Stromson — Helios Kharkiv: Here we go again (Season 2 preseason)

Heyoo! Welcome back to another update to our Ukrainian story featuring the one and only Helios Kharkiv. After a highly unexpected promotion, we now find ourselves in the Ukraine Premier League (Premyer Liha), and up against the big boys of Ukrainian football (Shakhtar and Dynamo to name two). With odds drifting into the obscene (5000.1),  we will be enjoying a complete and utter lack of expectations. With the pressure off, we’re free to wheel and deal till our hearts are content, and attempt to ensure our survival in the top league in the country.

We didn’t need to make nearly as many moves as I’d expected, and there are enough talented players already on the squad for us to forge ahead with minimal trouble. Still, I’m fairly pleased with some of the signings we’ve managed to bring in, and will be more than happy to show them off for you:

Probably my biggest signing of the summer, I’m really counting on the Argentinian to boost our rather uninspired attack. We rode an ace defense all year in the Persha Liha, but we’ll need some offensive power if we want to achieve Premier safety.

I had a pretty decent rightback already, but Igor was too good of an offer to pass up. We need to work a bit on his speed, but he has some solid technical and mental attributes.

Brought in as a backup/veteran voice/insurance policy. Rogerio won’t be breaking into the starting eleven, but he’ll be useful to have around on the bench (in part due to his versatility).

I had an excellent defensive midfielder already, but he’d had some injury/fitness problems throughout the year last season, and I wasn’t comfortable relying on him this year. He and Leandro will be used in a squad rotation system, and they’re about equal in terms of ability.

Say hello to my new starting AMC! Probably the best player to ever wear a Helios uniform, I’m really hoping he lives up to the promise his stat sheet displays.

Lastly, and while it has absolutely no bearing in reality, I’d like to show you how we managed to start our first ever season in the Ukrainian Premier League:

BAM! First place baby! Enjoy it while it lasts, because it’ll be the last time we see that poll position for the remainder of the year. It does give me confidence that we can survive this year, but realistically we’re looking at a 9th-10th place finish (with which I would be extremely satisfied).

Before I depart, I’d like to warn you/notify you that my updates will be extremely sporadic and downright rare over the next 35-40 days. I’m getting married at the beginning of August, and as the date draws ever nearer, we’ll be increasingly busy with last minute details and planning. I’ve already seen my FM time take a nosedive in the past week, and I’m just not sure how regularly I’ll be able to update until the middle of August (I’ll do my best to squeak some time in though). I appreciate your patience, and as always — Thanks for reading!