The fact is I am not a soccer expert. Growing up in the United States, I know more about the NFL and American football than the what could be the world's most famous past time of Soccer. My major dilemma is that I don't actually understand what attributes are most important for specific positions.
While I generally understand the basic role/function of a CB, DMF, AMF, SS, CF etc... I don't necessarily understand what attributes are most important for these positions. Reaction, short pass, long pass, dribbling, header, jump, etc... Again, I generally understand what these attributes are... But how do I need to relate them to my player's and their specific position??
So, I've decided to play a few exhibition games on a variety of levels to get a feeling for other teams. As stated on a prior blog entry, I am using an option file that I got off pesgaming which I think is one of the best forums for the PES series.
One match that I played was as USA vs Ireland. I definitely can tell the difference between my user created Santa Cruz Breakers team and Team USA. Obviously, Team USA is way better than my Breakers, but it's more than just a better team. Team USA plays smarter and the players seem to be more aware of the pitch and positions etc... Also, I enjoyed playing the game more than while playing as my own Breakers. While this is initially hard to swallow since I've spent a lot of time creating my team and still do enjoy playing as the Breakers etc...
I've made a decision to compare my current team (individual players) against a number of other teams including Team USA and a number of other teams that are in my League D, Division 2.
After comparing my team / my players to others, it became clear that my player attributes were a bit off. I began to see a trend of what attributes are necessary for CB's compared to DMF as well as AMF compared to CF's etc... I've decided to choose a team that is similar to one of the League D, Division 2 team that is in my league and to use the player attributes for my team.
I know this will take about 1 or 2 hours to do, but it'll be worth doing this now so that I can take my Santa Cruz Breakers into multiple seasons in the Master League.
More to come!
Friday, January 30, 2009
League Games (5-8) Co-op play!
Last night I ended up playing 4 league matches co-op with a friend. Unfortunately having an extra player on my team didn't do much for the Breakers since the Breakers went 0-4 in these games. The Breakers are now 1-0-7 in league play and tied for last place. The problem is the Breakers have yet to find the goal since their first league match and only win of the season.
The first match was closest of the evening against FC Zenit St. Petersburg . FC Zenit Saint Petersburg (Russian: ФК «Зeнит» Санкт-Петербург) is a Russian football club from Saint Petersburg. Founded in 1925 (or in 1914 according to some Russian sources), the club plays in the Russian Premier League and currently is the richest in the country, due to the the ownership of the club by Gazprom.[2] Zenit are the 2007 champions of the Russian Premier League, the holders of the 2008 UEFA Cup and of the 2008 UEFA Super Cup after beating Manchester United 2-1 in Monaco.
The Breakers lost 1-0 and continued to struggle with only 3 shots on goal and one on target.
Next up for the Breakers was Willem II which is a Dutch football club playing in Tilburg. The club was founded as Tilburgia on August 12, 1896. On January 12, 1898, the club was renamed Willem II, after Dutch king Willem II (1840-1849), who, as Prince of Orange and commander of the Dutch army, had his military headquarters in Tilburg during the Belgian uprising of 1830.
Although the Breakers played a close match all the way through and were moments away from ending the match with 0-0 draw, Willem II scored a tap in goal after the ball got away from the Breakers goalie. The Breakers lose another match 1-0.
The third match of the evening had the Breakers facing Alkmaar Zaanstreek (AZ). Alkmaar Zaanstreek (AZ)
AZ, an acronym for Alkmaar Zaanstreek, is a football club from Alkmaar, the Netherlands. It was founded on May 10, 1967 as AZ '67, the result of a merger of Alkmaar '54 and FC Zaanstreek. The name was changed into AZ in July 1986; internationally, Alkmaar is often added. Owing to the commitment of businessmen Cees and Klaas Molenaar, AZ '67 were successful in the late seventies and early eighties. In 1981 they became Dutch champions and UEFA Cup finalists. Things went downhill after the Molenaar brothers left the club. In 1988 AZ were relegated from the Eredivisie.
The Breakers began the game with confidence after only losing the prior two matches with a 1-0. The Breakers defense apparently is solid while their offense is non-existent. Many believe that defense leads to a strong offense, we hope this is the case with the Breakers.
Unfortunately, the Breakers defense broke down fairly early in this match allowing AZ their first and second goal to take place at the 23' and 36'. The 2-0 halftime score was followed by AZ's final goal of the evening at the 56'. The Breakers offense remained quiet as AZ's defense only allowed 4 shots on goal by the Breakers squad.
Although the Breakers are obviously struggling in their league, they were feeling pretty good about their defense with only giving up 1 goal in each of the last two matches. However, things were to change with their next match against OGC Nice Cote D'Azur.
The fourth and final match of the night had the Breakers facing OGC Nice Cote D'Azur. OGC Nice, full name Olympique Gymnaste Club de Nice-Côte d'Azur, is a French football club based in Nice on July 9, 1904.
The Breakers defense continued to be strong for most of the first half of play until at the 45+' the Breakers knocked the ball past their own goalie allowing OGC Nice Cote D'Azur to take a 1-0 advantage at the half.
