#8 Nearing the Summit

[tomtommen]

<a href='https://simsoccer.jcink.net/index.php?showtopic=1291&view=findpost&p=48366' rel='nofollow noopener' target='_blank'>CP #7</a><br><a href='https://simsoccer.jcink.net/index.php?showtopic=1985' rel='nofollow noopener' target='_blank'>Tom Pedersen page</a><br><br>Tom Pedersens career started way back in the time between S4 and S5. He got created in the off-season and was very excited about the upcoming draft. At the start of his career Tom Pedersen was a left wingback and focused hard on being just that. In the draft he got picked as number 10 OA by Montreal United. When entering the locker room of his new team Montreal legend Ioannis Papastathopoulos came to welcome him to the club and let everybody know who the left defender on the team was. Tom Pedersen played all games the first season on the right back after working hard to adjust to the different side of the field. His debut came in a 3-0 win over Inter London and he played 12 games in his first season. Making 3 assists and an average rating of 6,72. A decent start. Montreal United was 2 points behind Sao Paulo who grabbed the last promotion spot.<br><br>In the second season Montreal United had a blow out and attempted to rebuild. Ioannis Papastathopoulos left and Toki Wartooth was drafted. This meant that Tom Pedersen was placed on the left side as wingback in front of 3 central defenders and with Mr Wartooth on the other side. This year was a hard one as Montreal was fighting in the bottom half all season. Tom managed to get 12 games this season as well. Making 5 assists and having an average rating of 6,57. Montreal United came dead last this season with 1 win and 1 draw in 10 matches.<br><br>Third year was better. Tom made his first goal, against AS Paris, (<a href='https://youtu.be/xARIr7rz558?t=2675' rel='nofollow noopener' target='_blank'>Stunning half volley against AS Paris</a>) and had 3 assists as well. He became player of the match twice and had an average rating of 7,24. Montreal United ended up as third, four points behind CA Buenos Aires who got promoted.<br><br>The following season Tom continued to play well, averaging 7,05 in 17 matches making 1 assist. Another player of the match award as well. Once more Montreal United became third, six points behind Inter London in the last promotion spot.<br><br>Tom had a really good year in S9 making 13 assists in 19 matches. Becoming player of the match 4 times and averaging 7,57. Tom also became player manager for Montreal United this year. Montreal United however became fourth and was 7 points behind Reykjavik in the last promotion spot. Montreal went all in this season making many trades. In the end it was a disaster and Montreal United went into rebuild mode trading away older players for draft picks and young players.<br><br>S10 was the first year in the new rebuild and Montreal finished fifth with 13 points. 20 points behind promotion. Tom had a good year. Averaging 7,66 in 17 matches. 5 POTM awards and making 9 assists.<br><br>S11 Montreal United became 6 in division 2 with 15 points. 15 points Schwarzwälder FV who got promoted. Tom played 17 matches averaging 7,48 and making 8 assists. This season he received 2 POTM awards. This seasons was Montreal Uniteds final season as indepentent team. In the off-season they were merged with Schwarzwälder and became one organization. Montreal United became the minor team and Tom was swapped to the major team even if he continues to manage Montreal United.<br><br>After 111 matches for Montreal United, 14 POTM awards, 1 goal and 42 assists, Tom Pedersen donned Schwarzwälder’s jersey and took over as their left wingback swapping place with Taco caT.<br><br>Words: 585<br><br><b><span style='color:blue'>APPROVED</span></b>

[Shnitzl]

Player Page
Career Task #7

Karl Schenkinger is a loyal man. Picked up by Accra as a rookie, he stayed with the franchise as it moved to Germany, in the heart of the Schwarzwald. His journey to the top of the footballing world has not been an easy one, but it has been a slow and steady climb as Schenkinger grew together with the team. In fact, it's hard to imagine Schenkinger on another team. Schenkinger is the heart and soul of the Schwarzwälder Fußballlverein, and he has been their captain for several seasons now.

