#2 Rookie Season

[RashfordU]

Words: Minimum of 300 Words Required
Reward: +10 TPE (Must be Approved by Grader)

The Rookie Season Point Task can be done by every user. Users will have the opportunity to write about their players rookie season in the SSL and are encouraged to incorporate player and team stats into their writing. Affliate Point Tasks are not eligible for this task.

To submit a career task, make a post in this thread. The grader will go through and submit the task rewards to the portal after approval.

Requirements
Must have completed and approved Career PT #1 [Link CPT #1 at top of post]/i]

Currently Eligible Players:
Season 10 - 18

Players Currently Ineligible:
Season 19


[i]Once a player has entered regression, they are no longer eligible to complete Career Point Tasks

[RashfordU]

<div align="center"><a href='http://sslforums.com/index.php?showtopic=202&view=findpost&p=433' rel='nofollow noopener' target='_blank'>Mikko Rashford Player Page</a><br><a href='http://sslforums.com/index.php?showtopic=224&view=findpost&p=710' rel='nofollow noopener' target='_blank'>Career PT #1</a><br><br>Mikko Rashford had a very interesting Rookie Season. Looking back before his first season, he didn't even know if he would make it to the league. Stuck at home, with a visa issue, Rashford was unable to declare for the draft on time. As he watched fellow prospect peers find out where they were going, Rashford simply had to wait. It wasn't until near the draft finished that Mikko finally got word his Visa was accepted, and he would be eligible for the opening of the Waiver Wire at the beginning of the new season.<br><br>It didn't take long either, Mikko saw his name instantly snatched up as the waiver wife opened, and it was Tokyo who took the plunge. Mikko packed his bag and flew to Japan, a nation he had never been to. Mikko signed a 2 year rookie contract with his new club for minimum salary, he didn't care how much he was making, he just wanted to play. Rashford enjoyed his stay in Tokyo, but for whatever reason never seemed to find home. It might have been the distance from family, or the new culture that he had never experienced before, but Mikko struggled to play well on the pitch. After 4 games, Mikko found himself turning on Sportcentre one morning with news of a trade to Hollywood FC.<br><br>His tenure in Hollywood saw its up-and-downs. The team struggled through the latter half of the season as it tried to find its identity. Early results complicated matters as the team truly felt that had something going. Mikko gelled well with his new teammates, and thoroughly enjoyed having another Zambian national to play with as he connected with Ricky Bobby. With Hollywood, Rashford was able to score his first ever goal in the professional league, a moment that he will cherish forever.<br><br>Looking to his second season, Rashford hopes to improve on his 89% Pass Success Rate, 60% tackle percentage, while also hoping to become a key facilitator for the new look Hollywood Squad. Only time will tell if Rashford is able to truly make a name for himself in this league, but the journey has just begun. </div><br><br><span style='color:blue'>APPROVED</span>

[Gordon Bombay]

<a href='http://sslforums.com/index.php?showtopic=109' rel='nofollow noopener' target='_blank'>Ricky Bobby Player page</a><br><a href='http://sslforums.com/index.php?showtopic=224&view=findpost&p=1024' rel='nofollow noopener' target='_blank'>Career PT#1</a><br><br>Ricky Bobby likes two things in life: winning and going fast. Unfortunately, his rookie season did not answer those criteria. The team went 4-0-6. But let’s start from the beginning. <br><br>Ricky Bobby was drafted 17th overall by Hollywood. He started his career as a midfielder. In the beginning, all went well in Hollywood. They won all their preseason games. Bobby started to imagine himself as an SSL champion. They won their first game 8-2. After 4 games the team was 3-1. Then everything went extremely wrong. Ricky switched positions and became a wingback. His personal trainer and long-time friend Cal Naughton Jr. gave him wrong advice and Ricky Bobby trained the wrong thing. He was a terrible wingback with an average rating of 6.64. Ricky felt really lost on the field. He has not felt that lost since his car accident. <br><br>The story keeps getting more and more terrible. It’s not only Bobby that was lost on the field. The whole team was. The manager stopped showing up to the practices and the team was not able to train any tactics.<br><br>The team finished the season with a record of 4 wins and 6 defeats. They lost every cup game. In all this darkness, there were some glimpses of hope. Like the trade to acquire Mikko Rashford, a fellow Zambian. The two players instantly became friends. Ricky really likes the new management in place. He feels that they will transform the team into WINNERS. They even sometimes consult Ricky before making a decision and Ricky really appreciates that. <br><br>Ricky is pretty dumb when it comes to soccer statistics but here are some stats that he understood. He ran 170 kilometers during the season. He can do that in less than an hour in his race car. He scored two goals and got an assist. Ricky is really ashamed by those numbers. He feels like he is able to do a lot better. He had a pass percentage of 90%, he never got higher than 53% in school so he is pretty proud of that. He had a tackle percentage of 62%, Ricky feels like he really needs to get better in this area. He watched a lot of Cobra Kai to prepare for next season. He had 0 cards. His mom always told him that he was a good boy. During the season Ricky was responsible for 5 offsides. It’s not his fault, he still doesn't understand the stupid rule.<br><br>Ricky will train hard during the offseason and come back as a WINNER.<br><br><span style='color:blue'>APPROVED</span>