The second half was all OGC Nice Cote D'Azur who took a commanding 2-0 lead at the 48' mark and a 3-0 lead at 58'. The Breakers only had 2 shots on goal compared to OGC Nice Cote D'Azur who had 20. The Breakers were fortunate to only lose 3-0 against this offensive power house!
Although we lost all four matches, we had a blast playing PES 2009.
The first match was closest of the evening against FC Zenit St. Petersburg . FC Zenit Saint Petersburg (Russian: ФК «Зeнит» Санкт-Петербург) is a Russian football club from Saint Petersburg. Founded in 1925 (or in 1914 according to some Russian sources), the club plays in the Russian Premier League and currently is the richest in the country, due to the the ownership of the club by Gazprom.[2] Zenit are the 2007 champions of the Russian Premier League, the holders of the 2008 UEFA Cup and of the 2008 UEFA Super Cup after beating Manchester United 2-1 in Monaco.
The Breakers lost 1-0 and continued to struggle with only 3 shots on goal and one on target.
Next up for the Breakers was Willem II which is a Dutch football club playing in Tilburg. The club was founded as Tilburgia on August 12, 1896. On January 12, 1898, the club was renamed Willem II, after Dutch king Willem II (1840-1849), who, as Prince of Orange and commander of the Dutch army, had his military headquarters in Tilburg during the Belgian uprising of 1830.
Although the Breakers played a close match all the way through and were moments away from ending the match with 0-0 draw, Willem II scored a tap in goal after the ball got away from the Breakers goalie. The Breakers lose another match 1-0.
The third match of the evening had the Breakers facing Alkmaar Zaanstreek (AZ). Alkmaar Zaanstreek (AZ)
AZ, an acronym for Alkmaar Zaanstreek, is a football club from Alkmaar, the Netherlands. It was founded on May 10, 1967 as AZ '67, the result of a merger of Alkmaar '54 and FC Zaanstreek. The name was changed into AZ in July 1986; internationally, Alkmaar is often added. Owing to the commitment of businessmen Cees and Klaas Molenaar, AZ '67 were successful in the late seventies and early eighties. In 1981 they became Dutch champions and UEFA Cup finalists. Things went downhill after the Molenaar brothers left the club. In 1988 AZ were relegated from the Eredivisie.
The Breakers began the game with confidence after only losing the prior two matches with a 1-0. The Breakers defense apparently is solid while their offense is non-existent. Many believe that defense leads to a strong offense, we hope this is the case with the Breakers.
Unfortunately, the Breakers defense broke down fairly early in this match allowing AZ their first and second goal to take place at the 23' and 36'. The 2-0 halftime score was followed by AZ's final goal of the evening at the 56'. The Breakers offense remained quiet as AZ's defense only allowed 4 shots on goal by the Breakers squad.
Although the Breakers are obviously struggling in their league, they were feeling pretty good about their defense with only giving up 1 goal in each of the last two matches. However, things were to change with their next match against OGC Nice Cote D'Azur.
The fourth and final match of the night had the Breakers facing OGC Nice Cote D'Azur. OGC Nice, full name Olympique Gymnaste Club de Nice-Côte d'Azur, is a French football club based in Nice on July 9, 1904.
The Breakers defense continued to be strong for most of the first half of play until at the 45+' the Breakers knocked the ball past their own goalie allowing OGC Nice Cote D'Azur to take a 1-0 advantage at the half.
The second half was all OGC Nice Cote D'Azur who took a commanding 2-0 lead at the 48' mark and a 3-0 lead at 58'. The Breakers only had 2 shots on goal compared to OGC Nice Cote D'Azur who had 20. The Breakers were fortunate to only lose 3-0 against this offensive power house!
Although we lost all four matches, we had a blast playing PES 2009.
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Reviewing player attributes
I just finished playing a few games playing co-op with a friend in town. We attempted to play in the Master League and unfortunately lost all 4 matches. I will post a blog or two about all four games.
I've decided to choose a mediocre team and have my players match this team. This way I know that I've at least chosen the proper attributes for my players by position. I'm afraid that my team currently is full of players with mixed abilities that don't match well with the position(s) I am trying to play them in etc...
I hope to be able to find the right team that is not to strong or to weak.
I look forward to updating my team and beginning my master league again with confidence that my team has player attributes in the right positions!
I've decided to choose a mediocre team and have my players match this team. This way I know that I've at least chosen the proper attributes for my players by position. I'm afraid that my team currently is full of players with mixed abilities that don't match well with the position(s) I am trying to play them in etc...
I hope to be able to find the right team that is not to strong or to weak.
I look forward to updating my team and beginning my master league again with confidence that my team has player attributes in the right positions!
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Player Attributes by Position
I am hoping that someone would be able to provide feedback on what average to slightly above average stats would be for players by position. I believe my player attributes by position are a bit off and might be why I am having problems in my Master League.
Below are the attributes that are used for created players:
Attack
Defense
Balance
Stamina
Top Speed
Acceleration
Response
Agility
Dribble Accuracy
Dribble Speed
Short Pass Acc
Short Pass Speed
Long Pass Accuracy
Long Pass Speed
Shot Accuracy
Shot Power
Shot Technique
Free Kick Accy
Swerve
Header Jump
Technique
Aggression
Mentality
GK Skill
Teamwork
Condition
Or what is a good/average or slightly above average team to start with in Master League? Possibly I can review their stats and replicate my players exactly as that team?
