#7 Navigating the Off-Season

[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

“Again!”

A shrill, metallic whistle split the misty Welsh morning--but then, it always seemed to be foggy here, much like how Seattle is always rainy or most places in Texas are always being scoured by the ever-intensifying rays of a vengeful star.

At the sound of the whistle, a figure--a little shorter than average, clad in an orange and pink training kit--burst into action, weaving through a set of cones before making a sharp cut to his right, where he hurdled over a miniature windmill lying prone on the ground as he received an incoming soccer ball at chest height. Taking only a split second to settle the ball at his feet, he dribbled forward, carefully maintaining possession among the field of random debris--knee-high castle turrets, an assortment of model train cars and, inexplicably, a life-size statue of Ryan Giggs--before unleashing a shot with his right foot. The ball blasted through the chilly early morning air, landing perfectly flush with the far goalpoast and rebounding off with a loud ping.

“Better,” said a second figure, a whistle dangling around his neck as his topknot swayed gently in the morning breeze. “But you’re still off target. You need to be able to find that bottom corner every time.”

“Yessir, Mr. Bale.” Jude Greer sheepishly walked back to the starting point. It was only about six a.m. Cardiff time, and yet they’d been at this for two hours, during which he’d accidentally kicked over half the obstacles on his trainer’s personal miniature golf course. Then again, it seemed a little garish anyway--in his experience, most minigolf courses didn’t feature a scale model of the Santiago Bernabeu as the 18th hole.

Gareth Bale studied his de facto student. “You’re quicker than when we started, I’ll give you that. But you can’t get complacent. If you want to play further forward, you have to be perfect every single time. One mistake and you’re gonna lose the ball--”

“--And losing the ball means losing the match,” Greer finished, the mantra having been driven into his head every month for three seasons now.

“Exactly. Right, one more rep, then we take five.” Bale put the whistle to his lips, and another sharp burst of noise rang out.

Greer was off like a shot. He darted in and out of the cones on the ground, looking positively weightless on his feet as he then cut hard right and leapt once more over the windmill. Cheating the incoming pass to his feet, he took a single touch to drift past the obstacles, evading the characteristically robust challenge from the facsimile Giggs. With all the power he had, he drew back his weaker right foot and hammered it into the ball, sending it flying toward the far goalpost again, where this time it hit just on the inside of the post before ricocheting back over the makeshift goal line and into the net.

“That’s the one!” Bale clapped. “That’s what I’m looking for. Tuck it bottom corner, and with that amount of power behind it, the keeper can’t get to it.” He looked at his watch. “Right, take a few minutes to get your wind back, then it’s dribbling next.”

Greer nodded, picking up his water bottle and squirting some of it into his mouth. Even for a temperate Welsh morning, he was working up a sweat.

“Mr. Bale,” he said eventually, having rehydrated, “I’ve gotta ask. What made you decide to join Tokyo/Cairo’s coaching staff?”

“It’s contract work, remember? I’m a bit short on golf funds, so I just needed something to pass the time. And I’m just here as a special consultant for the wide players. You, Kaido, Van Garritsen--and those newer guys down in Cairo too. Superhoops and Al-Turkis and…uh…Bushtit, I think it was?” Bale scratched his head. “That can’t be a real name…”

“There’s weirder ones for sure,” Greer pointed out. “Back in the academy, one of my teammates was a guy named Dohg Innim. Wonder whatever happened to him…” he added.

“Anyway, like I said, it’s purely out of money and boredom. Nothing else.” Bale paused. “Well, that and being able to stick it to Paul Merson’s always a treat.”

“Yeah.” Greer nodded. “Though lately he don’t even talk about me anymore. Whenever someone else brings me up, he changes the subject right away. Other day, he and Tim Sherwood were talking about Tokyo on his podcast, and the moment Sherwood said my name, Merse cut to commercial, and when they came back they were debating whether Jean-Claude Goddamn deserved the Ballon d’Or.”

“That’s ‘cause you’ve been proving him wrong, mate.” The Welshman smirked. “There’s two things Merse hates most in life: Spurs, and being proven wrong. And given how inconsistent Spurs have been of late…” he trailed off, as in real life the writer silently lamented what was shaping up to be yet another frustrating season.

