<![CDATA[Simulation Soccer League

<![CDATA[Simulation Soccer League - All Forums]]> https://forum.simulationsoccer.com/ Thu, 23 Apr 2026 22:18:35 +0000 MyBB <![CDATA[Go Rova Wombats!]]> https://forum.simulationsoccer.com/showthread.php?tid=9430 Thu, 23 Apr 2026 20:39:52 +0100 lemonoppy]]> https://forum.simulationsoccer.com/showthread.php?tid=9430 <![CDATA[Division 2 MD4 - CABA - SFV]]> https://forum.simulationsoccer.com/showthread.php?tid=9429 Thu, 23 Apr 2026 18:33:41 +0100 Jumbo]]> https://forum.simulationsoccer.com/showthread.php?tid=9429
CA Buenos Aires is coming into the match 1-1-1, and they put up 0 in their last game loss vs AC Romana. So they are hungry to get back to their winning ways. CA Buenos Aires have scored 6 goals and conceded 6 goals.
Players to Watch: RAM Bengt Rubin, ST Sterling Scott

Schwarzwälder FV coming into the match is riding a 3 game losing streak to start the season. To go along with the bad record, they have only scored 1 goal while giving up 10. So Schwarzwälder FV needs a big game from their players to right the ship.
Players to Watch: CAM Cade Power, ST Deigo Machado.

0' - CA Buenos Aires takes the opening Kick-off

2' - Lorenzo dribbles the ball down the left side by is dispossessed by Power's tackle. Ball goes to Summers who passes out right to Tepoztli. Tepoztli quickly passes it out wide right to Stain. Stain drives down field and crosses the ball into the box but its headed away. But it goes right to Summers who crosses it low to Tepoztli who buries it into the back of the net. SFV

1-0

6' - CA Buenos Aires on the corner. Rubin puts the ball into the box and Williams grabs it. BUT William Williams is down. Oh no SFV has use a Substitution for Williams. In comes in their backup goalkeeper SCHWARZWALDER GOALKEEPER. This is a huge loss for SFV.

15' - Machado comes comes up limping after a hard challenge on Duck. Rubin gets the ball out wide. Ball is intercepted by Tepoztli who passes it to Power. But Power and Summers clide and Lorezneo gets up it quickly for Scott. And Scott finds Rubin running freely into the box. Xavier comes flying acorss to block the shot. It goes out for a Corner. What a chance for CA Buenos Aires there.

18' - SCHWARZWALDER GOALKEEPER has the ball for a goalkick. Passes it out to Kilgannon. And Kilgannon tries to get it to Maeddisen but its a bad pass and its intercepted by Scott. And Scott blasts it just over the bar. Another great scoring chance for CA Buenos Aires.

22' - Stain has the SFV free kick just ahead of the halfway line. Stain quickly passes it to Summers just to his right. Summers then gets it to Maeddisen in the middle. Maeddisen finds Sinclair just at the top right of the box. Sinclair with a beautiful move outside. Runs into the box and passes it low across and finds Machado for the tap in. SFV

2-0

26' - SFV has the throw-in. Clarke throws it in to Sinclair, who passes it right back to Clarke. Clarke to Maeddisen, Maeddisen immediately to Sinclair making a run. Sinclair drives towards the top middle of the box. Sinclair plays a beautiful through ball to Tepoztli. And Tepoztli blasts it for their 2nd goal! SFV

3-0

31' - CA Buenos Aires are turning it up a little. Schwarzwälder FV being heavily pressed. GOALKEEPER tries to clear but not far enough. McManus jumps and heads it to Santori. Santori finds Criminal. Criminal hits a nice little ball forward to Rivers. Rivers plays it back to Lorenzo. Lorenzo then hits Rivers making a run across. Rivers shoots it hard low. But GOALKEEPER tips the ball wide.

32'- SFV GOALKEEPER grabs the ball on a corner. Rolls it out to Xavier. CABA heavily pressing once again. Xavier finds Maeddisen who drops it to GOALKEEPER. GOALKEEPER back out to Kilgannon. Kilgannon tries to find Summers but Rivers gets the better of it. Lorenzo scoops up the loose ball and finds Scott wide open at the top of the box. Scott shoots but GOALKEEPER with a great diving save and holds onto the ball.

40' - SFV has the ball. GOALKEEPER gets it out to Kilgannon. Kilgannon feeds Stain wide left. Stain turns and plays it to Tepoztli. Tepoztli gets it to Summers. Summers dribbles but Rubin cuts it off. Rubin has a lot of room ahead. Rubin dribbles in towards the middle but then cuts back outside. Rubin shoots hard far post and its beats the goalkeeper. A great goal by Rubin.

1-3

45' - HALFTIME
Schwarzwälder FV lead 3-1. SFV has 4 shots (3 on target). SFV lead possession 59% to CABA 41%. CABA has 12 shots (7 on target). xG has SFV leading 1.86 to CABA 1.41. Can Schwarzwälder FV hold on the rest of the game. Can CABA take the momentum they had at the end of the first half into the 2nd half.

45' - Schwarzwälder FV takes the 2nd half kick-off.

50' - CA Buenos Aires has the corner. Ball comes it and GOALKEEPER punches it out. Ball goes out to Santori. Santori one touches it to Scraper who gives it right back to Santori lining up a shot. But Santori sends the ball just wide.

58' - Alot of back and forth play and the ball just bouncing around. Scraper heads the ball out left to Santori. Santori dribbles down the left and goes back to McManus. McManus with a long range rip and GOALKEEPER cant get a hand on it. McManus with an absolute rocket from distance.

2-3

71' - CA Buenos Aires has the throw-in deep into SFV side. Criminal throws the ball in to Santori. Santori passes it back to Criminal. Criminal passes it to McManus just outside the box. McManus drives into the middle. McManus finds Rivers open at the PK spot. Rivers puts that one away! What a comeback for CA Buenos Aires

3-3

77' - SFV once again finding to hard to bring the ball out. Kilgannon plays it up to Summers. Summers looks ahead to Power. Power plays it down the line for Tepoztli. Tepoztli is pressed by 2 CABA Players and slides it through to Stain. Stain quickly taps it over to Summers and Summers puts it wide right.

81' - CABA throw-in. McNeil throws it in to Rubin. Rubin right back to McNeil and McNeil one touch passes it to McManus just inside the box. McManus with no room goes back to McNeil. McNeil then finds Rivers down low. Rivers gets it to Rubin dangerously close. Rubin dribbles back and around and finds Santori wide open back side. Santori shoots but GOALKEEPER steps up big and turns the ball behind. What a save!

87' - CA Buenos Aires free kick. McNeil steps up and places a beautiful pass in the air to Rubin. Rubin drives all the way in and shoots but its blocked. Oh wait the Flag is up for Rubin offsides.

90'- McManus plays a terrible ball thats grabbed up Summers. Summers finds Tepoztli. Tepoztli plays a great ball ahead to Machado. Machado takes a touch outside and shoots. Scraper throws himself infront of the shot. Out for a corner.

90+3' - Scraper has the ball. Gets it out wide to Criminal. Criminal dribbling down the left finds Santori. Santori crosses it toward far post. Stain gets in front but the ball bounces directly to Rivers. Rivers shoots it but misses just high.

93' - FINAL WHISTLE.
The game ends in a draw 3-3. What a battle. Schwarzwälder FV has to be happy with that result after starting goalie William Williams went down. And CA Buenos Aires has to be happy after that comeback to still get a point. What a match.

3 - 3

Player of the Match
SFV

Maggie Sinclair. 8.7 Game Rating - 2 Assists - 6 Dribbles

Honorable Mentions
SFV

Tiacaelel Tepoztli - 8.2 Game Rating - 2 Goals - 2 shots

Daryl McManus - 8.0 Game Rating - 1 Goal, 1 Assist - 5 shots

Bengt Rubin - 8.1 Game Rating - 1 Goal - 5 Key Passes]]>
CA Buenos Aires is coming into the match 1-1-1, and they put up 0 in their last game loss vs AC Romana. So they are hungry to get back to their winning ways. CA Buenos Aires have scored 6 goals and conceded 6 goals.
Players to Watch: RAM Bengt Rubin, ST Sterling Scott

Schwarzwälder FV coming into the match is riding a 3 game losing streak to start the season. To go along with the bad record, they have only scored 1 goal while giving up 10. So Schwarzwälder FV needs a big game from their players to right the ship.
Players to Watch: CAM Cade Power, ST Deigo Machado.