I would hate to be playing in my Master League with a team that has player stats and attributes that don't make sense for the position I am intending them to play in etc...
I believe creating all players by scratch for a Master League season can be dangerous if the team doesn't have proper ratings for players by position. I don't want a super star team and would much rather have an average to slightly above average team as my Santa Cruz Breakers!
Any suggestions would be great. I can be emailed at santacruzbreakers@gmail.com
Below are the attributes that are used for created players:
Attack
Defense
Balance
Stamina
Top Speed
Acceleration
Response
Agility
Dribble Accuracy
Dribble Speed
Short Pass Acc
Short Pass Speed
Long Pass Accuracy
Long Pass Speed
Shot Accuracy
Shot Power
Shot Technique
Free Kick Accy
Swerve
Header Jump
Technique
Aggression
Mentality
GK Skill
Teamwork
Condition
Or what is a good/average or slightly above average team to start with in Master League? Possibly I can review their stats and replicate my players exactly as that team?
I would hate to be playing in my Master League with a team that has player stats and attributes that don't make sense for the position I am intending them to play in etc...
I believe creating all players by scratch for a Master League season can be dangerous if the team doesn't have proper ratings for players by position. I don't want a super star team and would much rather have an average to slightly above average team as my Santa Cruz Breakers!
Any suggestions would be great. I can be emailed at santacruzbreakers@gmail.com
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
League Game 4: Havre Athletic Club vs Santa Cruz Breakers
The Santa Cruz Breakers came out strong against the Havre Athletic Club . The rain initially appeared to favor the Breakers as the slippery surface slowed down the game play. However, the Havre Athletic Club quickly showed the breakers that the rain and slower game play was neither an advantage or disadvantage for them with their first score coming at the 18' mark by Alla.
Nam (7) from the Breakers had a solid shot on goal as they fought their way back from the early goal, but the goalkeeper was able to stop the powerful shot.
Alla scored his second goal at the 30' mark and the tension in the air thickened as Havre Athletic Club took a commanding 2-0 lead against the visiting Breakers. A nail in the coffin was scored quickly with a third and final goal of the game being scored at the 39'.
The Breakers trailed 3-0 at the half and would need to remain focused for the tough final 45 minutes of play ahead.
Although Nam (7) from the Breakers had another strong strike, it hit the right cross bar and rolled out.
Ironically, the Breakers had more shots on goal than they have ever had, but still lose 3-0.
The Breakers face the FC Zenit St. Petersburg in their next match and hope to begin turning around their season!
Nam (7) from the Breakers had a solid shot on goal as they fought their way back from the early goal, but the goalkeeper was able to stop the powerful shot.
Alla scored his second goal at the 30' mark and the tension in the air thickened as Havre Athletic Club took a commanding 2-0 lead against the visiting Breakers. A nail in the coffin was scored quickly with a third and final goal of the game being scored at the 39'.
The Breakers trailed 3-0 at the half and would need to remain focused for the tough final 45 minutes of play ahead.
Although Nam (7) from the Breakers had another strong strike, it hit the right cross bar and rolled out.
Ironically, the Breakers had more shots on goal than they have ever had, but still lose 3-0.
The Breakers face the FC Zenit St. Petersburg in their next match and hope to begin turning around their season!
Santa Cruz Breakers need to regroup for the rest of league play!
The Santa Cruz Breakers travel from Germany to France to take on Havare Athletic Club . The Havre Athletic Club or Le Havre Athletic Club Football Association, is a French football club based in Le Havre, founded in 1872 making it the oldest football and rugby club registered in France.
The Breakers last match against Werder Bremen have knocked them out of the D2 Cup in Round 1. As the Breakers prepared to take on Havare Athletic Club, the manager and coaching staff began to show their frustration about the lack of ball control and offensive power that the Breakers have shown since their only victory of the season (2-1) against LOSC Lille Metropole. In their first showing, the Breakers were able to put together a fairly strong attacking ability and even come back from a 1-0 deficit to remain focused and composed to win 2-1. However, since the match against LOSC Lille Metropole, the Breakers have not not shown much composer or team play.
The Havare Athletic Club on the other hand are currently ranked third in this early season and don't appear to be worried about the Santa Cruz Breakers. The lack of respect for the Breakers by the Havare Athletic Club and their fans might lead the Breakers to "step up" their game?
The Breakers last match against Werder Bremen have knocked them out of the D2 Cup in Round 1. As the Breakers prepared to take on Havare Athletic Club, the manager and coaching staff began to show their frustration about the lack of ball control and offensive power that the Breakers have shown since their only victory of the season (2-1) against LOSC Lille Metropole. In their first showing, the Breakers were able to put together a fairly strong attacking ability and even come back from a 1-0 deficit to remain focused and composed to win 2-1. However, since the match against LOSC Lille Metropole, the Breakers have not not shown much composer or team play.
The Havare Athletic Club on the other hand are currently ranked third in this early season and don't appear to be worried about the Santa Cruz Breakers. The lack of respect for the Breakers by the Havare Athletic Club and their fans might lead the Breakers to "step up" their game?
