From the UK to the USA and beyond - An Englishman's Journey

Crayth

**** ON THE CITY!
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Follow Victor Eze as he travels out of his comfort zone and looks to become the greatest football manager of all time....

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Atlanta United // January 2019 - December 2019 (Resigned)
19/19
US Open Cup Winners, MLS Eastern Conference Winners, MLS Cup Winners

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Crystal Palace // December 2019 - June 2022 (Joined Man Utd)
19/20 8th - Premier League, Carabao Cup Finalists, 4th Round FA Cup
20/21 10th - Premier League, Carabao Cup Quarter Finalists, 4th Round FA Cup
21/22 - 2nd - Premier League, Carabao Cup Winners, Semi Final - FA Cup

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Manchester United // June 2022 - Present
22/23
- Premier League, - Carabao Cup, - Round FA Cup, - Champs League

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Côte d'Ivoire // February 2020 - June 2022

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A huge challenge. Of that, I was certain. This was an opportunity that needed to be taken. My bag was packed and I'd said my goodbyes. I was ready to catch my flight to Atlanta and leave my past behind me. This was my future and I was so excited. I'd never been to America before and had even done my interview via Video Call with the owner of the club, Arthur Blank. I'd seen photos of the new stadium and read up as much as I could online to learn as much as I possibly could about the club and surrounding area.

After an extremely successful five years in youth and lower league English football, I'd decided to take the plunge and leave my role as a semi professional coach and teacher and left to take over one of the clubs with the biggest potential in the world. The thoughts of facing and potentially meeting David Beckham after he opened his new franchise made me smile. Gathering together the last of my things, it finally dawned on me....

I WAS THE NEW MANAGER OF ATLANTA UNITED FC....

Name:
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Atlanta United
Nation
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United States Division
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Major League Soccer
Stadium: Mercedes-Benz Stadium
Capacity: 42,500 (Expandable to 73,000+)
Opened: 26 August 2017
Founded: April 16th 2014
Owner: Arthur Blank
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Manager Profile: Victor Eze

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Full Name: Victor Hope Okoro Eze
Age (D.O.B): 28 (17th May 1991)
Nationality:
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English / Nigerian
License: Continental Pro License
Experience: Semi-Professional Coach
Past Playing Experience: Professional Footballer

I moved to this country with my parents before they passed away much before their time. I was just 18 when they passed away and they'll stay with me to this day. They helped me realies my dreams of becoming a professional footballer but unfortunately a catastrophic injury saw it snatched away from me. I then took up coaching in my local area and here we are...

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Start of Job Meeting

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And with that... a whirlwind day had passed me by and I had managed to take in all the informaiton I thought I'd needed. I arranged a press conference for the following day and sat back in my new home with bottle of cold budweiser and pondered the future.....
 

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I knew I needed to get together a team who were extremely strong. A team I could lean on for guidance and assistance and trust their decisions. Running this club was going to be a huge ask especially with such strict guidelines on squads etc and their experience and knowledge of the MLS was going to be invaluable. A strong scouting network is key to any club as I believe any club can only be as good as its backroom staff, coaching staff and playing staff allow it to be.

I will be bringing in Terry Moore who had been my assistant in previous roles and he was going to be key in day to day running operations.

Assistant Manager: Terry Moore
Nationality: Welsh
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Head of Youth Development: Richard Money
Nationality: English

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Director of Football: Roberto Sensini
Nationality: Argentinian
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I hired the rest of the backroom staff and managed to put together, what I thought to be, the best backroom staff in the MLS. All of this whilst scheduling lots of friendlies to ensure the squad were fully fit and in tune with the tactics I wanted to play.

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With two months in charge giving me an extraordinarily long pre-season for English standards, I knew I needed to get a catalogue of fixtures to get the squad match fit for the upcoming campaign. I decided on a short tour of Mexico to start the pre-season campaign, following by a multitude of games at home and away against domestic rivals. Before ending pre-season in a long two-week tour of Colombia. Ready for our opening MLS game against New England on 2nd March 2019.

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We hope these games will get us in tip top shape. The results aren't a big factor, we just want togetherness and the squad to get used to my way of playing.

I've already met with my staff regarding potential signings in the transfer window which opens on the 13/02/2019. We have a good idea of where we are already strong and where we may need to strengthen. We will carefully assess and ensure we bring in the correct players to aid our challenge for the MLS title.

