2025-07-02, 05:36 PM - Word count:
(This post was last modified: 2025-07-02, 05:37 PM by spooked.)
Before I begin, I would like to declare the intention that I am open to playing any position outfield, but will be aiming to end up as either a towering CB or a complete wingback, as long as there is a good fit I am open to anything however. Those are my two favourite positions in my personal favourite tactic when I play my own career mode, so I was mainly looking from the perspective here of playing as a defender, but it's not perfect as it is hard to know for example which LM is going to play LWB, or CM is actually a better CB because of attributes etc.! Also, there are no actual rankings in here, clickbait as usual.
As the season is still young I decided to just go in reverse order from S20 Major standings to make it simple, and I wasn't looking too deeply at who has what picks or anything as I figure that part doesn't really matter much since it can change between now and whenever the draft happens:
Catalunya // Seoul 
:
Seems like quite a young team, with still a couple slots in the Major lineup on their defence that could be a good fit for me either now or in the future, but with a couple young active minors players looking in place already to potentially fill those slots, I am not sure how good the fit really is at the moment. A lot can change in the meantime, but even just getting into the Minor roster might be a challenge with the number of defenders they have. I would probably need to know what the plan would be to really see the fit here based on just looking at it on paper. I could see them looking for more offensive options as they only have a couple forwards in the organization, but probably more just looking at the best option available as they don’t have an obvious need in their pipeline with such a young roster in both squads.
Shanghai // Magyar 
:
Shanghai might not be the best fit either as they have quite the young defence group in the major league already, thought a couple of them seemed to have grown as much as they can already. They do have some space in the minors despite being very young as they are a bit light in the defence there, with an older player bolstering the group for now. I could see the fit in Magyar really easily, but it gets a bit murkier when looking at the path after the initial few seasons as they are already quite young in Shanghai. I think a defender would be a great pick for them this class, but as they only have a couple of picks this class it looks like they may need to be very tactical making sure they get exactly what they need.
Tenochtitlan // Krung 
:
The team is very clearly in the middle of a roster turnover with their majors lineup being mostly made up of younger players. It does already look a bit crowded however with 17 players on their roster being from season 20 or 21 already. After this class it could be as high as a full 22 players making up two full 11 player squads. I am not sure from a players perspective if that is the most encouraging situation to be in if you hope to get games in the majors, depending on your position you may end up stuck very quickly, especially with much of the roster being only slightly ahead of you in age and not really falling off during your prime. There is expansion on the horizon that could help, but I would honestly have no idea what to expect going to this team, would definitely have the chance to be a wild ride! Could be fun!
Tokyo // Cairo 
:
Tokyo uses a very defender heavy tactic, which would fit with my ideal roles great, and they also have a good mix of ages that will allow consistent opportunity to move up for younger players as they slowly cycle the squad. They do have a fairly small group of defenders in Cairo, which would also suggest a potential fit now and into the future, but the most obvious organizational need I can see right now is their lack of a growing striker. They have it sorted out in the majors for now but I could see them needing another in a few seasons, and they currently lack anyone in the role naturally who could grow into their starting role at centre forward. There aren’t any age group centre forwards really standing out, but with plenty of wide attackers, it’s possible they find someone who could fit that spot for them instead of picking up Resetti even with the tactical fit being good. Striker-less is always an option after all.
Buenos Aires // Athenai 
:
Buenos Aires look like a very conservative development team from their roster. Unlike some of the others to this point they have a clear age curve present on their Major roster, with players spanning from season 11 to 18 and an average amount of young players in the minors from a variety of seasons. Because they have such a healthy spread it’s actually rather difficult to pinpoint what the organization should be looking for in the draft. They don’t have any strikers in the minors, so that might be their primary need, but I could see them wishing they picked up defenders earlier as it’s more of a weakness overall for them in my opinion. They seem to have some strong prospects in defence, while the other areas might be a bit weaker, so I am not really sure what to make of them! I could see them going any direction.
