2025-02-20, 05:27 AM - Word count: 2221
(This post was last modified: 2025-02-20, 05:30 AM by Daleks. Edited 1 time in total.)
With the S20 academy season well underway with the largest draft class in SSL history, let us return to the past. 10 seasons ago in fact, for draft class S10.
The S10 class have now reached their peak and are performing at their top potential. Which begs the question, who are they and what journey did they partake?
Unfortunately, the S10 class turned out to be one of the more lackluster ones in recent history. There are 10 players that have not retired yet, with only 5 being part of a team, and only 2 of them have been active. So, who are the ones that broke the curse of this generation?
![[Image: Eog6thA.png]](https://i.imgur.com/Eog6thA.png)
Momo Adamu, Tokyo S.C.
Momo Adamu is currently playing for Tokyo S.C. as a ball playing defender. The Nigerian, who is a natural LWB, was picked in the first round of the draft as the third pick. They started their professional career at Cairo City, where they played a D(L) and WB(RL), where they had a very rough first season. Their season average was only a 6.41, which put them as the third worst player out of everyone that has had 5 appearances or more.
Their performances would improve next year, where their average rating increased to 6.75, but he still had a long way to go until he became the player he is today. The struggles continued for another year, until he was eventually moved to Tokyo S.C. The first season in their new team in what is now Season 13 would prove to be a breakout season. A 7.18 rating alongside their first player of the match award. Later seasons would prove to be a bit uneventful, but Momo Adamu continued showing stellar performances.
They took part in their first ever international tournament in Season 18 with West Africa. In the same tournament, they managed to score 2 goals during a group stage match against South America. He scored another against Canada in the same group. They managed to bring their team to the quarters finals, where they inspired their team to yet another victory against Oceania. They scored their fourth and final goal in the season in yet another victory, this time in the semi-finals against Central America Carribean. Unfortunately, they did not manage to take it all the way to the end, as they lost against Benelux, who took revenge after being beaten in the group stages. That year he also achieved his second ever player of the match performance.
Which brings us to today, where Momo Adamu is enjoying a good start of the S19 season with Tokyo S.C.
Kurt Lightning, Hollywood F.C.
Our next player is situated in the other side of the Pacific ocean, in Hollywood F.C. Currently utilised as a deep lying playmaker in the CDM position, his career started very differently. Graduated from the academy as a natural LAM, he would be picked as the first overall pick in the draft, by Hollywood F.C. Moved straight onto the first team, he was retrained as a natural CM and CDM. His first season started off well, achieving an average rating of 7 across all his 13 appearances. His next few seasons would not go as well, but he would prove himself to be a capable passer, possessing over 90% pass completion rates across most of his seasons.
Season 16 would prove to be one of his best seasons, as he managed to get an average rating of 7.05 and even recieve a player of the match award. Curiously enough, that same season would see one of his lowest pass completion rates in his entire career. Has a change in playstyle benefited him?
Next season would see a particularly daring venture, as he has now started a few games playing as a D©, providing solid results.
In the S18 international tournament, Kurt Lightning was part of a successful Pyrenees campaign. The team started of rough, as Lightning's goal was the only saving grace in a 6-1 defeat. A dominant 6-2 win against the USA and a 3-0 victory over Asia (where Kurt Lightning scored the first goal of the game in the form of a penalty) would see them through to the knockout stage. A 3-0 victory over Eurasia, that featured a first minute goal by Kurt Lightning, would make them see the semi-finals, where they were toppled by the eventual tournament winners Benelux in a dominated 3-0 defeat.
In present day, Kurt Lightning is still part of Hollywood F.C, where they enjoyed a dominant season opener against A.C. Romana.
This is where our group, or in this case duo, of active players unfortunately ends. The next three had less impressive, but still solid, careers. Their early innactivity has lead them to not have the most impressive of peaks, but they nonetheless had careers that they can look back at fondly.
Dombrofski Maximiliano, Montréal United
This CM is currently playing in the first team of Montréal United as a... CM. Drafted as the overall number two pick in the first round by Schwarzwälder FV.
He has initially been deployed as a versatility player for minors team Montréal United, having played D®, DM and M© with only 6 appearances in his first season in the professional leagues. He would be employed in the same roles next season, but with more playing time with 17 appearances. and a respectable average rating of 6.94.
In season 13, he would finally break into the first team of Schwarzwälder FV with a incredible season. Averaging a whole 8.4 rating across his entire season and with a player of the match award to boot, this season has put him in the top 25 best players in the league early in his career.
Next season, while not as impressive, was still very good. Another player of the match and a 7.14 average rating has marked him as a very reliable player. The same story next season; a player of the match trophy and a 7.25 rating. This pattern repeats in season 16, season 17 (albeit without a player of the match trophy) and season 18 (again, without a player of the match trophy).