[Urq660]

<a href='http://sslforums.com/index.php?showtopic=103#' rel='nofollow noopener' target='_blank'>Alessio Calvatore player page </a><br><a href='http://sslforums.com/index.php?showtopic=224#' rel='nofollow noopener' target='_blank'>Career PT #1</a><br><br>Wow, so that was quite a first SSL season for Alessio Calvatore! The Italian came into the league, having impressed the scouts with his play as a holding midfielder, his tenaciousness, vision and passing ability, and the way he can control the tempo of the game. In fact, he impressed Cairo City’s scouts enough that they picked him with the first overall pick in the first ever SSL draft! This was a major turn of events, surprising the unassuming Parma native as much as it surprised pundits.<br><br>So, much was expected from Calvatore as the season approached. However, the dearth of centre backs in the initial draft class had left Cairo City somewhat exposed at the back. The system Cairo looked ti employ required 2 centre backs. They managed to acquire a young local kid, Tutankhamunt, to take one of the spots, and he performed better than anyone imagined over the course of the season. However, they still had an issue with a central defensive partner. As one of the few other players with any defensive acumen, Alessio stepped up and volunteered to cover the position, until something more permanent could be worked out. He ended up playing the whole season out of position, but performed admirably. Cairo we’re one of the stingier defences, when it comes to Goals Against. They are ranked 3rd with 15 goals against, the 2 above them are only 1 and 2 goals ahead of them, Inter London and Athenai respectively. Considering he is not a natural centre back, Calvatore ranked 5th in the league for Tackle % with 90 and had a higher than expected Headers% with 81. He didn’t provide as much as he would have hoped at the other end of the pitch, notching just 1 goal and 1 assist, and 3 attempted crosses, 2 of which he completed. One of his big selling points was still evident, however, as he took the role of more of a ball playing centre back. Always careful to pick his passes, he ranked second in the league for Pass% at 98.23. The player ahead of him? His central defensive partner Tutankhamunt! Calvatore attempted, and completed, more than 200<br>More passes that his teammate though. In fact, Calvatore is second in the league in the number of successful passes, only 2 behind league leader Squall Vercetti, of Tokyo SC.<br><br>This was, by all measure, a successful rookie season. First overall in the draft, a league championship and some solid numbers, despite playing out of position for the entire season. Hopefully, Cairo’s recruitment over the off-season will allow Calvatore to move back to a more natural position and elevate his game to another level!<br><br><span style='color:blue'>APPROVED</span>

[Graydonsanatomy]

