#2 Rookie Season

[Aleris]

CPT1 player

Viktoria's rookie season didn't start off exactly had she had planned. Changes were coming to the SSL and organizations from D2 were merging with those from D1 to create a more cohesive league for the fans. It was certainly a surprise when Viktoria was called in after practice and the Reykjavik boss was with her manager and asked her to begin focusing more on playing wingback rather than an attacking role. Viktoria talked it over, she of course was known for trying killer balls and cutting inside. The organization would work with her, but ultimately she was happy to play further back. Her Aunt had loved to play wingback but never really got the chance cause she was such a good central defender. She was happy to follow in her footsteps. The change from Edmonton to Laos was pretty dramatic for Viktoria. It was so HOT!!! ALL THE TIME!!!! It definitely took some adjustment. Laos didn't really start off on the right foot. Viktoria started pretty hot though, getting 3 assists in the first 5 games. Unfortunately Laos lost 2 games in the cup group stage so she wouldn't get out of that. But the team was young and looked promising. Players were bonding and clicking at practice. Despite the mixed bag a results. Viktoria was really enjoying her teammates and her manager. Her best game of the season game against Montreal (she must have felt at home in the cold) where she got a match rating of 7.28 as Laos shut out Montreal 1-0. Not the first shutout of the season, but a hard fought one and a memorable game for Snooks. Other than that, it was pretty uneventful first season. She would have to continue to work on her defensive game and especially her headers. But she was settling into the new wingback role and was starting to work on being versatile between DL and DR.

APPROVED @Aleris - sounds like a healthy start.

[Parriyah]

Player Page

Biography



Misagh Khabiri's journey so far has been an interesting one to say the least. Going from a player who started football at only 19 years of age and not being looked at by any youth teams in Iran, to playing over at Sweden to prove his country wrong, to moving to the US and becoming part of SSL to further his career and now having finished his rookie season with CA Buenos Aires. Khabiri as expected had a much better season with CABA than he did with Sydney City but it was still far from great.

Misagh's main selling point is his shot stopping ability, and lacks any other skill like you'd want from a sweeper keeper. Even with his solid shot stopping talent, he only amassed an okay 63.5% save percentage with a total of 94 saves and 54 goals conceded in 19 games. He's achieved far under the expected save % which was 80.43% but it seems that CABA still have faith in the young player and expect him to slowly grow into a star. All it takes is time in their own words.

It hasn't been all bad however. Khabiri has had multiple games where he's performed well and stopped the team from conceding way more than they should've, earning man of the match in one of his best performances so far and also saved a late penalty during his debut which gave tons of hope to the fans. It's also been rumored that Khabiri's had a massive growth spurt during the off-season and has grown from 6'2 to an insane 6'6 stature which will surely help with his already good shot stopping.

Khabiri and CABA started their season off hot beating the likes of Reykjavík and holding top of the table for a good while, but slowly fell down and lost momentum as the season went on. This time, they want to change that and make sure they will keep clawing to stay at the top. Khabiri himself has stated how excited he is for the new season and wants to show everyone how much he's improved in a short amount of time. Now only time will tell if he truly has or not.

APPROVED @Parriyah - Keeper life is a hard life.

[Blueline]

Biography

Player Page


Looking back on where one has started is always a good measuring stick to see the progress one has made in reaching their goals. Although the journey to the top of the mountain is still a long way out, but it is now finally in view. For Sean O'Leary, his dream of becoming a professional footballer has finally become a reality, as he was drafted 2nd overall to CA Buenos Aires. Second overall...the thought alone of something like that happening is unfathomable. Yet it did and he was ready to prove himself. However, the CA Buenos Aires management decided that it would be best for O'Leary to take one more year to develop in the minor league before making the full transition to the major league. As tough as the news was, he knew that this would only make him stronger.