Romana // London 
:
Rome is quite a young group, they have a full 11 players from the last couple drafts playing in London, and their Majors lineup it mostly including players from season 18 to 20. It does look like they could have some slots for defenders in the minors however with their Major lineup having need for one clear call-up soon, and their minor roster in London only having a couple prospects who look capable of making the jump at the moment. It will depend heavily on the actual positions everyone feels they can play, but London looks like it could be a good fit in the short term for Resetti. Long term there would be questions and similar to Tenochtitlan I don’t have a clear picture of what will happen in the future as it could be hard for S22 players to break into the Majors because of the density of players younger than S18.
Hollywood // Kaapstad 
:
Hollywood looks to be in their peak right now, they have a ton of players from similar age groups that are all quite strong throughout their major league lineup. Their minor league lineup does have some slots that could get replaced with Resetti, but even there, they have some Major league calibre players that could make it hard to move up the depth chart. I am hesitant to want to go into such a deep roster, but it’s not a unique issue to have. Depending on how expansion goes as well this could resolve itself, so I am not sure. A strong team is always a good place to be, but only if you are able to have a solid plan to progress.
Schwarzwalder // Montreal 
:
For such a strong team, I was surprised at how good the fit actually was for Resetti. The team in the Majors clearly lacks natural defenders despite having some really top-class players, and in the minors they do have a couple as well, but returning to Montreal could be fun. I think the only thing to worry about going here is that the team is quite a bit older than all the ones I have looked at to this point. They do however have quite a few solid looking players in Montreal, so I do not think there is much to worry about long term. Should be a team with slots available soon and with some youth growing into strong players to play with as well!
Sao Paulo // Paris 
:
Similar to Hollywood, Sao Paulo looks quite strong and are actually maybe a little bit younger. They have a couple areas in their Major squad they could improve on potentially, but on defense I think they are quite strong. They seem to play a back four in both leagues with four natural defenders in both leagues, and with their current players I do not really see an easy path ahead for a defender to break through. They could have a spot in Paris to play, but long-term they seem to have potentially 7 major-ready players to play in only four or five slots. Adding Resetti to that mix would be fine with a plan long-term, but I don’t really see it working out without other moves happening to make space for players. I think S22 maybe just missed the boat for this team to be honest, there will definitely be potential for a player from the class to make a mark in the organization if they do well, but I could see a lot of players getting stuck in the depth chart behind older players for a while due to the age groups being clumped so closely.
Reykjavik // North Shore 
:
Immediately I can see the organization needs defenders. There are only two natural players in that position in the minors and one is no longer developing. They do have 5 in Reykjavik, but with one hitting his ceiling a little bit below the level of the rest of the squad and one nearing retirement it might not take long as expected to get through into the Majors if the fit is right. Coming expansion may also create a bigger emergency here as although they have some of the best players in the league they are a little bit weaker in the minors than some of the other top or building teams in the league. With their current pool of players they could be already set in the forward and midfield areas, so I would expect them to be looking for defense or maybe even a goalkeeper in this draft. Could be a perfect fit depending on how things go in the future.
After looking through all the organizations, I don’t think I really nailed down any potential landing spots after going through this, most teams seem to either have very clear needs or have a ridiculous number of young players or already established talent to compete with, which is probably why expansion is being opened up. Maybe I end up on a new team too, just to make all this meaningless. I think some of the older teams with clear holes in their squad could be a more desirable fit for any young player to be honest. The pathway seems clearer and it would be easier to project what is happening when you have a clear picture of who is/isn’t in the future plans and where and when you will be able to play... but that’s speaking from a player’s perspective. Being stuck behind a huge wall of slightly older players equally as talented would seem to me as a disappointing way to have a career progress. Going through the draft is always fun in these leagues and then having to leave to find a chance to play is always something that is a bit souring in my mind, though it does add some extra stakes to a few games a season.
I liked the immediately visible potential fit with Reykjavik and Schwarzwalder the most as it was clear to me they would be looking for defenders eventually, and they seem like they have a good mix already there that could still be strong for a while with the right tinkering and development, but I am sure with a little more information some other organizations could become a great fit for me as well. It was a lot harder than expected to be able to really see what was happening or what plans were on paper, so I am sure it wouldn't be too hard for me to have missed a lot!
