2025-04-15, 04:01 PM - Word count:
Greetings readers. This is the last post for this week. Maybe I should have spaced them out? Oh well. Too late now. I'll be going over my predictions on how the table of the Minor league will look at the end of the season. We've got 2 new teams so everyone will be playing 18 games in the league. A pretty big step up. Now, without further ado, I'll show you my table and then we'll go into more detailed discussion.
Okay now. I can already assume I've ruffled a lot of feathers. I'm not here to convince you that my order is right. I'm here to explain why I think it will play out like this. It will be easiest to start from the top and then work our way down.
1st Montreal United: Okay so, there is going to be a lot of bias here naturally. I am a Montreal player. However, I will try to justify why. Firstly, we are already favorites to win this season since we are defending champions. Secondly, the team didn't lose any players to the Majors that they couldn't functionally replace with their draft picks. Thirdly, Kaapstad and NSU didn't really get that much better with this draft, but I'll go more into detail when I get to them. To keep this short. Montreal is functioning with 80% of the squad that already won the league and they didn't get hit with regression. They have new talent that is very promising and fits into their system so no compromises need to be made.
2nd F.C. Kaapstad: Okay, we're only up to the second spot and I know I already have some doubting me. Yes, I think that once again NSU will finish 3rd. The core of Kaapstad is very strong and they have veteran players who've played a lot. All are fully active players. On the surface they look perfect to win this season and I think they will come very close. However, I think their one flaw is that most of their attacking players are new. I know they are very good on the pitch and active with the community. In fact, I played in Istanbul with Dohbra. But I think that the lack of experience will catch up to them and they will miss those crucial few goals to turn draws into wins.
3rd North Shore United: Oh how the mighty have fallen. Well not very far. Many would kill for third place. But after winning the league 5 seasons in a row, standards get shifted. NSU is actually going to get hit with several problems at once. Firstly, half of their team is young while the other half is ancient. Secondly, they have 4 inactive players and 1 who is retiring at the end of the season. Thirdly, their Major club always takes priority, so we can expect better players to always be put into Reykjavik. All in all, I still think NSU is just too good to sink any lower than third but all of these factors, combined with a new goal keeper, will make them struggle this season when compared to previous ones.
4th AS Paris: From here on out, my predictions get less solid and more speculative. For now the standings just look like I'm listing the previous season, but trust me, things will change. So why is Paris here? Simple. Good but not good enough. Their draft was decent and their squad is a very good mix of age with nearly all players also being active. So where is the catch? Well it's the lack of a proper attack. Don't get me wrong. Paris do have attacking players. But their depth lies in their midfield. Not many can fill the role of a proper number 9 up top and one bad injury or red card can stop all your attack. I think the biggest downfall for Paris will be draws as I'm confident in their ability to protect their goal.
5th Seoul MFC: I swear this isn't just a copy of the previous season just like...50% of it. So, why do I think Seoul won't improve this season? Firstly, like with all other clubs who got a new GK this season, it will affect them. A young and inexperienced goalkeeper will make mistakes. Second, half of their squad is S20 players. They are going to lack the stats to compete over the course of nearly 20 games in the league. To their benefit, they do have a good amount of players who are experienced but still also growing. As such, not every position will be lacking ability. I'm sure they will have at least one win against a much better opponent but it won't be enough to shift their place. At least they are set for very good future growth.
6th Athenai FC: Finally a change from the previous season! Yes I think Athenai will improve though just slightly. They got a good draft, fixing holes in their defense and they aren't overly depending on the newbies as there still exists a seasoned core in the team to guide them. They lack larger goal scoring threats but with this boost to their defense and midfield, I think they will be a able to kill games off more easily when they get an early advantage or lock down opponents to save a draw. Not much else to say. A minor boos and nothing negative really.
7th Krung Thep FC: Finally we reach the new teams. I'm going to be honest, these two places can switch easily. I don't see much of a difference and this deep down the table just a win or two can shift many positions. So let's start with the ballers from Thailand. Same issue with many clubs around them in this list. Lots of new players. it was inevitable. That's just how expansions are. But They were able to poach a few veterans so I think they will be able to pull of a few surprising points here and there.
8th Rapid Magyar SC: Pretty much the same story as Krung Thep. They have a few more veterans but a lost of them are inactive, retiring or regressing hard. Or all of the above. Still, I think the Hungarians can pull off a few points here and there. We shall see how the new teams develop. They will most likely have to lean more on their tactical knowledge rather than player quality.
9th Cairo City: Oh Cairo, sweet Cairo. Speaking of relying on S20 players. All I can say is holy shit. This is basically just an Academy team fresh from graduation. Ten players. Ten players in Cairo are new. The kids have fight in them. I should know, I'm part of S20 as well. But there is not a chance in hell you can make a whole team out of them and expect any good result. I think the team knows that too. They are just going to do their best to develop as soon as possible and hopefully next season they can do more.
10th Inter London: Yikes. One of the oldest clubs in the SSL. I can only work with what I have and unless some free agents are signed, London have seven players in total. Five of whom are S20. As it stands London can't field a team let alone compete for anything. Romana isn't doing much better. The whole organization will have to work really hard to pull anything off in the next three seasons. Let alone this one.