NEXT STOP. MEXICO.

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Atlanta United are pleased to announce a kit sponsorship deal with Balmain Paris. The sponsorship is also groundbreaking in another way as Atlanta become the first team in history to use KENZO as their kits main manufacturer. These beautiful kits were unveiled to shareholders and fans alike as the Mercendes-Benz Stadium.

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The team will sport their next kits next season in the MLS but they will be debuted on their pre-season tours. Sales are expected to soar during pre-season and fall off over the season. Victor Eze said "I am pleased to announce this groundbreaking patnership which will bring revenue and a well needed new audience to the MLS. I hope these kits can be pictured for years to come as part of a successful era."

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Transfer Activity

Christian Kouan - 19 - Centre Midfielder

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The first purchase I made was for the talented midfielder Christian Kouan from Perugia. At just 19 years old, he will be perfect for what we want to build and still be relatively cheap. A snip at just £2.6 million.

Dael Fry - 21 - Centre Back

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Dael Fry was purchased for £15.5 million. Another huge signing for us and someone who can lead our defence for years to come. A real steal when you think of the years and years of good service he can provide. Again, just 21 years old which allows him time to develop into a real top quality player. Stolen from Middlesborough and set as my captain.

Marco Richter - 21 - MC, AMR, AMC + ST

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A very talented versatile atacking option. The german striker has scored 3 for the German U21's and signs from FC Augsberg eager to make a difference. After starting out at Bayern FC, the talented youngster comes with great pedigree and we hope he'll compliment our already strong attacking line.

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This is the squad selected for our charge towards the MLS title.

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OPENING GAME AWAY AGAINST NEW ENGLAND COMING SOON...
 

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A very good performance in pre-season with just two losses throughout 14 pre-season games. We are extremely in tune with my dynamic 4-4-2 formation and we are desperate to ensure they are fluid and fluent in the way we want to play.
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Opening day of the MLS and the blood was pulsing through my veins. I'd never been this enthrawled to be at a football match. 17,000 people enter the stadium ready to watch their side take on my new look Atlanta United side.

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A perfect dominating start away from home was exactly what we needed. 20 shots, with 10 on target. Dominating posession with 63% over 37%. Luckily our exciting young 19 year old winger was on hand to fire us to our first three points of the season. A truly wonderful moment for our fans and for myself.

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Despite being more creative in front of goal and having much more possession and peppering the goal with 13 corners, we were unable to break through. I will gutted to see us lose and am eager to move on and get back on the training field.

Marco Richter was injured in the previous game and so was unavailable.



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Real Salt Lake / Brek Shea (8)
Atlanta United / Josef Martinez (27)


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Another game in which we dominated but were unable to come away with the result our performance merited. We need to be much more clinical in front of goal. This result leaves us 1-1-1 as a record and we need to start hitting the back of the net more consistently and cut out silly errors. Brad Guzan making a poor effort to come for a ball he had no right to.



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ABSOLUTELY EMBARRASING. 2 clear cut chances NOT TAKEN AGAIN.



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New York - Daniel Royer (3)
Atlanta United - Brooks Lennon (9)
Atlanta United - Josef Martinez (17)
Atlanta United - Dael Fry (49)
New York - Josh Sims (53)

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Again, complete domination in terms of posession and chances created. This time we managed to put three away. Hoping this is a turning point for us now. Putting a lot of sessions in on chance creation and chance conversation and this is the just deserts for hard work for the lads. Need to cut out the silly mistakes at the back and we will be onto a winner. Much happier with the boys getting their first three points at home.



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Atlanta United - Josef Martinez (21)
Atlanta United - Gonzalo Martinez (28)
Atlanta United - Dael Fry (63)
Atlanta United - Marco Richter (76)
NYCFC - Ronald Matarrita (80)

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Fantastic performance to round off the month, we will end the month with 3 wins, 1 draw and a loss. This match was incredibly pleasing. Moving the ball around and finishing clinically creating 4 clear cut chances. Again, the hard work seems to be playing off. Marco Richter was delighted to finally net his first after being somewhat off the pace and Dael Fry added his second of the season with a fantastic performance again.

Gonzanlo Martinez scored a fantastic length of the field goal and claimed man of the match. SUPERB PERFORMANCE from the lads. Extremely pleased and now extremely looking forward to April.


