UNITED FOOTBALL LEAGUE SEASON 8
PREVIEW
"Football? What the hell is that?" the MMA fans drunkenly exclaimed.Team | City | Province | Manager | Captain |
AC Espene | Espene | Grote Vrede | Pieter Bergsma | Vladimir Balakirev |
Catherina FC | Catherina | Catherina | Edward Ekdal | Cael McBride |
Cavalry | Cacalecher | Le Pays de la Douche | Rene le Jeune | Henri Boisclair |
Cleopatrana SC | Cleopatrana | Rextaria | Baghdasar Parsamyan | Ryan Keating |
Coldwater | Kalinin | Valhalla | Boris Ishutin | Aleks Yakovlev |
First City | Corcorran | Rextaria | Ernie Davis | Jack Sanders |
Jasmine Island Peacocks | Jasmine Island | Agrivova | James Hochstetler | Frank Kidham |
Manchester | Manchester | Brentaria | Martin Walker | Rhys Lewis |
Manchester Wolves | Manchester | Firinsymnia | Jack Fuller | Odhran O'Glissane |
Metro Tirana | Tirana | Catherina | Ivica Perica | Josef Charvat |
Ossiana FC | Ossiana | Firinsymnia | Roland Verwoold | Reginald Spencer |
Southwest Meredith | North Quinniville | Stenrick | Cale Robbins | Erik Hovhannisyan |
Steckholl United | Quinniville | Stenrick | Tim Landers | Lloyd Jones |
Stockton | Stockton | Firinsymnia | Jos Haarhuis | Geghard Nazarian |
Three Cities | Cleopatrana, Christiana, Corcorran | Rextaria | Cardinal Merek | Alen Gradišnik |
Valhalla Vikings | Valhalla | Valhalla | Kimi Rautavaara | Leontij Kornijchuk |
JASMINE ISLAND PEACOCKSThe Peacocks finally return to the top league after winning the B League title by four points, but they have an uphill battle to hang on. True, they do retain UFL B Golden Ball winner Gregory Moore and Golden Boot winner Alex Gilroy, and they've upgraded their team with Jamarion Colon and Tristan Chicoine, but unfortunately, top tier football is a different level and they haven't leveled up in the same way that Southwest Meredith managed to do this off-season.
Last Season: Champions, UFL B
Prediction: 16th
COLDWATERIt wasn't so long ago that Coldwater was the surprise runners-up of the league, a performance that got their coach Boris Ishutin the nod to run the national team that made it all the way to the World Cup. The man is still there, but his talent pool is as shallow as ever and his magic may be running out. Its core last year of former Golden Ball winner Margons Kraulis, Silvio Grosskopf, and Aayden Honigsburg are all gone. The midfield consists of Gregg Simmons, who's represented Delaclava at various levels and is still just 22, and Angelo Schimpf, while Christian Fischer should be a capable keeper, but otherwise there's a dearth of players you'd consider as mid-tier capability.
Last Season: 12th
Prediction: 15th
SOUTHWEST MEREDITHMaking the jump from the B league to the A league is notoriously difficult in this system, but this suburban Quinniville club has put together a handy little squad that may be able to hang out. First City's Kian Zimmer minds the net, South Newlandian prospect Noe Fernandes and South Harbor's Oscar Hawkins head up the defense, 19-year-olds Eric Barker (South Harbor) and Jonathan Thomson (Portarubea FC) provide a particularly strong midfield core, and longtime Steckholl United fixture Erik Hovhannisyan looks to show off his goalscoring capabilities just across town.
Last Season: Runners-up, UFL B
Prediction: 14th
THREE CITIESThe Triurbans retain their Golden Glove winner Bob Huffman, but they continue to be a revolving door for offensive talent. This year, it's Mikota Sundecic and Gheni Nasyrov who join the rotation. Nasyrov is a former U18 player and tore it up not long ago in the B league, and he still shared the Golden Boot there in an "off" year. Other prospects like Phoenix White and Lucas Lambton may some year develop into stars. But most likely not this year.
Last Season: 11th
Prediction: 13th
OSSIANA FCA rebuilding year for this team which has fallen from grace, underperforming last season and seeing Sayer Aylmer and Hubert Adamek gone to free agency. Reginald Spencer, the ever-graceful and capable keeper, continues to handle the pressure and become the emotional leader in the post-Papadimitrou years. With no major additions in free agency, it looks to be another lean year, but one in which teenagers Evangelos Politelis and Aidan O'Galvin will get valuable experience.
