Events of the month: IFCF Playoff Round, 4 Apex Matchdays, FA Cup Round 1, FFI League of Victors Qualifying Round.
Wick: Welcome to the third month of results, and let us have a look at what has happened in the past month!
Valanora's Raynor City United
Darmen's Plyer: We had our FA Cup over the last 2 days, and honestly, just 1 tie? I am just shocked at this.
Wick: But the damage has been done. Dury FC got knocked out by FC United, Holhot United pulling of a huge 4-0 win over Pacifica, and also Dalaris City being eliminated by Sochra Mudra FC at home. The damage is done.
Plyer: I think Dalaris City's one isn't too bad - they chose to rotate, and this is their outcome. The more shocking one is Pacifica - I think both teams are quite close in terms of skill caps, and really this should have been a closer match, even one that would go to a replay! But alas, a 4-0 clean sweep by Holhot United - kudos to them!
Wick: But we can go back some more to look at the other results. Mancodas City failed to defeat Raynor City United, but I think they done themselves a really good job, almost forcing them to extra time in Valanora.
Plyer: Yeah definitely, I am convinced Mancodas City can pull off some huge win for us in the Challengers Cup, and help us retain our 5th IFCF competition spot!
Wick: I am also having a quick look at the results - I don't think there is much stand-out result over the first half of the Apex, just that some strong teams are too dominant right now in the league and raking up huge goal differences.
Plyer: You said you don't have? I do have one - that is, last Sunday's game between Dury FC and Sarim Potato FC. While we think the latter isn't one of the stronger teams this cycle, the perception out there is that they are a borderline top 4 team. And a team very well capable of contesting for the 4th and 5th place!
Wick: You over estimate the capabilites of Sarim Potato FC. Yes they have a deep squad, but they are either too old or too inexperienced.
Sarim Potato FC
Suggested Lineup (4-4-2):Gerard Mezahi, 25 (GK);
Raneb Otsing, 30 (LB); Samson Salonen, 29 (CB); Rusiko Maestri, 30 (CB);
Lucila Tice, 28 (LM); Haimo Segreti, 33 (CM/ACM);
Anemone Christinsen, 29 (ST); Jordan Huerta, 35 (CF, AM)
Other Players:HÁVAR Sigfinnsson, 23 (GK); Star Ferraro, 20 (GK);
Muriel Logan, 34 (RB); Huangdi MacRae, 33 (CB); Summer Vincent, 24 (CB); Nikkita Alfaro, 25 (CB); Deanna Thomassen, 22 (CB/CDM); Gustavo Caivano, 21 (CB);
Rachel Swantek, 30 (LM); Rosanna Williamson, 23 (RM); Joesph Hensley, 34 (RW, CF);
Mika Toyotomi-Bariain, 34 (CF, SS);
Parjazu, 36 (CF/RW/RM/ST); Freddy Farley, 20 (CF)
Manager: David Stainton, 65
Stadium: Potato Villa (cap. 56,000), Sarim, Tikahs
Honours: -
Last Season: 6th
Team Colours: Orange (eda910), [color]Dark Purple (9d1987)[/color]
Nickname: The Hornets
Play Style: Slightly Attacking
Past 3 Finishes: 6th (Apex S15, 45 pts), 12th (Apex S14, 32 pts), 8th (Apex S13, 44 pts)
PDL Players to Watch: Nando Lorris, 17 (CB); Eluney Laska, 16 (CDM/CB); Katy Devine, 16 (LW); Joseftina Hamilton, 18 (RW)
Wick: Ah, yes, just nice we are talking about this team today. You know, I still don't understand why they have so many older players in this squad.
Plyer: I think they need to be more realistic about their team's performances as a whole. Yes, it is okay for them to get foreign players. But the Sarim Potato FC we know is a club that focuses heavily on their youth players. Look at Jordan Huerta. Look at Joel HAodao. All came through the academy lines of this club and they have shown to be really successful. But look at this club now - in a mess, and not to say its Stainton's fault or anything, but basically the club needs to relook at where they stand in the Apex and how to get themselves back to the pinnacle of performance.