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Sitting in the position we do bouncing off two huge wins leaves us in a good position after the first months worth of games. It's given me an education into the quality of the league and has shown me that I need to improve certain areas of my game. Philadelphia lead the way after humiliating us at home earlier on in the month so they will be happy but with some of the lowerly teams to play coming up, I'm hoping this will give us a huge chance to improve on our position and strengthen our hold on the play off places.

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Dael Fry is announced as manager of the month. Helping the teams cause with 2 goals and getting better and better as the weeks go by. Averaging a rating of 7.30 over the course of 6 games in the month of March. Dael Fry has started to pay back a large chunk of the money used in bringing him to the club.

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Atlanta United - Marco Richter (6)
Atlanta United - Josef Martinez (15)
Atlanta United - Barco (pen 17)
Atlanta United - Gonzalo Martinez (42)

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A thunderous victory against a lesser opponent. A brilliant three points sees us power up the table again and I couldn't help but let myself smile after seeing our dangerous attacking quartet devastate Columbus' backline. We need to build on this with another three points. Honourable mention to Josef Martinez who was superb throughout, with 2 chances created, 4 key passes, 1 assist and 1 goal. Very happy to pick up a clean sheet aswell.

Big challenge coming up against Orlando City who have a similar record to ours. We haven't met them yet so I look forward to seeing how we fare after three impressive wins on the spin.

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Atlanta United - Josef Martinez (2)
Orlando City - Dom Dwyer (19), (90+3)

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We were robbed. Plain and simple. We need to put our chances away better and was hoping we'd turned a corner. Hoping this is just a blip and nothing more than that. A late goal was a real kick in the teeth for the boys. With Chicago up next, a side really struggling with just 1 point in 9 games. This should be a great chance to bounce back and get the three points in front of our own fans.

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Atlanta United - Edgar Castillo (13)
Chicago - Robert Beric (81)
Atlanta United - Josef Martinez (90+2)

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Almost had the three points snatched off us by Beric. I felt my stomach drop when that happened, especially after all the possession and dominance in the first half. We were poor in the second half and never looked the same team. Josef was poor all game and then came out with a spectacular winning to give us the three points.

We need to be more clinical though, we were dominant and cruising in the first half and in the 2nd half, our performance tailed off again, which is something we seem to be making things much harder than they need to be. Consistency is key. This result however does leave us comfortable in 3rd place with Orlando having a game in hand on us (but 3 points behind)

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High flying league leaders Toronto FC away in our next game...
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Press Conference with Terry Moore

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Toronto FC - Ayo Akinola (5)
Atlanta United - Barco (11)
Atlanta United - Edgar Castillo (57)
Atlanta United - Barco (75)

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Great start peppering their goal with shots, Josef Martinez should have made it 1-0 but missed a 1-on-1 with the keeper and they punished us by going up the other end and striking first. We continued to create chances until Barco was teed up to head past their keeper.

Into the 2nd half and a wonderful free kick from Barco finds the head of full back Castillo who nods past the agonizing Toronto FC goalkeeper. 2-1. Another fantastic strike cutting in from the left from Barco finds the net to make it three. A superb performance away from home against the leag leaders with the best defence in the league and we are cutting them to ribbons.

The final whistle blows and its a tremendous result for us beating high flying Toronto FC in their own backyard. One I am very happy with..

The result sees us move into top spot for the first time this season...

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After a meeting with the board, they've agreed Amath N'Diaye would help me to achieve my goals this year. The MLS agreed to help us make him a designated player and will therefore help with the finance. Really looking forward to having him as part of my side - just hoping the powers that be can make this happen.

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Atlanta United - Brooks Lennon (6)
Atlanta United - Dael Fry (32)
Minnesota - Kevin Molino (38)


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This game washorrifically end to end. Not the way we want to play at all. We were carving their defence apart at will but failing to finish the chances to make the score line what it should have been.Bobby Shuttleworth had a fantastic game between the sticks to limit us to 2 when realistically it could have been 5 or 6 if Josef Martinez would've had his shooting boots on. Three points are three points and our first cross league game against the Western Conference ends with a good victory away from home.


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Having played 11 games I have to say I am extremely pleased with our current position in the table. Sitting above Orlando and Toronto with a three point gap (albeit one which canb be reduced with the game in hand. Its been a superb month (despite the loss to Orlando at the start of the month).