He would also be a part of that seasons Oceania squad. Tie against Eurasia and the British Isles and a close 3-2 win against East Africa (where left wing playing Maximiliano scored the second goal for Oceania) would see them advance to the quarterfinals. They lost 0-1 against West Africa, who would later go on to be come runner ups of the tournament.
In season 19, Dombrofski Maximiliano has been moved to where his career first started, to Montréal United.
Jake Bradford, CA Buenos Aires
This player is currently playing for CA Buenos Aires, where is currently being utilized as an inverted winger on the right side.
The 8th overall pick in the draft, drafted by Athênai F.C. His first season at Athênai F.C. started of on a pretty average note, averaging a 6.7 rating across all his appearances. In the next season, he would already be moved to CA Buenos Aires. There, he improved, achieving an average rating of 7.02. In season 13, he managed to pick up his first player of the match award. He would one up himself next season, by winning 2 more player of the match awards.
Season 15 would be one of his best seasons yet, with a 7.09 rating and 13 goals, a goalcount that put him tied for the 10th best goalscorer of the league.
Season 16 ended up being an unremarkable year for the US forward, but season 17 is a different story. 19 goals, 5 assists and an average rating of 7.49 would mark this a season to remember. The goalcount would bring him to be the 5th best goalscorer of the league. Season 18 would continue the form, especially in the international tournament.
Playing for Central America Carribean as one of two strikers, Bradford would have the tournament of his life. The first game against Pyrenees was a perfect performance. A hattrick giving him a rating of 10 and player of the match. The next game would not see the same consistency from the international team, only being able to tie against Asia, with Bradford being the best player. The third game was against the USA, where Bradford scored the winning goal, sending them to the knockouts.
In the quarter finals, they would face Norden. After a close first half, Bradford manages to close the game completely by providing a hattrick in the second half in a player of the match performance, sending Norden home.
In the semi finals, Bradford would face fellow draft class of S10 player Momo Adamu. If you remember Momo Adamu's story, you would know this does not end well for Bradford. Bradford scored the equalizer late into the match, only for his team to suffer a heartbreaking defeat, as their opponents scored 2 more goals in the dying minutes of the game.
After such a tournament, what is next for Bradford? He has now reached his peak and playing for CA Buenos Aires. Is this part of his final tour, or does he still have a long career left in him?
Sören Panda, Athênai F.C.
And finally, we reach our player with a team in Sören Panda. Part of the Athênai F.C. side, this player has not started a game yet this season, which does not give a positive outlook for a long playing career.
The 7th overall pick, also drafted by Athênai F.C. just behind Jake Bradford, would have a weak start in his first season. Playing as a AM (LC) and ST©, his first season would see him have an average rating of just 6.55. His next season would see him improve, with 6.71.
In what would be a terrible season 13 with an average rating of 6.49, he would move to CA Buenos Aires.
Season 14 would be finally the season where he finds himself. A 7.21 rating with 2 player of the match awards. The next season would see him achieve the exact same rating.
In season 16, he would be moved back to Athênai F.C. to prove a point. And he did, with a 7.42 rating and 3 player of the match awards, making him one of the top players in the league.
In season 17, the fire has unfortunately burnt out with just a measly 6.75 rating. This performance would unfortunately cause him to not be picked for the Norden squad in the international tournament. He produceda 6.99 rating for his club, but that was not enough to convince the team to keep him in the main squad for the current 19th season of the league. Is Sören Panda ready to eye up retirement?
And that is all of the players that currently have teams. The free agents have all had unremarkable careers, so I will only be very quickly recapping them:
-Half-Time Orange Slices: RM that was the 4th overall pick in the draft, drafted by F.C. Kaapstad. This goes to show that not all top draft picks go on to have top careers. He played one decent season until he was let go and never picked up again.
-Jules Pelletier: ST, 10th overall pick, drafted by Athênai F.C.: two meh seasons, until producing an incredible 8.03 rating in his third season. It seems his training showings in the next pre-season were not good, as he was let go.
-Alexandra Laurent: CD, 9th overall pick, drafted by Cairo City. They would play until the 14th season until they were let go. They had solid seasons, especially a very good season 13. There seems to be an odd trend here, with players being let go shortly after a career high performance. It is true that their last season, season 14, was not incredibly remarkable.
-Omar Hamza: CD, 5th overall pick, drafted by Hollywood F.C. Hamza would make a few good sub appearances until they were let go.
-Pål Vaffel: ST, 15th overall pick, drafted by Seoul MFC.
Those were all the currently not retired players of the S10 draft class. There were a few more players in the S10 class, but they have now all retired. A story on them is perhaps a story for another time, as this article has now reached a great length. If you want to do some more digging on the history of S10 players, here is a photo of that season's draft.
Fun fact: Nikola Raonic has played a few games for the current Istanbul academy team!