D2 Cup Round 1 Match 2: Werder Bremen vs Santa Cruz Breakers
The Santa Cruz Breakers knew they were up for an uphill battle against the Werder Bremen squad on their home turf. As the announcer said at the beginning of the match "it's like climbing Mt. Everest with no oxygen" since the Breakers lost their first match against Werder Bremen 3-0 in Santa Cruz. The best case scenario for the Breakers was to hold Werder Bremen scoreless and score at least 3 away goals. This however would only tie the score and 3-3 and require penalty kicks.
The first 45 minutes were uneventful with neither team scoring a goal or showing much offensive power. The Breakers did have one great shot on goal by Choy (14) who broke free and shot was just wide of the left corner of the goalpost.
The final 45 minutes had Werder Bremen with a number of shots on goal. One strong shot on target was by Docue (22) whose shot was bobbled and finally stopped by the Breakers goalkeeper Ustari.
Choy (14) from the Breakers had another brilliant shot on goal late in the game at the 85' mark, but was stopped by the goalkeeper's great jumping ability. The match concluded with a draw at 0-0.
Although the Breakers were disappointed by not winning the match against Werder Bremen, their defense shined by not allowing on the 8 shots on goal. Unfortunately, the Breakers offensive woes continue with only 3 shots on goal.
Next up the Breakers face Havre Athletic Club in league play who are ranked 3rd with a 2-0-1 record.
Tonight the Breakers have thier first road match against Werder Bremen
The Santa Cruz Breakers have traveled to Germany for their Second Match of Round 1 of the D2 Cup against Werder Bremen . This is the Breakers first away game and is expected to be a tough match. While Werder Bremen has the same league record as the Breakers at 1-0-2, the first time these two clubs met in Santa Cruz was complete domination by Werder Bremen who won 3-0.
While the Santa Cruz Breakers want to improve in their performance against Werder Bremen, the chance of the Breakers moving any further in the D2 Cup is slim to none.
While the Santa Cruz Breakers want to improve in their performance against Werder Bremen, the chance of the Breakers moving any further in the D2 Cup is slim to none.
Monday, January 26, 2009
Adding more teams to my Option File
I'm considering adding my teams to my current option file. My current option file was created by amazing editors including still-shady, mrgametight, and
Arsenald from the pesgaming blog. Their option file can be found here for the U.S. PS3. Thanks to this team for being true PES gamers and artists and providing the rest of us PES gamers in the U.S, Canada, and possibly Mexico??? with an option file that can rival our UK counterparts!
I think some J-League or J-League teams might be interesting. The easiest thing to do is to add team logos and do basic uniforms etc... I've found a fairly good site that has a number of South Korean team logos which seem fairly easy to add to PES 2009.
The biggest problem is needing to create players for these teams especially if I picked an Korean or Japanese league team. Creating players for these teams take more effort since it means editing a number of faces etc...
I guess I am thinking that it would be interesting to have a larger variety of teams especially since PES 2009 does provide a lot of open teams as Team A, B, C, D, E etc...
Another thought is adding Major League Soccer teams which I think would be awesome!
Arsenald from the pesgaming blog. Their option file can be found here for the U.S. PS3. Thanks to this team for being true PES gamers and artists and providing the rest of us PES gamers in the U.S, Canada, and possibly Mexico??? with an option file that can rival our UK counterparts!
I think some J-League or J-League teams might be interesting. The easiest thing to do is to add team logos and do basic uniforms etc... I've found a fairly good site that has a number of South Korean team logos which seem fairly easy to add to PES 2009.
The biggest problem is needing to create players for these teams especially if I picked an Korean or Japanese league team. Creating players for these teams take more effort since it means editing a number of faces etc...
I guess I am thinking that it would be interesting to have a larger variety of teams especially since PES 2009 does provide a lot of open teams as Team A, B, C, D, E etc...
Another thought is adding Major League Soccer teams which I think would be awesome!
Sunday, January 25, 2009
A Blessing in Disguise? League Game 3: Santa Cruz Breakers vs Shakhtar Donetsk Again???
For some reason, my auto save didn't save the 0-2 loss against Shakhtar Donetsk. In my last post, I described a tough battle between the Breakers and Shakhtar Donetsk who took a won 2-0 with two early goals. That entry also described what I believed was a poor officiating call of a penalty in the box leading the Shakhtar Donetsk's second goal of the game in the 22' by Vukic.
So, I had to play the match again, which could have been a blessing in disguise! Shakhtar Donetsk was tied for the early league lead with Havre Athletic Club with 2 wins each.
The match began with a fairly quick goal at the 14' mark by Srna.
The Breakers continue their pattern of (1) letting the opposition score first and (2) giving up an early goal. Again, the Breakers are forced to battle back against a strong Shakhtar Donetsk team.
Although the Breakers had a few goal attempts, nothing really came close to being an equalizer.
While it's early in the season, the Breakers definitely need to work on their offense attack and midfield control if they want to have a chance and winning some matches.
The Breakers this time will officially be facing Werder Bremen in their Second Cup game this time on Werder Bremen's home turf.