Wick: You are very right. And look at their position in the league - at midway point, they are dead 10th. Slightly below midway. You know, this is what is going to happen to this club if they don't find the correct players and the correct way to deal with this flood of foreign players - stuck in the midfield, somethings bubbling up to the top, and sometimes dropping right to below.
Plyer: And they simply gave Dury FC the confidence. Look at their GD now - +15 after 15 games. Dury FC is starting to regain confidence, while I don't see them being a top 5 team at end cycle, at least they could be close to that position! Something which would be very great given the talent they have in their team right now.
Wick: I think I would like to talk about another mid-tier club as well - looking at the story of Kistina Galaxy.
Kistina Galaxy
Suggested Lineup (4-3-3): Shirou Amatore, 35 (GK); Josef Markikuma, 27 (LB);Arixo Salayaran, 30 (CB);
Erin Matysiak, 29 (CM); Laoghaire Kovács, 29 (DM); Feidelm Lindsay, 29 (CM/AM); Taliah Alcock, 25 (LW);
Alex Warlohff, 32 (ST);
Other Players:Satu Sinisalo, 24 (RB);
Holly Short, 35 (CB);
Iwo Lazarić, 30 (LB); Linas Glas, 20 (CB); Vernon Pineda, 36 (LM/AM/LW); Bogota Hodgoson, 37 (CM); Yorah Botha, 34 (RM);
Jesse Bates, 36 (AM);
Pedro dos Santos, 36 (CM); Cihan Resad, 31 (CM); Johnny Richardson, 28 (CM);
Lo Oise, 23 (ST);
Michael Glossman, 37 (ST); Ashlee Torres, 24 (RW)
Manager: Sylvia Zimari (QAD), 47
Stadium: Theatre of Light (cap. 59,000), Kistina, Ramadau Trish
Honours: -
Last Season: 8th
Team Colours: Yellow
Nickname: Yellow Goldhorns
Play Style: Defence-first
Past 3 Finishes: 8th (Apex S15, 42 pts); 6th (Apex S14, 47 pts); 7th (Apex S13, 46 pts)
PDL Players to Watch: Linas Glas, 20 (CB); Cass Vang, 21 (CF)
Plyer: I think they are doing quite fine. Yes, they also bought a lot from overseas and current, but they seem to be quite reinforced in the correct places...
Wick: No, sorry I have to stop you on that. I don't think they ever recovered properly from the hayday of Valrauncion, the elf who single-handedly carried them to glory. Yes, they got a mix of young and old players, but at this point I still remain very unconvinced about whether this team is truly an IFCF contender.
Plyer: They just need some organisation. If the older players can't keep up to the team's requirements, sell them. Offload them to the other clubs who need them. Keeping those players would be extremely useless for the squad and they can place those precious money somewhere else.
Wick: I think they are just slightly better than Sarim Potato FC. At least the manager is holding the line.
Plyer: Not slightly. I think these two team's fundementals are different. Yes, Kistina Galaxy may not be a tip-top tier, but they are working towards it. They have shown that it is possible. They have beaten Bikarish at home, drew Mancodas City away, and then earlier held both Mancodas Athletic FC and Fiskadaha FC to a draw. While they aren't winning the crucial matches, at least they are not heavily losing. They just need to find the correct players to change the draws into wins.
Wick: Hmm. Not sure if that is exactly the best reflection of the team's performance.
Plyer: I will stand by it - I believe Kistina Galaxy will remain in the top half at the end of the season. Cannot say the same for Sarim Potato FC.
Wick: Let us bring up another squad - shall we? This time, a mid-lower tier club.
