Football Manager 2020

K. Fields
2020-04-03T15:37:24-04:00
Video Games

I've played a lot of sports sims throughout the years. Although baseball has dominated my sports gaming, I've played entire seasons of football and basketball as well using various games. I have always wanted to try a soccer sim, however, particularly in World Cup years when my soccer fever was at its highest. The one game in particular I have always wanted to try was Football Manager. Recently, I finally got the chance to run a soccer team with Football Manager 2020. It was overwhelming at first. FM20 simulates an entire world of global soccer. This wasn't as straightforward as most sports sims focused around a single professional sports league, such as MLB, NFL, or NBA. I decided to focus on MLS, Major League Soccer, here in the United States. Once I chose the league, I chose my team—New York City Football Club (NYCFC)—and assumed the role as its head coach for the 2019 season.

FM20 is incredibly detailed. Although I am used to a high level of complexity from Out of the Park Baseball, FM20 was even more daunting to me. This was largely due to my unfamiliarity with MLS rules (rosters, loans, transfers, coaches, etc.) and game tactics (style, formations, positions, etc.). Over the course of the season, my knowledge improved but I am far from a soccer expert at this point. Because this was my first season, I avoided the urge to make any trades. Even when it could have been beneficial, I preferred to become familiar with NYCFC's 2019 squad.

I will post additional articles about the season's outcome. However, I have to say that this was the most fun I've had with a computer game in many months. Because it was fresh and new to me, I enjoyed it as much as my NALB seasons. Although I enjoy computer RPGs, strategy games, and even an occasional shooter, I really could play sports sims year-round. If I had a solid football sim and basketball sim, I could probably do just that.