Aviously

FIFA Online play is a beast of its own.

One starts off in Division 10, and play 10-game seasons. Based on how you do in those games, you either get promoted, relegated or even win the league.

When I started Division 10 (and subsequently Divisions 9, 8, 7, 8 and 7) I played as my favorite team, NYCFC.

The online system does a good job at matching you up with semi-equal matchups. If your team is a 2 1/2 star team, you are gonna play against similar teams, like the Irish National team or Necaxa.
Take a 5-star Barcelona team, and you’ll face off with Real Madrid, Juventus, and the other world powerhouses.

So as I slowly made my way up through the lower divisions, I got better at dealing with the team I had.
My players all had their flaws, so I learned to work with them. I made short, certain passes. Only took shots on goal when I was lined up correctly. And didn’t try anything too crazy.

When I first reached Division 7 I got destroyed. Even though the other players were playing with similar level teams, my players couldn’t keep up with the skill levels…and that’s where I switched over to Messi and the Argentina National Team.

And suddenly my carefulness paid off. Making these passes and lined-up shots with these all-pro players, I had no problem moving up from Divison 7 to 6.

And then I hit my next speedbump…I was under-utilizing my team. I wasn’t stretching the field and using their passing abilities and speed to their potential. And I wasn’t taking shots from outside the box, which are easily makable by the likes of Messi, Di Maria and Higuain, and not so from Jack Harrison and Tommy Mac.

So now I need to kick my game up to another level…and start learning what all these darn buttons do…