Our game plan finally seems to be coming together and the players are getting used to the way I want them to play. We just need to keep this up and we will be in a fantastic position come crunch time of the season.

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Ezequiel Barco takes Kenzo Player of the Month for April. A superb month in which he contributed goals and helped to win us some vital points along the way. Well deserved this month and hope he can continue to get better. At just 20 years old, the potential is staggering.

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FC Dallas - Reto Ziegler (77)
Atlanta United - Fernando Meza (90+2)


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Could have been 5-0 by half time but we were unable to break the deadlock despite the game being all one-way traffic. Barco missed a penalty and Martinez had a goal disallowed for offisde. The deadlock wasn't broken until the 77th minute and it couldn't have been more against the run of play.

Fantastic performance from the boys, we carved them apart at every opportunity but this time wasn't able to take the multiple clear cut chances we created for ourselves. When they got their 1st, I was worried it would be one of those but luckily Meza rescued it for us from a long throwin in the very last embers of the game. Happy to rescue a point from this game but we definitely deserved more. THAT IS FOOTBALL. YOU MUST TAKE YOUR CHANCES. This is the message I will reiterate to the players.

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A big congratulations will soon be due for Josef Martinez who is only 5 appearances from breaking the record for most appearances in an Atlanta United shirt. The striker has been in good form for us this year plundering 6 goals and adding 2 assists with an average rating of 7.39.

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Amath N'Diaye falls through due to squad restrictions but we are still eager to sign a ST.
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Jonathan Leko has arrived on loan as another option up front.
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Atlanta United - Gonzalo Martinez (7)
Atlanta United - Josef Martinez (18)
Vancouver - Russell Teibert (25)
Atlanta United - Josef Martinez (75)
Atlanta United - Ezequiel Barco (77)


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Superb performance away from home, again claiming more than 63 percent possession. Jonathan Leko was given his debut before being substituted for Richter in the second half. A good performance and big three points to go with it. Very glad to bounce back after the disappointing draw in the previous game.

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Major League Soccer - Supporters' Shield League Table

Still going strong here, on a good undefeated run. Just need to keep winning and keep the pressure on at the top of the table.

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Regular XI - Atlanta United

Just thought I'd give you guys a look at how I'm playing and how I'm regularly starting most of my games bar one or two changes. The side has quality, pace and youth throughout and all of the team work hard for one another. Escobar and Castillo bomb on to support Barco and Gonzalo Martinez on the wings and give Remedi and Hyndman space in the middle to spray the ball round.

Martinez and Richter cause havok in the opponents box with Martinez the much more prolific of the two.

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Atlanta United - Marco Richter (19)
LAFC - Diego Rossi (29)
Atlanta United - Barco (m/pen 36)
Atlanta United - Edgar Castillo (39)
Atlanta United - Josef Martinez (53)
Atlanta United - Josef Maritnez (65)


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Much more clinical in front of goal today. Powerful, dominant and looking like the much better side today. Carved their defence apart like usual and this time put them to the sword. Some clinical finishing from the front two and we are really hitting our stride now with another great performance.

Josef Martinez is starting to hit his top form and is now banging them in for fun. He and Marco seem to be building a better relationship day in, day out and that should stand us in good stead for the rest of the season.​
 

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Atlanta United - Josef Martinez (61)
Atlanta United - Barco (m/pen 71)
Atlanta United - Gonzalo Martinez (90+4)


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Colarado have the worst possession stats in the league and we have the best. It was obvious how this was going. At half time, we already had over 70 percent possesion.

We broke the deadlock in the second half after some good work from top goalscorer Josef Martinez. Barco, AGAIN, missed a penalty and will be removed from the duty. Luckily they offered no attacking threat to our back line and a fantastic free kick from Gonzalo Martinez was enough to grab us all three points.

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Atlanta United - Josef Martinez (29)
Atlanta United - Marco Richter (36)


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A fantastic three points away against a very strong Portland side. Portland currently occupy 5th in the Western Conference and have been performing well of late. As you can see by the stats, we were absolutely dominant again in every single area and I am happy to say.