Last Season: 13th
Prediction: 12th
METRO TIRANAMetro Tirana faces a challenge to remain competitive after even with the mercurial talents of Mathias Gretler, they could only manage a tenth-place finish. Their defense sees reinforcements with Endzhela Khardziani (Gatchingerrak Union) and Pau Pan, while Valentyn Pospisil joins Aset Panova to try to mount an effective offense. A balanced approach may serve them well but they don't have the top-level talent to quite get into the upper half of the league.
Last Season: 10th
Prediction: 11th
STECKHOLL UNITEDCompetitive sport is a zero-sum game, and Steckholl United has been perhaps the biggest victim of the increased depth of the league. Club leadership has struggled to attract, develop, and retain top talent and battled financial issues in past years. They were relatively active in the transfer window, losing strikers Jack Sanders and beloved figure Erik Hovhannisyan, but adding midfielder Aayden Honigsburg and keeper Robert Alexander to join Edward Anderson, and midfielders Lloyd Jones and Timothy Mitchell. But as it stands, they carry a lot of old, dead weight and don't possess anyone who's been national-team talent in the past five years.
Last Season: 8th
Prediction: 10th
FIRST CITYA tough team to predict, who by all accounts overachieved past season. They were already an offensively productive team who made a major upgrade with Jack Sanders from Steckholl United, and Gahiji Nader will be a capable, if not better, backstop replacement for Kian Zimmer. DF Timothy McLeod and Kit Atkinson also return. But it's wise to keep in mind what's actually expected of them. There's still plenty of depth and talent in the lead they must contend with.
Last Season: 6th
Prediction: 9th
MANCHESTERThe title defense looks bleak. It was already a surprise enough to get it, leaning heavily on Golden Ball winner Myron Michelakakis as well as defender Toby Barker and striker Rhys Lewis, and keeper Riley Brook certainly did his job as one of the finest at his position. But Manchester was simply left behind and did not make any of the offseason upgrades that would bolster an upstart squad. This is a solid team that put it all together last year, but lightning rarely strikes in the same spot twice.
Last Season: Champions
Prediction: 8th
STOCKTONStockton made some big moves this offseason that we've very excited about, luring away Yuezhou striker Jia Duguan from Quebecois club Northandryun Rovers and poaching top B-league keeper Kian Gardner from Juegas. They've managed to put together an all-around solid core including defenders Olivier De Ven and Albert-Jan Fikke, midfielders Rodas Soria and former national team player Geghard Nazarian. The league may have to do an investigation into some of their practices, but until then well done by the front office and we can't wait to see it play out on the field.
Last Season: 14th
Prediction: 7th
CLEOPATRANA SCThey've started to regress to the mean after a few truly excellent years, but this is a team that could perhaps land themselves in IFCF competition. It's perhaps the best midfield in the league, consisting of national team fixtures Kagir Dimayev and Bulat Umarov, bubble player Mark Stone, late bloomer Mino Cabarcos, and...oh, Ryan Keating is back? It's hard to know what else he has to play for, and yet here he is, so it'd be difficult to question his motivation too much. Sayer Aylmer is also a major offensive upgrade for the team. The Pharaohs have uncharacteristic defensive weakness, with the corps headed up by Thiseas Remallis, but if they can hold up, this squad may continue to surprise a few folks.
Last Season: 7th
Prediction: 6th
VALHALLA VIKINGSOne of the most intriguing offseason stories was the Vikings' acquisition of Siovanija and Teusland's ferocious and strong center back Erik Kunst, offloaded by CSKA Quebec. He headlines a crop of foreign players who will be the first of their kind in the new United Football League. It's enough of an upgrade and a huge pickup for a traditionally defensive team who seeks to get back to that playing style - not necessarily one that will make all the difference, but enough of a change to move them into a different tier. Kunst is joined by midfielders Milan Andreasen, Zygmunt Sobol, and promising young keeper Phillippe Belley.
Last Season: 9th
Prediction: 5th
AC ESPENEThey're a bit past their peak years now, but the players of the Golden Age who haven't left for greener pastures - Leo Danjalsson, Nikita Balodis, Steffan Mikines, Vladimir Balakirev - are all still around and still dangerous. And this team isn't afraid to be innovative. They've added the young defender Silvio Grosskopf, joined by Drawkian collegiate Carey Milton. Veteran Frits Vis of The Cordian Isles also is a clever addition to the midfield. Opposing teams may have trouble figuring out some of these new key pieces, and if AC Espene can figure it out first, maybe they do have a title shot once again.
