like a serous threat as well. However I believe that I can once more be the difference maker this season. Last season will just be a blip on the radar and I will show the minors why I deserved to be rookie of the season. 

Anything other than team of the season I will consider a failure.


Now however... Now is the time for training, sharpening the mind body and soul and making sure I am in the peak physical, mental and spiritual form by the time I step back onto the pitch next season.

Berendsen OUT!

Approved

[Aenir]

Career PT #3
Beelze Bot Player Page

CD Upgrade to Primary Please


Beelze Bot had a heck of an offseason of training! He Went to Ol Scratch, a programmer used when robots need upgrades! He had it installed on 132,591.27 Floppies. When taking into account the file write speed of 500 kbit/s (or roughly 65.5 Kilobytes/Second) which means it took over 1600 hours. (or 66.666 [repeating] days)(Footnote 1) This was quite an involved process, and it took the majority of the offseason time to do so. In addition to this hefty involvement of time, It also messed with Beelze’s internal clock, so for a period after the installation, He was on Hawaii-Aleutian Time (UTC -10:00) This was fine for a while, as he could wear a fancy Hawaiian shirt and drink fancy drinks with the little umbrellas in them! But before he could really relax, it was time for the offseason conditioning program, and no matter how much he tried to argue that as a machine he is always in pristine physical condition, the team made him run for “conditioning” Purposes. All was not lost however as he could FINALLY see his target, Bernardo. Freshly rotund after an offseason advertising Slurm. Beezle is going to bide his time, waiting for the perfect moment to strike to send him back home. Also, a happy note for our friendly Robot, He has been promoted to the Majors Squad in Catalunya! Following this promotion, he will grudgingly follow this ridiculous offseason training regiment, although he feels that their attempts to get him to lose weight will be all for naught, as it is just his component parts weight as he doesn’t add or lose weight unlike the fleshy meatbags he calls teammates. This season is going to be a very interesting one for Beezle, it remains to be seen how it will affect his plans going forward.

(322 Words)


Footnote 1: I picked 1600 Hours at random, and by sheer coincidence it equaled that, I thought it fitting for the Robot Devil.

Approved

[Tmoney6996]

Career PT #3
Player Page

Upgrade to RB

The time had come for Delvecchio to really harden his body and mind and become the player that Shanghai needed him to become. After continuing his normal training regiment, and some near misses on the pitch with the team, Tony quickly realized that he needed to push himself and further, faster, and harder in order to get to a point that the club needed him to be at if they were truly going to reach the pinnacle of their climb. I think what fueled him the most was the near miss on the League title in the past season. They had been right there, and only needed a little bit more from Tony. If he had just been a little faster, a little bit more aggressive, well-positioned, things might have turned out differently for him and the team. 

He decided that he would train with famed RB, Tony Dorsett, as he wasn’t completely sure if RB in Soccer was the same as RB in American football and he was too focused on getting back to training that he agreed to meet with the first person who agreed to train him, even if that meant it was the wrong sport! But, the training should be nearly the same. Speed drills, agility drills, strength training, maybe some conditioning if we felt it was warranted but Tony made sure that he hit everything on the list to make sure that he had completely changed his mind and body to be prepared for the seasons ahead.

By the time the season had rolled around, Tony knew that he was ready to go and put the team on his back. He thanks Dorsett, and was gifted a signed football, which again confirmed that RB in both leagues is a very different position. But that didn’t matter, Tony was ready and it was Shanghai’s time! 

309 words 

Approved

[CuriousShadow]

Career PT3

Throughout his career at Seoul, Bernardo Fry was always a Left Midfielder.  All was well in the lower league, but once Fry moved up to Cataluna the pressure began to mount.  First - it became clear that Left Midfield was never going to be a successful path, and instead Fry moved on to Left Attacking Midfielder.  However - the World Cup changed everything.   Team captain Cotswold was adamant -  Fry was destined to be the a Right Attacking Midfielder, without doubt.  Game after game, Cotswold lead the team with work effort, tackles, assists, and a complete faith in Fry.  Together, the team lifted the trophy, an amazing accomplishment.

With that complete, Bernardo Fry took a leave of absence from the team to to complete his training.  He travelled far and wide, seeking further wisdom.  At one point he found a monk on the top of a mountain who informed him that Fry needed no training because everything conceivable is true - but he was found to be lying.  Continuing his travels, Fry encountered a retired midfielder, Ted Chronopoulos.  A tough winger with exceptional passing ability and a high work rate, Chronopoulos worked on Fry - helping him past his doubts, his weaknesses, and putting him in the right mindset for the future.  One day, Fry complained that things were too difficult from the right side.  Chronopoulos pulled Fry over to the mirror and pointed - whatever you can do with your left foot, he can do with his right foot.  Learn from him, he knows.

Work proceeded, and when Fry returned to the team he was transformed.  Right Attacking Midfield was now his new position, and the man in the mirror had shown him the way.  With a steely look in his eyes, Fry returned to the team determined to bring glory to Cataluna.  Ted Chronopoulos' words echoed in his mind - all sides are now your attacking side.

Bernardo Fry requests an upgrade to the Right Attacking Midfield position.

Approved

[Wiggo]

Career PT#3
Player Page

Upgrade ST to Primary

This off season is a big one for Billy. Having spent two seasons in the minors team with Cairo, there had been word of many opportunities coming up in the major team, with many players retiring or dropping back down to minors. Having started life as a right winger, this was soon changed when No Face was called up midway through our first season and ever since I have been having to fill in at striker.