- <a href='http://sslforums.com/index.php?showtopic=224&st=30&#entry2012' rel='nofollow noopener' target='_blank'>Career Bio</a><br>- <a href='http://sslforums.com/index.php?showtopic=68&st=0&#entry87' rel='nofollow noopener' target='_blank'>Player Page </a><br><br>Tokyo SC- A comeback story<br><br>Starting out his career adapting to a foreign country, exotics kinds of sushi were not the only thing new to Mike Rup. A kid born in the heart of Brooklyn NY, who never really got out to travel much outside of the country, let alone the world. Upon arriving in Tokyo, he immediately connected with defensive mates Helena Soderberg &amp; Squall Vercatti. Little did they know the tumultuous start to their professional careers they were about to endure. <br><br>The date was match day 11/11/22. Losing 3 straight to begin didn’t help momentum, but a 1-0 victory over fellow basement dweller Rio City gave the team a small spark. After the victory in what could only be considered at best a “questionable move” at the time, GM/GK Pingu traded Rashford (a future BoD member) for waiver wire pick up Sam Seige. The situation took an even bigger turn for the worse after the club lost back to back games 3-0 then 4-0. The entire Tokyo S.C. locker room &amp; fan base were dejected and disappointed from top to bottom in the clubs horrendous start to the season. The pushback from the fan base &amp; ownership was so great &amp; the team was in such peril the teams player/gm resigned from his GM duties before the Christmas break.<br><br>A cold winter night in late November, a couple days after their dismantling at the hands of Cairo &amp; Hollywood. Rup, Vercatti, &amp; Soderberg sat down at a sushi restaurant to discuss what to do. <br><br>“We’ve gotta do something y’all, whatever we’re doing is not working” Rup said. <br>“Yeah no kidding, Pingu bailed on us, what are we gonna do?” chimed in Soderberg. <br>Vercatti spoke up, “We must stay the course.” <br>Soderberg &amp; Rup, faced him, <br>“Ayo excuse my bluntness but what the f are you talking about bro? We are 1-5 with one, one f’ing goal?!?” he said to his fellow Centerback teammate. <br>“We must stay the course, in due time, our strategy will pay off. Mike, text everyone on the team to meet at the practice facility tomorrow. Helena, use your charming personality to get Pingu back here. He doesn’t have to GM all he needs is to play keeper. Let’s get to it, we have a lot of work to do.” <br><br>While all the other teams in the ssl took a much needed break during the holidays, the team was hard at work, &amp; boy did it pay off. <br>Pulling off an unprecedented run, Tokyo S.C went undefeated the rest of the way, the epitome of playing as a team. Retribution was also had by two key individual. The “questionable trade” made earlier in the season was anything but, with Sam Seige performing at a defender of the year level. On top of averaging a 7.42 game rating, first among all defenders, he made a game saving tackle in the 87th minute in the Cup final. Minutes after that, Pingu Nootizooki found his own retribution, saving a Inter London penalty in the last minutes of the Cup final. Rewriting all history books from failed GM to ssl legend, he retired into the sunset. After a rough start to the season Tokyo S.C were able to turn it around by pulling together as a team. Inspiration for any team that no matter how down you are, your never out of it.<br><br><span style='color:blue'>APPROVED</span>

[captjanko]

<a href='http://sslforums.com/index.php?showtopic=132' rel='nofollow noopener' target='_blank'>K. Clamence Player Page</a><br><br><a href='http://sslforums.com/index.php?showtopic=224&view=findpost&p=548' rel='nofollow noopener' target='_blank'>Career PT1</a><br><br>Above all things, K. Clamence entered his rookie year with the hope and intention of being a key player in a championship winning team. It was an incredible privilege to be a part of a team which fought to play in a cup final and to a season determining week 10 but ultimately K. Clamence ended the season without a trophy. Where his trophy case lays bare, however, he takes great pride in what his team accomplished. Ultimate victory or not, few teams can say they made it to 2 title matches and although neither titles were won it felt good to know that double was within reach.

<br><br>K. Clamence contributed the best he could for his team, earning 3 goals (tied for 7th in the league) and 6 assists (tied for 2nd in the league). His xG were 6th in the league and his shots and shots on goal were both 2nd in the league. With a strong 83.97% pass completion and 27 key passes, Clamence operated as an offensive workhorse consistently bringing the ball into the box and either ripping off a shot or laying it off to a team mate. With 127 attempted crosses, Clamence was 3rd in the league for doing his best to get the ball towards whoever in the box might tap it in. In his efforts to push the ball ever forwards, Clarence successfully led the league in dribbles. <br><br>

Clamence was honored to have won Player of the Match twice (tied for second in the league) and average a rating of 7.21 (12th overall in the league). Again, Clamence may not have helped his team win any silverware, but such individual recognition gives Clamence hope that he can build upon his season to become a more impactful player to drive his team to further success. After all, if the team can only get better, he has strong hopes that his sophomore efforts will result in immortal trophies.

<br><br>Clamence looks at S1 with gratitude. He learned where he needs to improve, saw which strengths needed to built upon, and most importantly, learned to love the game with his teammates. A proud London player, he looks forward to S2 with eagerness, excitement, and the genuine belief that his best football is in front of him.<br><br><span style='color:blue'>APPROVED</span>

[r1c3bowl22]

