Baltic Lynx, Samtis (13th Season with the club, 5th since move to US Division 1)
During their time in the US First Division, Baltic Lynx have started strong and improved year on year – but it wasn’t always this way. The club started off in the Dutch second-tier, then became a bit of a yo-yo club, bouncing between the second and third divisions. What they needed was a manager to stick around for the long term, and they got one near the end of Season 13 in Samtis. With that being said, for his first few years at the helm, Baltic Lynx continued to rise and fall, until Season 18 when they would win their Division 2 title. From then until Season 22, Samtis would keep the side afloat in the top division, until mysteriously coming 15th and being condemned to relegation. Luckily for the boss, though, the new US divisions were just beginning, and that offseason they moved from the Netherlands to become a founding member of US Division 1. From then on, they have gone from strength to strength, solidifying their place in continental competitions, without ever looking like they would fall victim to the same ghosts that haunted the club abroad. In the past four seasons, Baltic Lynx have finished 5th, 5th, 4th, and 4th, and will no doubt be looking to improve on these results in Season 27.

This being said, it hasn’t been smooth sailing for the Lynx, and results have often times gone a little cold. They are currently protected, though, by a seven-point gap between Lynx in 6th and the mid-table pack fighting below them. As things stand, they are out of the Super Cup after falling in the group stage, and suffered an excruciating exit from the League Cup after only falling to Black Dragons on penalties. With this being said, they are still in the National Trophy – though they will have to face old foes Black Dragons again – and are sitting decently in the league. Their opening day match was disappointing with a 2-0 loss to Orion Athletes away, and despite a handful of wins, they have yet to see victory against any of the other top six opponents. The highlight of these set of games across the first half of the season was only a 0-0 draw against Nike FC in Round 6. With this being said, they can be proud of their other results, taking 5 goals or more in six different matches, and earning seven of their last ten wins in the league.

Baltic Lynx’s four best players all have double digit goal contributions, and their interplay is part of what makes the squad as a whole function so well. At the base of it all, the defensive midfielder Faruq Berbatov has himself contributed 10 assists in 15 matches. In front of him play a dangerous trio, a central attacking midfielder feeding the two forwards. Tino Kadawere is still going strong in his output even at 33, with six goals and 12 assists in just 14 games. Ahead of him, the younger of the two strikers, 24-year-old Christian Eriksen has registered 13 goals in 14 appearances. His senior partner, though still only 28, Radamel Falcao has logged an impressive 20 goals in the same number of games as Eriksen. Falcao is therefore both Baltic Lynx’s best-performing player and top goalscorer. On the wings, there is a combination of experience and speed in the form of 30-year-old captain Federico Valverde, who has put up 10 assists Of course, though, none of this would be possible without some form of defensive stability, in this case provided by Tomáš Souček, who has kept 10 clean sheets in 14 games and contributed 3 assists of his own.

Looking towards the future, there are a few games before Samtis has to lead the side through back-to-back matches against Nike FC and Black Dragons in Rounds 31 and 32. After that, the boss will have to make some crucial decisions as they travel to the Shared Ground to face Mid-Cities SC before taking on Black Dragons again, this time in the National Trophy quarterfinal. The hardest test will come on the final day of the season, as Baltic Lynx play Texas FC. Baltic Lynx can progress from their current spot in 6th, but they will need to quickly find their shooting boots against their table neighbors. Samtis has to hope that the side can shake off the freeze, and their side can roar back at the big boys when it matters most.


Black Dragons, Angus (18th Season with the club, 5th since move to US Division 1)
This past season, Black Dragons finally stole the crown from First Boxers, completing a domestic treble in the process. This came after a close experience Season 24, where they won both US-based cup competitions by fell short in the league in 3rd place. The Dragons, though, have always been looking for their time to strike since their transfer from England’s top flight to found the US First Division in Season 23. Their performance, rise, and specifically the title-winning quality in recent years is in no small part due to their boss, Angus. He came in at the end of Season 10, spending 12 full seasons with the club as they bounced back and forth between England’s Division 1 and 2. Tired of being the small fish, they moved across the pond, to a place they would come to dominate. A raft of stars ensures they can do so – and this is despite only having moved forward five players, and only one in Black Dragons’ stint stateside, since Angus took the reins nearly 20 seasons ago.

The squad is right where they want and expected to be: top of the table. They have taken 40 of a possible 42 points, having not lost once, and only dropping points in a mid-season 0-0 draw away versus Texas FC. They will certainly want to better that result in the home leg, although apart from that there is not much to better at all. Their currently undefeated run also extends to the National Trophy and League Cup, and nearly to the Champions Cup, save a 1-0 loss to German powerhouses Schleswig. In the league, they have both the highest goal tally (58) and the lowest goals conceded (1), thus also having the highest goal difference. They have put five or more goals past their opponents five times, with their highest results being a 9-0 smashing of Warriors FC and a 8-0 victory against mid-table outfit Giant Hawks. Consider it boring, impressively consistent, or frightening, the fact remains the same: the Dragons seem to be in cruise control.

Surprisingly, Black Dragons have a small squad at 19 players, but clearly they make up for their quantity by heaps of quality. Among their stars are Ki Holloway, the 31-year-old keeper, 30-year-old Croatian Ferris Tapia, who have aided Dragons in their 14 of a possible 15 clean sheets in the league, Irish attacking midfielder Savo Naseer of 26 years of age, who has put up 8 goals and a whopping 20 assists, veteran Trinidadian winger Hakim Ross who has recorded 14 assists, helped out by an 85-overall, 29-year-old Weligton Mukhtar and his 11 assists. Finally, the Dragons are spoiled for choice up front. Their main man up top is Keven Vyntra, a 31-year-old from Rwanda, who has notched 24 goals in only 13 games. Another ageless wonder, the 35-year-old Slovenian Faulkner Fahad, has contributed with 10 goals in 11 outings. On top of this, they have a litany of young talent: Albert Yacob (18), Aziz Holt (20), and Joa Basheer (18) have combined for another 10 goals, so far, with the first two either side of Vyntra in the rating list of best league forwards.

