Colorado Rapids and FIFA 12 Career Mode - Part 1

In anticipation of FIFA 13 coming out within a few weeks, I thought it would be a fun idea to perform a sim of the Colorado Rapids in the career mode of FIFA 12. The goal was simply to find out how Rapids players would develop over time with the FIFA player development engine and database.

Throughout the sim, I recorded data and observed how players developed in the future. I also took notes on various events throughout the campaign that included transfer bids, players mulling retirement, and US Open Cup results. Continue reading to find out what happened during the sim.

For those of you who have played FIFA 12 Career Mode before, you will know that no matter what club you choose, you will usually receive bids from various clubs inquiring about certain players on your team. The start of the sim saw a few members of the Colorado Rapids receive transfer bids. Rapids midfielder Jeff Larentowicz was the subject of many bids from rival MLS clubs. Real Salt Lake offered the most money and wanted to shell out $1.3 million for the defensive midfielder.

One thing many Rapids fans will find hilarious is that Scott Palguta was the subject of transfer rumors during the first transfer window. Believe it or not, DC United (for reasons currently unknown) actually offered the Rapids $1.7 million for Palguta's services. As much as I wanted to acquiesce, i declined because the goal of the sim was to focus on current player development.

Omar Cummings was also pursued by rival MLS teams and the Chicago Fire actually offered $3.2 million for the Jamaican international. Their initial bid was $1.2 million and they were ruthless in trying to acquire Cummings. Tyrone Marshall stated at the beginning of the season that he was contemplating retirement at the age of 36. The central defender is also a backup as the default lineup includes Marvell Wynne and Drew Moor as anchoring the back four.

Since FIFA 13 is just about out, the game developers have not spent a lot of their precious time updating the current rosters of MLS clubs within FIFA 12. Even after downloading the latest squads for Career Mode, Martin Rivero is not in the game, while Kosuke Kimura and Scott Palguta both start at RB and LB respectively. In real life, Kimura was traded to the Portland Timbers earlier in the summer and Scott Palguta does not see a lot of playing time. (Ed note: Thank goodness.)

FIFA 12 defaults the Rapids with a 4-2-3-1 formation and features Pablo Mastroeni and Jeff Larentowicz as defensive midfielders. Omar Cummings and Jamie Smith are on the wings while Jaime Castrillón is the attacking mifielder. Conor Casey is the true lone striker up top.

At the end of season sim, the Rapids lost 1-0 to the New York Red Bulls in the Quarterfinal of the US Open Cup, and finished with an overall record of 8-14-12. Conor Casey was the team's leading goalscorer with 8 goals. The Rapids finished 6th place in the Western Conference and failed to qualify for the MLS Cup playoffs. Tyrone Marshall retired at the end of the season.

Going back to the original goal of the article, four Rapids players reported player growth by the end of the season in the squad report. Marvell Wynne improved to a 67 (66 default) overall and Drew Moor finished with a 66 overall (65 default). Wells Thompson improved to a 64 overall (63 default) while Andre Akpan jumped two points to a 61 overall (59 default). Brian Mullan actually lost one point and finished the season with a 65 (66 default).

Stay tuned on Saturday for Part Two of the sim!