Don't quote me on this as i used to play this game a while ago. But i believe the team performs better when they have a higher enthusiasm. So for instance if you TIE-take it easy. Your enthusiasm goes up but your team puts in less effort and plays worse during that game. I think if you Normal then your enthusiasm stays the same. And if you CT-crunch time you lose enthusiasm.
Pretty much i TIE any game i think i can win easy or dont think I can win. Hence why i did so last night as you have a better lineup and i wanted to keep my starters for my cup game. I mean i will TIE again in the cup as i am playing a bot. But will keep my enthusiasm up for when i need a win