As O'Leary deboarded the plane in Athenai, a large group of fans were outside with banners, signs and singing the Athenai FC chant. The energy and love were immense, and the situation started to set in for O'Leary. The gravity of it all, almost felt suffocating, but at the same time exhilarating. He was going to be playing in a much more difficult league, with much better players and the room for error was nil. O'Leary's rookie debut was only 8 days away and the cities energy was palpable. The highly touted striker was the talk of the town, in every pub, radio show and on the tele. If this is how electric the fans are here in Athenai, how crazy are they going to be in Buenos Aires, O'Leary thought to himself. As the driver opened the door, O'Leary gave one final wave to the crowd then tucked himself inside.

A short ride later, the care came to a stop. The driver looked up into the rear-view mirror and said, "We are here Mr. O'Leary. Give em hell, rookie!" with a smirk on his face. O'Leary returned a big grin and exited the vehicle. With a long exhale, O'Leary said to himself. "Let's get to work!"

APPROVED @Blueline - the growth curve is real.

[BUM®]

Player Page

Biography


Debuting in Season Nine of the SSL's Division 2, young Attacking Midfielder Jean-Claude Goddamn had a mixed season for Cairo City. He made 17 appearances including Cup games, with the highlight being his 2 Goal, 1 Assist effort against Accra, which resulted in an impressive 8.91 rating. On the other hand, his 6.01 rating against Tokyo in a Round 1 Cup game where he contributed absolutely nothing to his team, despite running around like a madman for 12.1 km. 

Goddam's style of play in his rookie season was all-out attack, and made it glaringly obvious to most D2 SSL fans and experts that until he was able to work on the defensive and general play attributes, he would be somewhat of a liability to Cairo City. To his credit however, he did work on those areas and although still weak, his ratings and contributions to a disappointing S9 for Cairo improved and previous critics were now posting a little less on social media and even praising him, although mildly, when the performance warranted it. Overall it was a poor performance for Cairo, who finished with only 3 wins, 11 losses and a goal difference of -25. It was Jean-Claude's first exposure to the reality of senior professional football and the sheer class difference between Pro level play and where he had come from in Belgium the previous year. 

Media outlets were questioning Cairo as to why they persisted with such a mediocre player when they were trying to climb the league table and compete for promotion to Division 1. It was a fair question, but persist they did and their faith in Jean-Claude's abilities would be tested as they headed into Season 10 of the SSL.

Code:

323

APPROVED @BUM® - I remember letting those two goals in for Accra and wondering "who is this guy?" Now I know.

[Domffl]

CPT 1

Ali Dia


You know, there's just something about being the only active on a Minors team that really just gets you fired up to be in the league, haha. But that's alright, because despite the lack of actives, FC Kaapstad is sitting in a fairly comfortable 2nd place! Winning the Minors league is all but decidedly impossible, but the 2nd place is firmly within our grasp--it's our spot to lose! Kaapstad is also the only team that was able to pull a W out of a clash with North Shore this season, beating them handedly 5-1. But don't let one result fool you, we are not the better team. That's just the power of home field advantage. We still have to play them one more time this season at their stadium, so plenty of time to eat my words. 
But all in all, Ali Dia has enjoyed a favorable rookie season. Even though he has played the majority of the season at RB before switching positions to play AM®, Dia has 3 goals, 1 assist, and contributed 4.22 xG across 11 games between League and Cup. Not bad considering the team around him! The goals that he has scored have been in crucial situations. His one goal in Cup play was part of a 2-1 win that kept Kaapstad's tourney dreams at least attainable in the Group stage, though they did not end up advancing to the quarter finals. And his other goals in league play were also a part of close games that have saved Kaapstad from dropping points. While Dia certainly has a lot to work on in his game, he has at least been a solid defensive force, nabbing a top 5 spot in interceptions through 8 games. And his movement on the ball has helped create scoring chances, as he is also in the top 10 in dribbles. Kaapstad would not be in the position in the table that they are now without Ali Dia.

APPROVED - @Domffl - I wish you a full division 1 locker room, soon!