2026-03-31, 10:09 AM - Word count:
(This post was last modified: 2026-03-31, 10:13 AM by rrf_1. Edited 1 time in total.)
31 Mar 2026
As I part with my Academy team and look ahead to my professional career, the Victoria Falls Eagles have just one more question left for me to close out this series:
In short, I’m thrilled with my new organization! In the draft, I was selected by the Tokyo and Cairo organization along with Juliette Greer, Vivi Nefertari, Von Nguyen, and Sheppard Vakarian. All five of us are headed to Cairo to join a pretty young group in the Minor league. Of course, the Victoria Falls fans are already familiar with Vivi and Von, who lined up as right-sided forwards on the opposite corner from me this season. It is comforting knowing that I am starting my career already with a few familiar faces with me. Juliette and Sheppard are both defensive players that will help round out the defensive box for Cairo City this season, and I’m excited to play with them because I think we will complement each other especially nicely. I have strengths in aerial challenges and interceptions, Juliette is an excellent tackler, leading all Academy players this season with 48 tackles and 5 key tackles on an 82.8% win rate, and Sheppard has a special nose for getting the team out of trouble, leading the Academy with 3.8 clearances per 90 minutes despite only appearing in 4 matches. It will be a lot of fun learning how to best support each other during games, and we should also be able to strengthen each other’s weakness by working together in practice, since we all bring something unique to the team. My draft class gets me excited about signing with Tokyo and Cairo City.
Beyond my future teammates from this draft, I am also eager to be joining some great players that are already on the roster, too. Tokyo’s first draft pick last season, Bodhi Grizz, should stay in the defensive midfield for Cairo this season, so I especially look forward to building a partnership with him and learning from their recent experience in the minor league. Tokyo also has the oldest active player in the league Momo Adamu, who has logged an impressive 15-season career so far at both full back and center back roles. That level of longevity is extremely rare, and it's something I hope to replicate over my career. Also from Nigeria, Momo will be an incredible mentor for me as long as they stay in the league, especially if we play opposite each other along the Cairo defensive back line this season.
On the bigger picture, I am also excited by the deep history of the Tokyo and Cairo clubs. Tokyo and Cairo City were two of the six original clubs of the SSL when it formed 25 seasons ago. Across several structural changes during the first 9 seasons, they competed against each other in the major division, and then in season 12 they were unified into the combined organization as we know it today. Across the organization's history, there have been many legends that have shaped the identity and success of the clubs, and knowing that I am following behind players with awesome legacies in the SSL is a big motivator for me to deliver on the expectations of the team, our management, our fans, and the rest of the league. It is cool to be joining something that shares roots with the entire league.
So far, everyone I have met within the Tokyo and Cairo City organization has been extremely welcoming. I'm honored that they believe in me to represent the organization for the future, and I will dedicate myself to making sure they don't regret it. Thank you to Victoria Falls for helping me get here, and I wish the next batch of Academy recruits luck!
As I part with my Academy team and look ahead to my professional career, the Victoria Falls Eagles have just one more question left for me to close out this series:
Quote:How do you feel about where you landed in the draft?
In short, I’m thrilled with my new organization! In the draft, I was selected by the Tokyo and Cairo organization along with Juliette Greer, Vivi Nefertari, Von Nguyen, and Sheppard Vakarian. All five of us are headed to Cairo to join a pretty young group in the Minor league. Of course, the Victoria Falls fans are already familiar with Vivi and Von, who lined up as right-sided forwards on the opposite corner from me this season. It is comforting knowing that I am starting my career already with a few familiar faces with me. Juliette and Sheppard are both defensive players that will help round out the defensive box for Cairo City this season, and I’m excited to play with them because I think we will complement each other especially nicely. I have strengths in aerial challenges and interceptions, Juliette is an excellent tackler, leading all Academy players this season with 48 tackles and 5 key tackles on an 82.8% win rate, and Sheppard has a special nose for getting the team out of trouble, leading the Academy with 3.8 clearances per 90 minutes despite only appearing in 4 matches. It will be a lot of fun learning how to best support each other during games, and we should also be able to strengthen each other’s weakness by working together in practice, since we all bring something unique to the team. My draft class gets me excited about signing with Tokyo and Cairo City.
Beyond my future teammates from this draft, I am also eager to be joining some great players that are already on the roster, too. Tokyo’s first draft pick last season, Bodhi Grizz, should stay in the defensive midfield for Cairo this season, so I especially look forward to building a partnership with him and learning from their recent experience in the minor league. Tokyo also has the oldest active player in the league Momo Adamu, who has logged an impressive 15-season career so far at both full back and center back roles. That level of longevity is extremely rare, and it's something I hope to replicate over my career. Also from Nigeria, Momo will be an incredible mentor for me as long as they stay in the league, especially if we play opposite each other along the Cairo defensive back line this season.
On the bigger picture, I am also excited by the deep history of the Tokyo and Cairo clubs. Tokyo and Cairo City were two of the six original clubs of the SSL when it formed 25 seasons ago. Across several structural changes during the first 9 seasons, they competed against each other in the major division, and then in season 12 they were unified into the combined organization as we know it today. Across the organization's history, there have been many legends that have shaped the identity and success of the clubs, and knowing that I am following behind players with awesome legacies in the SSL is a big motivator for me to deliver on the expectations of the team, our management, our fans, and the rest of the league. It is cool to be joining something that shares roots with the entire league.
So far, everyone I have met within the Tokyo and Cairo City organization has been extremely welcoming. I'm honored that they believe in me to represent the organization for the future, and I will dedicate myself to making sure they don't regret it. Thank you to Victoria Falls for helping me get here, and I wish the next batch of Academy recruits luck!
![[Image: ihJvO77.png]](https://imgur.com/ihJvO77.png)
