Go to the showcase thread & view other players achievements it is very informative regarding what you can achieve at each levels
Team showcase

The nationality has no relevance

Try to get your players to 3 star before the end of the season, you will find that all players loose a star each season so you will be going into season 2 with 2 star players, try to do this each season.

Only train your 18-22 yr players if you plan to keep them they should train fast & progress with you to each level, but the older ones will struggle.

The 18 yr players are more expensive because if you look after them they will stay with you longer & the higher the price the better they train.

Try & contact your friends through Facebook or this forum using their e-mail.

Be patient with your stadium not all your fans will come to support you so by expanding your capacity to early will be a waste of time, get your youth, training & medical to the next level every time before anything else, all the rest you will find you have to upgrade to level up.

Good luck