0' - CA Buenos Aires takes the opening Kick-off

2' - Lorenzo dribbles the ball down the left side by is dispossessed by Power's tackle. Ball goes to Summers who passes out right to Tepoztli. Tepoztli quickly passes it out wide right to Stain. Stain drives down field and crosses the ball into the box but its headed away. But it goes right to Summers who crosses it low to Tepoztli who buries it into the back of the net. SFV

3 - 3

Player of the Match
SFV

Maggie Sinclair. 8.7 Game Rating - 2 Assists - 6 Dribbles

Honorable Mentions
SFV

Tiacaelel Tepoztli - 8.2 Game Rating - 2 Goals - 2 shots

Daryl McManus - 8.0 Game Rating - 1 Goal, 1 Assist - 5 shots

Bengt Rubin - 8.1 Game Rating - 1 Goal - 5 Key Passes]]> <![CDATA[Vyacheslav Shevchenko's Sigs]]> https://forum.simulationsoccer.com/showthread.php?tid=9428 Thu, 23 Apr 2026 17:23:28 +0100 Jakesdy]]> https://forum.simulationsoccer.com/showthread.php?tid=9428
[Image: np6M58j.png]

]]>

]]> <![CDATA[Cairo City vs Seoul Mythic from my POV (Minors DIV 2 MD 4)]]> https://forum.simulationsoccer.com/showthread.php?tid=9427 Thu, 23 Apr 2026 16:08:39 +0100 Jakesdy]]> https://forum.simulationsoccer.com/showthread.php?tid=9427 here) and in it we suffered a minimal defeat 0-1. Now let's look at today's game.
Overall, it's worth noting that Cairo City had the advantage (2.07 xG compared to our 1.25; 19 shots on goal (9 on target) against our 5 (3 on target)). Despite this, the game itself turned out to be rich in goals from both sides and we managed to make the most of our chances at the Cairo gate, 3 goals from 3 shots on target. Luke Walker scored a double and David Doug II scored a goal. They were assisted by Aimo Silakka, Kim Heung-Min and Idris Emad (each with 1 assistant). We had a dubious advantage in fouls. 22 fouls and 4 yellow cards, the opponent has 2 times less. In terms of transmission accuracy, there is almost equality with a slight advantage in favor of the City (86.548 % against our 83.582 %)
Now, personally, about my performance in the match. Score 6.18, 94.74% pass accuracy, 33.33% tackling, 1 clearance, 4 fouls and 1 block. The dry statistics are as follows :3 Looking at her, it's clear that I played the match well, but it could have been better.
The final score is 3-5 and our 5th consecutive defeat. We still have a lot work to do in improving and correcting out mistakes, but that match is some kind of a showcase for me that we are capable of playing really nice football. So, I hope we'll get our first season victory in sooner matches.
That's all from me, thank you for reading and see you soon ! :3]]> here) and in it we suffered a minimal defeat 0-1. Now let's look at today's game.
Overall, it's worth noting that Cairo City had the advantage (2.07 xG compared to our 1.25; 19 shots on goal (9 on target) against our 5 (3 on target)). Despite this, the game itself turned out to be rich in goals from both sides and we managed to make the most of our chances at the Cairo gate, 3 goals from 3 shots on target. Luke Walker scored a double and David Doug II scored a goal. They were assisted by Aimo Silakka, Kim Heung-Min and Idris Emad (each with 1 assistant). We had a dubious advantage in fouls. 22 fouls and 4 yellow cards, the opponent has 2 times less. In terms of transmission accuracy, there is almost equality with a slight advantage in favor of the City (86.548 % against our 83.582 %)
Now, personally, about my performance in the match. Score 6.18, 94.74% pass accuracy, 33.33% tackling, 1 clearance, 4 fouls and 1 block. The dry statistics are as follows :3 Looking at her, it's clear that I played the match well, but it could have been better.
The final score is 3-5 and our 5th consecutive defeat. We still have a lot work to do in improving and correcting out mistakes, but that match is some kind of a showcase for me that we are capable of playing really nice football. So, I hope we'll get our first season victory in sooner matches.
That's all from me, thank you for reading and see you soon ! :3]]> <![CDATA[Blaise's Bookshelf - Vol 2]]> https://forum.simulationsoccer.com/showthread.php?tid=9426 Thu, 23 Apr 2026 15:36:25 +0100 McTruffles]]> https://forum.simulationsoccer.com/showthread.php?tid=9426 Kaas by Willem Elschot
I found myself feeling nostalgic this week. Being back in the Netherlands for a few days before our next away match, I picked up a copy of Kaas by Willem Elschot. It is a small book, a Belgian masterpiece that every Dutch schoolchild knows. Long ago I was one of those but today, this book hits differently.

The story follows Frans Laarmans, a simple clerk who suddenly decides he wants to be an international cheese merchant. He gets sent thousands of wheels of Edam cheese, and he spends the entire book being overwhelmed by them. He wants the status of being a 'General and Official Representative for Belgium and the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg' for a dutch cheese firm but he has no idea how to actually sell the cheese. He’s a man playing a role that he hasn't earned yet.

I felt a strange sympathy for Laarmans during our recent wins. We are winning as a team, and we are sitting near the top of the table, but in my mind I am still a legendary goalscorer who only has one goal in four games. Sometimes, when I’m sprinting past a defender, I feel like Laarmans looking at his mountain of cheese. I have all the tools, the pace and the acceleration, and I put myself in good spots to score but the "sale" isn't happening. In the book, Laarmans realizes that he is just a clerk, not a merchant. He is a man who was happier in his small office than he is drowning in Edam. For me, the lesson is the opposite. I don't want to go back to being a clerk. I don't want to just be another Núnez. I want to be the goal merchant. I want the goals to justify the 'General and Official Representative for Belgium and the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg' status I’ve given myself in this league.

Elschot writes with a dry humor that reminds me of the Dutch character. We don't like bullshit, we like results. My results are coming, slowly. Until then, I’ll try not to let the "cheese" pile up.

Rating: 5/5 Next Week: TBD]]> Kaas by Willem Elschot
I found myself feeling nostalgic this week. Being back in the Netherlands for a few days before our next away match, I picked up a copy of Kaas by Willem Elschot. It is a small book, a Belgian masterpiece that every Dutch schoolchild knows. Long ago I was one of those but today, this book hits differently.

The story follows Frans Laarmans, a simple clerk who suddenly decides he wants to be an international cheese merchant. He gets sent thousands of wheels of Edam cheese, and he spends the entire book being overwhelmed by them. He wants the status of being a 'General and Official Representative for Belgium and the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg' for a dutch cheese firm but he has no idea how to actually sell the cheese. He’s a man playing a role that he hasn't earned yet.

I felt a strange sympathy for Laarmans during our recent wins. We are winning as a team, and we are sitting near the top of the table, but in my mind I am still a legendary goalscorer who only has one goal in four games. Sometimes, when I’m sprinting past a defender, I feel like Laarmans looking at his mountain of cheese. I have all the tools, the pace and the acceleration, and I put myself in good spots to score but the "sale" isn't happening. In the book, Laarmans realizes that he is just a clerk, not a merchant. He is a man who was happier in his small office than he is drowning in Edam. For me, the lesson is the opposite. I don't want to go back to being a clerk. I don't want to just be another Núnez. I want to be the goal merchant. I want the goals to justify the 'General and Official Representative for Belgium and the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg' status I’ve given myself in this league.

Elschot writes with a dry humor that reminds me of the Dutch character. We don't like bullshit, we like results. My results are coming, slowly. Until then, I’ll try not to let the "cheese" pile up.

