Hey, I had the same problem just now. I realised it happens when you do not select a side when on the controller screen and you leave it blank. Make sure when it lists all the controllers to select left or right with mouse or keyboard. Then it should work. It kept crashing when i tried to start a game and no controller was selected.
Thumbs up on the game, it was real fun even though i lost to sweden 8-6 :(. Are you planning to build out the whole thing, career and all?