When we came to FIFA 17, EA Sports marketed it with the tag line “Play Beautiful.” We have the cover star, Lionel Messi, with his signature dribbling style known as “No Touch Dribbling” in the game. FIFA 17 also introduced national women’s teams which was a first for the franchise. We also saw improvements all across the board in defense, attack and midfield, with the game now played mostly in the middle of the pitch. Pro passing provided better passing mechanics and the long ball counter attack goals were tweaked. 

 

We have been able to identify a few boys from the scouting system, and the exhibition matches which were played with state associations and SAI teams, and also from the U-15 league. This year, however, I must admit my displeasure and frustration. After spending many, many hours with both FIFA 17 and Pro Evolution Soccer 2016, I have come to the sad conclusion that neither of the two games are for me. Both have their faults, which in my opinion are becoming unacceptable for games that year after year funnel rivers of money from players around the world into the pockets of major publishers. 

 

We deserve better than that. The scouted boys are currently on trials. We will continue with this programme and hope that before the U-17 World Cup commences we would have found the best possible talents to represent the country. We still have to wait a few months before FIFA 17 is released but the season is almost done and there are lots of players who helped their team become a contender. These players did not have the greatest rating in FIFA 16 but will probably receive a huge rating upgrade for the next game. 

 

FIFA will always (unless something changes radically) be the best game in terms of production values and presentation, and this is something we can live with and forgive. We can't, however, accept that the difference is so great. Pro Evolution Soccer continues to suffer from the absence of official licenses, and this year does not even include the German league. US to participate in AIFF Youth Cup as preparation for U-17 WC

 

AIFF has been providing exposure for the U-17 World Cup team and Das said the aim is to make the boys play as many quality oppositions as possible in the run-up to the U-17 tournament. "As the U-17 World Cup will have representation from all continents, the idea is to make the U-17 World Cup team play quality opposition during their exposure tours. They have already been to Germany, Spain, UAE, South Africa and would be embarking on more exposure tours to Europe and Brazil." AIFF is stressing on a fool proof scouting system.

 

Whether or not EA intended it to be public knowledge, one thing we know for certain about FIFA 17 is that it'll come with an increased roster of women's teams. Last year saw FIFA tentatively dip its toe into the increasingly popular women's game, with a mini tournament featuring national squads - England taking on the likes of the USA, Germany, France, Japan and a few others. It would appear this year, the roster is set to get something of a boost.