1. Montreal United
2. F.C. Kaapstad
3. North Shore United
4. AS Paris
5. Seoul MFC
6. Athenai F.C.
7. Krung Thep FC
8. Rapid Magyar SC
9. Cairo City
10. Inter London
Okay now. I can already assume I've ruffled a lot of feathers. I'm not here to convince you that my order is right. I'm here to explain why I think it will play out like this. It will be easiest to start from the top and then work our way down.
1st Montreal United: Okay so, there is going to be a lot of bias here naturally. I am a Montreal player. However, I will try to justify why. Firstly, we are already favorites to win this season since we are defending champions. Secondly, the team didn't lose any players to the Majors that they couldn't functionally replace with their draft picks. Thirdly, Kaapstad and NSU didn't really get that much better with this draft, but I'll go more into detail when I get to them. To keep this short. Montreal is functioning with 80% of the squad that already won the league and they didn't get hit with regression. They have new talent that is very promising and fits into their system so no compromises need to be made.
2nd F.C. Kaapstad: Okay, we're only up to the second spot and I know I already have some doubting me. Yes, I think that once again NSU will finish 3rd. The core of Kaapstad is very strong and they have veteran players who've played a lot. All are fully active players. On the surface they look perfect to win this season and I think they will come very close. However, I think their one flaw is that most of their attacking players are new. I know they are very good on the pitch and active with the community. In fact, I played in Istanbul with Dohbra. But I think that the lack of experience will catch up to them and they will miss those crucial few goals to turn draws into wins.
3rd North Shore United: Oh how the mighty have fallen. Well not very far. Many would kill for third place. But after winning the league 5 seasons in a row, standards get shifted. NSU is actually going to get hit with several problems at once. Firstly, half of their team is young while the other half is ancient. Secondly, they have 4 inactive players and 1 who is retiring at the end of the season. Thirdly, their Major club always takes priority, so we can expect better players to always be put into Reykjavik. All in all, I still think NSU is just too good to sink any lower than third but all of these factors, combined with a new goal keeper, will make them struggle this season when compared to previous ones.
4th AS Paris: From here on out, my predictions get less solid and more speculative. For now the standings just look like I'm listing the previous season, but trust me, things will change. So why is Paris here? Simple. Good but not good enough. Their draft was decent and their squad is a very good mix of age with nearly all players also being active. So where is the catch? Well it's the lack of a proper attack. Don't get me wrong. Paris do have attacking players. But their depth lies in their midfield. Not many can fill the role of a proper number 9 up top and one bad injury or red card can stop all your attack. I think the biggest downfall for Paris will be draws as I'm confident in their ability to protect their goal.
5th Seoul MFC: I swear this isn't just a copy of the previous season just like...50% of it. So, why do I think Seoul won't improve this season? Firstly, like with all other clubs who got a new GK this season, it will affect them. A young and inexperienced goalkeeper will make mistakes. Second, half of their squad is S20 players. They are going to lack the stats to compete over the course of nearly 20 games in the league. To their benefit, they do have a good amount of players who are experienced but still also growing. As such, not every position will be lacking ability. I'm sure they will have at least one win against a much better opponent but it won't be enough to shift their place. At least they are set for very good future growth.
6th Athenai FC: Finally a change from the previous season! Yes I think Athenai will improve though just slightly. They got a good draft, fixing holes in their defense and they aren't overly depending on the newbies as there still exists a seasoned core in the team to guide them. They lack larger goal scoring threats but with this boost to their defense and midfield, I think they will be a able to kill games off more easily when they get an early advantage or lock down opponents to save a draw. Not much else to say. A minor boos and nothing negative really.
7th Krung Thep FC: Finally we reach the new teams. I'm going to be honest, these two places can switch easily. I don't see much of a difference and this deep down the table just a win or two can shift many positions. So let's start with the ballers from Thailand. Same issue with many clubs around them in this list. Lots of new players. it was inevitable. That's just how expansions are. But They were able to poach a few veterans so I think they will be able to pull of a few surprising points here and there.
8th Rapid Magyar SC: Pretty much the same story as Krung Thep. They have a few more veterans but a lost of them are inactive, retiring or regressing hard. Or all of the above. Still, I think the Hungarians can pull off a few points here and there. We shall see how the new teams develop. They will most likely have to lean more on their tactical knowledge rather than player quality.
9th Cairo City: Oh Cairo, sweet Cairo. Speaking of relying on S20 players. All I can say is holy shit. This is basically just an Academy team fresh from graduation. Ten players. Ten players in Cairo are new. The kids have fight in them. I should know, I'm part of S20 as well. But there is not a chance in hell you can make a whole team out of them and expect any good result. I think the team knows that too. They are just going to do their best to develop as soon as possible and hopefully next season they can do more.
10th Inter London: Yikes. One of the oldest clubs in the SSL. I can only work with what I have and unless some free agents are signed, London have seven players in total. Five of whom are S20. As it stands London can't field a team let alone compete for anything. Romana isn't doing much better. The whole organization will have to work really hard to pull anything off in the next three seasons. Let alone this one.
![[Image: wjZShPO.png]](https://i.imgur.com/wjZShPO.png)