Four wins on the bounce and an unbeaten month, can't complain with the lads. They have been fantastic.
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Supporters' Shield League Table:

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MLS Eastern Conference League Table

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Fantastic month, leaves us on top of the pile of the regional league and leaves us within touching distance of top stop in the Supporters Shield. I am extremely proud of the lads this month. We've managed to put together a fantastic 4 wins and draw over the month and if we can continue in this form, the league table surely must be within touching distance.
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Josef Martinez


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Nothing more to say. This man has been unstoppable this month. 7.84 Average Rating, 6 goals and 1 assist in 5 games. Superb from our star Venezuelan. What a fantastic three 13 points from 15 and Josef contributed hugely to that. Proud to give him the Player of the Month for May. Easily the best month I've had whilst being in change of the Five Stripes.

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Can't wait until next month!
 
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We draw Charlotte Independence in the US Cup 4th Round which should give us a fantastic chance of progressing. Looking forward to getting our teeth stuck into this tournament come June. This is something I'm incredibly interested in winning. The home advantage gives us an opportunity to give some of our other players a game.

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Atlanta United - Josef Martinez (31)
Atlanta United - Josef Martinez (32)
Atlanta United - Jonathan Leko (74)
Atlanta United - Jonathan Leko (77)


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Delighted for Jonathan Leko to come on as sub and net his first as an Atlanta striker. He took a short while to double his tally and fire us 4-0 into the lead. A superb performance from the boys again. Dominant in every aspect. Seattle came into this as favourites and in very strong form and we took their whole game away from them. A superb performance. We dominated possession despite being away and dictated the game to the tempo we wanted to play. Well deserved.

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Plans have been accepted by the Board to upgrade the clubs training facilities. This will bolster our image and reputation.

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Record breaking achievements seem to be the norm under my stewardship as we manage to break two in a row!

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Consecutive wins and unbeatable records have now been set. A fantastic achievement to put on my resume and couldn't have been done without the quality of the squad available to me.

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A bore draw. Despite the clear advantage in possession and clear cut chances created, we were unable to take them which again shows how much we rely on Josef to put the back in the back of the net. A frustrating afternoon for all those involved, unless your a Houston Dynamo fan. We hope this won't set us back as our clear domination should have ultimately rewarded us with the points.

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U.S. Open Cup 2020 | U.S. Soccer Official Website

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Atlanta United - Dael Fry (9)
Atlanta United - Marco Richter (71)
Atlanta United - Ezequiel Barco (75)
Atlanta United - Franco Escobar (81)

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Three goals saw us past Charlotte comfortabley. A fantastic header from Dael Fry pened the scoring in the first half and Richter and a stupendous free kick from Ezequiel Barco was enough to secure passage into the next round. A brilliant run from right back Franco Escobar and lashed shot found the far corner and gave us a deserved qualification for the next round. Charlotte never really threatened our goal and Brad Guzan hasn't been beaten in quite a few games now.

We also used this game as one to allow centre half Robinson and winger Castro to get up to match fitness and up to speed.

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We have been drawn as the home side in the 5th round of the US Cup. Orlando is one of the teams we've struggled against this season and therefore we will be looking to make a statement with a strong victory to advance into the Quarter Finals of the cup. This is a competition I want to win and feel we should win with the squad of players we have.

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Quarter Finals will put us against either Houston or Tulsa if we are able to quality

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NEXT ROUND OF THE US CUP WILL BE ON THE NEXT UPDATE!
 

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Another team record is broken as we manage to set a new defensive record. Five games without conceding. We have finally cut out the silly mistakes leading to goals and its starting to show with our complete domination of every team. We just need to keep this up now.

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Josef Martinez will miss the 5th round clash with Orlando City as he is away with the Venezuelan national team... a big loss.

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Atlanta United - Jonathan Leko (25)
Atlanta United - Gonzalo Martinez (pen 55)
Orlando City - Robin Jansson (59)
Atlanta United - Eric Remedi (81)


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Jonathan Leko is the big news as he comes in to replace the unavailable Josef Martinez. Big shoes to fill for the 19-year-old. Big advantage as we are at home, we need to make it count. Mention goes out to Nani who is currently playing at Orlando's right winger. Legendary midfielder who used to play for Manchester United. I will certainly enjoy a drink or two with him after the game. We also welcome back the return of 'disabled player' Rossetto to the bench whose been out with an original for the best part of two months.

