I don't see many threads on the MLS league for FM 16.
I'm considering starting a new save with MLS side Vancouver Whitecaps. I lived in Vancouver for 3 years and watched a few games whilst out there.
I also like to play my games alongside watching corresponding games so have multiple games going at one time. Anyone else do this?
So I know player rules are different here?
How do trades work?
How many foreign players can you sign
What is the most money you can spend on on one player?
Is it 28 or 30 players max per team?
Who would you sign if you were Vancouver?
A good starting place is this guide:
FM16 MLS Guide - Rules, Regulations, Trades and Drafts Explained - The Raumdeuter
The only things that will be different for you as Vancouver is that instead of the US Open Cup, you have the Canadian National Championship (I may have the name wrong). Consider this cup a priority as it gives you a spot in the NACL and there are only three teams who should ever win it: Vancouver, Toronto, Montreal. Those three will always start in the semis, along with a non-MLS Canadian team (like Ottawa or Edmonton). Easy midseason cup that is far more doable than the US Open for the American MLS teams.
There's a lot of inconsequential cups in the MLS, like the Cascadia Cup, Trillium Cup, etc. All these are just fancy names for rivalries and yes you get a cup, but nothing else of value. I don't believe the cup even has any Hall of Fame points associated with it. They're the equivalent of winning a Merseyside cup with Liverpool by doing the double over Everton.
Fixtures will be interesting. Sometimes you'll have three in a week, sometimes you'll have none in three (the latter is an exaggerated scenario caused if the US national team is playing in the group stages of the World Cup) so your man management is going to be a bit more erratic throughout the season. Especially if you start playing in the NACL as the group games start close to the end of your regular season games. Double Especially if you have three away games in the same week against LA, Orlando, Montreal.
Playoffs are mentioned in the link, but as long as you have the backing of the board, all you need is a late run of form to get into the playoffs. 60% of the teams make the playoffs and while there is seeding, the tried and true win at home draw away will do you fine.
Things you should look to get a grasp over quickly:
- Contract guarantee dates: You can release anyone at anytime, however after the contract guarantee date and before the transfer window, they will still be counted against the salary cap.
- Superdraft: Always control your scouts and once you see a news item about the Superdraft, have your scouts (at least one) specifically scout the draft pool. That way you have better info during the draft process.
- Waiver draft: players released from clubs go into a special draft where you can pick them up, useful if there was someone who looked decent in the Superdraft who then got cut by his team later.
- Re-entry draft: players who contracts run out and want to stay in the MLS.
- The better you do, the lower your draft order so you can trade with teams who did poorly for an earlier choice or vice versa. Let's say you won the MLS cup and you have a player who is good and has a year left on his contract but wants a Designated Player contract and you don't have any more DP slots. You could trade a team for a DP slot or trade with a team for a couple earlier draft picks.
- Contract types: different contract types come with different wage scales and is separate from them being viewed as rotation, key, etc.
- Generation Adidas.
There's more, but it'd be better to read the link, play a bit, then come back with specific questions. It is a weird league, but not impossible.