During his first few years, Accra was one of the worst teams in the second division - back when there were actually two divisions. The team was rebuilding for quite a while, sending away competent players for players who would better fit their timeline. Schenkingers timeline.
When the franchise made the decision to move from Accra to Pforzheim, Schenkinger was not only aboard. Schenkinger was helping steering the ship. Loyal as always, he volunteered to help everyone get settled in in the unfamiliar, almost intimidating forest atmosphere. As a German native, he knew the in-and-outs of the culture and helped easen the language barrier, as well as providing an identification figure for the fans to root for with their newly acquired team.
With the move to Germany came success. The team was no longer a bottom feeder of the league, but it had grown to be a consistent promotion candidate. And just when the team had finally notched a top 2 spot in the second division, Schwarzwälder FV and Montreal United were merged to one big franchise, with SFV going on to play in the first division. By this time, Schenkinger had become more than just a regular player for the team, but he had become the vocal leader of the locker room and captain of the team, wearing the armband proudly.
By now, SFV are a middle-of-the-table team in the first division. No silverware for Schenkinger so far in his career, not even a cup success in sight. But the team, and Schenkinger, are still improving, and their journey to the top has not come to an end just yet.
Only time will tell how far they will come. Schenkinger, and Schwarzwälder FV.

(407 words)

APPROVED

[FaraDian]

Fara Dian player page
CPT #7

On Mount Everest, before you reach the most famous part of the climb (The Hillary Step), you reach the South Summit. This would be the highest mountain peak in the world, if the full summit of Mount Everest didn't rise another 300 feet just over the way. When you climb the mountain, you reach this little piece of rock with no steps to take that aren't going back down. For most of the panorama, you look over the entirety of Earth down below you. And then you complete the circle to see the actual summit still looming overhead. It takes a short decent of just 33 feet down the backside of the South Summit until you resume your upward trajectory and continue on to the true Top of the World.

Fara Dian thought about this a lot during the downtime after season 14. He has only played with one franchise for his entire career, beginning when they were a forgotten club languishing in the humid air of tropical Ghana through the transition to the dark valley in the Black Forest. After the first few seasons, it has been a story of continual upward momentum, but with no summits achieved. Though promotion was secured in season 11, it did not come with a divisional title. And then the landscape changed to make the climb even more difficult, but he and his team persisted. Season 14 was yet again their best finish ever, sitting 3rd in the league and making a second straight Cup semifinal.

But it all feels like a false peak, a personal South Summit. You aren't the best until you are the best, until you top them all. As season 14 settled into history, Fara needed to make his way back down those 33 feet, to put his feet back in touch with the climb. A little over 300 feet to go now, back up the hardest and most famous part of the whole ascent. There's that one big Step to make before the whole world truly falls away. From the Valley we will reach the Summit, one step at a time.

APPROVED @FaraDian - fine metaphor.

[woog]

Career task 7
Player page

Mongolia is where I became a soccer player. 
I was a nomad. I am a nomad. Part of me will always be a nomad. 
I followed weather and good grazing with the herds to grow my strength and resilience. 

Japan is where I became a soccer prospect. 
I was tall and strong and resilient and too thin to follow my brothers into Sumo.
I played wherever I was welcome and made myself more welcome wherever I played. 

Accra is where I became a professional. 
The heat and rainy seasons - a deluge to me, but much drier than places east and west of Accra - taught me the world would have more diversity to show me so long as I kept alert and travelling. As a nomad does. 
I became relied upon. I made mistakes I was trusted to learn from. I became mature.

The Black Forest is where I became a monster.
Germany offered all the opportunities Europe had, more than Accra ever could, with none of Japan's polite reserve. 
I discovered new tiers of awareness and consciousness. I discovered how to hold war and respect and love and irrepressible force inside me and direct them all to affect the threads of a game's fate.
Among the Zebras, fellow-travellers became teammates became allies became brothers and sisters and warriors of a common fate. We were young. We were a succubus of football, growing stronger and younger while preying upon older and more experienced rivals. We were Zebras hunting lions and dragons, each finding their own role in the shared plan.

I re-signed with SFV, again. These people are my people. I am soon to be the best in the world at what I do. And at the peak of my powers I will strive to make the Zebras the best army it can be in the war it will wage.