Pacifica
Suggested Lineup (4-1-2-1-2): Cillian Lindsay, 31 (GK); Vincent Brett, 29 (LB);
Other Players: Yishmeray Merx, 34 (GK); Silvestre Fertig, 36 (GK); Tylê Kytri, 33 (CB);
Manager: Jordan Bikal, 58
Stadium: Stadium si Pacific (cap. 32,000), Dankasa, Forche
Honours: 1x PFFA Supreme League (S7), 1x PFFA Super League (S5)
Last Season: 7th
Team Colours: White, Orange
Nickname: White Swans
Play Style: Fast-paced attack
Past 3 Finishes: 7th (Apex S15, 45 pts); 13th (Apex S14, 31 pts); 13th (Apex S13, 39 pts)
PDL Players to Watch: Dulce Rocha, 17 (GK); Harper Angelov, 16 (LM); Domnika Blanco, 17 (RM)
Plyer: They really lost a lot in their midfield, am I right?
Wick: Got ransacked there. But then till date I still don't understand how do they have so many defenders.
Plyer: They might need to do some searching this transfer window, but at this point they are still making it through.
Wick: Barely, I would think. Looks great on paper, but still quite a number of holes.
Plyer: In what sense?
Wick: Just a lot of inconsistency. On a good day they can beat Dalaris City 2-1 and win Kistina Galaxy 2-0. On a bad day, they will just not show up like what they did against Dury FC and Mancodas Athletic FC.
Plyer: I think it isn't as bad as it looks. Last season they took a long while to find their ideal backline. This cycle while they have found out, but their midfield is still rather iffy and it depends on whether the team can cope well.
# Team P W D L GF GA GD Pts Form
1 Mancodas City 15 11 2 2 43 15 28 35 WWWDW
2 Fiskadaha FC 15 9 4 2 23 16 7 31 WDWWW
3 Dalaris City 15 9 1 5 26 22 4 28 WWWWL
4 Mancodas Athletic FC 15 7 6 2 25 19 6 27 WWWWD
5 Bikarish 15 8 2 5 30 13 17 26 WLLLW
6 Trimidau Rukiya 15 7 4 4 26 18 8 25 DDLWW
7 Kistina Galaxy 15 6 6 3 16 12 4 24 WWWDW
8 FC United of Mancodas 15 6 5 4 15 11 4 23 DWWDL
9 Dury FC 15 6 2 7 34 19 15 20 LLWDW
10 Sarim Potato FC 15 5 5 5 18 19 -1 20 DDWLL
11 Pacifica 15 5 3 7 19 27 -8 18 DLLWD
12 Dalaris Sports FC 15 5 2 8 19 38 -19 17 LWLLL
13 Cochin FC 15 2 7 6 14 21 -7 13 LDLDD
14 Holhot United 15 3 1 11 7 20 -13 10 LLLLL
15 Sochra Mudra FC 15 2 3 10 14 38 -24 9 LLLDL
16 Trimidau Naksa 15 1 3 11 11 32 -21 6 LLLLD
Jung Petit, 28 (CB); 
Zahir IVANKOVIC, 30 (LB/LWB); Sylvia Fusco, 29 (CM, DM); Xenophon Robson, 30 (RB/RWB); 
Leif Tannenbaum, 28 (CM/CAM); Edoardo Hersch, 23 (CM); Evangaline Felps, 33 (CF); 
Babou Charlemo, 25 (ST)
ZHENG Yuanjun, 31 (ST/RW); Elliott Teo, 22 (CF)
Raashida Kaid, 30 (RB); 
Stephen Williams, 27 (CM); Jessalyn Oliveira, 34 (CM, DM); 
Orzsebet Sághi, 34 (RB); 
EDGAR Nieves Liñares, 36 (DM)
Celia Bianchi, 28 (CB); 
Nikolai Seabury, 32 (CB/LB/RB); Habibah Harding, 20 (LM); Lesia Astrauskas, 33 (CM); Aurica McWilliam, 29 (CM); 
Karrie Price, 28 (ST); 
Intov-Betva Uzo, 35 (RB); Anselm Paulis, 30 (CB); Mitchel Rosales, 36 (LB); Sanchez Yanders, 29 (CB); Alboin Munro, 23 (CB);