“Well, in any case, I really appreciate everything,” Greer said, trying to recapture the flow of conversation. “I feel like I’m getting better than ever. And we’re really starting to click as a team, y’know? They’re even talking about playing me further forward next season.” He grinned. “I never woulda dreamed I’d be here--playing soccer for a living, reaching the top of my game, working with one of my idols--but here we are, huh?”

A genuine smile seemed to flirt with the edges of Bale’s mouth as he looked back at Greer. “Here we are,” he agreed.

It was a moment before Bale looked at his watch. “Anyway, break’s over. Grab the pylons, we’re doing dribbling.”

“But Mr. Bale,” Greer replied, “You don’t have pylons here, remember?”

“Right. Then go lug the statues of CR7 from the garden over here, we’ll use those.”

“But there’s eleven of them, and they’re all made of solid gold!”

“Think of it as bonus strength training, then. You’re welcome.”

Greer groaned. “All right, Mr. Bale.” He cursed his luck as he went to go schlep the huge statues to their new destination. What kind of person sends someone eleven statues of themself for Christmas, anyway? he wondered.

(1019 words)

APPROVED - please design Bale's personal field for FM24 use in our SSL games.

[Puppy]

Career Task #6
Player Page

Zhihao starts his yearly off season training generally by heading back to China as soon as possible. Once there and back with family, he’ll take a few days to meet with old friends and relatives while acclimating back. After that, it’s a lot of hitting the gym and doing runs and sprints on his own. For about a month he’ll work on physical fitness and rarely touch the ball in efforts to increase athleticism needed for the sport. During this time coaches back in Germany will update his personal training plan and ensure he follows through on fitness. This is some of Zhihao’s favorite training time, working in isolation while also getting to enjoy being in China and seeing family.
 
After that, it’ll be right back to Germany and to the SFV training fields. Here it’s a matter of getting back into ball control and working on more technical aspects with the ball. During this time, whoever is also on site training at the facility (regardless if they play for Schwarzwalder or Monteral) will generally join into team activities to work on some passing and set piece drills. This year there has been quite a few new faces from Montreal at the facility, and Zhihao has been more than happy to help them along and do drills to get them ready for their first pro season.
 
In attacking drills, he’s been spending most of his time with Sinclair, Volta, and Aleksandr Skovgaard. This young attacking unit while still unproven, would still cover positions Zhihao knows well, mostly at CAM and Winger. Attacking drills with the new players would have Dina Skovgaard and Zoe Clarke working in tandem to flush out attacks. Against their fellow new comers, these 2v2 and 3v2 drills would produce mixed results, with either side coming out on top. But growing near the peak of his form, Zhihao would usually push the young defenders past their limits and show the prowess of a Majors player.
 
Still, these off-season drills would help both young and old players grow, building up to hopefully successful campaigns for both eager clubs.

APPROVED - Look at the striker, almost all grown up!

[Froste39]

Career PT #6

Ah, the offseason. Finally some time to rest tired muscles, mend beaten bones and get a clear head, away from all the ruckus that usually comes with the job of being an international superstar athlete.

No? Well you would think so, but in case of Scotsman Duncan Maxwell this really is the case!

Maxwell's offseason routine rarely changes and helped him develop into the atout defender he is today.
As soon as the offseason starts there first and foremost will be a vacation completely alone in a tranquil place like for example a not much frequented beach area or in the mountains, many miles apart from large scale tourism. Wrll, some ammendities have to be included, Duncan is not a hermit...

After this sort of "retreat" where he refocusses on his body and his own needs of regeneration, there will be another vacation with loved ones, that promises to be more lively, while Duncan greatly prefers destinations that hold cumtural value and that he hasn't seen before.

After the vacationing, practice starts kicking off. While doing heavy amounts of cardio and musuclar training to stay in shape, Duncan ever since he came into the SSL, works with a mental health coach as well.
He learned the hard way that in today's times, especially as a figure of international media interest, joy and hate, it is very important to stay grounded and firm of mind.
This rings especially through for his position, that of the Central Defender. A position that has historically been one of the most stressful ones out of all the roles players can fill.
You always have to be on edge for a deep ball out of the defense  behind your line nowadays, you have to deal with high-octane wingers and strikers who aim to cut into the centre of the penalty area and you always have to be available to defend set pieces with your physique, or be a scoring threat through your own set pieces.