Hopefully a team with a solid plan for my player can pick me up in the draft, and we can have some success, that's all I can really ask for. Reach out if you want to talk!
As the season is still young I decided to just go in reverse order from S20 Major standings to make it simple, and I wasn't looking too deeply at who has what picks or anything as I figure that part doesn't really matter much since it can change between now and whenever the draft happens:
Catalunya // Seoul :Seems like quite a young team, with still a couple slots in the Major lineup on their defence that could be a good fit for me either now or in the future, but with a couple young active minors players looking in place already to potentially fill those slots, I am not sure how good the fit really is at the moment. A lot can change in the meantime, but even just getting into the Minor roster might be a challenge with the number of defenders they have. I would probably need to know what the plan would be to really see the fit here based on just looking at it on paper. I could see them looking for more offensive options as they only have a couple forwards in the organization, but probably more just looking at the best option available as they don’t have an obvious need in their pipeline with such a young roster in both squads.
Shanghai // Magyar :Shanghai might not be the best fit either as they have quite the young defence group in the major league already, thought a couple of them seemed to have grown as much as they can already. They do have some space in the minors despite being very young as they are a bit light in the defence there, with an older player bolstering the group for now. I could see the fit in Magyar really easily, but it gets a bit murkier when looking at the path after the initial few seasons as they are already quite young in Shanghai. I think a defender would be a great pick for them this class, but as they only have a couple of picks this class it looks like they may need to be very tactical making sure they get exactly what they need.
Tenochtitlan // Krung :The team is very clearly in the middle of a roster turnover with their majors lineup being mostly made up of younger players. It does already look a bit crowded however with 17 players on their roster being from season 20 or 21 already. After this class it could be as high as a full 22 players making up two full 11 player squads. I am not sure from a players perspective if that is the most encouraging situation to be in if you hope to get games in the majors, depending on your position you may end up stuck very quickly, especially with much of the roster being only slightly ahead of you in age and not really falling off during your prime. There is expansion on the horizon that could help, but I would honestly have no idea what to expect going to this team, would definitely have the chance to be a wild ride! Could be fun!
Tokyo // Cairo :Tokyo uses a very defender heavy tactic, which would fit with my ideal roles great, and they also have a good mix of ages that will allow consistent opportunity to move up for younger players as they slowly cycle the squad. They do have a fairly small group of defenders in Cairo, which would also suggest a potential fit now and into the future, but the most obvious organizational need I can see right now is their lack of a growing striker. They have it sorted out in the majors for now but I could see them needing another in a few seasons, and they currently lack anyone in the role naturally who could grow into their starting role at centre forward. There aren’t any age group centre forwards really standing out, but with plenty of wide attackers, it’s possible they find someone who could fit that spot for them instead of picking up Resetti even with the tactical fit being good. Striker-less is always an option after all.
Buenos Aires // Athenai :Buenos Aires look like a very conservative development team from their roster. Unlike some of the others to this point they have a clear age curve present on their Major roster, with players spanning from season 11 to 18 and an average amount of young players in the minors from a variety of seasons. Because they have such a healthy spread it’s actually rather difficult to pinpoint what the organization should be looking for in the draft. They don’t have any strikers in the minors, so that might be their primary need, but I could see them wishing they picked up defenders earlier as it’s more of a weakness overall for them in my opinion. They seem to have some strong prospects in defence, while the other areas might be a bit weaker, so I am not really sure what to make of them! I could see them going any direction.
Romana // London :Rome is quite a young group, they have a full 11 players from the last couple drafts playing in London, and their Majors lineup it mostly including players from season 18 to 20. It does look like they could have some slots for defenders in the minors however with their Major lineup having need for one clear call-up soon, and their minor roster in London only having a couple prospects who look capable of making the jump at the moment. It will depend heavily on the actual positions everyone feels they can play, but London looks like it could be a good fit in the short term for Resetti. Long term there would be questions and similar to Tenochtitlan I don’t have a clear picture of what will happen in the future as it could be hard for S22 players to break into the Majors because of the density of players younger than S18.