Rating: 5/5 Next Week: TBD]]> <![CDATA[Season 25 | Academy-League | Stockholm IK | Matchday 4]]> https://forum.simulationsoccer.com/showthread.php?tid=9425 Thu, 23 Apr 2026 13:40:10 +0100 Moew]]> https://forum.simulationsoccer.com/showthread.php?tid=9425
11´ Datbased gets the ball, passes to Azzola, back to Datbased, who immediatly does a high pass into the penalty area, but Pow looses the header. The attack is still ongoing, Pederson Legend kicks the ball again to near the goal, Wynne SHOOOTS!, but a defender blocked it, cornerkick

17´ Milton Núnez Legend has to be subed off due injury

20´ We lost the ball in the midfield, Maple Legend now runs towards the goal surrounded by 3 defenders, but he shoots and the ball gets blocked by Krpan and we got the ball back. For a moment I thought we will concede a goal, but luckily, still 0-0 at this time

23´ Wynne makes a long distance run to the left side of the goal, passes to the middle, CARDINET SHOOTS INTO THE GOAL!!!! 1-0 Stockholm IK!!

27´ We are again attacking, this time Datbasted passes to the middle, Van Huntelrooy misses the ball by just a few centimetres, the ball gets deflected TO WYNNE WHO IMMEDIATLY SHOOTS, but he hits the post and the attack is over! It could have been a 2-0 lead

37´ free kick! Pow kicks the ball to the goal zone, but the goalkeeper runs out and catches the ball. Now counter attack from Atlético, the ball comes to GOALKEEPER, passes to near the goal, Brukspatron tries to clear the ball right to Isagis head, the ball ping-pongs to GORDON LEGEND WHO IS FREE TO SHOOT!!! But enBach with an amazing save and makes it look easy! With enBach in the goal, I am pretty sure he will again gets a clean sheet, which would be the third one in a row! Except for Victoria Falls in Season 23, no team managed to get 3 or more consecutive matches with a clean sheet. I feel, today Stockholm IK becomes the second team achieving it!

39´ Rumma Legend gets a yellow card (Atlético Medellin)

40´ a short corner kick from our team, Talli Legend with a high pass into the goal zone. VAN HUNTELROOY WINS THE HEADER AGAINST 2 DEFENDERS AND SCORES!!!! 2-0 Stockholm IK!! His 7th goal in 4 games!

42´ Pederson Legend with a good high pass into the penalty area. Cardinet GETS A CLEAN HEADER, but misses the goal by just a few centimetres. Almost 3-0!

44´ Tom Pederson gets a yellow card (Stockholm IK)

45´ Ramirez has a good free kick oppertunity. He shoots directly on the goal! But no worries, enBach saw that coming and saves it easily! Our goalkeeper is a potential world class goalkeeper! Not with him, not today!

Half time
Stockholm IK is again dominating the game today, not letting any chances for Atlético to even shoot on target, and if they do, enBach gets always the ball. He is probably the best goalkeeper in this academy season! Happy to have him between our posts! And of course Van Huntelrooy and Cardinet, both with a goal today!

46´ second half just started, huntelrooy passes to Azzola, then to Pederson, who runs from his half towards the corner, kicks the ball high to Van Huntelrooy, WHO GETS THE BALL VIA HEADER, but misses the target. That was just 13 seconds into the second half!

61´ Azzola made a small mistake in the middle and wanted to pass Datbasted, but D´Floor Legend gets the ball, starting a counter attack. Rumma Legend kicks the ball to the front, where Maple Legend gets the ball, running towards the goal, but Krpan is there, overtooked him and blocked his shot! But we here a whistle, Maple Legend was offside, so the goal would not have counted. Amazing defending work by our team!

72´ Alessio Calvatore Legend gets a yellow card (Atlético Medellin)

77´ From a throw-in, the ball gets closer and closer towards the goal of Atlético. Cardinet with a pass to Datbasted, who can shoot from a small distance, but the goalkeeper just picked the ball from the air. Not bad though!

79´ In an another attack, the defending team of Atlético isnt doing bad and by the end of this attack, Van Huntelrooy headed the ball to high above the goal. The second half has no big action yet, but it also does not seems like Atlético getting any chances of scoring a single goal

84´ Datbasted runs towards the goal and shoots on a sharp angle, but it got deflected to the post. Cornerkick! The ball gets again to Datbasted, who passes to Pederson Legend, who kicks the ball directly towards the goal, CARDINET GETS THE BALL AND HEADS IT INTO THE GOOOOAAAALL!!!... But... the VAR is introducing itself, checking an offside position, aaand goal disallowed

Full time
Thats it, another win! 4 games, 4 wins! It seems, we can finally win maybe the academy league, I personally have no doubts in that, but season is far away if being over, that was just 4 games from 14 so far. Next game will be against Istanbul, who only managed to get a single point and a single goal so far, so it should be an easy win]]>
11´ Datbased gets the ball, passes to Azzola, back to Datbased, who immediatly does a high pass into the penalty area, but Pow looses the header. The attack is still ongoing, Pederson Legend kicks the ball again to near the goal, Wynne SHOOOTS!, but a defender blocked it, cornerkick

17´ Milton Núnez Legend has to be subed off due injury

20´ We lost the ball in the midfield, Maple Legend now runs towards the goal surrounded by 3 defenders, but he shoots and the ball gets blocked by Krpan and we got the ball back. For a moment I thought we will concede a goal, but luckily, still 0-0 at this time

23´ Wynne makes a long distance run to the left side of the goal, passes to the middle, CARDINET SHOOTS INTO THE GOAL!!!! 1-0 Stockholm IK!!

27´ We are again attacking, this time Datbasted passes to the middle, Van Huntelrooy misses the ball by just a few centimetres, the ball gets deflected TO WYNNE WHO IMMEDIATLY SHOOTS, but he hits the post and the attack is over! It could have been a 2-0 lead

37´ free kick! Pow kicks the ball to the goal zone, but the goalkeeper runs out and catches the ball. Now counter attack from Atlético, the ball comes to GOALKEEPER, passes to near the goal, Brukspatron tries to clear the ball right to Isagis head, the ball ping-pongs to GORDON LEGEND WHO IS FREE TO SHOOT!!! But enBach with an amazing save and makes it look easy! With enBach in the goal, I am pretty sure he will again gets a clean sheet, which would be the third one in a row! Except for Victoria Falls in Season 23, no team managed to get 3 or more consecutive matches with a clean sheet. I feel, today Stockholm IK becomes the second team achieving it!

39´ Rumma Legend gets a yellow card (Atlético Medellin)

40´ a short corner kick from our team, Talli Legend with a high pass into the goal zone. VAN HUNTELROOY WINS THE HEADER AGAINST 2 DEFENDERS AND SCORES!!!! 2-0 Stockholm IK!! His 7th goal in 4 games!

42´ Pederson Legend with a good high pass into the penalty area. Cardinet GETS A CLEAN HEADER, but misses the goal by just a few centimetres. Almost 3-0!

44´ Tom Pederson gets a yellow card (Stockholm IK)

45´ Ramirez has a good free kick oppertunity. He shoots directly on the goal! But no worries, enBach saw that coming and saves it easily! Our goalkeeper is a potential world class goalkeeper! Not with him, not today!

Half time
Stockholm IK is again dominating the game today, not letting any chances for Atlético to even shoot on target, and if they do, enBach gets always the ball. He is probably the best goalkeeper in this academy season! Happy to have him between our posts! And of course Van Huntelrooy and Cardinet, both with a goal today!

46´ second half just started, huntelrooy passes to Azzola, then to Pederson, who runs from his half towards the corner, kicks the ball high to Van Huntelrooy, WHO GETS THE BALL VIA HEADER, but misses the target. That was just 13 seconds into the second half!

61´ Azzola made a small mistake in the middle and wanted to pass Datbasted, but D´Floor Legend gets the ball, starting a counter attack. Rumma Legend kicks the ball to the front, where Maple Legend gets the ball, running towards the goal, but Krpan is there, overtooked him and blocked his shot! But we here a whistle, Maple Legend was offside, so the goal would not have counted. Amazing defending work by our team!

72´ Alessio Calvatore Legend gets a yellow card (Atlético Medellin)

77´ From a throw-in, the ball gets closer and closer towards the goal of Atlético. Cardinet with a pass to Datbasted, who can shoot from a small distance, but the goalkeeper just picked the ball from the air. Not bad though!