A superb deep cross from Remedi finds the head of a leaping Leko who turns it past their keeper to open the scoring. 1-0. A fantastic run from Barco as he goes marauding into the box and gets brought down. Gonzalo Martinez tucks the penalty away. 2-0. Equaliser comes from a set piece, no one picks up properly and they get one back. 2-1. Their first shot on goal aswell. Eric Remedi then dispossesed Nani and tucks one home to give us some breathing space.

Very happy to advance to the Quarter Finals of the cup and with either Houston or Tulsa, we have a great chance of advancing. We will be happpy to welcome back Josef Martinez from international duty for the next game aswell but Leko did step up, a great performance from the young lad.

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On a sunny afternoon, a few days after we'd beaten Orlando in the 5th Round of the US Cup, I am out shopping in Atlanta and come across the national soccer paper 'The American Soccer Post.' Picking it up, I notice my face splashed on the front cover and a full spread on me. I can't help but grin as I read the article.

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I have sent scouts to watch Houston v Tulsa on 26th June 2019 to see what we will be up against in the Quarter Finals

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We will face Houston Dynamo, the current holders, in the Quarter Finals on 10th July 2019. Elsewhere, LAFC will host Minnesota in another QF.
Seattle v New York and Colarado v Nashville make up the other Quarter Finals.

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Eastern Conference League Table

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Supporters' Shield League Table

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Overall, a quiet month on the league front as we have not had many games. Frustrated to come up short against the bottom of the table Houston despite being completely in control for large periods. Very happy to advance in the cup stages and will now look forward to next month.

LA Galaxy, who are going to be our biggest challenge, will be our first game back in July and we will need to be at our very best to ensure we come away with all three points. This is a great opportunity for us to stretch a little clear at the top of the table (if those games we have in hand are won of course.) Very encouraging month for us as we continue to dominate every one around us. HUGE GAMES IN JULY! Next month will be season defining for us.​
 

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Liking the story and layout. Just to ask, do you understand the league rules in America? I was struggling to work out the contract situation with designated players etc, players salaries etc.
 
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To capitalise on our current good form and the current happiness of the board. I requested more coaches and got them granted! Which I was delighted about. Despite already having the best back room staff in the country, we are now able to bring in two more coaches to improve on other aspects we are lacking in, coaching wise.

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We will play Mexican side Tigres in the Campeones Cup on Wednesday 14th August. This is a game I desperately want to win.
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Few transfer deals have been done before the match against LA Galaxy:

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I thought the deal was too good to refuse and would allow me then to bring in someone I wanted to in midfield. Manuel Castro has also been sent back to his parent club as the Uruguayan wasn't really offering much for what we needed.


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This meant we needed a replacement centre midfielder and we decided upon loaning young talented midfielder McCalmont from Leeds United. With Castro leaving, it meant we were able to go out and get another international player and we have got offers in for a Brazillian, Mateus Vital and Austrian, Dejan Ljubicic.

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LA Galaxy - Ethan Zubak (82)

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Good start, breaking the deadlock in the 15th minute only for it to be chalked off for offside. Martinez skimmed the bar with a header aswell early on the 2nd half, with another 1-on-1 from Marco Richter denied by Bingham. After a shaky first ten minutes, we grew into the game and took control of possession and definitely could have been one or two goals up before half time.

We continued our domination into the second half but nothing gave. Leko was the man I turned to on the bench. A great move started by McCalmont, ended in a cross from Barco but Richter was unable to direct past the keeper. Guzan spectactularly denied Koreniuk from a free kick. Totally against the run of play, we are stung in the tail as they manage to score to make it 1-0 with just 10 minutes remaining. Barco teed up Leko for a header but the keeper bested him on this occassion and we were left leaving our Mercedes-Benz stadium extremely frustrated and annoyed we were unable to make more of an opporutunity we knew we had.

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In response to our first loss in a long time, I've decided to rework our backroom staff and get rid of some people who aren't contributing to our current playing staff.

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De Klerk, Valentino, Cruz all leave and we bring in some people who can improve our training sessions. Once they've been confirmed, I will show me current backroom staff.
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Atlanta United - Eric Remedi (8)
Atlanta United - Eric Remedi (31)
San Jose - Guram Kashia (59)
Atlanta United - Dael Fry (65)

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Leko and Martinez tee up Remedi twice to give us a first half cushion. Exactly what we needed after a poor result in the last game. Guram Kashia pulled one back latching onto the end of a free kick but Dael Fry quickly wiped that out adding his 5th of the season from a well worked corner routine. We were then able to hold it together until the end of the game to secure a well needed bounce back.
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I WILL CONTINUE JULYS FIXTURES ON THE NEXT POST..
 
