The Master League adventures thread

[rockstrongo]

Half of my very tough 4 game stint (Lazio/Napoli/Juventus/Atalanta) is done!
Lazio away was a pretty comfortable ride, held a 1-0 lead up until the 80th min when I closed the game with a 2-0 win.


Then Napoli at home.
A game that I felt were a uphill struggle all the way.
Napoli scored 1-0 early a find half from a mistake by Romanogli not clearing a header and I was 1-0 down
Started chasing the game from the 65th min, all players up front and managed to make it 1-1 from Bakayoko.
Then on a counter attack when i chas d the winner Napoli scored 2-1 on me, even though creating a few chances I couldn't get an equaliser.
First loss of the season.

Next game is Juventus away, a team i sit 6 points ahead of, so this could be a massive step if i win, a nail biter if I lose.

 

[isureaper31]

Houston Dynamo ML Season Preview (2024: Year 1)

The Houston Dynamo will go into the season with new manager Vince Ainsworth taking over the club from outgoing manager Ben Olsen that led Houston to a 9th place finish overall in the league table and was one win away from making it to the finals of MLS Cup. The club looks to be at a crossroads for this season all but 2 players are on the last year of their contract and with a new manager on the books things could be a bit messy in the Bayou City.

Projected 23-man roster for Houston



*Note that team chemistry will be set to lowest number at the start of the season.

Houston will be looking to their high profile CF signing, Ezequiel Ponce to produce along with a talented midfielders of Coco Carrasquilla and Amine Bassi for a Houston attack that can produce. Steve Clark looks poised to be named Houston's captain as the experience keeper continues to his role in front of net. One of Ainsworth's first areas to address in this squad is the talent and depth of the back 4, that will need hold firm in order for Houston to make a title challenge some of the most talented clubs in the MLS. According to reports, Hector Herrera is very likely to be remaining on the bench for Ainsworth to start this Spring and the rumor mill is already hinting that Herrera maybe looking to go elsewhere if things don't pan out in H-Town.

Season Objective for Year 1: Finish 13th in MLS

Master League Regulations for MLS
MLS will be a 20 club contest over 2-stages (Spring and Fall) with a round robin format of 19 matches each stage.

The MLS Spring Championship will start on 17 January and end on 24 June 2024
The MLS Fall Championship will start on 29 July 2024 and end on 5 December 2024

MLS Supporters' Shield champion will be based on the overall standings with most points, goal difference and goals scored over the Spring and Fall Championships.

Yellow/Red Cards: Any players who receives 4 yellow cards or 1 red card will get a 1 match suspension.

Relegation: The bottom 3 clubs in the final overall MLS standings will be relegated from the MLS and replaced by 3 highest ranked MLS clubs not in the in league based on the latest real life CONCACF club rankings. *Note: will be using a tool to manually relegate the clubs within my ML file.

Eligibility to CONMEBOL Liberatores:
MLS Supporters' Shield Winner: Earns birth in the Group stage
MLS Cup Winner & MLS Supporters' Shield Runner-up: Earns birth in Qualifying Round

2024 MLS Club Rankings prior to start of Spring Championship



The pundits have Houston projected to be the 6th best club in MLS this season according to PES Club Rankings. Miami and LAFC are the overall favorites to win the MLS Supporters' Shield. Last years Supporter's Shield champions Cincinnati are projected to finish mid-table this year. The 3 clubs that are favorites to be relegated at the end of 2024 are: Colorado, Montreal, and New York City.

2024 MLS Cup Bracket



The MLS Cup bracket has the Houston taking on New England in the 2nd round on 16 May 2024. Last years MLS Cup winners were Columbus Crew who defeated LAFC in the final. The MLS Cup Finals will take place on 7 November 2024.

I'm working on finalizing a date to stream this ML on my twitch channel very soon, so stay tuned.