79´ In an another attack, the defending team of Atlético isnt doing bad and by the end of this attack, Van Huntelrooy headed the ball to high above the goal. The second half has no big action yet, but it also does not seems like Atlético getting any chances of scoring a single goal

84´ Datbasted runs towards the goal and shoots on a sharp angle, but it got deflected to the post. Cornerkick! The ball gets again to Datbasted, who passes to Pederson Legend, who kicks the ball directly towards the goal, CARDINET GETS THE BALL AND HEADS IT INTO THE GOOOOAAAALL!!!... But... the VAR is introducing itself, checking an offside position, aaand goal disallowed

Full time
Thats it, another win! 4 games, 4 wins! It seems, we can finally win maybe the academy league, I personally have no doubts in that, but season is far away if being over, that was just 4 games from 14 so far. Next game will be against Istanbul, who only managed to get a single point and a single goal so far, so it should be an easy win]]> <![CDATA[Interview Christopher Bergmann Pre-Matchday 5]]> https://forum.simulationsoccer.com/showthread.php?tid=9424 Thu, 23 Apr 2026 11:40:46 +0100 Bergmau]]> https://forum.simulationsoccer.com/showthread.php?tid=9424 Interviewer: Hello, thank you for joining us ahead of your upcoming match against Stockholm IK.

Christopher Bergmann: Of course, thank you for having me.

Interviewer: Is it fair to say that the start of the season did not go the way you would have wanted it to be, at İstanbul F.K.?

Christopher Bergmann: Indeed it did not. We have a single point after our first four matches. Going up against the currently unbeaten Stockholm IK, it is going to be a though game. We hope to turn around the season and take home our first win.

Interviewer: Were do you think did it go wrong so far?

Christopher Bergmann: Well, its not a singular issue in the team at the moment. We dont score goals and we concede too many. The whole squad is not where we expect to be, but we have a lot of trust into each other and our coach. We strongly believe we will have a good season after this bad start.

Interviewer: Thank you for joining once again and best of luck with your game against Stockholm IK.

Christopher Bergmann: Thank you.]]> Interviewer: Hello, thank you for joining us ahead of your upcoming match against Stockholm IK.

Christopher Bergmann: Of course, thank you for having me.

Interviewer: Is it fair to say that the start of the season did not go the way you would have wanted it to be, at İstanbul F.K.?

Christopher Bergmann: Indeed it did not. We have a single point after our first four matches. Going up against the currently unbeaten Stockholm IK, it is going to be a though game. We hope to turn around the season and take home our first win.

Interviewer: Were do you think did it go wrong so far?

Christopher Bergmann: Well, its not a singular issue in the team at the moment. We dont score goals and we concede too many. The whole squad is not where we expect to be, but we have a lot of trust into each other and our coach. We strongly believe we will have a good season after this bad start.

Interviewer: Thank you for joining once again and best of luck with your game against Stockholm IK.

Christopher Bergmann: Thank you.]]> <![CDATA[Season 25 | Academy-League | Stockholm IK | Matchday 3]]> https://forum.simulationsoccer.com/showthread.php?tid=9423 Thu, 23 Apr 2026 10:56:48 +0100 Moew]]> https://forum.simulationsoccer.com/showthread.php?tid=9423
5´ After we get the ball, it goes straight to Pow, who kicks the ball into the goal area, but Van Huntelrooy heads the balll just over the goal. Good start into the match!

7´ Henrik Lind Legend gets a yellow card (Stockholm IK)

13´ We got a throw-in near the goal and after a couple of passes, Pow is completly free, but passes to Datbasted, who is also completly free and shots DIRECTLY INTO THE GOAL!!! 1-0 Stockholm IK!!! I think the defence of Jakarta forgot, that they are playing, I cant explain that otherwise

24´ Thessenvitz from Jakarta kicks the ball from a corner into the goal area, where Snooks can head it TO THE GOAL!!, but enBach barely saved it and directed the ball to the post and then outside the field! Almost 1-1

43´ Cardinet gets the ball, runs into the penalty area, passes just past the goalkeeper, Van Huntelrooy just missed the ball, so the ball gets to Visses, BUT WHAT IS HE DOING!! He just waits with the ball 2 meters away from the goal, JUST THAT VAN HUNTELROOY CAN SCORE A GOAL!!!! 2-0 Stockholm IK!! I have nothing to say, but due 2 massive errors from Jakartas defence, we scored two goals! I dont know what Jakarta is doing today

HALF TIME

Jakarta is playing like they never played football before, especially their defense. I think their coach wont be happy, while our team is dominating the game, so its a deserved lead into the half-time. Besides that one chance from Jakarte in the 24th minute, we saw nothing from Jakarta. I am pretty sure, we wont just win this game, but scoring more goals in the second half

46´ Jakarta is trying to get near the goal, but our defence is like a wall, where no balls can pass them

51´ Azzola sees Pow runnig towards the goal and passes to him in the perfect time, so Pow has only the goalkeeper between him and the goal! HE SHOOTS!! What a save by the goalkeeper!

53´ corner kick from Jakarta, the balls bounces throw almost the whole half of the field, as eventually Van der Sloth GETS A GOOD SHOOTING POSITION, but enBach keeps his goal clean and turns the ball round the post!

56´ Pow passes the ball to Cardinet, who again runs into the penalty area, that reminds me the 43th minute, where we scored the 2-0, but just mirrowed, he passes to the goal area, WHERE HUNTELROOY OUSHES EASILY THE BALL INTO THE NET!!!! 3-0 Stockholm IK!!!

70´ Pederson Legend passes the ball to Cardinet, who just runs outside the penalty area, passes in the perfect moment to Van Huntelrooy, HE JUST NEEDS TO SHOOT AND GOOOOOOOAAAAAALLLL!! 4-0 Stockholm IK!! Jakartas Defence tried everything to avoid it, but did not managed to! At least this time, it was not a bad defending, but also not goos enough! Cardinet in his debut and Van Huntelrooy are working amazingly world class performance today! Ah yes! Its a hattrick from Van Huntelrooy!!

72´ Datbasted with as low pass from the the left corner, EVERYONE misses the ball, EXCEPT Van Huntelrooy!!! He scored again! Fourth time this match!! 5-0 Stockholm IK!!!

78´ Martin Krpan gets a yellow card (Stockholm IK)

Full time!

A dominant play from our boys, Van Huntelrooy scored 4 goals alone today. He and Cardinet on his debut got a clean rating of 10.0! I personally would say, the Player of the match title goes to Cardinet, because without him, Van Huntelrooy would not be able to score so many goals today, he made it possible with his high quality assists. I am pretty sure, many scouts already having him now on their list]]>
5´ After we get the ball, it goes straight to Pow, who kicks the ball into the goal area, but Van Huntelrooy heads the balll just over the goal. Good start into the match!

7´ Henrik Lind Legend gets a yellow card (Stockholm IK)

13´ We got a throw-in near the goal and after a couple of passes, Pow is completly free, but passes to Datbasted, who is also completly free and shots DIRECTLY INTO THE GOAL!!! 1-0 Stockholm IK!!! I think the defence of Jakarta forgot, that they are playing, I cant explain that otherwise

24´ Thessenvitz from Jakarta kicks the ball from a corner into the goal area, where Snooks can head it TO THE GOAL!!, but enBach barely saved it and directed the ball to the post and then outside the field! Almost 1-1

43´ Cardinet gets the ball, runs into the penalty area, passes just past the goalkeeper, Van Huntelrooy just missed the ball, so the ball gets to Visses, BUT WHAT IS HE DOING!! He just waits with the ball 2 meters away from the goal, JUST THAT VAN HUNTELROOY CAN SCORE A GOAL!!!! 2-0 Stockholm IK!! I have nothing to say, but due 2 massive errors from Jakartas defence, we scored two goals! I dont know what Jakarta is doing today

HALF TIME

Jakarta is playing like they never played football before, especially their defense. I think their coach wont be happy, while our team is dominating the game, so its a deserved lead into the half-time. Besides that one chance from Jakarte in the 24th minute, we saw nothing from Jakarta. I am pretty sure, we wont just win this game, but scoring more goals in the second half

46´ Jakarta is trying to get near the goal, but our defence is like a wall, where no balls can pass them

51´ Azzola sees Pow runnig towards the goal and passes to him in the perfect time, so Pow has only the goalkeeper between him and the goal! HE SHOOTS!! What a save by the goalkeeper!

53´ corner kick from Jakarta, the balls bounces throw almost the whole half of the field, as eventually Van der Sloth GETS A GOOD SHOOTING POSITION, but enBach keeps his goal clean and turns the ball round the post!