Hollywood // Kaapstad :Hollywood looks to be in their peak right now, they have a ton of players from similar age groups that are all quite strong throughout their major league lineup. Their minor league lineup does have some slots that could get replaced with Resetti, but even there, they have some Major league calibre players that could make it hard to move up the depth chart. I am hesitant to want to go into such a deep roster, but it’s not a unique issue to have. Depending on how expansion goes as well this could resolve itself, so I am not sure. A strong team is always a good place to be, but only if you are able to have a solid plan to progress.
Schwarzwalder // Montreal :For such a strong team, I was surprised at how good the fit actually was for Resetti. The team in the Majors clearly lacks natural defenders despite having some really top-class players, and in the minors they do have a couple as well, but returning to Montreal could be fun. I think the only thing to worry about going here is that the team is quite a bit older than all the ones I have looked at to this point. They do however have quite a few solid looking players in Montreal, so I do not think there is much to worry about long term. Should be a team with slots available soon and with some youth growing into strong players to play with as well!
Sao Paulo // Paris :Similar to Hollywood, Sao Paulo looks quite strong and are actually maybe a little bit younger. They have a couple areas in their Major squad they could improve on potentially, but on defense I think they are quite strong. They seem to play a back four in both leagues with four natural defenders in both leagues, and with their current players I do not really see an easy path ahead for a defender to break through. They could have a spot in Paris to play, but long-term they seem to have potentially 7 major-ready players to play in only four or five slots. Adding Resetti to that mix would be fine with a plan long-term, but I don’t really see it working out without other moves happening to make space for players. I think S22 maybe just missed the boat for this team to be honest, there will definitely be potential for a player from the class to make a mark in the organization if they do well, but I could see a lot of players getting stuck in the depth chart behind older players for a while due to the age groups being clumped so closely.
Reykjavik // North Shore :Immediately I can see the organization needs defenders. There are only two natural players in that position in the minors and one is no longer developing. They do have 5 in Reykjavik, but with one hitting his ceiling a little bit below the level of the rest of the squad and one nearing retirement it might not take long as expected to get through into the Majors if the fit is right. Coming expansion may also create a bigger emergency here as although they have some of the best players in the league they are a little bit weaker in the minors than some of the other top or building teams in the league. With their current pool of players they could be already set in the forward and midfield areas, so I would expect them to be looking for defense or maybe even a goalkeeper in this draft. Could be a perfect fit depending on how things go in the future.
After looking through all the organizations, I don’t think I really nailed down any potential landing spots after going through this, most teams seem to either have very clear needs or have a ridiculous number of young players or already established talent to compete with, which is probably why expansion is being opened up. Maybe I end up on a new team too, just to make all this meaningless. I think some of the older teams with clear holes in their squad could be a more desirable fit for any young player to be honest. The pathway seems clearer and it would be easier to project what is happening when you have a clear picture of who is/isn’t in the future plans and where and when you will be able to play... but that’s speaking from a player’s perspective. Being stuck behind a huge wall of slightly older players equally as talented would seem to me as a disappointing way to have a career progress. Going through the draft is always fun in these leagues and then having to leave to find a chance to play is always something that is a bit souring in my mind, though it does add some extra stakes to a few games a season.
I liked the immediately visible potential fit with Reykjavik and Schwarzwalder the most as it was clear to me they would be looking for defenders eventually, and they seem like they have a good mix already there that could still be strong for a while with the right tinkering and development, but I am sure with a little more information some other organizations could become a great fit for me as well. It was a lot harder than expected to be able to really see what was happening or what plans were on paper, so I am sure it wouldn't be too hard for me to have missed a lot!
Hopefully a team with a solid plan for my player can pick me up in the draft, and we can have some success, that's all I can really ask for. Reach out if you want to talk!