APPROVED - Quite the journey! @woog

[FuriousChicken]

Career Point Task #7
Player Page

Furious Chicken has by now seen many seasons in the SSL, but all-in-all he has stayed loyal to his team, playing for only 2 different teams so far. Starting his SSL career by being drafted by Red Star Laos and quickly becoming a valuable player for them in a season which could best be described as bad, the next season showed some better signs with a good second half bringing Laos up to 4th in the standings. These first 2 seasons Chicken played a striker, before becoming a winger in the following seasons as Laos ended their next campaign “only” in 5th followed up by a 6th place finish in S10. Then S11 was the best one so far for Laos getting 3rd in the standings. This was the final season of Red Star Laos being an individual team of its own, as the SSL announced a big change with franchises coming into the SSL, for Red Star Laos this meant they were now a minor league team under Reykjavik United. Reykjavik had seen the performances of Furious Chicken in the past few season and called him up to the major league for S12 in which they went all the way and became champions, repeating this in S13, before ending up 2nd in S14, 5 points behind A.C. Romana. S10 also started the first season of getting out of the group stage for Furious Chicken, which eventually ended in a 3-2 loss against Hollywood, following that up was a 2-2 penalty loss against Inter London, and finally last season was a 3-2 loss against Tokyo. With Furious Chicken now having won the major league, and the shield, the cup would be the next thing Chicken would love to win one day. And eventually on his old days he would love it to go back to Red Star Laos, now called North Shore United, and win the Minor League.

318 words

APPROVED @FuriousChicken - bring back Red Star Laos! All it takes is expansion.

[Duilio05]

PT7
player page

What remains on my player's to do list is hit all the major awards and titles. The team has come a long way from its lowly, nearly-extinct situation to rise up through the ranks and join the majors, and now are able to consider ourselves the best in the league. what remains for Tamanna is to become league champs. ideally a cup title too at some point. and to also make it on a team of the season. probably won't ever win MVP and that is fine, defenders never do.

Amazingly enough all three of those goals, league champs, cup title, and team of the season could happen this very season, the last season before tamanna begins to regress. Tamanna has moved his time at SFV and building these strong bonds with his teammates that have propelled them upward through the league. on a statistical count tamanna would like to continue to improve his passing skills and defending abilities to be considered one of the most versatile players in the league.

If the league ever begins a hall of fame, Tamanna hopes his career is prolific enough to be inducted. though when that will be who knows. There are still players playing from when the league debut. if the league is waiting for all of those players to be retired before implementing a hall of fame, then I could be 20 plus years after tamanna eventually retires that he would potentially be inducted.


the teammates tamanna has played with the longest are Dian and Schnitzel. he can't imagine playing for any team with out those two players playing too. the longevity of being teammates and friends for as long as they have is Tamanna's greatest joy over the course of his career. he hopes that all three will be able to keep playing together until retirement.

APPROVED @Duilio05 - right in the feels!

[jj2416]

https://forum.simulationsoccer.com/showt...068-Player page

Task 7- https://forum.simulationsoccer.com/showt...4#pid65994

Jake Bradford has had a bit of an interesting career arc. Getting drafted by athenai that had not been doing well at all in recent seasons. Being a pretty barren team trying to rebound from the bottom. Then the merger happened and got promoted to the top squad immediately. For his age he had not done bad having a couple goals and assists and the team itself was near the bottom of the table the whole time so it really was not much of his fault for not going crazy. This past season he had the best by far and was one of the top goal scorers and the team itself was in the upper half. We were not fighting for that one spot, but we were able to still be in the upper part of the league which we had not even been close to in past years. From any award or team success standpoint Bradford has not done that much. He is on a sharp upward path that the team itself should also end up being. He really wants to win a title with the team. Athenai and buenos airers. Buenos has had past success, but since the merge they have not been able do much at all. Repeating what was happening in Athenai. He really hopes that he can become the top scorer in the whole league and bring the team out of the dumps where it has been for too long. For him being with them for his whole career if he could get them to the top that would be the ultimate win for himself. It would make all the seasons of terrible all worth it. He really enjoys playing and will carry everything if he has too. He wants to win and become the best player for them and show everyone what he can do. He knows he is really close to being able to do that.