Ironically, looking at the stats, Werder Bremen is tied with the Santa Cruz Breakers in league play with a 1-0-2 record. Both teams find themselves in the 8th spot in the league... However Werder Bremen's 3-0 win against the Breakers in Santa Cruz give them the advantage for the Cup.
So, I had to play the match again, which could have been a blessing in disguise! Shakhtar Donetsk was tied for the early league lead with Havre Athletic Club with 2 wins each.
The match began with a fairly quick goal at the 14' mark by Srna.
The Breakers continue their pattern of (1) letting the opposition score first and (2) giving up an early goal. Again, the Breakers are forced to battle back against a strong Shakhtar Donetsk team.
Although the Breakers had a few goal attempts, nothing really came close to being an equalizer.
While it's early in the season, the Breakers definitely need to work on their offense attack and midfield control if they want to have a chance and winning some matches.
The Breakers this time will officially be facing Werder Bremen in their Second Cup game this time on Werder Bremen's home turf.
Ironically, looking at the stats, Werder Bremen is tied with the Santa Cruz Breakers in league play with a 1-0-2 record. Both teams find themselves in the 8th spot in the league... However Werder Bremen's 3-0 win against the Breakers in Santa Cruz give them the advantage for the Cup.
League Game 3: Santa Cruz Breakers vs Shakhtar Donetsk
The Breakers faced off against Shakhtar Donetsk in their third league game. FC Shakhtar Donetsk is a Ukrainian professional football club, playing in the city of Donetsk, the capital of Donetsk region.
The Breakers are 1-1-0 with their opening day victory (2-1) against LOSC Lille Metropole. Since their only victory, the Breakers have not scored a goal and have been outscored 0-4.
The Santa Cruz Breakers started the match against Shakhtar Donetsk with again a slightly revised starting eleven. ("I" aka "The Manager" typically hits the square button on my PS3 and allows the computer to recommend which players to start. I than decide if I will use their suggestions or not. I also review the colored arrows that are either up, neutral, or down etc...)
Shakhtar Donetsk took a quick lead in the match with Brandao scoring in the first 10 minutes at the 8' mark.
The Breakers came back with a chance of their own, setup by a brilliant through ball pass from Bock to Policar. Unfortunately the shot was tipped out by the goalkeeper and forced an unsuccessful corner kick.
A controversial foul called against Naz from the Breakers in the box allowed Vukic from Shakhtar Donetsk a penalty kick. Vukic scored the second goal of the match at the 22' with his penalty shot. The score was now 0-2 in favor of the visiting and league leader Shakhtar Donetsk.
The Santa Cruz Breakers players, coaching staff, and fans were quite upset about the questionable foul call in the box. The officiating staff definitely took an ear full of harsh name calling by the fans of the home team. The call was quite controversial and might be reviewed by the league.
It became quite apparent in the replay that Naz went for a dangerous sliding tackle to block Vukic's shot in the box and Vukic appears to go down hard. However, after reviewing the replay it's obvious that Vukic's shot was blocked by the goalkeeper (photo 1) who was already getting up from blocking Vukic's shot prior to Vukic hitting the ground (photo 2). The second photo was after the Desi (GK) blocked the shot and Vukic hadn't even hit the ground yet.
While the Breakers tried to stay composed with most of the game ahead of them, it was quite obvious that this young squad was dejected and unable to clear their mind from the controversial call and 2 goal deficit. No other goals were scored after the 22' mark.
The Breakers now find themselves 1-0-2 in league play and 1-0-3 overall including a horrible loss in their first Cup match. An important question to ask is when will the Breakers find any offensive power to attempt shots and more importantly score goals?
Up next, the second match of round 1 of the D2 Cup on the road against Werder Bremen. The Breakers have not forgotten their crushing 0-3 loss against them at home earlier this year.
The Breakers are 1-1-0 with their opening day victory (2-1) against LOSC Lille Metropole. Since their only victory, the Breakers have not scored a goal and have been outscored 0-4.
The Santa Cruz Breakers started the match against Shakhtar Donetsk with again a slightly revised starting eleven. ("I" aka "The Manager" typically hits the square button on my PS3 and allows the computer to recommend which players to start. I than decide if I will use their suggestions or not. I also review the colored arrows that are either up, neutral, or down etc...)
Shakhtar Donetsk took a quick lead in the match with Brandao scoring in the first 10 minutes at the 8' mark.
The Breakers came back with a chance of their own, setup by a brilliant through ball pass from Bock to Policar. Unfortunately the shot was tipped out by the goalkeeper and forced an unsuccessful corner kick.
A controversial foul called against Naz from the Breakers in the box allowed Vukic from Shakhtar Donetsk a penalty kick. Vukic scored the second goal of the match at the 22' with his penalty shot. The score was now 0-2 in favor of the visiting and league leader Shakhtar Donetsk.
The Santa Cruz Breakers players, coaching staff, and fans were quite upset about the questionable foul call in the box. The officiating staff definitely took an ear full of harsh name calling by the fans of the home team. The call was quite controversial and might be reviewed by the league.
It became quite apparent in the replay that Naz went for a dangerous sliding tackle to block Vukic's shot in the box and Vukic appears to go down hard. However, after reviewing the replay it's obvious that Vukic's shot was blocked by the goalkeeper (photo 1) who was already getting up from blocking Vukic's shot prior to Vukic hitting the ground (photo 2). The second photo was after the Desi (GK) blocked the shot and Vukic hadn't even hit the ground yet.