Black Dragons are still in contention to repeat their historic treble this season, and hope to pursue a Champions Cup crown as well. With this in mind, one might think it hard for Dragons to compete on so many fronts with a smaller squad and still remain competitive and on top of the pile. They did it last year, and they can no doubt beat the odds to do it again. Angus and his squad will find the most problem, as far as the season goes so far, around the return leg of the second round of the Champions Cup. On either side of that fixture in Round 33 against Italian outfit La Banda Bonnot, they come up against Baltic Lynx, and then Texas FC. Considering their performance in both of these games in the first half of the season, though, there is little reason to think that the squad will slow down any time soon. One late battle against Mid-Cities SC may give them a slight scare. He will be hoping that he can fire his side to another domestic treble, let alone the league, and scale the heights of US football greatness once again.


Coma Fighters, Adrian Aycock (3rd Season with the club)
The plight of Coma Fighters is both a deeply unfortunate one and one of irony, given that it seems the club has fallen asleep for 90 minutes a game. Once upon a time, though, their steady progress and climb from the depths was one of admiration. Now, most admirers can only look away as their club stares into the void and their inevitable drop. To their credit and name, Coma Fighters have actually fought their way valiantly to their position in Division 1, having started all the way in the third tier when they were established in Season 23. While searching for a bigger name, the club actually won promotion with the stopgap boss Robot, becoming their Division 3 champions and reaching their League Cup final along the way. The next season, they finished a respectable fourth place in their Division 2, just missing out on the promotion playoff spots. Then, in came current manager Adrian Aycock. After taking a season to adapt, they were crowned champions of their Division 2 league, as well as reaching their League Cup final and the 6th round of the National Trophy.

Their performance in the league this season, it has to be said, has put a bit of a damper on such a historic achievement for the club. They are yet to record any result besides a loss, having the worst record of any Division 1 outfit at 0-0-16. Their best results saw them beaten by a relatively mild three goals, in a 3-0 away loss to Wonder Peppers in only Round 3, and a 4-1 defeat at Turquoise Shadows Stadium in Round 11 versus their nearest table competitors. On the other side of the spectrum, they have shipped at least five goals in a game twelve times, which is grimly impressive for CF fans. They are, it can be said, equal-opportunity givers, granting three points to teams at the bottom and top of the league alike. Highlights of this dreary run of games include many 7-0 drubbings and an 8-0 hammering by Man City. Their winless condition even extends to the cup competitions, with a 4-0 defeat to bottom-half side Purple Colors in the League Cup, and another wild 7-0 defeat, this time to second-tier Magnificent Frigatebirds in the National Trophy.

The only players that are listed in the top 50 lists of any position are Coma Fighters’ two goalkeepers, who have split matches played between them. The higher rated of the two is 35-year-old Stefano Musharraf. His understudy is 27-year-old Darwish Pienaar. Neither has been able to keep a clean sheet. This being said, that may be more a consequence of the shambolic backline in front of them. While that group does contain their highest-rated player, 32-year old Portuguese defender Luqman Sanchez, the average age of the center backs in the squad is almost 30. The only players in the squad with any goal contributions are both 31, defensive midfielder Hussein Cuesta who assisted attacker Nacho Franks.

In the second half of the season, perhaps the best approach would be one of damage control, signing some younger defenders to plug the holes in their backline. Maybe then, they will start getting some points on the board through draws. This scenario seems ever more unlikely, though, as Aycock continues to be missing from the touchline, and his assistant manager continues to try and clean up the mess. There is no sugarcoating their fixture list for the remainder of the campaign: all their matches will be difficult, especially as players’ morale continues to drop. Of note, CF will try and limit the scoring in back-to-back matches against Baltic Lynx and Texas FC, then Nike FC and Black Dragons, and in their last game of the season (which may be their last in the league) against First Boxers. Challenge and turmoil lie around every corner for the club, and it is hard to imagine them staying up. Their best shot may be to stay up throughout the relegation playoffs, or risk being knocked out of the top flight and having this chapter in their story put to bed.


First Boxers, Hanes Fruit (23rd season with the club, 5th since move to US Division 1)
First Boxers are a household name in the US football scene, and have been since their transfer across the Atlantic having come from England by way of five seasons in France. Boxers are by far most successful club in any US league. They won a three-peat of league titles in Seasons 23, 24, and 25, including a domestic treble in the inaugural US season, and a double in Season 25, having taken home the Division 1 League Cup. Of note is the fact that, while in the US, First Boxers have yet to lose in any final they have reached. Much of this success can be attributed to their manager Hanes Fruit, who has been with the club since Season 5, and after it spent two seasons in the wilderness. How their fortunes have turned since that day more than 20 seasons ago. With all this being said, last season was their first trophyless one since leaving France, and there is no doubt that Fruit will want to regain top spot in this region of the globe.

As a result of last season’s 5th place finish, but testament to Hanes Fruit’s prowess, the Boxers are still competing in all four available competitions. In the league, they currently sit in a respectable 4th place on 36 points, seven off top spot and 2 away from both Nike FC above them in 3rd and Mid-Cities SC below them in 5th. After weathering a 7-1 hammering on the opening day away at The Court of Champions, followed by a (much closer) 1-0 defeat at home to Black Dragons, First Boxers have gone without a loss in the league campaign – that is, with the exception of a loss to Texas FC at NRG Stadium, a result they will no doubt look to avenge in the second half of the season. They have put up six separate results where they have beat their opponents by 5 goals or more, including a 10-0 demolition of Turquoise Shadows in Round 12.

First Boxers’ top goalscorer is also tied atop the league’s top scorer charts: the 27-year-old Cypriot Thierry Henry has put up 24 goals in only 14 matches, also earning him the distinction of his club’s best-performing player with a rating of 80.91. Interestingly, First Boxers also boast a raft of other older top players (four almost in a row, to be precise) in the league rating tables, namely Seward Quincoces, Amin Ashley (both defensive midfielders), Rafiq Freixa (striker), and Cesc Chaney (winger) all rated north of 77.5/100. Freixa has, to his credit, also also notched an impressive 18 goals in 15 matches this term. In the first third of the pitch, the veteran Silvio Shorey has logged 11 clean sheets in his 13 league appearances. Boxers boast two of the five best defenders in the league by rating so far, as Muneer Ihab and his older partner Shafeeq Browning also logged 11 clean sheets in 13, as well as the former notching a goal and assist each. In total, First Boxers’ can be proud that they have scored the second-highest goal tally in the First Division this season, posting nearly four goals and letting in less than one per game.