56´ Pow passes the ball to Cardinet, who again runs into the penalty area, that reminds me the 43th minute, where we scored the 2-0, but just mirrowed, he passes to the goal area, WHERE HUNTELROOY OUSHES EASILY THE BALL INTO THE NET!!!! 3-0 Stockholm IK!!!

70´ Pederson Legend passes the ball to Cardinet, who just runs outside the penalty area, passes in the perfect moment to Van Huntelrooy, HE JUST NEEDS TO SHOOT AND GOOOOOOOAAAAAALLLL!! 4-0 Stockholm IK!! Jakartas Defence tried everything to avoid it, but did not managed to! At least this time, it was not a bad defending, but also not goos enough! Cardinet in his debut and Van Huntelrooy are working amazingly world class performance today! Ah yes! Its a hattrick from Van Huntelrooy!!

72´ Datbasted with as low pass from the the left corner, EVERYONE misses the ball, EXCEPT Van Huntelrooy!!! He scored again! Fourth time this match!! 5-0 Stockholm IK!!!

78´ Martin Krpan gets a yellow card (Stockholm IK)

Full time!

A dominant play from our boys, Van Huntelrooy scored 4 goals alone today. He and Cardinet on his debut got a clean rating of 10.0! I personally would say, the Player of the match title goes to Cardinet, because without him, Van Huntelrooy would not be able to score so many goals today, he made it possible with his high quality assists. I am pretty sure, many scouts already having him now on their list]]> <![CDATA[Seoul lose again but promising signs ahead?]]> https://forum.simulationsoccer.com/showthread.php?tid=9422 Thu, 23 Apr 2026 09:51:42 +0100 fathands3k]]> https://forum.simulationsoccer.com/showthread.php?tid=9422
The odds were stacked against them in this game with no-one really expecting much against a team that looks like they will be fighting for promotion come the end of the season. But they held their own against one of the stronger sides in the division and. Finally they got Walker involved in the match who repaid the faith shown to bring him here by bagging a brace and finally getting his season kick started. He had this to say after the game, "Wow, just such a heart-breaking result, we came to fight and compete and I feel we did that but Kudos to Cairo, they showed their quality in the end. But I feel like this is us turning the corner and figuring out our best way to play. If that involves me scoring 2 each week then I am all for it! Finally off the mark and I'll hope to continue that trend to help this team the best I can."

With Seoul's next outing against fellow strugglers Montréal United, it will provide a good chance to grab a win, get some points and potentially move off the bottom of the table with a win.]]>
The odds were stacked against them in this game with no-one really expecting much against a team that looks like they will be fighting for promotion come the end of the season. But they held their own against one of the stronger sides in the division and. Finally they got Walker involved in the match who repaid the faith shown to bring him here by bagging a brace and finally getting his season kick started. He had this to say after the game, "Wow, just such a heart-breaking result, we came to fight and compete and I feel we did that but Kudos to Cairo, they showed their quality in the end. But I feel like this is us turning the corner and figuring out our best way to play. If that involves me scoring 2 each week then I am all for it! Finally off the mark and I'll hope to continue that trend to help this team the best I can."

With Seoul's next outing against fellow strugglers Montréal United, it will provide a good chance to grab a win, get some points and potentially move off the bottom of the table with a win.]]> <![CDATA[Physicals - Alejandro Hunt]]> https://forum.simulationsoccer.com/showthread.php?tid=9421 Thu, 23 Apr 2026 05:26:09 +0100 Arc]]> https://forum.simulationsoccer.com/showthread.php?tid=9421
People often say that the game of football today is about being physical. They talk about being intense and winning. I get that. I respect that.. I do not think that is all there is to the game. There is still room for players who think differently players who can slow the game down and make something happen. That is the kind of player I want to be. I have never wanted to be the player on the field. I have never wanted to win by being stronger than someone else. For me the real challenge is to outthink the team.

It is about finding space where no one else is looking making a pass that no one expects and controlling the game without forcing it. I think that being smart in football is not about making good decisions but about knowing what is going on and having good timing. There will be times when the strong playersre in charge. There will be games where being fast and strong is what matters.. Even in those times there is always something small that can change everything. I want to be the player who finds that thing. The one who sees the opening before it happens. The one who makes a difference not by being strong. By being smart.

I know this is not the way. It is easy to measure how fast or strong someone is. It is easy to say someone is a player because they can run fast.. Being smart is different. It is not always obvious. When it is it can change the whole game. That is what I am working towards. I do not just want to be another player I want to be a kind of player. I want to show that there is still value in thinking. That football is not about who can run the fastest or push the hardest. It is also about who can see the game

I want to be that difference. Not by saying that being physical is not important. By showing that it is not the only way. At the end of the day I am not trying to fit in with what the game expects. I am trying to make the game my way. If I can do that in small ways then I know I am on the right path. I am Alejandro Hunt and I want to make a difference, in the game of football.]]>
People often say that the game of football today is about being physical. They talk about being intense and winning. I get that. I respect that.. I do not think that is all there is to the game. There is still room for players who think differently players who can slow the game down and make something happen. That is the kind of player I want to be. I have never wanted to be the player on the field. I have never wanted to win by being stronger than someone else. For me the real challenge is to outthink the team.

It is about finding space where no one else is looking making a pass that no one expects and controlling the game without forcing it. I think that being smart in football is not about making good decisions but about knowing what is going on and having good timing. There will be times when the strong playersre in charge. There will be games where being fast and strong is what matters.. Even in those times there is always something small that can change everything. I want to be the player who finds that thing. The one who sees the opening before it happens. The one who makes a difference not by being strong. By being smart.

I know this is not the way. It is easy to measure how fast or strong someone is. It is easy to say someone is a player because they can run fast.. Being smart is different. It is not always obvious. When it is it can change the whole game. That is what I am working towards. I do not just want to be another player I want to be a kind of player. I want to show that there is still value in thinking. That football is not about who can run the fastest or push the hardest. It is also about who can see the game

I want to be that difference. Not by saying that being physical is not important. By showing that it is not the only way. At the end of the day I am not trying to fit in with what the game expects. I am trying to make the game my way. If I can do that in small ways then I know I am on the right path. I am Alejandro Hunt and I want to make a difference, in the game of football.]]> <![CDATA[Academy Clubs Get New Mascots]]> https://forum.simulationsoccer.com/showthread.php?tid=9420 Wed, 22 Apr 2026 23:56:44 +0100 xyan]]> https://forum.simulationsoccer.com/showthread.php?tid=9420
Unlike his mealtime, the gym is a noisy environment, so he doesn't use the time for mental training. Instead, he puts on SSL podcasts to catch info on the games and players. Over the next couple of hours, he goes through a regimen of treadmill cycles for at least 20miles: random sections of slow pace muscle relaxing movements, immediately reaction sprints, and varying speeds inbetween. To freshen his mind, he visualizes things that aren't exercises or gameplay. Today, he takes each Academy club in his mind and uses symbolism to choose a new mascot for them, following a special familiar theme.

Atletico Medellin
Columbia is known for coffee, emeralds, and roses. Their national animal is a condor. Between the club and nation colors, the most symbolic here would be white, yellow, and red.
Honorable mention: Mandibuzz.
New Mascot: Roserade. The colors and roses are represented here.

Sydney City
Their home is Australia, and widely known animals of that land are kangaroos and emus. The main colors of the club and nation are purple, white, gold, and green.
Honorable mention: Dodrio.
New Mascot: Kangaskhan. What would the roos do if they weren't led by a roo? well, a roo / kaiju

[Image: Spr_7p_115M_s.png]

Stockholm IK
Sweden takes great pride in having the moose, wooden horses, and blackbirds being amongst their symbols. Colors are blue and yellow.
Honorable mention: Ting Lu.
New Mascot: Rookidee. Small common bird that is black, blue, and yellow.

Victoria Falls Eagles
Hails from Zimbabwe, a nation who's signature animal is the bateleur (a black eagle) and symbols contain antelopes. Colors are red, green, and black.
New Mascot: Braviary. Red and black eagle pokemon, and the Eagles need an eagle.

Adowa Accra FC
Their homeland of Ghana is known for elephants, various eales, and the colors green, yellow, and red.
New Mascot: Copperajah. Big green elephant stomps.