Composure, Determination, Decisions. These values, according to Duncan himself are what differntiates a good Centerback from an elite one.
And Duncan Maxwell always aims to be elite.

APPROVED - I think I know who beat his bones, too!

[Squid]

CPT 6
Player Page

Marco Tentacles has been improving every season at a remarkable pace, thanks to the development team at both Reykjavik United and North Shore United. The training team has worked with him day in and day out every day since he was drafted, trying to bring out his best performance on the pitch each season. After winning the SSL Cup with Reykjavik and the Majors title as well, Tentacles has decided to train this offseason with one of the best Reykjavik players of all time; Mikko Rashford. Rarely being spotted around the pitch now that he is retired, Tentacles contacted him and asked for advice. One of Tentacles' biggest weaknesses is his lack of ability to finish, always getting into the best position and jumping up into the attack but just hammering the ball into the keeper's chest or sending it miles wide.

Rashford told the leftback to meet him at a secret meeting spot in Iceland, where the greenery meets the volcanic plateau of northern iceland. Confused on how this was going to help his ability to score goals, Tentacles went deep into the heart of Iceland trying to find this place Rashford told him about. After driving for what seemed like forever, Tentacles reached a point where he had to get out and walk, leaving the car behind. He reached the base of one of Iceland's many volcanoes, where there was a small cave entrance with a Reykjavik United logo carved into the side. "This must be the place" Tentacles thought to himself.

After entering the cave, he found Mikko Rashford and a couple other old Reykjavik veterans in a small chamber, sitting and meditating around a campfire. "Come this way and we shall show you the source of Reykjavik United's power" Rashford said, gesturing towards a doorway at the back of the room.

The door opened into the heart of the volcano, but to Tentacles' surprise there was no lava to be found. The entirety of the volcano was hollowed out, with the sunlight shining in from the summit of the volcano, water, wildlife and grass filled the inside of the former volcano. In the middle of the open greenery stood a single 600ft tall tree, sprouting fruit on most branches and a variety of insects flying around and eating the apples on the tree.

Tentacles stood in awe, admiring this massive ancient wonder hiding in the middle of a volcano in northern Iceland. "What is this giant tree doing here?" Asks Tentacles. "This tree has been here since the formation of Iceland, and eating the fruit of the tree consistently has caused Reykjavik players to get better at football. We don't know what else it can do but we are sworn to water the tree and are rewarded by being able harvest its fruit." Rashford says. "This is Treecko Rashford IV and it offers great footballing ability to those who help water it. Marco, would you be willing to help the tree by watering it weekly and helping us take care of it in exchange for improved footballing ability?" Mikko hands Marco an apple from the lowest tree branch, offering it to him. He accepts it and takes a bite, it tastes incredibly sweet and is incredibly satiating. "I will water the tree as often as it needs" replies Tentacles.


APPROVED - glorious to reach into team history for this, and wonderful surrealism.

[sliceruser]

After 6 seasons with Hollywood Alexandros Mograine has shown to be a well developed and prodigal talent and can claim the title of top prospect in his draft class consistently over these last 6 seasons due to his diligent training regime. Alexandros is someone who finds himself constantly in motion and always training in his spare time for one of now 3 major sports that he practices for between hockey, football and soccer. While some may burn out always rotating between these and not taking much time off, Alexandros finds himself more at home in the rotation then on vacation and this constant moving keeps him more fit than the vast majority of other players in all 3 leagues just off that alone regardless of what he is training. In specific to soccer though, you would be surprised to hear that most of his training is sticking to basics and focused on his stamina and physicals such as long and constant runs and weight lifting with adequate stretching. More then any sport in his opinion being able to physically keep up with opponents and keep going longer than anyone else matters most because of the amount you need to run and you can outlast them and eek out those late goals to sneak a win if they can’t keep up. When it comes to who he trains with especially in more advanced defensive plays, well Alexandros was in his opinion extremely lucky to come into the league and play immediately on the majors Hollywood roster and gain long term teammates in Ali Dia, Nathan Cormier and Nikola Lovrić who are all within 2 draft seasons of himself and all strong defensive prospects. 4 likeminded defensive prodigies on the same team all constantly training together allow us not only to shore up each others defensive woes and share our own thoughts in a group with an equal power dynamic but also builds incredibly synergy between us as we know and understand what we are all going to do in a given play.
 