![[Image: JSuIYTN.png]](https://i.imgur.com/JSuIYTN.png)
The S10 class have now reached their peak and are performing at their top potential. Which begs the question, who are they and what journey did they partake?
Unfortunately, the S10 class turned out to be one of the more lackluster ones in recent history. There are 10 players that have not retired yet, with only 5 being part of a team, and only 2 of them have been active. So, who are the ones that broke the curse of this generation?
Momo Adamu, Tokyo S.C.
Momo Adamu is currently playing for Tokyo S.C. as a ball playing defender. The Nigerian, who is a natural LWB, was picked in the first round of the draft as the third pick. They started their professional career at Cairo City, where they played a D(L) and WB(RL), where they had a very rough first season. Their season average was only a 6.41, which put them as the third worst player out of everyone that has had 5 appearances or more.
Their performances would improve next year, where their average rating increased to 6.75, but he still had a long way to go until he became the player he is today. The struggles continued for another year, until he was eventually moved to Tokyo S.C. The first season in their new team in what is now Season 13 would prove to be a breakout season. A 7.18 rating alongside their first player of the match award. Later seasons would prove to be a bit uneventful, but Momo Adamu continued showing stellar performances.
They took part in their first ever international tournament in Season 18 with West Africa. In the same tournament, they managed to score 2 goals during a group stage match against South America. He scored another against Canada in the same group. They managed to bring their team to the quarters finals, where they inspired their team to yet another victory against Oceania. They scored their fourth and final goal in the season in yet another victory, this time in the semi-finals against Central America Carribean. Unfortunately, they did not manage to take it all the way to the end, as they lost against Benelux, who took revenge after being beaten in the group stages. That year he also achieved his second ever player of the match performance.
Which brings us to today, where Momo Adamu is enjoying a good start of the S19 season with Tokyo S.C.
Kurt Lightning, Hollywood F.C.
Our next player is situated in the other side of the Pacific ocean, in Hollywood F.C. Currently utilised as a deep lying playmaker in the CDM position, his career started very differently. Graduated from the academy as a natural LAM, he would be picked as the first overall pick in the draft, by Hollywood F.C. Moved straight onto the first team, he was retrained as a natural CM and CDM. His first season started off well, achieving an average rating of 7 across all his 13 appearances. His next few seasons would not go as well, but he would prove himself to be a capable passer, possessing over 90% pass completion rates across most of his seasons.
Season 16 would prove to be one of his best seasons, as he managed to get an average rating of 7.05 and even recieve a player of the match award. Curiously enough, that same season would see one of his lowest pass completion rates in his entire career. Has a change in playstyle benefited him?
Next season would see a particularly daring venture, as he has now started a few games playing as a D©, providing solid results.
In the S18 international tournament, Kurt Lightning was part of a successful Pyrenees campaign. The team started of rough, as Lightning's goal was the only saving grace in a 6-1 defeat. A dominant 6-2 win against the USA and a 3-0 victory over Asia (where Kurt Lightning scored the first goal of the game in the form of a penalty) would see them through to the knockout stage. A 3-0 victory over Eurasia, that featured a first minute goal by Kurt Lightning, would make them see the semi-finals, where they were toppled by the eventual tournament winners Benelux in a dominated 3-0 defeat.
In present day, Kurt Lightning is still part of Hollywood F.C, where they enjoyed a dominant season opener against A.C. Romana.
This is where our group, or in this case duo, of active players unfortunately ends. The next three had less impressive, but still solid, careers. Their early innactivity has lead them to not have the most impressive of peaks, but they nonetheless had careers that they can look back at fondly.
Dombrofski Maximiliano, Montréal United
This CM is currently playing in the first team of Montréal United as a... CM. Drafted as the overall number two pick in the first round by Schwarzwälder FV.
He has initially been deployed as a versatility player for minors team Montréal United, having played D®, DM and M© with only 6 appearances in his first season in the professional leagues. He would be employed in the same roles next season, but with more playing time with 17 appearances. and a respectable average rating of 6.94.
In season 13, he would finally break into the first team of Schwarzwälder FV with a incredible season. Averaging a whole 8.4 rating across his entire season and with a player of the match award to boot, this season has put him in the top 25 best players in the league early in his career.
Next season, while not as impressive, was still very good. Another player of the match and a 7.14 average rating has marked him as a very reliable player. The same story next season; a player of the match trophy and a 7.25 rating. This pattern repeats in season 16, season 17 (albeit without a player of the match trophy) and season 18 (again, without a player of the match trophy).
He would also be a part of that seasons Oceania squad. Tie against Eurasia and the British Isles and a close 3-2 win against East Africa (where left wing playing Maximiliano scored the second goal for Oceania) would see them advance to the quarterfinals. They lost 0-1 against West Africa, who would later go on to be come runner ups of the tournament.