The fact that Boxers are still fighting on four fronts is impressive, but it may come to hinder them in pursuit of a return to league glory. Their hardest matches are fairly spread out, with the exception of back-to-back games against Baltic Lynx and Texas in Rounds 43 and 45 respectively. With that being said, their final three games, and much of their opponents in the rounds before that rough patch will be easier, a needed boon to title hopes. While they are not out of title contention by any means, they will have to dispatch all three other top-four sides in Texas, Nike, and Black Dragons in the business end of the season. Hanes Fruit’s squad have to come out swinging in their remaining matches if they want any hope of beating Black Dragons to the punch this time around.


Giant Hawks, Robot (4th Season with the club)
Giant Hawks are going into their fourth season with interim manager Robot at the club, having said goodbye to long-term boss Yuan Qi after 21 seasons at the helm not too many seasons ago. Yuan Qi took over a recently relegated Hawks who found themselves in the 2nd tier of French football. A quick return to the top flight followed, and this time Yuan Qi would make sure that stability was achieved. Since going back up, Yuan Qi oversaw all top-half finishes, with only one 8th place, one 7th place, and three 6th place finishes. In other words, the boss mostly guaranteed continental competition for the Hawks. Yuan Qi, though, moved the Hawks to the US its inaugural season, then left despite a 4th place finish in their first top flight campaign and being semifinalists in that season’s League Cup. This left Giant Hawks somewhat in the wilderness, being relegated in their first season without the veteran manager. Since then, though, they climbed right back up at the first time of asking, and recorded a solid 8th place finish in the season just gone.

Curiously, this is where they find themselves today, level on points but with a worse goal difference than 7th place Orion Athletes, and a point ahead of recently promoted Wonder Peppers FC in 9th. Unlike their time in France, they have not competed in continental competition since the season they got relegated. This season, they also experienced an unfortunate exit at the hands of Mid-Cities SC from the National Trophy. However, they are still fighting in the League Cup, and will play Black Dragons in the quarterfinals. As for the league, their average record of 6-3-6 has neither disappointed nor impressed. Their six losses, unsurprisingly, came against the top six in the league, and they also drew to Man City early in the term. However, their wins are nothing to scoff at, their best result just recently coming off as they beat Scorpius Champs 6-0 away from home in Round 25.

To their credit, Giant Hawks have had a few players that have stepped up to help the team run and gel during this long search for a full-time manager. Of note, the evergreen Lúcio do Sacramento has been highly rated in defense, picking up an average rating of 73.28 – second in the defender rating tables, and only behind a player with two games all season. Gambian midfielder, the 32-year-old Ebou Dibba, has put up 8 assists in seven games for the Hawks. This has earned him the top spot for highest rating of any Hawks player at a 79.09/100. Anatoliy Myroshnychenko, the 29-year-old striker, has put up 8 goals and 2 assists in only 9 games for the club. The player with the most goals, though, is a bit younger: Jesse Pakoa is a 24-year-old Ni-Vanuatu striker, who leads his side with 9 goals and 2 assists this term.

Jumping back into the second half of the season, Giant Hawks are almost immediately presented with a challenging run of games. They come up against Black Dragons in the League Cup, followed by Nike FC, and then Black Dragons again away in the league in Rounds 27-29. After that, though, the most difficult fixtures are spread out, with the most challenging tie in the very tail end of the season being a trip away to face Texas FC in Round 46. The Hawks’ probable elimination from the League Cup will provide a slight boost to the quality of sides they can field for the remainder of Season 27, but unless a manager can swoop in now and quickly implement their style of play onto the group, Giant Hawks may not truly show their talons again for many of the games to come.


Los Angeles Football Club, Anceloti (3rd Season with the club)
Los Angeles is a metropolis and a hub of all sorts of potential within the United States, and their namesake football club aims to emulate this in the footballing world. A club founded in LA at the beginning of the US Divisions experiment, LAFC sat just outside the promotion spots for two seasons until the arrival of current manager Anceloti. While this was not his first job in management – he previously held managerial positions in the lower leagues of the Netherlands and Italy – it was his first this side of the Atlantic. In Anceloti’s first season in charge, the club was promoted through the playoffs, having finished in 3rd position and making a great run to the 7th round of the National Trophy. In the top flight, he would do one better, reaching the quarterfinals of the Trophy and achieving 10th place in the league.

In Season 27, LAFC again sit 10th at the time of writing, amongst the competitive mid-table packing looking to push up and distance themselves from relegation. Their 19 points is one below Wonder Peppers in 9th, and one above Man City in 11th. While they have achieved some wins, most notably 7-0 victories against Turquoise Shadows and Coma Fighters, there was also a period in the middle of the first half of the season where they failed to record a win in 6 league matches (5L1D). Outside Division 1 league competition, the Falcons were eliminated from both domestic cup competitions. In Round 20, they were knocked out by Giant Hawks in the League Cup. To add insult to injury, the very next round they were sent home by the overachieving, promotion hopefuls Inter Miami from Division 2 in regular time. As a consequence of these results, BMO Stadium, their home ground, is often fairly empty, only seeing crowds of about 3000 on good home game days.

Their squad is a unique blend of up-and-coming talents and veterans. For example, LAFC have two players in the top 50 at the time of writing. The higher-rated one is the talented, 19-year-old striker Karime Kouri, who has 9 goals in 13 league starts on loan Melbourne Galaxy. His older teammate at 32, Aylmer Estoyanoff, is still performing and has 11 goals and two assists to his name this campaign. Their top defender so far is another older player, namely Zakir Leadbeater, a 31-year-old fullback by trade. Anceloti’s extremely wide system sees him play in a left defensive midfielder as part of a double pivot. He has put in 7 assists this term.

One point towards the near future: the ending of the season is perhaps one of the hardest in the division, as LAFC will go up against Nike FC followed by Black Dragons back-to-back. Anceloti will hope this does not prove fatal in their fight for the survival spots. The other point of potential worry for the Falcons is the consecutive league matches against Baltic Lynx and then Texas FC. With this being said, those are in Rounds 38 and 42 respectively, with no other competitive matches to play in between. LAFC fans will no doubt like to see that break utilized to the fullest. All involved in Los Angeles, broadly, will look to the veterans on disposal to see the club take flight in the second half of the season.