<a href='http://sslforums.com/index.php?showtopic=107' rel='nofollow noopener' target='_blank'>Franco Torres Player Page</a><br><a href='http://sslforums.com/index.php?showtopic=224&st=15' rel='nofollow noopener' target='_blank'>Career PT #1</a><br><br>Entering the season, Franco Torres had a chip on his shoulder the size of Cairo City. He was hoping to get picked early in the draft, but instead had to wait until the very last round. He entered training camp devoted to making himself the best striker in the Simulation Soccer League. It didn't take long for him to show his abilities. <br><br>In Cairo City FC's preseason game against Tokyo SC, Torres scored two goals, helping lift the team to a 6-4 victory. Torres was very pleased with his performance, however, he was upset that the team had opted to play him on the wing, losing the primary striker role to Heh Heh. In Matchday 2, Torres scored his first regular season goals in the ssl. His two goals were enough to give Cairo City the 3-2 win against a tough Hollywood FC squad. It took a few more games for Torres to find the scoresheet again. During this goal drought, Torres ended up stealing the team's lead striker role from Heh Heh, as the coaching staff noticed his hard work on the training grounds. Finally, everything came to fruition as his two goals were vital in beating a very skilled Inter London squad. <br><br>It was at this point that Torres really turned a new page in his game and gained the confidence necessary to become the league's best striker. Torres went on a four game scoring streak, finding the net seven times. That firmly put him atop of the league's leaders in goals.<br><br>After missing the scoresheet in Matchday 8, Torres geared up for the ssl Cup. He ended up scoring the crucial second goal in a 2-1 away win over Hollywood FC. Thanks to that performance, Cairo City was all but ensured of a spot in the next round. In the second leg of the round, Torres would again find the back of the net, securing Cairo's spot in a second round against Tokyo FC.<br><br>The second round of the ssl Cup wasn't as good as Torres would've liked. He only found the net once in those two games. Tokyo wound up eliminating the team and going on to win the Cup.<br><br>Torres then had to quickly shift his attention back on league action. He scored a very important goal against FC Rio, securing a 1-1 draw. Finally, in the very last Matchday of S1, Torres was back in action hoping to secure the league's first championship for Cairo FC. After falling behind early, Cairo FC clawed back to a 3-1 lead thanks to the efforts of Davy Mac and two goals from Torres. Inter London would score another goal late, but it would be too little too late. Cairo City won the championship with Torres scoring the crucial league winning goal. His second goal also secured the league's first Golden Boot.<br><br>All in all, you could say it was a successful first season for Franco Torres.<br><br><span style='color:blue'>APPROVED</span>

[omniscius]

<a href='http://sslforums.com/index.php?showtopic=187&hl=#' rel='nofollow noopener' target='_blank'>Player Page</a><br><a href='http://sslforums.com/index.php?act=ST&f=73&t=224&hl=&view=findpost&p=552' rel='nofollow noopener' target='_blank'>Career PT#1 Biography</a><br><br>Budget Busquets had a disappointing debut season for Athenai FC and the SSL after being selected 3rd round and 16th overall in the S1 SSL Draft. Despite that, Budget Busquets did manage to play all 12 games for Athenai across the league and cup with a decent showing in the league and missing out on the SSL finals by an penalty in extra-time. Busquets though, was played as a centreback throughout the season, a position he's accomplished in, but not one that really suits his game. Busquets is a unique type of defensive midfielder. He likes to drop between the defenders like a halfback, but with the technical abilities and vision of a deep-lying playmaker. His ability to read the game makes him one of the best at winning back possession while also having the ability to distribute the ball and maintain possession. At Athenai FC, Busquets wasn't even used as the team's main distributor with that role falling to Christian Silver who managed 806 out of 860 passes 7 being key passes for a 93.72 pass completion percentage. Busquets wasn't too far behind with 779 passes completed out of 801 with 4 being key for a extremely consistent 97.25 pass completion percentage. Budget Busquets, whilst not a defender, did manage 3 key headers with an overall 79 successful headers out of 94 for a solid and consistent 84 header completion percentage as well as 24 interceptions and 8 successful tackles with 3 being key. For Busquets the one major sign of relief was he did not cause a single mistake as a defender. Busquets will be disappointed to only have managed a 6.69 match rating.<br><br>What's next for Budget Busquets? Well, in the S2 SSL Expansion Draft Budget Busquets was the first chosen by Club de Futbol Catalunya. Budget Busquets may have been disappointed with losing the faith of his manager, but with being first overall pick in the expansion draft, the pressure will be on Busquets as he is said to be eager to return home, represent Catalan football, and repay the faith in his new team for bringing in home for a new opportunity to shine. Busquets is said to being training and refining his game for the new season: &quot;After hearing I was bring brought back to Barcelona, Catalonia to play for CF Catalunya I was extremely delighted. I know the style of Catalan football having been raised through the youth system and growing up watching the football of the tiki taka era, I want to be able to continue in that tradition. I'm looking forward to meeting my new teammates, reuniting with Tim Sinclair, and having a stronger S2,&quot; said Busquets. I think if CF Catalunya can find a way to utilize the best out of Busquets, they'll unleash potentially one of the best defensive midfielders of his generation.<br><br><span style='color:blue'>APPROVED</span>

[sulovilen]