While the Breakers tried to stay composed with most of the game ahead of them, it was quite obvious that this young squad was dejected and unable to clear their mind from the controversial call and 2 goal deficit. No other goals were scored after the 22' mark.
The Breakers now find themselves 1-0-2 in league play and 1-0-3 overall including a horrible loss in their first Cup match. An important question to ask is when will the Breakers find any offensive power to attempt shots and more importantly score goals?
Up next, the second match of round 1 of the D2 Cup on the road against Werder Bremen. The Breakers have not forgotten their crushing 0-3 loss against them at home earlier this year.
League Game 2: Santa Cruz Breakers vs Rangers Football Club
The Santa Cruz Breakers were preparing all week for their next league match against the Rangers Football Club of Scotland.
The Rangers Football Club are an association football team based in Glasgow, Scotland, that currently plays in the Scottish Premier League. They have won a world record 51 league titles, and have won more major trophies than any other football club in the world. The club are nicknamed the Teddy Bears, from the rhyming slang for Gers, which in turn is short for Rangers, and the fans are known to each other as "Bluenoses". The club's correct name is simply Rangers F.C., although they are sometimes referred to as Glasgow Rangers for European matches to avoid confusion.
The starting eleven for the match against the Rangers Football Club was again different than either of the first two matches. In fact, Desi the goalkeeper was benched for Ustari. The starting formation was the more standard 4-4-2 or also known as as the 4-3-2-1 for this team.
The evening match began with both squads playing good football. Neither squad was able to score in the first 45 minutes of play. The second half was much the same until Beasley 62' scored the first and only goal of the match.
The Breakers continued to play hard after trailing 0-1, but was unable to find a way to score. In fact, the Breakers only had 3 shots on goal all evening. A disappointing offensive showing to say the least. The final score of the match was 0-1 with the Rangers getting the win.
Possibly since this is early on in the season, the Manager is still trying to find a consistent eleven? However, we would have expected that this would have been done prior to the start of the Breakers first Master League season.
Up next, Shakhtar Donetsk who is tied for first in the league with 2-0-0 record and scoring an impressive 5 goals and only conceding 1 goal in their first 2 season game matches. This team looks like a tough challenge for the Breakers!
D2 Cup Round 1 Match 1: Santa Cruz Breakers vs. Werder Bremen
The Santa Cruz Breakers were coming off a "high" from their 2-1 victory in their first match of the year against LOSC Lille Metropole. Anticipation was in the air as the hometown Santa Cruz Breakers were hosting their first ever D2 Cup game against the more powerful Werder Breman club.
Werder Breman is a German sports club best known for its football team playing in Bremen, in the northwest German federal state of the same name. The club was founded on 4 February 1899 as Fußballverein Werder by a group of sixteen vocational high school students who had won a prize of sports equipment to set them on their way. They took their name from the seldom used regional German word for “river peninsula”, describing the riverside field they first played football on
Prior to the start of the match, a number of members of the press asked the Manager of the Breakers why he adjusted their line up and formation. The manager stated that he believed the new 4-4-3 formation would provide additional offensive power that he thought the Breakers would need against the powerful Werder Bremen team. He also stated that his starting line up was selected from the practice sessions all week and thought his starting eleven were the most prepared for the match ahead.
The day was set for a perfect football match and the fans were going wild in Santa Cruz, CA. If you weren't at the match you were probably out surfin' the breaks.
Initially, the Breakers started out in solid form with an immediate offensive attack that led to a couple of corner kicks within the first 10 minutes of the match. However, a stark reality has set in for the Breakers with their atrocious play against Werder Bremen. As the match continued, it became obvious that the Breakers were over-matched and out-played in all sections of the field.
The fans and players appeared frustrated by the excellent play of the stronger visiting squad. The initial score came by Pizarro at the 27'. Pizarro and his mates didn't let up as Pizarro would end up with all the goals for the entire match and a hat trick to boot (53' and 63'). The final score of the match was a tough 0-3 loss.
The Santa Cruz Breakers are made up a young squad that need to shake off this humiliating loss and prepare for the next league match against the Rangers Football Club. However, this huge loss in the first match of round 1 of D2 Cup game at home has definitely placed a large hill for the Breakers to climb, especially if they want to make it past the first round of the D2 cup. (Read more about Cup Play in a future blog post).
League Game 1: Santa Cruz Breakers vs LOSC Lille Metropole
My first game in the Master League Season for 2008-2009 was against LOSC Lille Metropole (LOSC).
Lille Olympique Sporting Club is a French football club. Based in the northern city of Lille founded in 1944 from the merger of the Olympique Lillois (founded in 1902) and the SC Fives (founded in 1901).
The game began with LOSC taking a 1-0 lead over the Santa Cruz Breakers. The Breakers remained focused and continued to play hard as they fought for their first goal of the game and season.
Bock (33) scored the Breakers first goal of the game and the season! The equalizer was an amazing goal and we were tied 1-1.
