Season 22 Results:
Upper Leagues, Cup, International
Gill’s tap-in tally from a goalmouth scramble in the dying moments of the first half proved all the Blues needed, as their back line put on a clinic, and Sotelo was excellent, thoroughly frustrating Capitalizt’s talented array of attackers. It has to be said that Siv Cap were perhaps not yet firing on all cylinders at this early stage of things, and that the Supercup isn’t exactly the most prestigious thing a team can win. Still, for two clubs both eager to expand their collections of silverware, it was still a closely contested match, and Kristiansson’s side will be pleased to come away winners.
There was really very little drama to be found in the Superleague’s 20th season, more’s the pity. Oh sure, there was the battle between Brantisvogan, Megabrantid, and Siv Cap for who would take second-place, and the last spot in the Champions League, along with the usual drama over which of half a dozen clubs would claim fifth. But the truth is that what everyone usually looks for, a title race that goes down to the wire, was completely absent. Algolia had the league all but sewn up with five matches to spare, as their draw, combined with Megabrantid’s loss on Matchday 29 saw them climb 15 points clear of the three teams tied for second. There also was really little doubt at the bottom of the table, with Wavel and Brasta spending most of the season in the league cellar, and never even looking likely to climb even up to 16th and the chance to save themselves in the playoff.
Superleague Final Table:
Pos Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
1 Algolia AC 34 21 10 3 64 25 +39 73 IFCF CL, Hui Lā
2 Brantisvogan FC 34 19 6 9 55 40 +15 63 IFCF CL
3 Sivolvia Capitalizt 34 18 6 10 57 42 +15 60 IFCF ChC
4 Megabrantid SC 34 16 11 7 47 25 +22 59 IFCF ChC
5 Chalesm FC 34 14 12 8 28 17 +11 54 IFCF ChC
6 Jaglan Royals 34 15 8 11 44 40 +4 53
7 Vogsphere United 34 14 10 10 46 37 +9 52
8 FC Santraginus 34 14 7 13 29 28 +1 49
9 Damogran FC 34 14 6 14 43 36 +7 48
10 Syneca AC 34 14 6 14 35 35 0 48
11 Emerald Coast AC 34 11 9 14 38 55 −17 42
12 Lublova Reds 34 11 8 15 43 56 −13 41
13 Yassaca FC 34 10 9 15 34 36 −2 39
14 Olympia Arkintoofle 34 9 10 15 35 51 −16 37
15 Interblag FC 34 10 6 18 41 54 −13 36
16 Sporting Jaglan 34 10 5 19 37 57 −20 35 Relegation Playoff
17 Brasta FC 34 7 9 18 14 33 −19 30 Relegated to League 1
18 Wavel AC 34 7 6 21 15 38 −23 27 Relegated to League 1
Natalia Rossi had one league title on her shelf already and a domestic double at that, but it was anything but a dominant season, with the Suntigers claiming just under 60% of points possible to record the worst record of any Superleague champion in Season 18. No one can criticize this season’s effort though. By points percentage, it’s the third-best campaign in the 20-year history of the Superleague. What is perhaps the most impressive part of this is that their entire defense, the back line and goalkeeper, consists of their own youth products. Their unmatched youth development at the back left them free to load up the attack with talent from the window, as well as stacking the bench deep with veteran depth.
Brantisvogan finish second for the fourth time in the past five years, though they can’t really file this one under the category of “so close” after finishing ten points back of Algolia. The defense, and Topić’s goalkeeping remained steady as they have been for some time, but goalscoring dropped off sharply, to the lowest level since Ekstrom’s early years of mid-table finishes. It wasn’t a terrible performance in front of net, good enough for third in the league goalscoring race, but it was a far cry from their recent standard, and a big part of the reason they weren’t able to keep pace with the Suntigers. There were issues on the right wing, where neither Gestaurien or Afmadu appeared ready to pitch in at the level needed, and we perhaps got a small hint of why Ji no longer features for the Yue national team. The longtime Red Flash target man was still good, but didn’t seem to have the dominance in the box he’s shown so often in years past. It has to feel like fixing bubbly wallpaper for Ekstrom, trying to get his second league title.
