2024-12-11, 09:35 AM - Word count:
For Uniao Sao Paolo and season 17's place in SSL history, words will forever fail to capture the magnitude of their struggle, and you can't even call it a struggle. Sao Paolo lost season 17, the whole season, all season long. No wins, no draws, no results at all. They scored nine goals all told against 100 surrendered. Sao Paolo fans gave the season a shot, as hope most definitely springs eternal, but their presence in the stadium went through several stages in season 17: false hope, followed by deflation, dismay, and embarrassment.... but never resignation. Never that.
Going into the offseason, the top brass in Sao Paolo had a bear of a task in front of them. It was abundantly clear, this team needed a shakeup in a bad way, and an infusion of young talent from the draft was the ideal place to start. With the #1 overall pick staring them in face - and 7 more beyond that - it was most certainly an opportunity to shuffle the deck and maybe even turn the page on a season to forget. This piece serves as an early analysis of the recent draft with a bit of conjecture over just where this team's fortunes might be heading.
#1OA - Julian Rubio ST
With the first overall pick and an oceanic 91 goal deficit to improve upon from the previous year, Sao Paolo selected the young Andorran striker to immediately face-lift their attack. In Rubio, Sao Paolo gets a premium athlete to plug right into the squad. When it comes to their build as an athlete, Rubio is all footwork. Consensus is Rubio can match anyone in the SSL in a foot race, profiling with elite level acceleration and sprinting speeds combined with exceptional agility and balance. There is plenty to work on for the young Rubio. While wickedly fast, Rubio's physicality is a notable weak point that may need to be addressed in time as they will be consistently over-matched against stronger, more physically inclined defenders on the pitch. Even with these perceived deficiencies, Rubio's name invokes a consistent response by everyone polled: Star.
#17OA - Joao Peixoto CD
In Peixoto, Sao Paolo adds a stalwart defender. Peixoto is a bull with near-elite speed on defense, with an aptitude to get aerial and impose their physical presence on attackers near the box. Peixoto will immediately slide into a prominent role on the defense, even in the early stages of their career before rounding out some of the finer skills suitable for their role. In the short term, some holes in their game might leave Sao Paolo a tad exposed, namely Peixoto's awkward passing ability. When dishing it out, Peixoto might be better off just tapping it back to the keeper for more quality distribution.
#22OA Benicio Aguilera III GK
Paris gets their first new piece in Aguilera, potentially Sao Paolo's goal keeper of the future. Blessed with elite level reflexes and exceptional positioning, agility and balance, Aguilera is ready to guard the net for Paris right away. With Calvin Ball on the big league club, it's Aguilera's job to captain Paris' defense on their own trajectory back to relevance at the minor league level.
#25OA Chef Gagne CDM
I'll risk breaking the fourth wall here, drafting my Chef for the central defensive position was a bold and bodacious move. Gagne is a bowling ball on defense, possessing competitive physicality in speed, acceleration and strength albeit with plenty of room to grow. Gagne has a strong aptitude for being in the right position ahead of time, minimizing the need to be the purest of sprinters. His real strength comes in his ability to defer to others. An elite facilitator, Gagne's chief attribute is his willingness and proclivity for finding a teammate and getting them the ball - even in traffic.
#32OA Greedy McFootcakes LM
Greedy represents a strong defensive upgrade for Paris. Possessing a balanced menagerie of attributes, Greedy sacrifices pure speed for a range of competence in agility, pace, composure, and vision. When in possession they'll dictate tempo as needed and they aren't afraid to try a fancy trick or two in the spotlight.
#41OA Lugnut Somnolentus CM
Lugnut brings a broad balance of critical midfielder skills to Paris. They are appropriately aggressive for the role, which a strong proclivity for tackling and a knack for finding themselves correctly positioned for every potential game situation.
#49OA Ron Wince CDM
A strong defender and talented passer, Wince is a long-passing chess piece with a broad base of skills to make an immediate impact. With some consistent training they can be a force for the main club in short order.
#57OA Irepsej Imeinaktok CM
A jack of all trades early on, Imeinaktok is a proper foil in all areas of play and a qualified speed bump to gum up opposing offenses. With a little training and refinement, they'll start slamming doors in faces and be the difference in many a match.
#65OA Leandro CAM
"Senor Irrelevant" the final pick in this year's draft has proven to be a dedicated competitor with an axe to grind. A talented facilitator for the Parisian attack, their passing abilities and courage on the pitch will create opportunities and result in plenty of quality chances as Paris finds their competitive feet.
In conclusion -
So far so great for Sao Paolo's rebuild. After 4 matches, Sao Paolo has already boldly overcome expectations, seizing two victories and a draw in four decisions. Their 8 goals thus far is only 1 shy of their entire haul from season 17. The fans have been going crazy, returning to the stadium in force and breathing infectious positivity into the team, upper management, and the city at large. While their youth and relative inexperience will most likely find them over-matched against top teams, there is magic in the air around this team. They have scratched, clawed and bruised their way into relevance in an astonishingly short amount of time and the future has never looked any brighter for the young Brazilian squad.