Manchester City FC, Harrison Rubin (3rd Season with the club)
Man City have looked like a yo-yo club since their inception in Season 23 coinciding with the founding of the US divisions. Despite not having a proper manager to take hold in that first season, they came to win their Division 2 title, lifting them up into the top-flight for the first time. However, they finished 14th in the league, and fell back down again. Enter boss Harrison Rubin, who led the Cityzens to their second Division 2 championship last term, improving on an 8th place finish in his inaugural season with the club. Last season, Man City actually completed a double, also taking home their Division 2 League Cup title. This time, Rubin will look to better his record from the club’s previous stint in Division 1, and avoid the drop right off the bat.

This task, though, has not been easy, and Man City’s performances so far have shown that. With only five wins from fifteen games, the Cityzens leave much to be desired. A scattered start to the beginning of their season saw two wins in their first five and three in seven. In the middle of the first half of the term, Rubin’s side went six games without a win (3D3L). Their only winning streak to date came from Rounds 21-23, where they beat Division 2 outfit Ravishing Rogues in the National Trophy, going on to beat Scorpius Champs and Coma Fighters in the league. On the other hand, the Cityzens went through an especially rough period directly after, consisting of a loss to Texas FC in the National Trophy, followed by a 4-0 defeat by Nike FC. Not too long before this, they were also dumped out in the first round of the League Cup to fellow promoted club Wonder Peppers FC. The side’s best games came in the early stages of the campaign, though, where Man City stuck five past Purple Colors and six past Turquoise Shadows, both at the Etihad.

When Man City are in form, more often than not there is one man responsible: Jack Grealish. He is far and away their best player, with the 25 year-old American putting up 19 goals in only 15 matches in the league. This comes after Grealish completed a season for the history books in Season 26, logging 121 (that’s right, one hundred and twenty-one) goals in their Division 2 campaign, as well as a further 10 in 4 in the National Trophy and 20 in just 4 in the League Cup. Otherwise, their squad is average in performance, with a mix of very young and very old. In between the sticks, the squad only has one goalkeeper, the 18-year-old Shoaib Fazio. In front of Fazio sit the veteran pair of center backs, Sylvester Anderson at 33 and Ashraf Colsa at 30. In the midfield, their best performer is 32 year old Belgian Declan Rice, who has scored twice and assisted four more from his deep lying role. His partner is the now 17-year-old American Phil Phoden, acquired last season from Brazil for over $40 million.

In the second half of the season, their squad will continue to be pushed as the Cityzens seek survival in the top flight for the first time. The span of Rounds 35-43 represent the worst of what the league can put on Man City, with them coming up against First Boxers, Giant Hawks, old foes the Peppers, then Baltic Lynx and Texas FC. Their last game of the season, which might be their last in the top division for the short term, is also against top side Nike FC. Rubin’s tactical mettle, and the players’ physical and mental strength, will all be tested. With this being said, Man City are numerically, the worst-rated team in the league, but they are not in the direct relegation spots at the time of writing. Maybe, then, they can pull off a master stroke to stay afloat, and keep the fans in Manchester from feeling too blue come the end of the season.


Mid-Cities SC, Envican (17th season with the club, 5th since move to US Division 1)
Mid-Cities SC have put in strong league performances since moving from England’s 2nd tier to US Division 1 for its inaugural season. What’s more, they have generally been on the rise constantly. With 6th, 4th, 5th, and finally 3rd place finishes this past season, and a few national trophy finals along the way, Mid-Cities has become a feared force in the sport. Since Season 11, MCSC has been led by Envican, who took the post long before the club had moved to the Shared Ground. While in England, the club experienced varied amounts of success, with finishes ranging from their highest ever Division 2 finish in 3rd – the club’s last season abroad – to being relegated to the basement division. Despite these prior setbacks, Envican has not been deterred, to the joy of Mid-Cities fans throughout the region.

Finishing 3rd at the last time of asking, Mid-Cities played in the Super Cup this season, where they were eliminated in the group stage. They are still, however, competitive in both domestic cup competitions as well as Division 1. Their league campaign in Season 27 started with a 7-0 routing of Purple Colors, but they would stumble not long after in a 4-1 away loss to First Boxers. While losses to Texas FC and Nike FC followed, they managed to draw against Black Dragons, and have otherwise only seen gains to their win tally. Highlights of their season so far include that opening win against Purple Colors, as well as a 6-0 win versus Man City and a 7-0 demolition of Coma Fighters. Currently, they sit 5th on 34 points, six points ahead of Baltic Lynx, and currently look fairly set to retain continental competition level status next season. A comfort is that MCSC were already into double-digit wins before the halfway point of the campaign, and Envican will look to at least double their tally in the latter half of the season.

Interestingly, Mid-Cities’ top rated player as of the time of writing is one Ignatius Ganago; the 23-year-old Cameroonian has 2 goals and 2 clean sheets in 2 appearances. In more reputable contention for their best player is the evergreen Liswati, Musa Dlamini at 33, who has registered 14 goals in 13 outings this season. Further back, Cook Islands international Teinakore George playing in a deep-lying playmaker role has put up 13 assists in his 12 matches. In goal, one of the top keepers in the division, 30 year-old John Joseph has kept 12 clean sheets in 15 games. With this being said, it may be harder for him to continue his impressive streak of goals conceded, with a mere 10 let in in the league in Season 24, and only 9 each in Seasons 25 and 26 – he is already at 6 this term. Their defence on paper is fairly average given some of the other clubs around them, but they are coming into their prime as a collective. Among them, Congolese defender seems to be the starter.

Mid Cities SC has two main remaining areas of concern schedule-wise in the rest of the season. Since they are still competing in the league cup and national trophy, the first comes in Rounds 35 through 37, as games away at Baltic Lynx and home to Texas FC lie on either side of a mouth-watering National Trophy quarterfinal match against Nike FC. Not too long later, the Shared Ground will host Nike FC on their own turf, before MCSC travels to face the Black Dragons on matches 45 and 46. As such, the very tail end of the season may be a tumultuous one for Mid Cities supporters if they do not come together to back the boys in red, white, and blue. If anyone can take Mid Cities further forward and continue their upward trajectory… Envican.