In season 19, Dombrofski Maximiliano has been moved to where his career first started, to Montréal United.
Jake Bradford, CA Buenos Aires
This player is currently playing for CA Buenos Aires, where is currently being utilized as an inverted winger on the right side.
The 8th overall pick in the draft, drafted by Athênai F.C. His first season at Athênai F.C. started of on a pretty average note, averaging a 6.7 rating across all his appearances. In the next season, he would already be moved to CA Buenos Aires. There, he improved, achieving an average rating of 7.02. In season 13, he managed to pick up his first player of the match award. He would one up himself next season, by winning 2 more player of the match awards.
Season 15 would be one of his best seasons yet, with a 7.09 rating and 13 goals, a goalcount that put him tied for the 10th best goalscorer of the league.
Season 16 ended up being an unremarkable year for the US forward, but season 17 is a different story. 19 goals, 5 assists and an average rating of 7.49 would mark this a season to remember. The goalcount would bring him to be the 5th best goalscorer of the league. Season 18 would continue the form, especially in the international tournament.
Playing for Central America Carribean as one of two strikers, Bradford would have the tournament of his life. The first game against Pyrenees was a perfect performance. A hattrick giving him a rating of 10 and player of the match. The next game would not see the same consistency from the international team, only being able to tie against Asia, with Bradford being the best player. The third game was against the USA, where Bradford scored the winning goal, sending them to the knockouts.
In the quarter finals, they would face Norden. After a close first half, Bradford manages to close the game completely by providing a hattrick in the second half in a player of the match performance, sending Norden home.
In the semi finals, Bradford would face fellow draft class of S10 player Momo Adamu. If you remember Momo Adamu's story, you would know this does not end well for Bradford. Bradford scored the equalizer late into the match, only for his team to suffer a heartbreaking defeat, as their opponents scored 2 more goals in the dying minutes of the game.
After such a tournament, what is next for Bradford? He has now reached his peak and playing for CA Buenos Aires. Is this part of his final tour, or does he still have a long career left in him?
Sören Panda, Athênai F.C.
And finally, we reach our player with a team in Sören Panda. Part of the Athênai F.C. side, this player has not started a game yet this season, which does not give a positive outlook for a long playing career.
The 7th overall pick, also drafted by Athênai F.C. just behind Jake Bradford, would have a weak start in his first season. Playing as a AM (LC) and ST©, his first season would see him have an average rating of just 6.55. His next season would see him improve, with 6.71.
In what would be a terrible season 13 with an average rating of 6.49, he would move to CA Buenos Aires.
Season 14 would be finally the season where he finds himself. A 7.21 rating with 2 player of the match awards. The next season would see him achieve the exact same rating.
In season 16, he would be moved back to Athênai F.C. to prove a point. And he did, with a 7.42 rating and 3 player of the match awards, making him one of the top players in the league.
In season 17, the fire has unfortunately burnt out with just a measly 6.75 rating. This performance would unfortunately cause him to not be picked for the Norden squad in the international tournament. He produceda 6.99 rating for his club, but that was not enough to convince the team to keep him in the main squad for the current 19th season of the league. Is Sören Panda ready to eye up retirement?
And that is all of the players that currently have teams. The free agents have all had unremarkable careers, so I will only be very quickly recapping them:
-Half-Time Orange Slices: RM that was the 4th overall pick in the draft, drafted by F.C. Kaapstad. This goes to show that not all top draft picks go on to have top careers. He played one decent season until he was let go and never picked up again.
-Jules Pelletier: ST, 10th overall pick, drafted by Athênai F.C.: two meh seasons, until producing an incredible 8.03 rating in his third season. It seems his training showings in the next pre-season were not good, as he was let go.
-Alexandra Laurent: CD, 9th overall pick, drafted by Cairo City. They would play until the 14th season until they were let go. They had solid seasons, especially a very good season 13. There seems to be an odd trend here, with players being let go shortly after a career high performance. It is true that their last season, season 14, was not incredibly remarkable.
-Omar Hamza: CD, 5th overall pick, drafted by Hollywood F.C. Hamza would make a few good sub appearances until they were let go.
-Pål Vaffel: ST, 15th overall pick, drafted by Seoul MFC.
Those were all the currently not retired players of the S10 draft class. There were a few more players in the S10 class, but they have now all retired. A story on them is perhaps a story for another time, as this article has now reached a great length. If you want to do some more digging on the history of S10 players, here is a photo of that season's draft.
Fun fact: Nikola Raonic has played a few games for the current Istanbul academy team!
See you all in the S20 draft, as the new class of players will be looking to learn upon the mistakes of players from seasons past, and build upon the success of those who broke free from the curse. Maybe we will all see each other again 10 seasons from now, teaching our history to a new crop of players for the draft of S30.
![[Image: qgFfIx6.png]](https://i.imgur.com/qgFfIx6.png)
