10 tips for starting an MLS save on Football Manager

Most virtual football managers plan to rebuild their squad right after taking charge at an MLS club. Little they know about how difficult that can be. The MLS regulations make things extremely challenging, but first, of course, you must understand them.

FM16 MLS Tips

If you are an MLS connoisseur, feel free to skip the first two tips.

1. Create a new game and pick a random team;

2. Open this Football Manager MLS Guide, read it and confront it with what you see in the game;

3. Don’t ever permanently trade an international slot and don’t expect to get one for more than a year or two. The AI will rarely trade an international slot. I don’t think you’ll ever get a permanent slot unless you trade a super high-quality domestic player – in other words, unless you offer them a deal that will surely not be to your advantage.

If you really want to perform such a stunt without getting a horrible deal on your side, try to offer a high-quality domestic player when he peaks (30-31), although it’s very unlikely that anyone will accept. Just focus on one or two-year deals when you really need an extra International Slot.

4. Don’t give away your decent domestic players before thinking twice. You will find it extremely hard to sign an American player from abroad; mainly because of the high demands, limited DP slots and the everpresent lack of Allocation Funds. It’s also very difficult to grab domestic players from other MLS clubs. The AI isn’t stupid.

5. Never create your strategy thinking only about the current season. Allocation Funds, Slots, Draft Picks and the pure nature of the MLS forces you to think at least two seasons in advance – if you don’t want to get frustrated, that is.

6. Pay attention to all the drafts. You never know what useful player you could find in the most unexpected draft. And really, it does happen! Just browse around and delegate your scouts to put together some reports.

7. Upgrade your training facilities and try to have someone with very good attributes to manage your youth intake. You can assign the Director of Football, Assistant Manager or Head of Youth to do this. Bear in mind that the yearly intake can also bring you decent prospects, not just the Superdraft.

8. Don’t try to achieve and fix everything in just one season. MLS is meant to be a very balanced league. Your Designated Player slots should be filled with free agents, in order to maximise the quality, you get in return for every cent you spend. So don’t rush. Don’t spend everything as fast as you can and don’t occupy DP slots without thinking it through.

9. Download a Football Manager eBook to have access to all the custom resources and guides that will make you a better manager. 1x Home and 2x efficient Away Tactics are also included in the eBook!

10. Start a new save using the instructions on how to build your profile and don’t forget to include more American players in the database you load when creating a new game.

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