Last Season: 4th
Prediction: 4th
MANCHESTER WOLVESThe Wolves return from a banner year in which they finally inserted themselves in the top echelon of the league and only barely lost the title of the One True Manchester. Golden Boot winner Joey Muldowney returns, and the rest of the world's loss is the Wolves' gain. The same could be said for Odhran O'Glissane, an energetic presence at TIkarotian club Port Tacassam FC, but the club never quite gave him the time of the day. The Wolves retain most of their core, including Andrew Watson and Myron Simallis, and intriguingly will have the aging Kobe de Vroome on the bench this year. They will have to contend with the significant upgrades Cavalry and Catherina FC have made, but they're ready for the challenge.
Last Season: Runners-up
Prediction: 3rd
CAVALRYCavalry shocked us all with a third-place finish last season, and they've made some big moves to try to inch just a bit higher. They lose national team defender Marc Champagne to the Q-League, but honors midfielders Slavomir Prusik, Didier Brouillard, and Francis St-Hilaire and Golden Glove winner Divid Bedell remain. And perhaps the biggest change: Roman Tesarik and Dominik Tesar are back to bolster the offense, and for a team that prided itself on defense, this may be the missing puzzle piece.
Last Season: 3rd
Prediction: Runners-up
CATHERINA FCThe historic best team of the league is back and they're out for blood. The reality is that they massively underachieved last year through some misfortunes, but the quality of right back Josh Torres and striker Damian Soto is unquestioned. Hubert Adamek joins a very strong midfield corps of Cael McBride, Johan Bussler, and Michael Roberts. And the administration shelled out for Farf forward Alberto Juancho of Euran team Old Boys Club to join Soto and Austin Lang. Maybe we have to re-assess after another lackluster season, but this is still looking like a championship squad until proven otherwise.
Last Season: 5th
Prediction: Champions
UFL LEAGUE B
SEASON PREVIEW
Twenty-four teams take part this year in Delaclava's second-tier league. No teams are at risk of relegation this year, but the top four teams will have an opportunity to play off for spots in the United Football League next year.
Team | City | Province | Manager | Captain |
Acertao | Acertao | Straka | Heleel Turabi | Denis Gagnon |
Athens | Athens | Rextaria | Craig Xanthis | Mark Urban |
Borrson | Gothenberg | Sveydan | Maksim Moroshkin | Stephen Rogers |
Brunswick | Brunswick | Hess | Matt Stronk | Conrad Gregory |
Eryseos | Eryseos | Rextaria | Declan Mullins | Helge Andreassen |
Filbertiens | Justina | Filbertiana | Alessandro Conti | Axel Weber |
Geneticists National | Catherina | Catherina | Hector Hovhannisyan | Mate Heilbron |
Glotónes | Encenadora | Salvencedor | Dhiego Vera | Christopher Hall |
Good Liz Walsh | Elizabetha | Bane | Frankie Roy | Amos Russell |
Juegas | Santa Lourdes | Straka | Ana Alejandro | Chad Wallace |
Kings Club | Corcorran | Rextaria | Jesse Boyle | Peter Miller |
Luton FC | Luton | Verceola | Jeff Becker | Roy Wright |
Mersatha Beach | Mersatha | Rextaria | Tiki Tolku | Geghard Darbinyan |
Oxford | Oxford | Farland | Luther Rogers | Celso Bassanelli |
Parakeet FC | Roborro | Laslisque | Dolfo Villamarin | Emile Beaudoin |
Portarubea FC | Portarubea | Senzymnia | Ronaldo Carvalho | Kelly Joseph |
Rhodes | Rhodes | Rextaria | Budzimir Ulicionak | Carl Martinez |
Sands of the Flowers | Mariana | Ojstiz | Donnel Cartier | Nevada Wakefield |
Sindsyge FC | Sindsyge | Verceola | Joseph Peters | Clint Frazier |
South Catherina | Catherina | Catherina | David Dell | Jumabek Umarov |
South Harbor | Ojstiz | Ojstiz | Steven Bishop | Abram Cobb |
Tigers | Laurelum | ? | Selemon Chebet | Simon Sulc |
Triniteras Pride | Triniteras | Triniteras | Grigor Mooshian | Jamie May |
Wynnville Warriors | Wynnville | Verceola | Jared Thompson | Michael Rogers |
Going for the Gold: Wynnville Warriors, Rhodes, Athens, Filbertiens, Luton FC, Sindsyge FC
Settling for Satisfactory: South Harbor, Good Liz Walsh, Borrson, Tigers, Oxford, South Catherina
Preserving their Pride: Juegas, Sands of the Flowers, Portarubea FC, Eryseos, Kings Club, Acertao
Battling Out of the Bottom: Parakeet FC, Brunswick, Glotónes, Geneticists National, Triniteras Pride, Mersatha Beach