Late in the game, E. Chow (24) fought hard to obtain possession of a brilliantly passed ball from Bock (33) to score the goal which allowed the Breakers to take their first lead in the match. The Breakers played solid defense in the final minutes of play which allowed them to obtain a season opener win at home!
Although the Breakers won their first match, the game was close and could have gone been a draw if it wasn't for the late build up by Bock (33) and E. Chow (24).
The Santa Cruz Breakers celebrated their first victory of their inaugural season in PES 2009! The next match is the first D2 Cup game against Werder Bremen. The Breakers will need to be focused and prepare for this tough match.
Lille Olympique Sporting Club is a French football club. Based in the northern city of Lille founded in 1944 from the merger of the Olympique Lillois (founded in 1902) and the SC Fives (founded in 1901).
The game began with LOSC taking a 1-0 lead over the Santa Cruz Breakers. The Breakers remained focused and continued to play hard as they fought for their first goal of the game and season.
Bock (33) scored the Breakers first goal of the game and the season! The equalizer was an amazing goal and we were tied 1-1.
Late in the game, E. Chow (24) fought hard to obtain possession of a brilliantly passed ball from Bock (33) to score the goal which allowed the Breakers to take their first lead in the match. The Breakers played solid defense in the final minutes of play which allowed them to obtain a season opener win at home!
Although the Breakers won their first match, the game was close and could have gone been a draw if it wasn't for the late build up by Bock (33) and E. Chow (24).
The Santa Cruz Breakers celebrated their first victory of their inaugural season in PES 2009! The next match is the first D2 Cup game against Werder Bremen. The Breakers will need to be focused and prepare for this tough match.
Saturday, January 24, 2009
Master League Season 1: Santa Cruz Breakers (2008-2009)
It's time to kick off the inaugural Santa Cruz Breakers 2008-2009 Master League Season. The Breakers have been selected to compete in League D, Division 2. The teams competing in League D, Division 2 include:
1) Santa Cruz Breakers
2) Werder Bremen
3) Shakhtar Donestsk
4) FC Zenit St. Petersburg
5) Havre Athletic Club
6) Rangers Football Club
7) OGC Nice Cote D'Azur
8) CFR CLUJ
9) AZ
10) LOSC Lille Metropole
11) Stade Rennais F.C.
12) Willem II
* Since I am an only an average PES 2009 player, I've decided to play 10 minute games in regular difficulty setting.
1) Santa Cruz Breakers
2) Werder Bremen
3) Shakhtar Donestsk
4) FC Zenit St. Petersburg
5) Havre Athletic Club
6) Rangers Football Club
7) OGC Nice Cote D'Azur
8) CFR CLUJ
9) AZ
10) LOSC Lille Metropole
11) Stade Rennais F.C.
12) Willem II
* Since I am an only an average PES 2009 player, I've decided to play 10 minute games in regular difficulty setting.
Santa Cruz Breakers (Official Uniforms)
It took a while to get my Santa Cruz Breakers team uniforms done... However, after spending a while editing the uniforms, I'm both impresses and excited to roll out my Season 1 Uniforms... They actually turned out pretty good. I've been reading PES Chronicles a blog that a PES 2009 gamer from the UK keeps who decided to change his uniforms every season. I believe I might be doing the same... (This blog is one of my favorite PES blogs and has a great following of fans! Check it out!
For my first Master League season (2008-2009), I've decided that the Breakers would be sponsored by Dakine and have proudly placed the Dakine logo on the upper left corner of the Breakers uniforms. (Since the Breakers are based in my home town Santa Cruz, CA I couldn't help but have them have surf sponsors instead of the traditional nike etc... FYI, Santa Cruz, CA is the "Real Surf City" over the Huntington Beach "incorporated" Surf City! -- This was a huge fight over surf towns out here in CA a while back.
The Uniform 1 is mainly white and Uniform 2 is a combination of mainly orange, red, and blue.
The goalies also have pretty cool uniforms as well with Goalkeeper 1 uniform mainly gray, navy, and black and Goal Keeper 2 uniform being yellow, red, and black.
The Editor Mode in this game is amazing. I've never spent time in this mode before and believe I have spent more time in this mode than playing the game... Scary I know... But it was fun and fairly easy.
For my first Master League season (2008-2009), I've decided that the Breakers would be sponsored by Dakine and have proudly placed the Dakine logo on the upper left corner of the Breakers uniforms. (Since the Breakers are based in my home town Santa Cruz, CA I couldn't help but have them have surf sponsors instead of the traditional nike etc... FYI, Santa Cruz, CA is the "Real Surf City" over the Huntington Beach "incorporated" Surf City! -- This was a huge fight over surf towns out here in CA a while back.
The Uniform 1 is mainly white and Uniform 2 is a combination of mainly orange, red, and blue.
The goalies also have pretty cool uniforms as well with Goalkeeper 1 uniform mainly gray, navy, and black and Goal Keeper 2 uniform being yellow, red, and black.
The Editor Mode in this game is amazing. I've never spent time in this mode before and believe I have spent more time in this mode than playing the game... Scary I know... But it was fun and fairly easy.