P.S. Jakarta
Indonesia is a place with many plants and animals, but the biggest namesakes are the moon orchid, rafflesia arnoldii, komodo dragon, and arrowana. Colors are red, white, and gold.
Honorable mentions: Arrowkuda, Kommo-o.
New Mascot: Vileplume. The rafflesia arnoldii is a famously horrifying parasitic plant, and is red and white too. Vileplume is that as a pokemon.

Port Royal FC
Jamaica has a lot of culture, involving dance and spicy cuisine. Their signature animal is the red-billed streamertail, also known as the doctor bird. Colors are green, black, and yellow.
Honorable mention: Scovillain.
New Mascot: Ludicolo. The dance pokemon shares so many qualities with the country's culture and the colors listed.

Istanbul Futbol Kulubu
Turkey is the home of the club, along with tulips and gray wolves. The main colors are red, white, and blue turquoise.
New Mascot: Lycanroc (midnight). One of the many wolves in pokemon, but being red and white matches more than any others.

]]>
Unlike his mealtime, the gym is a noisy environment, so he doesn't use the time for mental training. Instead, he puts on SSL podcasts to catch info on the games and players. Over the next couple of hours, he goes through a regimen of treadmill cycles for at least 20miles: random sections of slow pace muscle relaxing movements, immediately reaction sprints, and varying speeds inbetween. To freshen his mind, he visualizes things that aren't exercises or gameplay. Today, he takes each Academy club in his mind and uses symbolism to choose a new mascot for them, following a special familiar theme.

Atletico Medellin
Columbia is known for coffee, emeralds, and roses. Their national animal is a condor. Between the club and nation colors, the most symbolic here would be white, yellow, and red.
Honorable mention: Mandibuzz.
New Mascot: Roserade. The colors and roses are represented here.

Adowa Accra FC
Their homeland of Ghana is known for elephants, various eales, and the colors green, yellow, and red.
New Mascot: Copperajah. Big green elephant stomps.

]]> <![CDATA[a new manager game]]> https://forum.simulationsoccer.com/showthread.php?tid=9419 Wed, 22 Apr 2026 21:34:02 +0100 ChiefVito]]> https://forum.simulationsoccer.com/showthread.php?tid=9419 <![CDATA[[Hiring] Award Committee Member]]> https://forum.simulationsoccer.com/showthread.php?tid=9418 Wed, 22 Apr 2026 19:11:33 +0100 FuriousChicken]]> https://forum.simulationsoccer.com/showthread.php?tid=9418 Award Committee Member

We are looking to add 1 member to the award committee, as a member of the award committee you are expected to participate in the award vote process which takes place at the end of each season, generally this process starts after the final matchday of the season (once the index has been updated), and ends 2-3 weeks later, having gone through 2 voting round (1 for making the shortlist that only the award committee will vote on, and 1 to go from that shortlist to the actual awards/team of the season where the award committee and managers vote on). Furthermore you are also expected to participate in discussions (and potential votes) about the award process when they occur.

(small note, generally we try to keep the award committee diverse in terms of franchises, because of this we have a limit of 2 members per franchise).

If you would like to apply or have any other questions, please message me either on the forum, or on Discord (furiouschicken). As part of your application process we would like to know the following things:

Code:
[align=center]Player Name:[/align]

[align=center]Franchise:[/align]

[align=center]Why do you think you would be a good fit for the award committee?:[/align]

[align=center]If applicable, any relevant experience:[/align]

Of course feel free to add any other things you would like to add you think are relevant to the application.

Job pay is $1.5M per season + PT Pass (6 capped TPE each week).

Deadline for this application is Sunday May 3rd

]]> Award Committee Member

(small note, generally we try to keep the award committee diverse in terms of franchises, because of this we have a limit of 2 members per franchise).

Code:
[align=center]Player Name:[/align]

[align=center]Franchise:[/align]

[align=center]Why do you think you would be a good fit for the award committee?:[/align]

[align=center]If applicable, any relevant experience:[/align]

Of course feel free to add any other things you would like to add you think are relevant to the application.

Job pay is $1.5M per season + PT Pass (6 capped TPE each week).

Deadline for this application is Sunday May 3rd

]]> <![CDATA[MD4 Report: Four-midable Stockholm]]> https://forum.simulationsoccer.com/showthread.php?tid=9417 Wed, 22 Apr 2026 13:08:38 +0100 Jack_Pow]]> https://forum.simulationsoccer.com/showthread.php?tid=9417 MD4 – Stockholm IK v Atletico Medellin:

Stockholm IK came into this one with quiet momentum. Three wins from three, including clean-sheets in their last two, had set the tone, and there was a growing sense that Manager Rich Wynne, might actually know what he’s doing.

Much of the pre-match attention, though, fell on Stockholm’s new signing Arsene Cardinet, whose three assists on his debut the previous week, had marked him out as a player to watch, but more importantly, a player who the opposition fans would probably prefer not to.

Atletico Medellin arrived at the Nelson Mandela Stadium with a mixed string of results - one defeat, one draw, one win. However, their emphatic 3-0 victory last time out against early contenders Port Royal, suggested they were beginning to find some rhythm.

The opening exchanges carried an edge of caution. Medellin probed in spells, looking to build on their recent confidence. The first real chance fell to the home team, though. A looping - if not slightly overhit - cross from Datbasted somehow found Pow on the far side, who played a quick one-two with Pedersen, before bursting into the box, only to be met by someone much bigger, stronger, but less handsome, in the form of Medellin defender, Nunez, who defended well before instigating a counter.

It proved to be a small warning sign to Stockholm of the danger Medellin can pose on the break. That said, Stockholm dished out some warning’s of their own. A perfectly-timed tackle by Talli, followed by a neat flick from Pedersen, sent Stockholm straight down the other end. The ball found Wynne in the centre circle, who drove forward before releasing Pow down the right, but his cross couldn’t quite pick out Van Huntelrooy - the League’s current top scorer with 6 goals to his name - but who on this occasion, was nothing more than a slightly frustrated spectator. Medellin didn’t get very far, though. The ball ended up back with Datbasted, who curled one towards the back post, and the awaiting Pow, but once again Nunez was there first, and Pow must’ve been expecting it was going to be a long afternoon.

But when Stockholm do attack, they don’t tend to ask politely. A clearance was swept up by Pedersen, who delivered a lovely cross to Wynne at the back post, but his first-time volley took a slight deflection and drifted narrowly wide – it certainly raised the volume, but the score-line remained the same.

Stockholm kept the pressure on. Another corner from Pedersen - who up to now had been knocking up assists like they were going out of fashion - was met by Krpan, but his header drifted harmlessly over this time.

There was a blow for the travelling Medellin fans shortly after, as Nunez - who, up to now, had been holding things together at the back almost single-handedly - was forced off on a stretcher in the 16th minute, bringing an abrupt end to what had been an impressive start to his game.

During the brief pause that followed, with players rehydrating and awaiting the restart, Stockholm wing-back-come-attacking midfielder Pow was spotted kneeling alone by the touchline, whispering something under his breath while examining what could only be described as a small, crudely-made figurine of what looked to be Cthulhu. I’m sure it was nothing.

But it was the away side who responded the strongest, after the stoppage. A sloppy ball from Talli was seized upon by Medellin striker, Maple, who surged into Stockholm’s box with intent. For a moment, it looked like the warning signs might finally turn into something more, but some last-ditch defending from Krpan - and Talli who had recovered well - ensured the danger was snuffed out before it could properly develop.

In the 22nd minute, Medellin won a promising free-kick just inside Stockholm’s half. But a wasteful ball found its way only as far as Wynne, and the danger was gone. For Stockholm at least. Wynne playing it out to Talli in the centre of the pitch, who returned the favour and sent Wynne on another one of his trademark pitch-length marathons down the left flank. Just as it seemed like he’d finally run out of pitch, he fizzed a low ball in to the box, where new boy Cardinet was lurking, to sweep a delicious first-time effort across goal and into the far corner. 1-0 the the hosts, courtesy of Medellin’s own set-piece.