While not an entirely familiar position, Billy always felt that they lacked something to be the player leading the line. This was due to a few factors, but the main one being Billy’s smaller stature compared to his counterparts and how this might affect his ability to hold up the ball and bring his other teammates into the game. This certainly proved to be the case throughout the season, as while Billy maintained a good record in terms of goals, they could only maintain an average rating of 6.71, which was slightly worse than the season prior.

Tokyo themselves had not managed the best season in S24, which again saw them towards the bottom of the table. It felt like an intervention was needed to shake things up and this lead to the idea of a mass training camp which included both the ranks of Tokyo and Cairo. Billy trained alongside both familiar teammates from his own academy like No Face, but also veterans like Ellish and Lee who were entering their 10th seasons. 

This camp saw no less than 5 players called up to Tokyo, including Billy who now feels that they are able to play to the ability they expect at striker. While they would now find themselves back out in their preferred position on the wing going forward, they are confident that if it is ever required, they can lead the line and help bring the team back where it belongs – the 1st division.

Approved

[jacobcarson877]

Career Task #3
Player Page

Reward: CM to Primary

It has definitely taken some versatility to make it through this season. First off, both Liffey and Rova took a tumble coming into this season, and are fighting for promotion again. Liffey does a better job of that so far. Then of course, comes the mid-season news of Kaspars Kalinins replacing Andres Pedrillo after a dramatic anti-doping suspension.


So how do you prepare for such a season? Well, to be honest, I don’t think you do. There are going to be a variety of tumultuous times in a player’s career, and you really can’t be prepared for all of them individually, but what you can do, is provide yourself a strong base, and leave yourself room to pivot in the moment. So of course, making sure your body is primed and ready for the highest level of competition is the number one objective. Then it’s making sure you can see and read the game as best as you can. Knowing the right place to be is almost as important as being able to get there. Of course, some extra velocity can help make up for some minor mental foibles, but in the end, vision is king. Then it’s showing up with the right attitude. Ready to fight, to compete for your team, for the fans, and for yourself. Being able to get in the moment, but not lost in it. To fight just as hard at 0-0, 10-0, and 0-10.


That’s always been the focus, but that was the primary objective of this past offseason, and this season so far in Rova. A lot of time has been spent in nature, in the raw elements, and among the varying terrains of the world. A lot of rucking, camping, and rowing, underneath the sun and the stars, however they might come that day.

Approved

[Degradation]

Career Point Task #3
Grimace Player Page

LD to Primary


Grimace had so far proven to himself, to the league, and to his doubters, that he was capable of success on the pitch. His first two seasons were highly successful individually while the team had it's struggles. The very start of his offseason the team and his agent began immediately asking questions about his future in the Black Forest. Would he resign with the team and carry on with the offensive prowess he was already showing. Grimace had other ideas though. He had come into this entire plan with the idea of changing who he was and how his life was going. He knew he could be successful here but also that he needed new challenges and a future of purposeful uncertainty. He made the quick but hard decision to move to the AF Masques Sacre and hopefully one day rise to the roster of the Cosmico. They are a new team with an unknown future, just like him. He moves to Cote D'Ivoire and begins training to be more defensively responsible for his new team. The trainers building him up and rewiring his brain or tendencies to avoid forcing into the offensive mindset. He won't forget those things but he will change his ways to be a more complete player. The team trainers put him through his paces, he has regular check ins with the managers to make sure he's reaching the new targets and goals constantly. Creating new ceilings for himself and smashing through them the whole time he trains. Once the season starts it's obvious he's a bit out of depth at first. The results on the pitch aren't what he'd hoped but he understands two things. The work put in will come to fruition as long as he keeps at it. The stats aren't the whole story. The team wants him to be there and will support him as long as he keeps trying to be the best he can.

[Prayl07]

Career #3
Player Page

RAM to primary

Otto Rocket in the 2nd disappointing season for Rova was ready for the offseason. He had spent so much of the season improving but it just never seemed to translate in game. 

Otto knew he was going to stay with Rova as that was the place that took the chance on him. Rova had consistently showed Otto nothing but love. Putting him in the lineup every chance they had and walking through everything he needed to do to become an even better player in the league. 

Once Ottos second season officially ended he immediately reached out to @Crunk about what he needed to improve on. Crunk walked Otto through the plan for the upcoming seasons and told Otto to: get his weak foot stronger, become more agile, learn to place shots, play the ones and twos and a couple other special assignments that crunk felt matched who Otto is as a human. 

Otto hit the training facility early in the morning. So early the smog hadn't hit its density yet. Otto went through some agility and balance drills. As he was about to start working on the field he heard "Hey man, you wanting to get some work in?" Otto looked over his shoulder and saw @lemonoppy. 

"Hey! I didn't think I would see you here". Ilovezeagle was drafted ahead of Otto. Everyone expected them to be drafted high and Rova knew they wanted them. Since being drafted they have been the main attacker for the wombats. Otto and Lisfor have always had good chemistry since coming into the league. This would give them the chance to have AMAZING chemistry. 

Over the next couple months, one thing was for sure in Rova, Lisfor and Otto were on the training pitch every morning. They would go through all the drills and then end the day with a trick shot competition, which would see them each win pretty regularly. As the summer started to end the 2 of them knew one thing for sure: Rova was going to shock the world!