Nike FC, Cr7 Fan (10th Season with the club, 5th since move to US Division 1)
Sem risco não há vitória. Without risk there is no victory. It is a motto that fans and players of Nike FC alike live by, and one that has shown them their rise but also where they have to improve. Nike FC started out in the Italian second division, a path unlike that of most other clubs in this division to came to these shores via England. Faithful manager Cr7 Fan took over in Season 18, and after 4 seasons, finally managed to see Nike FC into the top flight of Italian football. This, however, ended quickly, as they were to be relegated in 16th place. Fate smiled on the club, though, and provided the perfect out. And so, Fan and Nike FC relocated to the US, to be a founding member of US Division 1. Since that move, Nike FC have been the model of consistency in the league, a paradigm of stability in the somewhat unpredictable early years of its new division. Nike have finished in 6th place, earning themselves a Challengers Trophy berth, for all of the seasons they have been stateside, with the except their initial season where they finished a massively different… 7th. If the Challengers Trophy were established a season earlier, in Season 23 instead of 24, one would think Nike would find some way to compete in it, just for consistency’s sake. Also with the exception of their first season, they have made it to the semi-finals of the League Cup every term, no higher, no lower.

This season, though, Fan has taken some of those risks that the club believe in, and they are looking to have paid off. Currently, they sit third on 35 points, equidistant from Texas above them and First Boxers below, both two points away. This is despite only having the 7th highest-rated squad in the league. In terms of competitions, they are eliminated from the Challengers Trophy, and had the unfortunate distinction of being knocked out by fellow title hopefuls Texas FC in the League Cup. They are still active in the National Trophy, though, and will play a sumptuous tie against Mid-Cities SC in Round 36. Results have generally gone Nike’s way, especially after a huge 7-1 victory against First Boxers on the opening day of the season. It would stand to reason that their only dropped points in the league have come against title rivals in the forms of Baltic Lynx, and more so Texas and Black Dragons. The club has scored five goals in a league game on four separate occasions. They suffered some early draws against title contenders, but has since bounded back to solidify its 3rd place positioning up to this point. They have post at least five-goal hauls on four separate occasions, including that 7-1 season opener.

Nike FC has recently played with a very consistent XI, and as such it is easy to see where the standout players are in the lineup. Starting from the top, their front trio (an attacking midfielder and striker pair, to be precise) have developed a key partnership. Sam Fox, the deepest sitting of the three, is Nike FC’s best league player by rating, having put up 12 goals and 7 assists in only 13 games. The second piece of this triangle is 31-year-old Mexican winger Garnacho Jimenez, who tucks in to play more in front of Fox but still makes fast and incisive runs to help his team. Jimenez has managed 14 goals in 15 matches this term. Finally, there is Vito Omar, now thirty. Omar has matched his strike partner’s tally, but has also logged three assists to his teammate’s one. Sitting much more defensively on the pitch is the 31-year-old Eritrean, Naseer Firoz. Despite playing in the middle of a deep-lying middle five, Firoz has managed 5 goals and 7 assists from 15 games so far. On either side of Firoz are the other two deeper players, namely Rees Richardson and Alcatraz Imran. Being a natural winger, the former has scored twice and assisted ten times. Imran also likes to ping balls forward, and he has eight assists to his name. The backline, therefore, despite consisting of two men and a goalkeeper has still kept 12 clean sheets from a possible 15.

Nike FC is going to have to take some risks and, presumably rotate more players around as they enter the business end of the season to stay competitive. With that being said, they have less to worry about than some of their fellow title competitors. Fan and company have a pretty simple last few games, but they have to get through Mid-Cities first. About ten rounds prior, they play MCSC in the National Trophy, which may prove a key dress rehearsal before their trip to the Shared Ground in Round 45. The other point of tension may come around Round 31 and 32, when Baltic Lynx comes to the Court of Champions, before NFC themselves go to NRG Stadium to face off against Texas FC. While consistency has been their legacy so far, it is up to Fan to just do it and finally improve on all the club’s 6th place finishes. He is surely hoping he can tick off all the boxes, including beating the title rivals that took points off them, to work his way into the highest echelons of the First Division.


Orion Athletes, Robot (1st Season with the club)
Despite the question marks that surround the Hunters, Orion Athletes seem to be punching above their weight. Their history up to this point has been filled with up, downs, and fans rarely know what will happen next. Orion Athletes was mired in the English Division 3, where five different managers came and went, each spending a season or less with the club before sending it back adrift into the unknown. Fox Machina, would turn the Athletes into a yo-yo club between the 2nd and 3rd divisions before pulling the plug on their time in England, relocating with Orion Athletes to the US Division 2 in Season 25. At the first time of asking, Machina guided Orion Athletes promotion, earning the Hunters top-flight football for the first time in their history, but also nearly bankrupted the club. He said his farewells in preseason 27. This has left the club in the hands of interim manager Robot.

The Athletes, despite all this, still sit in 7th in the table on 21 points, their mid-table presence displayed in their inconsistent form throughout the first half of the season. They had a mostly stable opening to the season, their only non-win in their first five games coming courtesy of a 6-0 drumming by Texas FC. When more difficult opponents came knocking, though, Orion Athletes started down a path of uncertainty. As of the time of writing, their last win in the league came over 10 rounds ago, and even that was only one of two wins since the initial four from the beginning of the season. In other words, they have not won any of their last five league matches. Outside of the league, they did not compete in continental competition, but have since been knocked out of both the League Cup by fellow Division 1 club Scorpius Champs and the National Trophy by high-flying Magnificent Frigatebirds of the second tier.

The Hunters’ squad is one of the smallest in the division at only 18 players, seven of which are age 30 or above. Furthermore, there are three 36-year-olds, two if which are retiring at the end of this season. That makes their current league position that much more impressive. As of the time of writing, 27-year-old Irish fullback Rudd Yaqub actually tops the ratings charts. There is no doubt that he is a good player, however his precarious position at the top is only due to the fact that he has played one match where he kept a clean sheet. This earned him a 89.60/100 rating. As for players with more pedigree this season, veteran striker Maria Usman at age 33 has kept Orion Athletes afloat, contributing 12 goals in as many matches this term. Given their small squad, all the other attackers have had to chip in with a couple goals each as well. In terms of assists, most have come from deep-sitting midfielders Zubair Bueno and Albert Curtis with seven and five assists respectively.

Orion Athletes’s remaining schedule features two pairs of the hardest teams the leagues have to offer back to back. Jumping into the second half of the season, they have Baltic Lynx away in Round 26, followed by Texas FC at home in Round 28. Later, they will play Nike FC in Round 34 before returning to the Orion Athletes Stadium to take on Black Dragons. This being said, this does not mean that Orion Athletes’s remaining fixtures are easy; other top-6 and mid table clubs will definitely challenge the team in the latest stages of the league season. However, while they don’t necessarily have stars to light the way, or a proven manager hunting for results, their camaraderie means they will push through together and won’t go down without a fight.