The onslaught continued as Stockholm went close to getting an instant 2nd. Pow dismantled another Medellin move like he was taking apart a Lego set, leading to a slick sequence of passing between Azzola and the backline. Stockholm now starting to show glimpses of what we’d seen in their previous games. Cardinet picked it up in the centre circle, feeding Wynne, who released Datbasted down the wing. The defender’s low cross was blocked, only for the loose ball to land perfectly back in to the lap of Wynne - who channelling the forbidden energy of a 10th Dan Practitioner of the famous Drunken Monkey Style - unleashed a strike so unorthodox it defied the laws of physics, and nearly doubled their lead. The ‘keeper beaten, only for the woodwork to step in and heroically come to Medellin’s rescue. Stockholm kept throwing punches, but the score somehow remained the same.

In the 37th minute, Medellin decided to test if Stockholm ‘keeper Moew enBach was awake. Enter their left-back, confusingly named Goalkeeper, who actually is a goalkeeper, but had somehow found himself playing at left-back, and who’d suddenly transformed into prime Maldini. He powered his way into the box, sparking a chaotic game of pinball before the ball finally ricocheted into the grateful hands of EnBach. It turns out he actually suffers from clinical insomnia, so there’s your answer.

Ironically, it was Medellin who were caught napping just 2 minutes later. A slick short-corner routine went from Pedersen to Pow through to Talli, who floated a peach of a cross to the back-post. Lurking there was the ‘Dutch Destroyer’ Van Huntelrooy who made no mistake this time, and mercilessly buried his header into the top corner for his 7th goal of the season.

Striking while the iron was hot, Stockholm started to shift through the gears. Some nice passing caused a chorus of smug cheers from the home faithful, who were now really enjoying what they were seeing. Another ball by Pedersen on the right was met by Cardinet, but his header was just wide.

Medellin showed some fleeting signs of life right before the half-time whistle. Ramirez unleashing a rocket of a free-kick destined for the top corner, but the eternally awake EnBach managed to tip it away. Ramirez then went close again, whistling the loose ball just over the crossbar. Despite the late scare, the hosts cruised into the interval nursing a 2-0 lead.

Whatever Wynne put in their half-time Cheerios clearly did the job, as Stockholm came out swinging, straight from the kick-off, going close to adding a 3rd. Pedersen again being given acres of space down the flank, whipping in a cross for Van Huntelrooy, who at this point, was circling the visitor’s box like a shark on the scent of blood, but his effort sailed just over.

Moments later, it was a case of Deja Vu - an almost carbon copy of the previous move happened a few minutes later. Pedersen’s cross this time finding Wynne in the box whose towering header (brand new sentence unlocked) was comfortably claimed by Neuer.

Then came 15-20 minutes of pure nonsense. A period which lacked any form of rhythm or control. Neither team able to find a foothold, and more loose balls than Johnny Knoxville in Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa.

Stockholm still looked the likelier, though, when in the 76th minute Cardinet teed up Datbasted, whose effort from just outside the box was saved by Neuer. And it was the left-back again who was becoming a thorn in Medellin’s side, picking the ball up on the left and surging into the box, only to be denied by the post. At this point, the woodwork was putting in a serious claim for POTM (That’s Post of the Match, not to be confused with the POTM, which is Pissed-Off Team Manager, and is still very much up for grabs).

Stockholm thought they’d got their 3rd 83 minutes into the game. Pedersen, inevitably, curled one in from the left this time, and Cardinet, who was becoming a real handful for opposition teams, buried the header – only for the flag to spoil their fun, as it was chalked off for a tight, but correct, offside.

It finished 2-0 to Stockholm, though, who hold on to top spot with 4 wins from 4 and remain 2 points clear of Adowa Accra, who also picked up another win against Port Royal earlier in the evening. Next up for Stockholm: bottom club Istanbul, who are still hunting for their first win, and to improve on their current record of only 1 goal from their first 4 fixtures.

That’s it for MD4, thanks for tuning in. I’ll be back next time to see if Stockholm can keep their 100% record intact, or if someone can finally figure out how to stop them.]]> MD4 – Stockholm IK v Atletico Medellin:

Stockholm IK came into this one with quiet momentum. Three wins from three, including clean-sheets in their last two, had set the tone, and there was a growing sense that Manager Rich Wynne, might actually know what he’s doing.

Much of the pre-match attention, though, fell on Stockholm’s new signing Arsene Cardinet, whose three assists on his debut the previous week, had marked him out as a player to watch, but more importantly, a player who the opposition fans would probably prefer not to.

Atletico Medellin arrived at the Nelson Mandela Stadium with a mixed string of results - one defeat, one draw, one win. However, their emphatic 3-0 victory last time out against early contenders Port Royal, suggested they were beginning to find some rhythm.

The opening exchanges carried an edge of caution. Medellin probed in spells, looking to build on their recent confidence. The first real chance fell to the home team, though. A looping - if not slightly overhit - cross from Datbasted somehow found Pow on the far side, who played a quick one-two with Pedersen, before bursting into the box, only to be met by someone much bigger, stronger, but less handsome, in the form of Medellin defender, Nunez, who defended well before instigating a counter.

It proved to be a small warning sign to Stockholm of the danger Medellin can pose on the break. That said, Stockholm dished out some warning’s of their own. A perfectly-timed tackle by Talli, followed by a neat flick from Pedersen, sent Stockholm straight down the other end. The ball found Wynne in the centre circle, who drove forward before releasing Pow down the right, but his cross couldn’t quite pick out Van Huntelrooy - the League’s current top scorer with 6 goals to his name - but who on this occasion, was nothing more than a slightly frustrated spectator. Medellin didn’t get very far, though. The ball ended up back with Datbasted, who curled one towards the back post, and the awaiting Pow, but once again Nunez was there first, and Pow must’ve been expecting it was going to be a long afternoon.

But when Stockholm do attack, they don’t tend to ask politely. A clearance was swept up by Pedersen, who delivered a lovely cross to Wynne at the back post, but his first-time volley took a slight deflection and drifted narrowly wide – it certainly raised the volume, but the score-line remained the same.

Stockholm kept the pressure on. Another corner from Pedersen - who up to now had been knocking up assists like they were going out of fashion - was met by Krpan, but his header drifted harmlessly over this time.

There was a blow for the travelling Medellin fans shortly after, as Nunez - who, up to now, had been holding things together at the back almost single-handedly - was forced off on a stretcher in the 16th minute, bringing an abrupt end to what had been an impressive start to his game.

During the brief pause that followed, with players rehydrating and awaiting the restart, Stockholm wing-back-come-attacking midfielder Pow was spotted kneeling alone by the touchline, whispering something under his breath while examining what could only be described as a small, crudely-made figurine of what looked to be Cthulhu. I’m sure it was nothing.

But it was the away side who responded the strongest, after the stoppage. A sloppy ball from Talli was seized upon by Medellin striker, Maple, who surged into Stockholm’s box with intent. For a moment, it looked like the warning signs might finally turn into something more, but some last-ditch defending from Krpan - and Talli who had recovered well - ensured the danger was snuffed out before it could properly develop.

In the 22nd minute, Medellin won a promising free-kick just inside Stockholm’s half. But a wasteful ball found its way only as far as Wynne, and the danger was gone. For Stockholm at least. Wynne playing it out to Talli in the centre of the pitch, who returned the favour and sent Wynne on another one of his trademark pitch-length marathons down the left flank. Just as it seemed like he’d finally run out of pitch, he fizzed a low ball in to the box, where new boy Cardinet was lurking, to sweep a delicious first-time effort across goal and into the far corner. 1-0 the the hosts, courtesy of Medellin’s own set-piece.

The onslaught continued as Stockholm went close to getting an instant 2nd. Pow dismantled another Medellin move like he was taking apart a Lego set, leading to a slick sequence of passing between Azzola and the backline. Stockholm now starting to show glimpses of what we’d seen in their previous games. Cardinet picked it up in the centre circle, feeding Wynne, who released Datbasted down the wing. The defender’s low cross was blocked, only for the loose ball to land perfectly back in to the lap of Wynne - who channelling the forbidden energy of a 10th Dan Practitioner of the famous Drunken Monkey Style - unleashed a strike so unorthodox it defied the laws of physics, and nearly doubled their lead. The ‘keeper beaten, only for the woodwork to step in and heroically come to Medellin’s rescue. Stockholm kept throwing punches, but the score somehow remained the same.