APPROVED and APPLIED @jj2416 - Going all the way from the bottom to the top with one team is indeed satisfying. Good luck!

[Metafiction]

Jude Greer Player Page
Career Task 1: Biography
Career Task 2: Rookie Season
Career Task 3: Media Day
Career Task 4: Versatility
Career Task 5: Representing Your Nation
Career Task 6: International Superstar
Career Task 7: Navigating the Off-Season

If you’d told Jude Greer a few years ago that he’d one day be climbing one of the most iconic mountains in the world, he’d have assumed you were winding him up.

And yet, as fate would have it, that’s exactly where he found himself on this day--two-thirds of the way up the iconic Mt. Fuji, along with his Tokyo SC and Cairo City teammates.

The coaching staff had undertaken the tour early that morning as something of a season-ending teambuilding activity, to forge stronger bonds among the two squads after what had been a rough campaign for both. There was also supposedly some sort of metaphor about “the climb” and “persevering through adversity” involved in the whole affair, but that was lost on Jude at the moment. Right now, most of his mental energy was going toward trying to catch his breath in the razor-thin air.

“Keep moving, Jude! We’re not at the rest point yet!”

Jude took a moment away from doubling over in exhaustion to look up. There, looking fresh as ever, was Gareth Bale, carrying a comically large trail pack on his back. How he could be perfectly fit despite carrying the weight of a small oil tanker around, Jude would wonder the rest of his life.

“This’s…this’s a bit much, Mr. Bale,” Jude gasped. “I mean…I run a lot…but this…this is murder…”

“Even if it hurts now, you’ll be stronger on the other end for it.” Bale replied, readjusting the load. “You and the others will be unstoppable after this.”

Greer turned to look at the rest of the team ahead of him. Off to the side of the trail, Momo Adamu was shambling forward like a zombie in hiking gear, Freja Ekholm-Gunnarsson was holding the supplies of a violently ill Jia Yun, and Dobby Roobe had been reduced to crawling on his hands and knees. Only the strikers, Sky Ryze and Zlatan Ibruhimovic, seemed in high spirits--Ryze’s own height had provided him with makeshift altitude training his entire life, and the Swede’s daily workout regimen made the physical rigors of hiking look like a quiet Sunday afternoon sitting on the couch.

“Coach…I mean, Mr. Bale…I mean, Coach…” Jude panted, his legs starting to root in place from fatigue. “I can’t…I want to, but…I can’t…”

Bale rolled his eyes. “Fine. Take a knee.”

Jude didn’t need a second invitation. Despite the rough trail cutting into his knee, just the impact of having a chance to catch his breath was immediately refreshing to the fullback.

“Phew…” Jude grasped at his water bottle and squirted a stream of the cool, refreshing liquid into his mouth. “Dang…” He wiped the sweat from his brow. “Mr. Bale, why’d we do this again? Everyone’s wiped out. I’m pretty sure Shinji’s been running on fumes for the last three miles…”

“The Gotemba Trail is meant to be tough, Greer.” Bale readjusted his pack. “It’s like…a metaphor, yeah? You’ve been climbing and climbing, and you’re so close to the top, but there’s still more to go before you can rest.” He stopped and thought for a minute before continuing. “How do you think your career’s been going?”

“Huh?” Jude scratched his head. “I mean…it’s been alright, I guess. I’ve got a lot of assists, they’ve made me captain, we won a Cup a few seasons ago--that’s pretty good, right?”

Bale shook his head. “That’s it? A cup? You aren’t seriously happy with just that, are you?” The Welshman sighed. “Look, just…you know why I moved to Real Madrid, right?”

Jude raised an eyebrow. “Because they paid Tottenham a hundred million for ya?”

“Well, yeah, but besides that.” Bale gazed wistfully off the side of trail and out into the empty skies. “It was about the chase. The thrill of playing among the best in the world. The glory of bringing titles and trophies to the Bernabeu. The chance to cement myself as one of the greatest of all time.” He looked back at Jude. “And you’ve got that chance too, Jude. The WSFC is coming up, and you’re playing for America this time, right?”

Jude nodded. Even if he’d wanted to switch allegiances, he was pretty sure the “Welsh grandfather” excuse wasn’t going to hold water this time.

