Part 133: Chapter the First: Who needs free time anyways?

Chapter the First: Who needs free time, anyways?
July 2, 2022-August 5,2022

Well, this throws my preseason into high gear. There isn't an international break until September, but I want to get on the ball for the United States to make sure that we're set to hit the ground running. This is my first international job in any version of FM, so I'll be learning on the fly.



So, no expectations?



Excellent. That makes my first action very obvious.




I'm running this whole joint like a dictator. No leaving who gets U20 and Olympic call-ups to chance.



Why did you fly me to Qatar to introduce me? I was already in the US.




We've already got friendlies against the Belgians and Irish arranged, but I add several more, including matches against Scotland and Australia next spring and summer.




I also fill the U20's fixture list, by the time we play Mexico next June we should be on our way to a successful youth movement.



The star ratings given here are based upon the US staff evaluation, and not compared to Wrexham players. I've ordered my Wrexham scouting department to pour over every American or person with American eligibility in an effort to get us better/more accurate information. Knowing that Brent Woods is a 4 star player doesn't tell me much, nor does knowing Emiliano Cardenas is only a 1.5 star player.



The best American player is Brent Woods. He's good enough to play for Wrexham, and he's the current star of the US National Team. He plys his trade at Valencia and has been a star in Serie A and La Liga. He's also our obvious choice for team captain.



The worst American on the national team is Emiliano Cardenas, and he wouldn't have gotten into our lineup in the last four years. Unfortunately we have many more Cardenas quality players than Woods quality players, I'm starting to see why the US has been terrible.




The other reason America has remained also rans is because AU-Klinsmann was straight awful at convincing dual nationality players to join the USMNT. Carlos Nash is 20 years old and would immediately be the best or second best player on the team, while Dante Flores is a very promising 19 year old talent. Neither will even return my phone calls when I contact them about getting capped. I very much want to lock them down for the United States before Germany/Mexico can do so, as such they're still going to be getting invitations to join the team every month or two and regular phone calls from me.



The hunt for an astute Ass Man begins, though I'm unsure of how to figure out which potential coaching additions would be interested in taking a job with our national team. That's all for now, there's hundreds upon hundreds of scouting reports left to file on prospective American players, and come September I expect to have a good handle on what exactly I'm working with.



Wrexham Pre-Season Camp
July 4, 2022

(A SHORT, EXTREMELY WELL MUSCLED MAN enters the locker room and begins changing into his practice uniform as the COACH is exiting his office)

: Holy hell, who are you? A cross between Pocket Hercules and Maurice Jones-Drew?

: Hey coach! Didn't recognize me after my offseason conditioning program, huh?

: Bailey!? What happened to you?

: I felt like I was letting the team down by not doing everything I could to be as good a player as possible. So I signed up under an alias for a few scientific studies. They worked like a charm! Plus, the docs said the green skin should wear off in a month or two.

: Bailey, are you involved in anything illegal?

: Of course not, Coach! How could you ask me that!?

(BAILEY slams his locker closed, knocking over the whole row of lockers)

: Umm. They mentioned my temper might be a teensy bit worse as a potential side effect.



Our sales are almost complete.



Our purchases, too. I swear.



El Tri are close to immortality, they've been brilliant over the last two years.



That makes two seasonal team talks I haven't botched in a row. I try to keep the pressure off the players, they don't need to think I expect them to win the title.

At New York Cosmos, July 5, 2022
Pre-Season Camp


The Cosmos were the flagship squad of the old NASL, the first major pro-soccer league in America. They were a late career port of call for the likes of Pele and Franz Beckenbauer, and easily the strongest team in the old league. But the NASL collapsed after the 1984 season, and the old Cosmos shut down a year later. The new version remains a regionally viable force, by far and away the highest reputation NASL team and on the same level as the worse MLS teams.

Starting Formation: 4-2-3-1 Control
Starting 11: El Sayed (c), Cirjak, Laux, O'Hanlon, Suslov, Dixon, Bailey, Parr, Julio, Argenti, De Blasio.
Subs: Kovacevic, Reed, Hammatt, Todd, Morvan, Mair, Shirra, Mujkic, Collett, Rouissi, Bastable.

We win, but it's not pretty. Oleg Suslov goes down in the second minutes with a serious injury, and we get just seven shots off. Youth product Cosimo De Blasio is our best player and scores early in each half, while The Incredible Bailey is a force in the midfield for us. It's an acceptable but unimpressive start to our American sojourn.