<a href='http://sslforums.com/index.php?showtopic=224&st=15&#entry1033' rel='nofollow noopener' target='_blank'>CPT #1</a><br><a href='http://sslforums.com/index.php?showtopic=148&hl=' rel='nofollow noopener' target='_blank'>Player page</a><br><br>Zinedine Gintonic joined the Athenai FC in the 4th round of the Season 1 draft, and was thus able to be a key part of the team’s inaugural season. The season overall was quite average: Athenai FC finished third in the standings with a record of 4-1-5 and a +1 goal differential (14-13). After a bye in the QF round, the SSL Cup run ended in the semifinals with a bitter loss to Inter London Football Club. So no glory, but definitely some promising results. Some of the highlights include at least the first win in franchise history, which was a 1-2 W in the second game, against Football Club de Rio. Athenai FC also managed to put up big wins against both the Cup winner Tokyo Sports Club (0-4 W) and the Season 1 champion Cairo City Football Club (4-1 W).<br><br>Individually speaking Gintonic had an okay season, but definitely nothing too spectacular. As a playmaking central attacking midfielder Gintonic ended up with 5 assists, which is a pretty good number, as there were only three players with more assists. Gintonic played all the 12 matches and racked up 1110 played minutes. The dutchman produced 1.16 expected goals, but did not manage to score any goals, which is definitely a disappointing result. Gintonic only got 6 shots on target, while 9 missed it completely. The pass percentage was 88.28 %, the fourth worst among the squad. So just alone on the key statistics, there is a lot of room for improvement in the future.<br><br>Looking at some of details, there are some more glaring weaknesses popping up. Gintonic was able to create 5 chances and made 17 key passes in the 12 games. These are okay compared to the rest of the team, but if Gintonic wants to be a true threat of a trequartista, he needs to do more. Some other poor stat lines include tackle percentage (67 %), header percentage (also 67 %) and dribbles (only 1). Gintonic only drew 1 foul, but made 4 himself.<br><br>All in all, there are plenty of things to work on before Gintonic can be considered an elite attacking midfielder.<br><br><span style='color:blue'>APPROVED</span>

[Thunfish]

<a href='http://sslforums.com/index.php?showtopic=131' rel='nofollow noopener' target='_blank'>The Delinquent</a><br><a href='http://sslforums.com/index.php?showtopic=224&view=findpost&p=623' rel='nofollow noopener' target='_blank'>and his Background</a><br><br>Ever since the day they had opened the Tokyo SC fan club (popularly nicknamed the Kitsunes Den), twin sisters Kimiko and Ichiko Nomura had yet to find someone who they weren't able to open up for a proper interview. And then, there was Squall Vercetti who remained silent throughout the questions. They asked about his youth, the process of adapting to Japanese culture, the league, the Cup, how it felt to be in the SSL and how could he resume his first season.<br><br>Understandably, the Canadian was upset. Bitter, even. The closest thing he had to a mentor had been murdered not too long ago. Hell, it was only a week. It was indeed only a week when he saw him dead, Squall didn't realize it. He was still waiting for Ginger to arrive, in any case, but besides that, time wasn't a thing that seemed to affect him. Eventually, one of the two yelled, knocking him out of his silence, if only by sheer force.<br><br><b>Kimiko:</b> Squall! Do you have anything to say to the fans?<br><b>Squall:</b> ...Never give up, I suppose.<br><b>Ichiko:</b> Sir, can you answer more questions and not just stare at us?<br><b>Squall:</b> I... I suppose so. What is it?<br><b>Kimiko:</b> How do you rate your season?<br><b>Squall:</b> Decent. Growing pains. Still getting used to having a good bunch of teammates and not just rivals or juvi kids.<br><b>Ichiko:</b> SSL Cup?<br><b>Squall:</b> Stressful. Good win in the end.<br><b>Kimiko:</b> Plans for the future?<br><b>Squall:</b> Win everything.<br><br>The two looked far more relieved now. He had opened up, at last. Maybe they could ask something more personal.<br><br><b>Ichiko:</b> Now, sir, we want to ask something more personal...<br><b>Squall:</b> Sure.<br><b>Kimiko:</b> Fans have seen you talking with a homeless man in Ueno Park...<br><b>Squall:</b> I'd rather not talk about the dead.<br><b>Kimiko:</b> You killed him!?<br><b>Squall:</b> Punks did it. I'm still pissed about it. The poor man was forgotten by his family... and they don't even look at him after his death. What is wrong with you all?<br><br>Silence. Squall got up from his seat.<br><br><b>Squall:</b> I gotta go, sorry. Maybe some other time, I'll answer more stuff.<br><br>The Canadian sighed, placing his hands on his pockets as he left, murmuring something about the old man.<br><br><span style='color:blue'>APPROVED</span>