In the 37th minute, Medellin decided to test if Stockholm ‘keeper Moew enBach was awake. Enter their left-back, confusingly named Goalkeeper, who actually is a goalkeeper, but had somehow found himself playing at left-back, and who’d suddenly transformed into prime Maldini. He powered his way into the box, sparking a chaotic game of pinball before the ball finally ricocheted into the grateful hands of EnBach. It turns out he actually suffers from clinical insomnia, so there’s your answer.

Ironically, it was Medellin who were caught napping just 2 minutes later. A slick short-corner routine went from Pedersen to Pow through to Talli, who floated a peach of a cross to the back-post. Lurking there was the ‘Dutch Destroyer’ Van Huntelrooy who made no mistake this time, and mercilessly buried his header into the top corner for his 7th goal of the season.

Striking while the iron was hot, Stockholm started to shift through the gears. Some nice passing caused a chorus of smug cheers from the home faithful, who were now really enjoying what they were seeing. Another ball by Pedersen on the right was met by Cardinet, but his header was just wide.

Medellin showed some fleeting signs of life right before the half-time whistle. Ramirez unleashing a rocket of a free-kick destined for the top corner, but the eternally awake EnBach managed to tip it away. Ramirez then went close again, whistling the loose ball just over the crossbar. Despite the late scare, the hosts cruised into the interval nursing a 2-0 lead.

Whatever Wynne put in their half-time Cheerios clearly did the job, as Stockholm came out swinging, straight from the kick-off, going close to adding a 3rd. Pedersen again being given acres of space down the flank, whipping in a cross for Van Huntelrooy, who at this point, was circling the visitor’s box like a shark on the scent of blood, but his effort sailed just over.

Moments later, it was a case of Deja Vu - an almost carbon copy of the previous move happened a few minutes later. Pedersen’s cross this time finding Wynne in the box whose towering header (brand new sentence unlocked) was comfortably claimed by Neuer.

Then came 15-20 minutes of pure nonsense. A period which lacked any form of rhythm or control. Neither team able to find a foothold, and more loose balls than Johnny Knoxville in Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa.

Stockholm still looked the likelier, though, when in the 76th minute Cardinet teed up Datbasted, whose effort from just outside the box was saved by Neuer. And it was the left-back again who was becoming a thorn in Medellin’s side, picking the ball up on the left and surging into the box, only to be denied by the post. At this point, the woodwork was putting in a serious claim for POTM (That’s Post of the Match, not to be confused with the POTM, which is Pissed-Off Team Manager, and is still very much up for grabs).

Stockholm thought they’d got their 3rd 83 minutes into the game. Pedersen, inevitably, curled one in from the left this time, and Cardinet, who was becoming a real handful for opposition teams, buried the header – only for the flag to spoil their fun, as it was chalked off for a tight, but correct, offside.

It finished 2-0 to Stockholm, though, who hold on to top spot with 4 wins from 4 and remain 2 points clear of Adowa Accra, who also picked up another win against Port Royal earlier in the evening. Next up for Stockholm: bottom club Istanbul, who are still hunting for their first win, and to improve on their current record of only 1 goal from their first 4 fixtures.

That’s it for MD4, thanks for tuning in. I’ll be back next time to see if Stockholm can keep their 100% record intact, or if someone can finally figure out how to stop them.]]> <![CDATA[Joe's Journey, part 3: "You see, the thing about dreams is..."]]> https://forum.simulationsoccer.com/showthread.php?tid=9416 Wed, 22 Apr 2026 11:25:17 +0100 Haramcha]]> https://forum.simulationsoccer.com/showthread.php?tid=9416
Joe had been stuck in one such dreamlike state for quite a while. It was as though he’d dropped out of the airplane and into a thick, murky cloud, except he knew it not to be the case. After all, everything had unfolded more or less as he had been informed that it would. After arriving in his new hometown, he had been installed in a living space arranged by the Victoria Falls Eagles, the football academy whose logo and name had been on the very first official document onto which he had signed his name in the Latin alphabet. He had met his new teammates, an interesting bunch of youngsters from around the world, and he had been introduced to the staff in whose care he would be over the coming year. All that was left was to actually get out there on the field and perform. Yet, here he was, somewhat worried from behind the fog, about to step out on the training pitch for the first time. How good would his teammates, who might in the long term double as rivals, be? Despite that cognitive nervousness, his body still felt a little sluggish, although it might not even have been the body itself. Rather, it might have been the connection between body and mind itself.

Out there on the field, it took about as long as it did for the ball to reach Joe’s feet before he felt alright. His teammates were probably the best players he’d ever faced, every single one of them at a different level to what he’d been used to playing school football. Even so, it was nothing he couldn’t handle. So long as he would give it his best, Joe knew it’d be enough. Not to be the best in the world or anything like that, but that wasn’t what mattered. Ultimately, it was about winning himself a professional contract, about earning a salary large enough to be able to pay back his father and to help his sister get a proper education while staying afloat himself. And that much he was sure he could do, so long as he put in the effort.

Not many days had passed since Joe’s arrival at the VFE academy before he first stepped out onto the pitch in front of a crowd. Stockholm IK were in town for the first match of the season, and excitement was in the air as the players’ studs connected with the grass. It was like a dream to all the hopeful recruits. Joe felt lucky that the academy manager had decided to play him on the left wing of an asymmetric 3-4-3. If there was one thing his experiences playing small courts around Bangkok had taught him, it was that his technique was one of his strong suits. Positions had been less important to him for the school team, where he’d tried a little bit of everything, but he knew that playing off the flank meant the likelihood of there being space for him to blossom into was greater than anywhere else on the pitch.

Two minutes into the match, and the Swedish side combined down Joe’s side of the pitch, albeit in an area a length or two behind his supposed zone of activity, and sent in a hard, low cross for an attacker to put Stockholm IK ahead before the match had really even started. Joe had a few neat touches in the minutes that followed, including a decent delivery from a corner kick, but it was his teammate Blanco who got the Eagles back into the game just a handful of minutes after going behind. Joe still found himself immersed in that dreamlike state. However, you see, the thing about dreams is that sometimes they turn into nightmares. And that’s exactly what happened. Shortly before the half-hour mark, Joe missed a header from a Stockholm corner kick, and it resulted in the ball landing at the feet of a Swedish player who slotted it home. He was to blame. He knew it. Of course nobody would expect a small, tricky winger to win an aerial duel in the box, but that did not obscure the fact that he could have done more. Ten minutes later, and bad turned worse, as the Swedes converted another cross to go up 3-1.

Something had to change. He had to be better. Yet all Joe could muster were thoughts of putting in more energy. More exertion. And that was all he managed to do. When the final whistle was blown, the Eagles were left feeling sorry for themselves, having lost 2-4 in their opening match, and all that Joe had to show for the match was that at least he had won all of his six tackles. Not bad, but also not what he was there for. Sure, there had been a couple of decent passes too, but nothing that mattered.

Joe knew that he needed to wake up.]]>
Joe had been stuck in one such dreamlike state for quite a while. It was as though he’d dropped out of the airplane and into a thick, murky cloud, except he knew it not to be the case. After all, everything had unfolded more or less as he had been informed that it would. After arriving in his new hometown, he had been installed in a living space arranged by the Victoria Falls Eagles, the football academy whose logo and name had been on the very first official document onto which he had signed his name in the Latin alphabet. He had met his new teammates, an interesting bunch of youngsters from around the world, and he had been introduced to the staff in whose care he would be over the coming year. All that was left was to actually get out there on the field and perform. Yet, here he was, somewhat worried from behind the fog, about to step out on the training pitch for the first time. How good would his teammates, who might in the long term double as rivals, be? Despite that cognitive nervousness, his body still felt a little sluggish, although it might not even have been the body itself. Rather, it might have been the connection between body and mind itself.

Out there on the field, it took about as long as it did for the ball to reach Joe’s feet before he felt alright. His teammates were probably the best players he’d ever faced, every single one of them at a different level to what he’d been used to playing school football. Even so, it was nothing he couldn’t handle. So long as he would give it his best, Joe knew it’d be enough. Not to be the best in the world or anything like that, but that wasn’t what mattered. Ultimately, it was about winning himself a professional contract, about earning a salary large enough to be able to pay back his father and to help his sister get a proper education while staying afloat himself. And that much he was sure he could do, so long as he put in the effort.