Man of the Match: Cosimo De Blasio.




Cosmos 0-2 Wrexham



That's not the good type of pain. He'll be back around the time our season begins but with Mejasic gone we're in the market for a new second string left back, preferably one that could one day supplant Suslov. I think I might know just the kid.



There's going to be a first time champ one way or another. Watch out for the ghost of Nigel De Jong, El Tri.

At Carolina RailHawks, July 8, 2022
Pre-Season Camp


Raleigh-Durham, here we come. Time to get some of that delicious better Carolina BBQ. Youngster Steve Reed will be filling in for Suslov until either we sign a natural left back or Suslov returns from injury.

Starting Formation: 4-2-3-1 Control
Starting 11: El Sayed (c), Cirjak, Laux, Todd, Reed, Mair, Shirra, Parr, Julio, Argenti, Aarts.
Subs: Kovacevic, Rawlison, Hammatt, O'Hanlon, Parry, Bailey, Morvan, Bastable, Collett, Rouissi, Mujkic, De Blasio.

It's a dire game, and one look at our players conditions will tell you why. We're simply not in match shape, and our players lack the stamina to play anything more than half an hour before looking gassed. We're able to salvage a draw after giving up a shock early goal, but for all our possession don't get more than the one goal. I should have reconsidered the number of fixtures I set up for this trip.

Man of the Match: Patrice Morvan




RailHawks 1-1 Wrexham



Bronze isn't bad, but it isn't a World Cup. It's a shame that El Compadrito wilted under pressure, but better than he make those mistakes playing with Argentina than while on the field wearing our kit.



Whoops. That transfer won't go through for two more years. This is why you always check when your transfer is going to take place, in this case I missed that this excellent young American was only 16 and not eligible to join us until he turned 18. I'll have to settle for getting him into as many U20 matches as I can until he's able to come here and learn more directly from me.



Go soak your head. I'm not selling our star keeper.




Great, their supporters will be insufferable until I win a World Cup for the United States.



Poland was the only other team to make a surprisingly deep run in the World Cup, thanks in large part to stalwart centerback Woj Feruga.

At Fort Lauderdale Strikers, July 11, 2022
Pre-Season Camp


Go out and win this game boys, and then we can head to the beach.

Starting Formation: 4-2-3-1 Control
Starting 11: Kovacevic, Cirjak, Todd (c), Rawlinson, Enrique, Maloney, Morvan, Bloor, Argenti, Ayari, De Blasio.
Subs: Kocsis, El Sayed, Reed, Hammatt, O'Hanlon, Mair, Shirra, Collett, Mujkic, Rouissi, Parry, Bastable.

The good news is that they never looked like scoring against us. The bad news is that we stumble through another desultory game, and don't even look better once the youth players are subbed out for first teamers. This has not been an impressive introduction to American audiences, it's a good thing only 5-6 thousand people have been showing up at each match.

Man of the Match: Enrique




Strikers 0-0 Wrexham



We played miserably in America, and a big reason is that we were too tired and didn't have enough time to recover our stamina.



There's no place on the first team for you, Cosimo, you're going to have to go on loan somewhere. Also, it's impolite to spurn our feeder team.



We were lucky this transfer stayed out of the papers. Manchester United had him high on their wish list for the year, and would have made a strong play for him had they found out we were attempting to sign him.

James Loseille
Left Back


Losille is the only person in our entire organization with five star potential. That means he might not only one day outshine the likes of Mujkic and Shirra, but that he might do so by an appreciable margin. There are literally no players in the entire world who rate five stars in current ability when compared to our team, and only nine other players who have five star potential. That makes the 17 year old Loseille a perfect addition to our team. He's already good enough to contribute at the senior team level, but once Suslov is back from injury he'll spend most of the year in the U18s building his stamina and working on the mental aspect of his game.



Do yer duty, Mateo.



I should have spent more time focusing on Team Cohesion and less time playing friendlies. That's a lesson learned for next time.



Motivation concerns? Just throw money at the problem.



The bookies are finally getting wise to us, and give us a realistic shot of winning the league.



It seems like Rainey left a lot longer than four years ago.



The only taker for Harley that will get him off our books is Scottish side Dundee United. They have a future fee of £150k, which means that if they like what they see they'll be able to purchase Harley at that price when his loan ends.