PES 2008 Game Guide
I decided to order the PES 2008 Game Guide . I thought that the game hasn't changed that much in control and strategies from 2008 and for $7 why not... I could read this guide for fun and even bring in on business trips to read on the plane or in the hotel. The guide came with the DVD and so far I like it. Most people from a number of forums don't like the guide and say they didn't learn anything from it. Although I believe the forums at pesgaming for example have great tips and probably the most active PES forum on the internet, I still think having this guide has some interesting tips..
A couple of things I've seen from the DVD that came with the game guide is a better understanding of the positions in futbol. Since I am more of an American Football gamer, I don't exactly understand all the differences within the soccer/football world. This guide and dvd has a section which describes the player positions with and without the ball... This will be helpful when making sure I set the right player in positions etc...
I've also begun to better understand the manual strategies in the game... PES 2009 has strategies and tactics that can be manually changed "on the fly". This sounds awesome, but I need to better understand how this works and what will be effective for my team.
Soon I will begin my first Master League Season!
A couple of things I've seen from the DVD that came with the game guide is a better understanding of the positions in futbol. Since I am more of an American Football gamer, I don't exactly understand all the differences within the soccer/football world. This guide and dvd has a section which describes the player positions with and without the ball... This will be helpful when making sure I set the right player in positions etc...
I've also begun to better understand the manual strategies in the game... PES 2009 has strategies and tactics that can be manually changed "on the fly". This sounds awesome, but I need to better understand how this works and what will be effective for my team.
Soon I will begin my first Master League Season!
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Santa Cruz Breakers and Exhibition Matches
Prior to joining the Master League, it was time to take the Breakers to a few exhibition matches to try out the team. Below are a few photos of the Breakers in action!
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
My PES 2009 Review
I believe PES 2009 on the PS3 is a great game. The editor mode is pretty amazing and real allows the gamer an opportunity to make the game our own.
I've never really used the edit mode much before and didn't expect to like it much. However, I actually spent most of my first 5 hours or so using the edit mode creating my Santa Cruz Breakers team and creating or editing my team to include family and friends.
I've finally finished editing for now and decided to play a few exhibition matches with my new team! The game play is great. Although it seems a bit quick, it still doesn't feel like only an arcade soccer game. I feel that depending on the team or player style, the game can suit all kinds of styles of play.
So far so good! I can't wait to play more games and get deeper into the Master League.
Cheers!
Sent from my Verizon BlackBerry
I've never really used the edit mode much before and didn't expect to like it much. However, I actually spent most of my first 5 hours or so using the edit mode creating my Santa Cruz Breakers team and creating or editing my team to include family and friends.
I've finally finished editing for now and decided to play a few exhibition matches with my new team! The game play is great. Although it seems a bit quick, it still doesn't feel like only an arcade soccer game. I feel that depending on the team or player style, the game can suit all kinds of styles of play.
So far so good! I can't wait to play more games and get deeper into the Master League.
Cheers!
Sent from my Verizon BlackBerry
PES 2009
I've been a fan of the Pro Evolution Soccer Series since the PS2 days. I switched from playing my typical EA Sports video games and branched out to Winning Eleven Pro Evolution Soccer 2007 and fell in love with what I thought was more realistic game play and control. While I typically buy the latest version of a sports game, I skipped any soccer game in 2008 since I heard that PES 2008 was a major disappointment. Ironically, I didn't even consider FIFA 2008.
Instead of getting PES 2008 on the PS2, which I heard was okay, I decided to wait for 2009 and see if PES 2009 would be back to it's glory days or if I would attempt FIFA 2009.
This year, I decided to play both FIFA 2009 and PES 2009 demos on my PS3 and try to decide which game I liked better. It was actually a difficult decision since FIFA 2009 has definitely gotten to be a more solid game. Ironically, it was difficult to get the PES 2009 demo since it was not released on the US PS3. I needed to DL it from the European PS3 site.
While both demos had their positives and negatives, I decided on PES 2009. I have to admit that sticking to it made the most sense since I used to play the Winning Eleven Pro Evolution Soccer 2007 on my PS2 and PS3 with my friend Chris. It was a blast playing 2p co-op as the Santa Cruz Breakers with no user created players, just a user created team name! After many games we moved from 80th ranking to the top 20.
Go Breakers!
Instead of getting PES 2008 on the PS2, which I heard was okay, I decided to wait for 2009 and see if PES 2009 would be back to it's glory days or if I would attempt FIFA 2009.
This year, I decided to play both FIFA 2009 and PES 2009 demos on my PS3 and try to decide which game I liked better. It was actually a difficult decision since FIFA 2009 has definitely gotten to be a more solid game. Ironically, it was difficult to get the PES 2009 demo since it was not released on the US PS3. I needed to DL it from the European PS3 site.
While both demos had their positives and negatives, I decided on PES 2009. I have to admit that sticking to it made the most sense since I used to play the Winning Eleven Pro Evolution Soccer 2007 on my PS2 and PS3 with my friend Chris. It was a blast playing 2p co-op as the Santa Cruz Breakers with no user created players, just a user created team name! After many games we moved from 80th ranking to the top 20.
Go Breakers!
Go Breakers!
My user created Santa Cruz Breakers will kick off their first season on the PS3 Version of Pro Evolution Soccer 2009 (PES)! This is my first blog ever.. So, I'm sure I will have plenty of formatting and other problems! I hope it's something that improves over time.
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