Purple Colors, Robot (3rd Season with the club)
A club named after the rich fabrics and hues of royalty past, Purple Colors have perhaps not lived up to that same level of affluence in the US game. PCFC were founded in season 23, along with many others in the newly minted US Divisions. They hired manager Jose Barrera Huerta, who had not before that season managed in any league. While under his leadership they were condemned to relegation, he would guide the Violets to their Division 3 championship and make it back to the second tier. It was at that time that Barrera Huerta would depart from the club. They have been without a long-term replacement after since, with interim boss Robot having spent two full seasons at the helm in the meantime. Perhaps by somewhat of a miracle, they were promoted as champions of their Division 2 just last year, improving on an already impressive 3rd place finish in the league. What’s more is that Robot often has not played the same formation twice in a row, instead adopting an extreme form of pragmatic rotation that seemed to work in lower leagues.

Unfortunately for the Violets, this success has largely failed to translate in the top flight, as the downsides to having a full-time manager are becoming evident. They have only posted two league wins in the entire campaign to date, and three in the all competitions with the addition of their League Cup first round victory against fellow relegation-threatened side Coma Fighters. A 3-0 win over Turquoise Shadows and a 6-0 win over Coma Fighters, therefore, are their season highlights thus far. They were eliminated in the National Trophy by Division 2 side, Orion Exploders, but are at the time of writing still active in the League Cup, earning a favorable draw against league basement dwellers Coma Fighters. Many a drubbing have happened at the expense of Purple Colors this season. Most notably, they let in 9 in an utter demolition by Scorpius Champs.

Purple Colors’ best players are seemingly its defenders. Cristophe Rabi is the highest-performing player in the squad, the 34 year old center back instrumental in their few league wins this term. Silvio Abdul Rahman at 33 is the only other player in the top 50 defenders in the league at current. They also feature two Purple Colors midfielders of the top fifty, relatively young 23-year-old Nedum Lallana with four goals and four assists this season, and the more defensively minded Shareef Dillard, who turned 30 this season. While they have some youth and younger players at their disposal, the side is still dependent on their veterans to earn the few wins they can this season. They should look to get rid of dead wood wild they can, and replacing with current or futures stars as is affordable.

Purple Colors will mostly likely suffer relegation again at the end of this term. With this in mind, however, a probable elimination from the League Cup at the hands of Texas FC may allow for marginal focus to be shifted to the remainder of the league campaign. It is unclear if this will be enough. A rough spell of matches in the forms of
First Boxers, Giant Hawks, Wonder Peppers, Baltic Lynx, and Texas FC will follow starting in round 32. At the very end of the season, Robot will also have the threat of relegation looming as they take on Nike FC at home, and Black Dragons away. Whatever, happens, Bot will be wishing that the side can show their true colors and pull themselves out of the relegation spots.


Scorpius Champs, Patrick Whitaker (3rd Season with the club)
Scorpius Champs have actually lived up to their name on two occasions in their history. The first was during their inaugural campaign, Season 23, where they were crowned champions of their Division 3 league. After this success, Kenyan manager James Ke was brought to the club to keep their climb going. An interesting choice, given Ke’s only previous experience in management was a one-year stint with Death Blockers in the Russian second division, but he delivered on their goal. Their second championship came in his first full season with the Champs, where they completed a heroic double of their Division 2 league and League Cup wins. This past season, Scorpius Champs finished a respectable 9th in Division 1, avoided relegation by a fairly sizable margin, and reached Round 7 of the National Trophy. To do this, they had a net spend of $55 million, a high risk for such a small club – but it paid off. In Season 27, therefore, Ke and company hope to improve in the league, finish in the top half, and make that level of spending the more financially tenable norm, rather than the exception.

While this has not gone exactly to plan, it is not completely out of the picture yet. As of the time of writing, Scorpius Champs sit 12th, in the second relegation playoff spot. Their 15 points puts them six ahead of 13th place Warriors, but three behind Man City in 11th. Their record of 5-0-10 isn’t awful, seeing results against all four current relegation-placed teams as well as 9th placed Wonder Peppers. That opener was a good start to their season as they won 1-0 against the Peppers with a first-minute strike by Sameer Shareef. Since then, though, and besides the wins, it has been several defeats in succession, having lost their last four league fixtures to date. They were eliminated in the National Trophy, losing 5-0 to recently relegated side Sporting Club. To date, they are still active in the League Cup, having scraped by Orion Athletes on penalties. Highlights of their season so far include their high-scoring victories over Coma Fighters and Purple Colors. Respectively, these results saw them win 7-0 and 9-1 at Scorpius Champs Stadium. On the other hand, they have also given up four goals in a game four times, the most recent coming in a 6-0 battering by Giant Hawks.

Their most talented and highly rated player is, without a doubt, Dutch shotstopper legend Justin. Even at the age of 35, he boasts a 83.50 overall, and was instrumental in that very first win of the campaign against Wonder Peppers. For the price of $88 million, he was brought in from Feyenoord during the season just gone as part of Ke’s desire for more defensive stability. Both he and understudy Onfre Griffin, though, will be hanging up their gloves at the conclusion of this campaign, and it will be up to current 3rd-string keeper Imtiyaz McKay to fill the boots (and gloves) of Justin. A handful of midfielders have all made a handful of goal contributions this season. Between the 30-year-old Shareef, 27-year-old Abner Yang, 28-year-old Rizwan Wenger, and 30-year-old Lauren Roura, they have 5 goals and 16 assists collectively. In the attacking third, the veteran winger Mark Urban is their highest-rated player, scoring seven times and assisting once at 33 years old. Beside him, 20-year-old Osborn Ferguson also appears in the top 50 attackers in the league, contributing 8 goals and an assist from a center forward role.

First priority for the Champs is to arrest the four game losing streak that started with their National Trophy elimination in Round 21. This will be key to keeping morale from slipping, and provide a launchpad for future victories that can propel Ke and company out of the relegation playoff spots. They will have some particularly tricky points along the way, especially if they stay active in the League Cup. Directly after the First Boxers League Cup game, they will have to take on Baltic Lynx at home followed by a trip to NRG Stadium to face Texas away. Slightly later on, a back-to-back pair of matches against Nike FC and Black Dragons in Rounds 35 and 37 will be troublesome. They will have to face First Boxers in the second to last matchday of the season, but Champs fans are hoping that they can pick up some wins in between. With Justin in between the sticks doing as much as he can to prevent goals, it will be up to Ke to coach his forwards into regaining their sting, and the squad into one that can pinch a survival berth once again.