Liking the story and layout. Just to ask, do you understand the league rules in America? I was struggling to work out the contract situation with designated players etc, players salaries etc.

Hi mate, thank you. I am getting the hang of it a little better, I think it may take a year or two in the MLS for me to fully understand them. I've made a few mistakes with squad registrations etc but being extremely careful. If I am being honest, I didn't expect the squad registration rules to be so ridiculously complicated and strict but thought I'd power through! :)

Thank you for following, means alot! Was wondering if anyone was actually reading, so nice to know someone is looking! :)
 
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Atlanta United - Josef Martinez (4)
Houston Dynamo - Christian Ramirez (pen 11)
Atlanta United - Josef Martinez (96)


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Delighted to see Josef back on the scoresheet. Especially so early on against a side that held us not so long ago. Alfie McCalmont unfortunately gave away a penalty a few minutes later which lead to the equaliser. McCalmont went close through a powerful strike which just cleared the crossbar. Not happy with the side at half time. I have sent them back out with a rocket up their ****. Remedi was also introduced early on in the 2nd half. Houston then had a goal disallowed, much to my relief.

After two extremely long injury stoppages, we ended up playing a staggering 9 minutes added time but that wasn't enough to seperate us. Which meant Extra Time. RICHTER TEES UP JOSEF MARTINEZ WHO HAMMERS HIS HEADER BEYOND THE STRETCHING MARIC! 2-1! 2nd half of extra time... Guzan makes a huge save with just three minutes left. Remedi also with a crucail tackle in the dying embers as their striker run through 1-on-1 with Guzan.

Over the course of the match, we deserved this and I am delighted to go into the Semi Final of the US Cup. Another great achievement, even if we did make it more difficult than it needed to be. Hoping an injury Barco picked up isn't too serious.

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PHEW!!

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Jorge Alvial joins us as Chief Scout, taking the reigns from Paul Molseworth who was appointed earlier in the year. He comes with a formidable reputation and experience with reputable clubs such as Manchester United and Chelsea. A brilliant acquisition for our backroom staff.

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Offers have been put in for Jonathan Amon and Konrad De la Fuente, both Americans and would be fantastic editions.

Vital fell through due to not being able to have another designated player. Therefore, I have stopped pursuing that deal.

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Atlanta United - Josef Martinez (16)
Atlanta United - Brent Kallman (O.G 82)
New England - Cristian Penilla (90)


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A fantastic three points in the end against a difficult side in New England. We were able to rest a few players who were feeling the fixture congestion. Nothing much else to say about this one.

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Atlanta United - Matheus Rossetto (19)
Atlanta United - Marco Richter (61)
Montreal Impact - Orji Okwonkwo (66)


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A great start for the first 60 minutes, we were much the better side but then Okwonkwo managed to equalise. Josef Martinez then missed a vital chance to wrap this up in the 77th minute, sliding the ball just wide. A mistake from Guzan is then luckily blocked by a recovering Dael Fry. Poor from Guzan who just passed it to their centre forward. Okwonkwo almost added a 2nd to his tally but was unable to find the net and we held on.
With Martinez missing, I allowed youngster Jawneh to start on the left wing but he made little to no impact.

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MLS Game vs. Cinncinnati will be on next post, this has been a long month! Especially with me trying to come to grips with the transfer/trade markets and contract types a little more. Anyone who is good with MLS registration rules etc, please let me know via chat or on here! :)
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Lucked out on that Barco injury being short eh? How do the designated player rules work anyway?
 
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OK - I've had another transfer cancelleddue to the salary cup but as you can see from the second screenshot, I am only using less than 80 percent and have way more than 1.2k available. Can someone explain to me why can't purchase this player?

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I am so confused as to why I can't sign the above player - can anyone else shed some light on this for me?
 
Lucked out on that Barco injury being short eh? How do the designated player rules work anyway?

You get three designated players who can be 'over payed' with higher wages, so these are your star players. In regards to other things, I am still struggling.

Had a salary available but can't sign someone despite the contract being smaller than the salary cap avaiable. It's not been easy haha. Struggling to get my head round it, got another thread open trying to ask for some help, hoping someone from the US can help, haha.
 