“You’ve got a chance to lead that side to glory, Jude! To make American soccer actually worth something. Er, no offense.” Bale looked ahead at the other players still staggering up the trail. “And here in Tokyo, this may be the strongest team you’ve been part of, and it’s only gonna get better, right? You’ve gotta get a league title for them. They deserve it. You deserve it.”

Jude took the words to heart. Bale was right, of course--as much as he’d enjoyed playing for Tokyo, could he truly look back on his time here proudly without lifting the title with them? And as for America…it was all too apparent to Jude that his country needed something to be proud of right now.

With a grunt, Jude stood back to his feet. “Thanks, coach,” he said, a grin crawling across his face. “I needed that.”

“‘S what I do, mate,” Bale replied with a smirk. “Now hustle up, they’re leaving us behind.” With that, the Welsh winger took off on a light jog, the comically large trail pack bouncing as he effortlessly caught up to the pack.

After a deep breath, Jude soon followed. He’d reach the summit yet--both literally and figuratively. Even if this whole thing was just a lazy metaphor, he wasn’t about to quit--not when he still had unfinished business…

(933 words)

APPROVED and a pleasure to read as always.

[Froste39]

Career PT 7

The summit. So, the peak of ones career? Only downhill from here on out? Has Duncan Maxwell reached that point?

It's an interesting question for sure.
Being drafted into the league in S11, it's safe to assume that Maxwell has around one season of optimization left in the tank until he will start to regress. Duncan is no rookie anymore, no young prodigy, that much is clear.

This seems to be a good, middling point in time for looking back on his career then:

His trajectory however is rather simple to grasp as he really only played for one organization ever which would be Schwarzwälder Fußballverein/Montreal United.

He came in time of a rebuild to the organization which saw the SfV gaining momentum as the players of the Season 7 and Season 9 draft classes especially took on a big role in defining the future of the team.
Maxwell was first put into Montreal where practically immediately became Captain due to his joyful, yet stoic nature, quite interesting for a young rookie to have.

As soon as Maxwell was called up to play for SfV, success followed in his wake. After a mediocre first season, where the almighty juggernaut of Rejkjavik United seemed to be ahead of the German upstarts, the gap began to close season after season.

It was in Season 15 when SfV finally overthrew Rejkjavik and crowned themselves champions for the first time in league history.
Ever since the league has been mostly a showoff between these teo powerhouses with Rejkjavik winning out in S16/S17, while SfV claimed the cup in S17 and added another league title just now to end the current season 18.

While it may be all slowly going downhill from here for Duncan, he's still a master at his game and looks to be regressing at a very slow pace.
He's still set up for success with the management, team and structures put in place at SfV and it is probably safe to assume that we haven't seen the last title for one of the best scotman to ever play in the SSL!

APPROVED - the downhill part is the easy part!

[Puppy]

Player Page
Career Task #7

Having spent his entire career so far with Schwarzwälder and Montreal, Zhihao has slowly but surely become part of the core for a successful Major League team. The accolades have come in terms of both team and individual success. While making the SSL Team of the Season is a welcome honor, by far the most important things that have come so far are that which has been won as a team. The Major League Trophy (S18), and SSL Cup (S17) have their names etched in by Schwarzwälder. Having won both professional trophies, Zhihao with his teammates have won what there is to win, having tasted glory in both competitions. In terms of what he set out to achieve from the start, the Chinese center-forward has finished what aimed to do. Many legends never get the chance to hoist a trophy, and he’s been blessed enough to hold both high above his heads for fans in Germany and China to cheer alike.
 
What comes next is simply a matter of building a legacy, establishing both his club, and even his name, in an even brighter light than they already enjoy. The hunger to add more trophies and championships remains – a career is short, you have to do as much as you can as quickly as you can. In terms of individual goals, more nominations to the Team of the Season would be the most he is eyeing. While a Golden Boot would be something to cherish, a player like Zhihao doesn’t value goal’s scored over overall contributions to the team. Still, as he continues to improve and do his best, hopefully there are even more things to celebrate still to come.

APPROVED - Zen and team-first. Inspiring.