-341 words

Career PT #6

Approved - Always good to stick with the basics

[OrbitingDeath]

Career PT #6

Ilya Prusikin is finally able to train without the heat and the sun continuedly shining down on him, so he was happy to finally be able to spend his time training in the dark cloudy and rainy areas of Reykjavik on a field made out of ice. That last one is overexaggerated ofcourse, but Ilya refuses to believe this is still counting as grass, we're in iceland after all. So this offseason he worked on learning a new position as Reykjavik saw their new central back in the former wingback.  So it will take getting used to not always running forward and there is no guarantee that he won't do this anyway. So in order to get better at his new position he worked on increasing his marking, his heading skills, his defensive positioning, his decision making and his jumping reach. He had very unconventional methods though for this training, but would we expect anything else of this crazy Russian? To train his Marking for example he kept shadowing his GM Rashford for a few weeks, which lead to some issues with Rashfords wife. As she did not appreciate that Prusikin was spooning Rashford at nights in their bed. To increase his heading skills, he took lots of showers. You may wonder how this would increase his heading skills, but according to Ilya the shampoo bottle said head and shoulders, so he thinks this will help his skills (guess this is why the skill only increased to 8, still lousy). To increase his decision making he started to visit the local McDonalds restaurant where he was ordering his daily happy meal, and truth be told, he is getting faster at deciding if he wants nuggets or a hamburger for his meal.

With all this training he hopes to be able to help Reykjavik in their hunt for more hardware, but only time will tell if he can be found more on the defensive part as the offensive part of the pitch, as he is just used to run forward all the time. You never know with Ilya what will happen next.

Words: 353

Approved

[Xotcin]

Career PT #6

Williams was lucky enough to have summer training with the excellent coaches in Germany. He flew over from Montreal once the season was over and started training with the major league team right away. One player had a huge impact on Williams more than anyone else on the team or coaching staff. That player being legendary goalkeeper and long time Black Forest player Muunokhoi Sarantsatsral. Muuno has been an idol to Williams for as long as he can remember. Getting to train with them for the summer before he heads to Montreal is unreal. While this is not the first time they trained together, this will be the first time where the duo will have weeks to go over everything. From training techniques to diet and self care. Running different goalkeeper drills is the same as anywhere else, but not everyone gets a legendary keeper giving them little tips that just click. Muuno is a living legend and knows what it takes to be a Major League keeper, while Williams has found success in the minors with Montreal, Black Forest is a whole new animal and he welcomes all the advice and tips Muuno has.
During one of the off days, Muuno took Williams around different spots in the city where footballers can find peace. One spot was a garden deep in the forest where wild mushrooms and beautiful flora grow. It was a place where one can go to find inner peace and relaxation when going through a tough time. Apparently the mushrooms here are editable, but you may want to have a buddy around in case you wander off.  It was a bittersweet feeling training and exploring the new region with Muuno. All the help was greatly appreciated, but it was not a secret that this was watching a player at the end of their career walking into the sunset. The lessons learned on and off the pitch will stay with Williams forever and if he can be half as good as Muuno was, he will have a great career. 

[342]

Approved 

[Domffl]

