Time for an update. We are in Week 10, just about to start the season and I wanted to share how things are shaping up right now.
Signings:
Transfers-
F 25/61. (Strengths: 85 FKO, 86 pass, 84 shoot, 79 OI)- will be the starting CM for us.
F 27/61. (Strengths: 86 CKO, 79 pass, 93 Ball Strike, 83 shoot)- Will be starting RM
F 28/63. (Strengths: 93 shoot, 81 stamina)- Will be starting LF
Free Agents-
High Priority:
F 30/66 (Strengths: 85 dribbling, 86 passing, 89 Ball Strike, 79 Tackling, 79 FKO)- Will be starting RD (Def. splits: 75/75/79/61/46) with the intent to move him into the midfield next season.
F 32/63 (Strengths: 86 CKO, 81 FKO, 90 FKD, 86 pass, 81 Tackling)- Starting LD (D Splits: 75/90/81/61/42)
Low Priority:
F 26/54 (Strengths: 81 CKO, 87 Ball Strike, 81 shoot, 80 Heading)- Will provide midfield depth.
F 32/57 (Strengths: 73 CKD, 70 FKO, 75 Tackling)- Will provide defensive depth (D Splits: 73/56/75/68/60)
F 28/52 (Strengths: 79 FKD, 75 FKO, 82 pass, 74 Tackling, 73 ZM)- 5th man defensively (D Splits: 62/79/74/45/73)
F 32/55 (Strengths: 74 CKD, 73 FKO, 81 shooting)- Right now, he is starting at LM because he's solid (not great) across the board.
F 20/47 (Strengths: 62 Ball Strike, 62 Receiving, 57 FKO)- I was looking for youth... this guy was all I could find. He's played 33 and 36 games in the past two seasons respectively, and there's not much potential here. He's pretty much going to be dead weight.
So, the projected lineup:
GK:
27/66 (Signed in free agency)
21/53 (Holdover from last year. Didn't develop as well as I'd hoped, he'll be gone at the end of the season.)
D:
34/66 (My leading goalscorer from last year drops back into the defensive third due to his D splits of 87/75/87/64/88. Don't expect him to score 40 times again this season.)
33/64 (M) (57 out of my team's 137 goals from last year move into the defensive part of the field. D splits: 91/46/72/70/91.
30/66 (Signed in FA, see above FA recap for splits)
32/63 (Same)
Bench:
28/52
32/57
M (All above):
25/61
27/60
32/55
Bench:
26/54
20/47 (This could likely change. I'm working on bringing in a 27/51 oa F to bring someone a bit more well suited to step in and play right away. We'll see what happens.)
F:
28/63 (above)
33/63 (23 goals for us last season. He moves to CF.)
26/61 (This is the 25/58 player I brought in last year. He ended up with 23 goals on 68 shots.)
Bench:
28/56 (17 goals last season at midfield)
24/53 (was 49 oa at start of last season. Projects to at least be a decent role player.
So, we're still not even close to contention, but I don't think a top 3 finish this season is unrealistic (lofty, but not unrealistic with only 3 other human owners in the league, one of which is shutting it down this season. I'm guessing we get 4th, but 3rd or maybe even second [if we're really lucky] isn't impossible.)