Texas FC, Adam (13th season with the club, 5th since move to US Division 1)
The story of Texas FC in Division 1 has been one of “always the bridesmaid, but never the bride.” Of the four completed seasons manager Adam has spent with Texas FC, three of them have culminated in runners’ up finishes, and a 3rd place finish in Season 25. With this being said, Texas did win their only silverware since coming stateside that year, becoming US National Trophy champions. That win was their third successive appearance in the final, with the previous two also resulting in runners’ up medals for the Texans. Before the establishment of US Division 1, Adam had rapidly taken Texas from the 3rd Division in Spain up to the top flight. With the exception of their first season in Spanish Division 1, recorded top-half finishes in every campaign. This being said, they never won a trophy, let alone a league title – something Adam is still chasing after leaving Malvern Town in England over ten seasons ago.

Texas FC are, at the time of writing, eliminated from the Champions’ Cup, having been eliminated in the group stage. As the old saying goes, many a fan will say that “this will allow us to focus on the league.” The last time they were dumped out at this level was back in Season 25, the year they finished 3rd. Currently, they sit 2nd, three points behind league leaders (and last season’s champions) Black Dragons. Indeed, it was the Dragons that caused Texas their only dropped points in the league so far, with a 1-2 home loss at NRG Stadium. Since then, though, they have beaten every side they have faced in the league, national trophy, and league cup, putting up at least six goal wins twice. Texas also registered a 1-0 home win in the TX Derby against their cross-state rivals, Mid-Cities SC.

As for their key players, a peak-age, 29 year old Sayed Hasni has the highest rating in the squad, registering an average league rating of 84.22/100. Their highest goalscorer is Sebastian Danauskas, the 28-year-old Lithuanian striker, having put up 14 goals in 15 league games, and adding one assist. Not far behind him in terms of numbers, though, are Hasni and 31-year-old striker Alexander Wallner, each with 12 goals. The former also has notched 13 assists in that time, making him the only player to hit double figures for goals and assists so far in the campaign. Young winger Matías Espina, at only 21 years of age, has helped his side with 7 goals and 12 assists in only 10 matches. Wide midfielder Mu’ayyad Bitar has also contributed 13 assists. Usually, Texas’s backline is anchored by the Iranian center-back Kamkar Ali, who is already proving to be an effective leader at just 24 years old. Meanwhile, around him, shifting formations mean that Ali is either partnered with 29-year-old Gonzalo Mertsacker or the spry 20-year-old Mikiel Magro, an American. Together with the Comorian Kassim Adam coming into his prime in goal, Texas FC’s defense has only conceded three goals in the league season.

The Texans’ remaining fixtures come fairly nicely to them, with their fellow title hopefuls spread evenly throughout the rest of their season. The only potential stumbling block may come in Rounds 32 and 34, as Adam himself has noted, in back to back matches against Nike FC and Black Dragons respectively. Adam can only hope the Lone Star can guide his team to the title this time around.


Turquoise Shadows, Robot (2nd Season with the club)
Turquoise Shadows have had an interesting path throughout their short, five season long existence. Being established in Season 23, they were taken over in their second season by one Colby Armstrong, and then one season later by Mpl Phi. Neither could bring the Shades into the promised land, and neither has been seen in a managerial post since, to this day. What they did do, however, was slowly improve on the side’s league performance, going 7th in their first season, 4th under Armstrong, and 3rd under Phi. It took interim manager Robot, though, to finally accomplish the dream, giving Turquoise Shadows a Division 2 championship en route to the first tier. Robot, it has to be said, also improved on their National Trophy finishes, with the first three years all ending prematurely in Round 3, but Robot making it to a more impressive fifth round exit last term. In Season 27, they are fighting to stay alive in Division 1 for the first time.

This fight, it has to be said, is going quite poorly for the Shades. Their only win of the entire season to date has been a 4-1 victory against fellow relegation candidates Coma Fighters, meaning they have yet to keep a clean sheet throughout the season. Routs by top teams in the league, and even mid-table clubs, for that matter, have been the undesirable norm for Robot and fans alike. After starting the season off losing 7-0 to Texas, they would lose seven more games by a score difference of at least five goals. Their biggest loss was a ten-goal haul onslaught by First Boxers. As such, Robot’s success at the helm, bringing them to the First Division, has been largely overshadowed by their 1-0-14 record, having shipped a total of 69 goals in that time. Outside Division 1, their domestic cup competition records are abysmal, being dumped out of the National Trophy and League Cup in back to back rounds. An understandable loss was taken to top side Mid-Cities SC, but a real dagger came in the form of a 5-0 defeat to promotion challengers FC NY Aero in Division 2. The fact that all their remaining matches are in just one competition, though, have not seen results improve.

Who are some of the key pieces in their performances – or in other words, their demise – this season? Goalkeeping duties have been shared by the older Braden Hamdan, and the younger, unproved Abbas Dotson. Unfortunately for both of them, neither has kept a clean sheet in the league, and both have in-game ratings of about 40/100. With this being said, their leaky defense has not helped them. Shepherd Jasim, the 30-year-old center back, is their best defender, starting 9 matches and also not keeping any clean sheets. Their best midfielder is Sulaiman Iraola, who switches between working as a single pivot center midfielder and being one of two attacking midfielders. His tally this season reads as 2 goals and 1 assist, all coming in the single game that the Shades won against Coma Fighters. Mirroring Iraola’s record is their best forward, the 33-year-old Omani winger, Nadeem Pons. He has put up 1 goal and 2 assists, also from the Coma Fighters match. It seems overall like if their results don’t get them relegated, the eventual retirement of their best players will, with the squad hosting six players over 30. Many of these are the highest-rated players for Turquoise Shadows, including all three of their wingers, who are 33.