CPT 6



Ali Dia, the legendary midfielder in the Simulation Soccer League, took an unexpected but inspiring approach to offseason training ahead of the league’s 20th season. Known more for his skills on skates than on-field accomplishments, Dia surprised fans and critics alike by committing to the most intense offseason regiment of his career. He seemed to be determined to silence doubters and to cement his legacy for among the stars of Hollywood FC HOFers. His training began in the remote highlands of Scotland, where he spent several weeks running over rugged trails and building endurance among the rolling hills. According to local reports, Dia averaged 15 kilometres of uphill sprints per day despite the unpredictable weather and slippery terrain. “It's about breaking limits, physically and mentaly,” Dia said in a social media post that ended up receiving exceptional backlash from the physics supporters, who principly believe that all limits are impossible to break.
Returning to Hollywood for the next phase of his preparation, Dia teamed up with a cutting-edge sports scientists who developed a personalized performance plan focused on agility, reflexes, and decision-making speed: key attributes in the fast-paced SSL. He also spent hours reviewing match footage and simulating high-pressure scenarios using virtual reality, a technique he previously dismissed as a “gimmick” but now calls “revolutionary.” Technology has broken the limit to what is possible for footballers.
On the technical side, Dia worked closely with retired midfielder Mikko Rashford I, one of the SSL’s most tactically intelligent players. They conducted midnight training sessions on abandoned pitches, working on quick passing, first touches, and positioning drills under low visibility conditions. “If you can see nothing and still make the right play, imagine what you can do under the stadium lights,” Dia explained during a rare interview with league reporter, Something Delviccio.Critics may still question his unusual decision, but there's no doubt Ali Dia has taken his preparation to a whole new level. Whether this offseason grind translates to on-field dominance in the SSL’s 20th season remains to be seen; but for now, Dia is ready to write a new chapter in his improbable legend. May the season of Hollywood FC football be upon us all.

[~400]

Approved

[Wiggli]

CPT 6

The eternal mystery: how best to spend an off-season after capturing a league title? Hercule Hefeweizen was on the case. Of course it's only natural to feel some emotional letdown at the end of the season no matter the outcome, but for a team bursting through for their first title in many years it takes on a shape of its own.

Thankfully there was still a lot to prove for Hercule and the Hollywood club. Their title was not without controversy, as unorthodox tactics aided them in a few key matches during the season. Furthermore, they fell to the other top club in a battle for the cup. A case could be made (and often was by pundits and punters alike) that either truly deserve to be called the top club last season.

So the Belgian defender has a goal to focus on, getting himself in top shape as early as possible as from the very first match for the shield this will be a tightly contested competition. Hefeweizen is reaching the peak of his abilities, and starting to try and round out out his game. He worked with teammates, Pete Martell and Gerd Klose, to improve his finishing abilities whether on set pieces or when he finds opportunities on the edge of the box. But first and foremost Hercule aims to be a premier defender so he dug deep within himself to find a way to push his athletic abilities to that truly world class level. The low countries are limited in regard to elevation, so the mustachioed one took a training trip to the Alps to do some athletic training at altitude.

It's no easy feat to improve upon a league title or even simply reproduce prior performance. But Hercule is putting in the hours to try and push his game to an even higher level.

Code:

308 words

Approved - Congrats on the title! Hope you enjoyed the Alps 

[roquefort]

CPT 6

Another season, another off season. As the Simulation Soccer League major league came to a crumbling end, with Hollywood stealing the title away like a thief in the night in the waning moments of the season Roquefort knew he needed to train hard to lead his team to the coveted title in the future. How, you may ask? None other than performance enhancing cheese. He spent months in the lab (rat) working with some of the greatest minds in sports to formulate a new kind of cheese, one that any player can eat to have their game elevated to the next level they found the solution. It was a foul and pungent mixture of amphetamines, painkillers, steroids and bovine growth serum mixed with a mouldy bleu fromage aged in the ancient caves of southern France. It's the sel de mer that gives the real health benefits, you see. To a mortal man a mere whiff of the spongey substance would leaving you searching for your sense of scent for a fortnight - but for a dashing rodent of unusual size and girth it was but a tasty delight. Roque would chow down on his new hors d'oeuvre before a training session and it was as if he was born anew. Muscles sprouted from each and every limb, leaving him looking like a Clan Moulder creation and ready to crush. Not only was he larger and faster, his senses were enhanced - he felt like a Germanic warrior ready to crash into the legionaries at Arminius' signal. He'd sprint down the right side of the field as if he were Subutai crossing the Caucus range before delivering an arrow like strike to center field - precision needed for the likes of Rubio to tap it in. With this new snack at his side, Roquefort was in for the season of his life.

Approved - Chickens like performance enhancing cheese too...maybe Roquefort would share with his buddy McTendie?