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Cincinnati - Jurgen Locadia (pen 3)
Atlanta United - Fernando Meza (9)
Cincinnati - Rodney Wallace (13)
Atlanta United - Marco Richter (40)

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Very frustrating afternoon at home. We do drop two points today. A very frustrating day all round. 33 shots, 19 on target but only 1 clear cut chance created. We need to be more clinical with the chances we create and create more effective positions to score from.

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Eastern Conference League Table

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Supporters' Shield League Table

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If we win our next two games in hand, we will be at the top of the table for both. Unfortunately, this month has been frustrating regarding transfers and I am still seeking assistance from those who are more in the know as to how I can add to my squad.

Both Alfie McCalmont and Mo Adams have been added to the disabled list after suffering injuries that'll keep both of them out for at least a month a piece.

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US Open Cup

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Campeones Cup

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We have home advantage in what should be a fantastic occassion. This is one we are desperate to win, a Cup win would be a fantastic. We've already met minimum expecations by getting to the semi-final but coming up against Nashville who are from the USSL Divison One Eastern Conference, should give us a massive opportunity to get to a final.
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Due to the rule of only being allowed 5 foreign players in the match day squad, we were reduced to just 5 substitues. I'm still confident we should have more than enough to win this game. We have too much quality for them. Richter and Martinez are going to be key.

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Atlanta United - Matheus Rossetto (5)
Atlanta United - Edgar Castillo (16)
Atlanta United - Josef Martinez (18)
Nashville - Abu Danladi (26)

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Nashville started brightly, Guzan saving a smart freekick. We were able to take the lead a minute later through Matheus Rossetto. Edgar Castillo then nodded home from a Gonzalo Martinez freekick to double our advantage, before teeing up his namesake Josef Martinez for the third before the 20 minute mark. Abu Danladi was then allowed to pull one back before the half hour mark.

The score stayed the same until the final whistle and I was delighted to congratulate my team on making it to their first US Cup final under my stewardship! The pride and joy overwhelmed me as I embraced club captain Brad Guzan and star man Josef Martinez. Edgar Castillo took the Man of the Match. We just hope Gonzalo Martinez' injury isn't too bad! Very happy with the lads and it seems they were happy too! FINAL HERE WE COME!

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Atlanta United will play Los Angeles Football Club. We've been made favourites for the final which is at the end of the month.

This is the FIRST US Cup final that Atlanta FC have ever played in. However, we were hit with some bad news....

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Gonzalo Martinez will not be available which will mean Jonathan Leko will be the man asked to step up. We have injected Gonzalo with pain killing injections to get him through the next game but will remove him after we are in a winning position. We need to win the next few games and keep the pressure up on the league leaders.

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DC United next and then onto face the Mexican League Winners from 2018 in the Campeones Cup.
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Atlanta United - Marco Richter (41)
Atlanta United - Josef Martinez (59)

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God solid performance. Nothing given in terms of problems on our back line. We looked confident and created a number of good opportunities. Gonzalo Martinez was nothing short of class, destroying

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The Campeones Cup is an annual North American soccer match contested between the winners of the previous Major League Soccer season and the winners of the Campeón de Campeones from Liga MX. The competition was established by the two leagues in 2018.


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Tigres - Andre-Pierre Gignac (pen 4)
Atlanta United - Edgar Castillo (39)
Atlanta United - Luis Quinones (40)

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Not a good start at all! Escobar brings down Gignac and he dispatches expertly from the spot. We had a few half chances throughout the first half but was unable to create anything until... a brilliant corner causes havok in the penalty area and the ball falls to Edgar Castillo 6 yards out who hammers past the desparing Guzman. 1-1, great equaliser! Edgar was once on loan at Tigres and comes back to bite the hand that used to feed him! My joy was extremely short lived as Quonones heads home from a freekick a minute later... Dael Fry is denied on the stroke of half time by Guzman twice.... 2-1 at half time.

Dael Fry crashes another header off the woodwork with half an hour remaining.. still 2-1. I've gone for broke now. Leko then goes close but is just past the post after coming on as sub. He is then put clean through and fails to beat Guzman AGAIN. FRUSTRATING. Tigres take the title and I am NOT happy about it one little bit. A very annoying day. Absolutely all over them in terms of chances created and couldn't put one away. Really annoyed with the lads. Didn't do themselves justice.

 

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