The future is not looking bright for Robot and Turquoise Shadows as they face an uphill battle coming into the back end of the campaign. In an eight-round, five-matchday span from Rounds 37-45, the Shades will come up against First Boxers, Nike FC, Giant Hawks, Black Dragons, and Wonder Peppers. While there are some breaks in between matchdays for the club, it is unlikely that the respite will help much in their pursuit of survival. Potentially sealing their fate, too, are the back-to-back matches of Baltic Lynx and Mid-Cities on the final two games of the season. Shades fans will be hoping that their interim boss can do enough to keep their club from sinking back into the shadows once again.


Warriors FC, Patrick Whitaker (3rd Season with the club)
Warriors FC are unlike almost all other clubs in the division, having been founded in the US instead of moving from a European league. They were founded at the dawn of the US Divisions, only in Season 23, and after two seasons spent in the dark, manager Patrick Whitaker came to take the reins. Despite both the team and their boss being fairly inexperienced, they were able to push for promotion. After finishing second in their Division 2 league in Whitaker’s first season in charge, they reached the promotion playoffs. Here, though, they fell short. Whitaker learned from this painful experience, and when his side came second once again to Man City, the side were prepared to give everything. This time, Warriors would triumph, reaching and beating their Division 1 opponents to gain promotion to the top flight themselves. This is therefore their first season in Division 1, and in pre-season, would set their sights on survival.

Unfortunately for Warriors FC, things haven’t entirely gone their way. They have only won three games all season to date, all against teams around them in the relegation zone. This has put them 13th at the time of writing, their 9 points the most of any team currently looking at the drop. With this being said, there is a six-point gap between them and the relegation playoff spot-occupying Scorpius Champs in 12th. Their misery seems to exist outside the league as well. Warriors were eliminated in the first round of the League Cup by First Boxers, and suffered a shock exit from the National Trophy the very next round, as Singh FC of the second tier came out narrowly ahead on penalties. However, their lack of activity in other competitions has not assuaged their troubles too much.

The only squad members that make it into the top 50 rated players for Warriors are, interestingly, all defenders. This includes the actual center back pairing of the aging 34-year-old Nasser Hayden, still an international for the British Virgin Islands, and the English defender, 29-year-old Mirroslaw Sarriugarte. Meanwhile, the third player in their back three is usual full-back Austin Henly, also 29 from Moldova. Their top goalscorer is Amadeo Rodriquez, who despite putting in 42 goals in 30 matches in Division 2 last term could only muster 6 goals in 14 this time around. It is clear that while their squad was good enough for promotion, the lack of moving on old players and bringing in new blood has hurt the club greatly. Whitaker can only rely on his (aging) core for so long.

Their near future does not seem to help their cause, seeing how as early as Round 28, they will come up against Man City, First Boxers, Giant Hawks, the other promoted side in Wonder Peppers, Baltic Lynx, and Texas FC. The end of their season, too, is not a fortunate one, with Nike FC, Black Dragons, and Mid-Cities all coming in their last five matches. Those last five matches may be the final ones in the top flight for Warriors FC for the foreseeable future, unless Whitaker and company can sharpen up and string together more convincing victories against opponents higher up in the table.


Wonder Peppers FC, Nick Romero (2nd Season with the club)
Wonder Peppers are currently the highest achieving side to have been promoted this past season, despite being in the lowest place at the end of Season 26. One of the eight total teams founded in the US in Season 23, the Peppers started off in the 3rd tier. They achieved promotion to the second division, albeit in 3rd place through the promotion playoffs, and there they would stay without a permanent manager, for another two seasons. Enter manager Nick Romero, appointed to the position halfway through the season, when WPFC were stuck in mid-table. Despite this being his first managerial position, he guided his squad to 3rd place, behind fellow Division 1 sides Man City in a comfortable first and Warriors, much closer, in 3rd. Both Peppers and Warriors came up through the promotion playoffs, though their stories since then have been fairly differing in quality. This is Romero’s first stint in any top flight league, and he has kept them for the most part above the relegation and playoff spots.

Once as high as fifth place in the table, albeit back in Matchday 2, Romero has taken his team to a respectable 9th place at the time of writing. His 20 points, from a record of 6-2-7, is fairly average for mid-table in the league. The club sits a point in front of 10th place LAFC, two ahead of fellow promoted side Man City, and one behind Giant Hawks in 8th. They have had a mix of wins and losses, having never seen more than two of a result in a row. Results wise, Romero’s defensive pragmatism has meant that even in losses to all top 6 sides, they have not conceded more than three goals in a game. They did experience a three game winless streak (2D1L), with 0-0 draws to Manchester City and Giant Hawks on either side of a 2-0 defeat to First Boxers. On the brighter side, they have recorded close 1-0 results against four different opponents, including other fellow promoted outfit Warriors FC. Most recently, they beat Man City in the opening round of the League Cup, followed not too long later by old league opponents Blush Ninjas in Round 6 of the National Trophy. They then arrested the run of an overperforming Division 2 Inter Miami side, a recent transfer from the Spanish second tier that had already beaten LAFC 1-0. As such, as of the time of writing, they are still active in all domestic competitions.

The Peppers’ squad consists of some key older players mixed in with a growing younger core. Their best player and top scorer in the league is 19-year-old Sierra Leonean Mycah Carver, who is on loan from Birmingham City in the Australian top-flight. He has registered 8 goals in 15 games. Besides him starts the much older, 33-year-old Bermudian international, Jobi van Aanholt. He has put up 7 goals and 2 assists in the same number of games as Carver. Together, therefore, they have one goal per game. Behind that strike partnership lie some of that young-ish core, with Adolfo Beck (25) anchoring the midfield, Ashfaq Jezzard (24) the main focal point of the attack, and Wakaso Dyer (20) cutting in and crossing from the right. Jezzard earned his Division 2 Midfielder of the Year last term (84.14 rating) with 7 goals and 35 assists in 24. So far this season, he has contributed 6 assists in 15 games. Beck’s occasional partners, when he plays in that backline, include defensive pair Mubarak Berkessy and Shepherd Sohail at 28 and 27, respectively. They have kept 10 clean sheets in 15, and the former has even put in an assist.

Nick Romero’s squad hopes to push forward in the second half of the season, to avoid relegation by a larger margin and even push into the top half of the table. Soon, though, they will be met with a back-to-back pair of matches in Nike FC and Black Dragons. The will also find trouble at the tail end of the season, having to play Baltic Lynx in Round 46 followed by Texas FC in Round 48. While they seem somewhat likely to avoid the drop directly, Wonder Peppers will hope to find the extra kick they need to keep them in the league and climbing next season.


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