The FM21 beta is underway and like the rest of the community I’ve started up a save testing out the new game. As described in my FM21 Preview, I’ve taken the helm at my real-life hometown club, the New England Revolution
Soccer in the Birthplace of America
Before I get into the game proper, I’d like to write briefly on the history of the New England Revolution. One of the founding members of the MLS, the Revolution take their name from representing the region where the American War of Indepedence (aka the Revolutionary War) began. The name also has thematic ties to the New England Patriots of the National Football League, who share an owner and stadium with the Revolution.
If you follow American Football, you know that the Patriots are the most successful team in the last 20 years, winning six Superbowls and playing in another three. The Revolution on the other hand have played 25 seasons with only a single trophy to show for it: the 2007 US Open Cup (the American equivalent of the FA Cup). The futility has only intensified in the last few years, with the Revs falling behind newer and flashier teams in MLS like Atlanta United and LAFC.
Can a new manager break this cycle?
Key (Designated) Players
After years of criticism from the fans for not spending money on the team, the ownership has in the past few years constructed a new training facility and begun investing actual money in player acquisition. In particular, for the first time the Revolution have all three of the allowed Designated Players (DPs) on the roster. DPs are players who the club are allowed to pay above the maximum salary without impacting the salary cap. I’ll have more on what this means in a later section, but in short DPs are by far the most important players on an MLS roster. For that reason, I’ll give more information on each player.
Carles Gil
Before Carles Gil arrived in New England, he might have considered himself cursed. Relegated with both Aston Villa and Deportivo de La Coruña, his once promising career looked in doubt. But like so many Europeans before him, coming to America allowed him to seize a new opportunity and thrive. Gil won the 2019 MLS Newcomer of the Year, and is now the Revolution club captain and the heart of the team. He’s easily the most mentally and technically gifted midfielder on the team, and I’ll be deploying him across all of the center and attacking midfield positions.
Gustavo Bou
After playing at the highest level in Mexico and his native Argentina, Gustavo Bou arrived in New England the summer after Carles Gil, and has become the Revolution’s deadliest scorer. He’s become renowned for his long range strikes and crafty finishing. While he’s starting to age past his peak (look at those dreaded red arrows in his Physicals), he’s still going to be relied upon as the team’s primary goal scorer. I’ll be deploying him as either an Advanced Forward or Shadow Striker.
Adam Buksa
Hailing from Poland, Adam Buksa is the Revolution’s newest and youngest Designated Player. A prototypical “third DP,” Buksa was brought in at a lower salary and lower transfer cost than the Bou or Gil. Instead, the Revs are hoping he can develop with the club (especially with the new “Superb” training facilities). Buksa is big body striker with strong, if not amazing, attributes. I’ll be deploying him for the most part as an Advanced Forward.
MLS Rules (?)
A common refrain among the FM community is to express interest in an MLS save, but bemoan the impenetrable mass of rules and regulations that weigh down the enjoyment of the save. To help readers gain a little understanding of what the MLS is all about, I’ll review what I think are the most important of the MLS rules.
Salary Cap
While all teams in FM have a payroll budget (or “wage budget” for any UK readers), it’s not an official requirement to stick to it. Of course your board might sack if you start spending wildly, but outside of that no one can stop you. The MLS on the other hand has a salary cap, which is a hard limit on how much you can spend on player wages per year. As of the start of the 2021 season, the salary cap is roughly $5.2 million per year. Sounds simple enough…
Now, if you look at the salaries of Gil, Bou, and Buksa above, you’ll see that they add up to $5 million all on their own. If the salary cap is $5.2 million, is the rest of the roster filled with amateurs? Not exactly, this is where the Designated Player rule comes in. A team can “designate” up to three players whose salary cap impact is limited to ~$500,000, no matter how high their actual salary is. This is how the league has attracted big European stars (e.g., David Beckham), and how smart teams are attracting talented young players from South America who would otherwise go to Europe (e.g, Miguel Almiron).
Why does the MLS have this rule? There are two main reasons. The first is that it prevents teams from overspending and ruining themselves, something we see all the time in world football. The second is that it keeps relative parity within the league, something in keeping with American sports culture. The MLS does not have perennial favorites the way the big leagues throughout the world do. One only needs to look at the recent downfall of the LA Galaxy to see that.
In practical game terms, this means that you need to get your DP selections right as they’re the only players you’ll be allowed to pay large sums of money for. There are other salary cap related rules, but if you’re starting an MLS save, the Designated Player rule is the most important one to understand.
Preseason Results
Now that we’ve delved into arcane mathematics, lets resurface and play some actual football! Below are the results from the 2021 preseason:
It started and ended poorly, but overall I’m happy. I’m generally not terribly worried about preseason results as long as they’re not horrendous. In bigger news I made the first transfer of the season:
Michael Mancienne is a decent English center back who the Revolution brought in from the Championship in 2018, but has since failed to live up to what is a very large contract ($500,000, the highest possible for a non-DP) player. At 33, I felt the time was right to move him on and I was thrilled to get a six figure offer from soon-to-be relegated West Brom. I point out this transfer because it’s an example of how the salary cap affects transfer strategy. It’s not that Mancienne couldn’t help the team, it’s that he’s not helping at the level his salary demands.
Beyond the Beta
As I finish this post the beta period is ending and FM21 is officially launching. I will however be continuing this save through at least one season and one more post. I have my main save planned out, but I’m waiting on a few database updates to be released and to become fully familiar with this year’s new features.
In the next post, I’ll describe my first year of FM21 management and give my first impressions on the new game. I hope you’ll join me then. For smaller bits and pieces from the save, follow my twitter account at @FMBowser.