Triggering Jeffries option is the obvious move. There's no way I'm letting someone who could reasonably expect to start for a mid-tier club in a top level league at some point in the future go for nothing.



We're paying over 1,000,000 quid a year in wages to a promising but currently unpolished striker. That's megabastard style squad management.



Mair has Finishing 7 and Passing 17. This is a good preferred move for him to learn.

At Adelaide United, July 18, 2022
Australian Tour


Lets hope that our Australian tour goes better than the American one. We begin in Adelaide, the fifth largest city on the continent. I once dated a girl who grew up there, she introduced me to meat pies.

Starting Formation: 4-2-3-1 Control.
Starting 11: El Sayed (c), Cirjak, Laux, O'Hanlon, Loseille, Dixon, Bailey, Parr, Julio, Cardozo, Aarts.
Subs: Kovacevic, Reed, Feruga, Todd, Morvan, Mair, Petts, Collett, Shirra, Mujkic, Argenti, Bastable.

What a difference some rest makes. We pound Adelaide all day long, going up on an own goal four minutes into the match. Rocky Bastable and Mateo Mujkic make the home fans swoon with a goal and an assist respectively, while new signing Shahed Parr wins man of the match with a well struck goal of his own.

Man of the Match: Shahed Parr




Adelaide 0-4 Wrexham



Enjoy League One, De Blasio. I have some concern that he'll be too good for that level, and get lazy. But there were no other takers for him, and he's certainly not going to get any playing time for our senior team.

At Melbourne Heart, July 20, 2022
Australian Tour


Australia is huge. I was going to comment how Mujkic's family could come to this match, as they live in Canberra, but it turns out that they'd have to fly in if they wanted to not spend a whole day driving. It's a moot point, Meteor strained his back weight lifting at his old gym, and will miss most of the rest of the tour. There is much wailing and gnashing of teeth from the Australian spectators when this is announced.

Starting Formation: 4-2-3-1 Control.
Starting 11: Kovacevic, Cirjak, Laux, Todd, Morvan, Mair, Shirra, Argenti, Petts, Cardozo, Bastable (c).
Subs: El Sayed, Reed, Loseille, Feruga, Hammatt, O'Hanlon, Dixon, Julio, Bailey, Parr, De Blasio.

We control play completely, but going into the final twenty minutes we've only scored once on a Piero Argenti effort. Then Cirjak and Parr add late game tallies, and we walk away with a comfortable victory over outclassed competition. The only sour note is Bastable's poor game, he didn't play well for his fans.

Man of the Match: Tonci Cirjak




Melbourne 0-3 Wrexham



I'm going to have to talk about a new contract with the Board soon, I was in the final year of my current deal and the ingame one had me sign a new one.



They were unwilling to negotiate their offer, essentially giving me a £20k/wk pay cut. That will not stand. You want the best Manager in the world? You better be willing to pay for him.

At Central Coast Mariners, July 26, 2022
Australian Tour


The Central Coast Mariners are Bastable's old team, he was a product of their youth squad and grew up in Gosford. They were complete idiots, though, and released him on a free transfer. Qatari club Lekhwiya wasted no time picking up the Bastard and plugging him into their starting lineup.

Starting Formation: 4-2-3-1 Control.
Starting 11: El Sayed (c), Cirjak, Laux, O'Hanlon, Loseille, Dixon, Bailey, Parr, Julio, Cardozo, Bastable.
Subs: Kovacevic, Reed, Todd, Hammatt, Feruga, Mair, Morvan, Petts, Collett, Shirra, Taborda, Aarts.

Bastable doesn't make his friends and family wait during his homecoming, scoring before five minutes have passed. It sets the tone for the whole match, which can only be described as another dominating display of our quality. Shahed Parr wins another man of the match award, and it's looking like he's going to be a steal even at £17m.

Man of the Match: Shahed Parr




Central Coast 0-4 Wrexham

At Perth Glory, July 28, 2022
Australian Tour


Our last stop before returning to rainy Wales is on the other side of the continent, with a stop in Perth. Mujkic has recovered enough to play, he and Bastable will get every chance to show off one last time before their fellow Australians.

Starting Formation: 4-2-3-1 Control.
Starting 11: El Sayed, Reed, Hammatt, Todd, Loseille, Bailey, Mair, Parr, Julio, Mujkic (c), Bastable.
Subs: Kovacevic, Cirjak, Feruga, Laux, O'Hanlon, Morvan, Petts, Shirra, Taborda, Collett, Cardozo, Aarts.