Going into the offseason, the top brass in Sao Paolo had a bear of a task in front of them. It was abundantly clear, this team needed a shakeup in a bad way, and an infusion of young talent from the draft was the ideal place to start. With the #1 overall pick staring them in face - and 7 more beyond that - it was most certainly an opportunity to shuffle the deck and maybe even turn the page on a season to forget. This piece serves as an early analysis of the recent draft with a bit of conjecture over just where this team's fortunes might be heading.
#1OA - Julian Rubio ST
With the first overall pick and an oceanic 91 goal deficit to improve upon from the previous year, Sao Paolo selected the young Andorran striker to immediately face-lift their attack. In Rubio, Sao Paolo gets a premium athlete to plug right into the squad. When it comes to their build as an athlete, Rubio is all footwork. Consensus is Rubio can match anyone in the SSL in a foot race, profiling with elite level acceleration and sprinting speeds combined with exceptional agility and balance. There is plenty to work on for the young Rubio. While wickedly fast, Rubio's physicality is a notable weak point that may need to be addressed in time as they will be consistently over-matched against stronger, more physically inclined defenders on the pitch. Even with these perceived deficiencies, Rubio's name invokes a consistent response by everyone polled: Star.
#17OA - Joao Peixoto CD
In Peixoto, Sao Paolo adds a stalwart defender. Peixoto is a bull with near-elite speed on defense, with an aptitude to get aerial and impose their physical presence on attackers near the box. Peixoto will immediately slide into a prominent role on the defense, even in the early stages of their career before rounding out some of the finer skills suitable for their role. In the short term, some holes in their game might leave Sao Paolo a tad exposed, namely Peixoto's awkward passing ability. When dishing it out, Peixoto might be better off just tapping it back to the keeper for more quality distribution.
#22OA Benicio Aguilera III GK
Paris gets their first new piece in Aguilera, potentially Sao Paolo's goal keeper of the future. Blessed with elite level reflexes and exceptional positioning, agility and balance, Aguilera is ready to guard the net for Paris right away. With Calvin Ball on the big league club, it's Aguilera's job to captain Paris' defense on their own trajectory back to relevance at the minor league level.
#25OA Chef Gagne CDM
I'll risk breaking the fourth wall here, drafting my Chef for the central defensive position was a bold and bodacious move. Gagne is a bowling ball on defense, possessing competitive physicality in speed, acceleration and strength albeit with plenty of room to grow. Gagne has a strong aptitude for being in the right position ahead of time, minimizing the need to be the purest of sprinters. His real strength comes in his ability to defer to others. An elite facilitator, Gagne's chief attribute is his willingness and proclivity for finding a teammate and getting them the ball - even in traffic.
#32OA Greedy McFootcakes LM
Greedy represents a strong defensive upgrade for Paris. Possessing a balanced menagerie of attributes, Greedy sacrifices pure speed for a range of competence in agility, pace, composure, and vision. When in possession they'll dictate tempo as needed and they aren't afraid to try a fancy trick or two in the spotlight.
#41OA Lugnut Somnolentus CM
Lugnut brings a broad balance of critical midfielder skills to Paris. They are appropriately aggressive for the role, which a strong proclivity for tackling and a knack for finding themselves correctly positioned for every potential game situation.
#49OA Ron Wince CDM
A strong defender and talented passer, Wince is a long-passing chess piece with a broad base of skills to make an immediate impact. With some consistent training they can be a force for the main club in short order.
#57OA Irepsej Imeinaktok CM
A jack of all trades early on, Imeinaktok is a proper foil in all areas of play and a qualified speed bump to gum up opposing offenses. With a little training and refinement, they'll start slamming doors in faces and be the difference in many a match.
#65OA Leandro CAM
"Senor Irrelevant" the final pick in this year's draft has proven to be a dedicated competitor with an axe to grind. A talented facilitator for the Parisian attack, their passing abilities and courage on the pitch will create opportunities and result in plenty of quality chances as Paris finds their competitive feet.
In conclusion -
So far so great for Sao Paolo's rebuild. After 4 matches, Sao Paolo has already boldly overcome expectations, seizing two victories and a draw in four decisions. Their 8 goals thus far is only 1 shy of their entire haul from season 17. The fans have been going crazy, returning to the stadium in force and breathing infectious positivity into the team, upper management, and the city at large. While their youth and relative inexperience will most likely find them over-matched against top teams, there is magic in the air around this team. They have scratched, clawed and bruised their way into relevance in an astonishingly short amount of time and the future has never looked any brighter for the young Brazilian squad.