All goes according to plan as we keep another clean sheet and Shahed Parr scores another goal. At the hour mark, though, teenage thug Callum Herdle makes a beeline for Shahed Parr and launches into a vicious tackle. The entire stadium gasps as the young winger is cut down, and the cameras catch a demonically grinning Pete Elliot, ostensibly at the game to “scout” Mujkic and Bastable, pumping his fists in unseemly glee.

Man of the Match: Steve Reed




Perth Glory 0-3 Wrexham



Noooooo! I expected Parr to miss a little time this season, but blowing out an ACL is one of the worst possible injuries a soccer player can suffer. He might never be as good as he was when we signed him, and Manchester United are lucky to have recouped as much of their initial expenditure on him. After over eight years I finally sign the right winger I want, and he's done for the season before a meaningful minute is even played. Life is so unfair.



I wonder how many of those were Parr jerseys.

vs. Chester, August 2, 2022
Cross Border Derby


This cross border derby is actually being played entirely within England, since we've been relocated to Wolverhampton. I wonder if Swansea or Cardiff will try to claim that we're not Welsh this season and thus not the best team in Wales.

Starting Formation: 4-2-3-1 Control
Starting 11: Kovacevic, Reed, Feruga (c), Hammatt, Loseille, Bailey, Petts, Argenti, Shirra, Taborda, Cardozo.
Subs: El Sayed, Cirjak, Laux, Todd, O'Hanlon, Dixon, Mair, Morvan, Julio, Collett, Mujkic, Bastable.

Another minnow, another four-nil pasting. Our real tuneup will come against Manchester City in the Community Shield, but after some fatigue induced problems in America we recovered to properly thump our small time foes.

Man of the Match: Steve Reed.




Wrexham 4-0 Chester



Our team strength still runs through our offense, and that is still focused through Rocky Bastable. Cardozo has proven to be an excellent second option, while Bram Aarts continues to grow and improve as a player. We are as deep as any top club that plays with a single striker up top, with three legitimate options before we get desperate.



Left wing is well accounted for, with the world class Mujkic and near-world class Taborda splitting the position between them. Meanwhile Matty Collett, El Juez, and Argenti give us five Premier League quality options at the position.



We're significantly less deep on the other side of the field due to the Parr injury. Collett will be an adequate replacement for Nieddu, though I doubt he'll be as good, and Argenti has the potential to grow into a Champions League quality winger himself. So long as Collett and Argenti stay healthy we'll be OK. If they don't, we're in for some rough sledding.



The loss of Nieddu also makes any injury to Shirra more serious. While we have over half a dozen decent backups to the Golden Boy we lack anyone who comes close to his skill at unlocking defenses while sitting behind the striker up top.



The revitalization of Bailey by boon fiat has given us an incredible amount of midfield depth. Between Petts, Morvan, Bailey, and Mair we run four deep in starting quality central midfielders. That we have prospects Ben Dixon and Julio as backups beyond that merely emphasizes how deep we are.



Our back line remains the weakest part of our team, but it has improved as time has gone on. Todd, Laux, and Feruga are a very competent even though none of them are exceptional, while O'Hanlon and especially Hammatt are building blocks for a stout future. I cannot wait for Hammatt and Laux sitting in the box waiting for any cross a foolish opponent attempts.



Reed and Cirjak both have the potential to be among the best right backs in the world. We're in good hands with either of them, though once again this is an area of comparative weakness on the squad.



The same goes for the other side, where Oleg Suslov is a force but the seventeen year old Loseille is decidedly our weakest second option compared to any position. So long as Suslov stays on the pitch we're in good shape, but if he misses significant time I'm going to have to consider retraining Mujkic as a left back to take some of the pressure off the new kid.



Our defense is backed up by one keeper that most Premier League clubs would love to have in El Sayed and a world class talent in Kovacevic. We can be assured that we won't give up many goals regardless of which one is between the sticks, and Kovacevic especially excels in winning one on one battles against a breakaway attacker. Further, he's become excellent at distributing the ball, improving our offense even more.



The Parr injury sucks. It takes a position of strength and makes us even worse than we were before the window started. We still have another month left to make transfers, and I may add another right winger to improve our depth, but I'm doing my best not to panic buy. But as the above depth charts show we're as deep as we've ever been and even our weaknesses compare well to anything other than the very best clubs.