Sivolvia Capitalizt have played as much football as any team in the league this season, reaching the quarters of the Confederacy Cup, entering the Champions League only to fall to the Challengers Cup, but rally to make the group stage of that competition. Stumbling in a tough group, but hanging on to reach the Associations Trophy, and seeing off giants Spartangrad, Fontvielle Impact, and 1830 Cathair to make the final of that competition. Is it any wonder, then, that their league form dropped off a bit after two consecutive titles? Like Brantisvogan, it’s hard to be too critical, as this was still a strong performance by any standard other than that set by Algolia. Sargsa again led the league in goalscoring, and the team played well, when they were able to deploy their best. Over the long haul of the season, however, that didn’t happen often enough between injury and fixture congestion. Moon will likely look to improve attacking depth as he looks ahead to the window.
For Megabrantid, it was also a fairly strong season, particularly on defense, which again would have looked a lot better had the title race not been such a rout. Like Brantisvogan and Capitalizt, though, they saw a bit of a drop-off in goalscoring from their recent trend. In the Firm’s case, this wasn’t so surprising, with their captain and key playmaker hanging up her boots at the end of last season along with her main understudy. More shuffling may be necessary to reconstitute the midfield and get the ball moving smoothly up to Nianzou and Holmberg again. The back line had an excellent season, though, led by Türrângel and Jakšić, and Shim appears to have rediscovered the form of his youth that briefly made him Quebecois top choice.
Chalesm had a fantastic defensive performance, only conceding once every two matches. A pity they couldn’t muster up enough goal support to take advantage of Sotelo and company’s great work. The shine has definitely come off former globetrotter, Eld, as he’s not been at all up to the role of feature striker in his three seasons with the Blues. It wouldn’t be surprising to see quite a few changes in Chalesm, as the club appears to have plateaued, and needs some kind of kick if they’re going to find a way to realistically compete for a title. Fortunately for them, there’s a fair amount of young talent to build around, particularly in midfield, along with a rock solid back line that isn’t aging too much just yet.
Tantalizingly close to another Challengers Cup berth, but Royals came up just short in the end, with a bit of a leaky defense holding them back from making a stronger push for the top five. It seems strange to say, but Mercier did not have a great season, and one has to wonder whether he was hampered by some minor undisclosed injury. This is another team where its unclear whether they need to stay their current course and just make minor adjustments, as Algolia have successfully done, or whether something more drastic is needed for them to have a chance at their first Superleague title. Schmelling is certainly starting to feel his seat warming, as the pressure to continue their improvement under his management and take full advantage of their young core is mounting.
Vogsphere were by far the most improved team in the league, rebounding from near relegation back to their top half amibitions, very nearly snatching a surprise fifth-place in Dolnight’s debut season. Reuniting Peynir and Viren worked wonders for team defense, and winning the ball and controlling it at a better rate translated to a significant improvement in midfield as well. They still need a little something more if they want to be taken seriously as a potential league contender, but it’s an excellent step back toward relevance.
Santraginus held steady in Geladi’s second season, continuing to employ their counterattacking style to generally good effect. Wilson-Didh and Johnstone were each in excellent form for much of the season. Darbo’s debut in midfield was a qualified success; he neither wowed nor disappointed. A shortage of first-team ready homegrown talent may hold them back from improving much more than this though, as it will be difficult to upgrade the side without running afoul of roster restrictions.
Not quite the leap upward that Damogran were hoping for, but it was incremental improvement in Cole’s second season. They’re still in some ways a club in transition, with the last of the old championship players moving out one by one and a new cadre of young talent trying to find the side’s new identity. Young captain Tórrez, along with Boreal and Arda are all players who need to continue making strides if things are going to succeed here. If they can become a new version of the old D’Amico-Gyôrffy-Starosta connection, then the Eagles will have a bright future.
It’s hard to pin down just what is or is not happening with Syneca. For the past four seasons they’ve swung between just above the midpoint of the table, on the edge of true relevance, to just below it. They’ve certainly not been a bad team, least of all considering their lesser finances and smaller market than every side ranked above them. Still, it’s been a bit frustrating to watch them fail to follow through on obvious potential twice over this four year span. They have no shortage of talent, but haven’t been able to put it all together yet. One wonders if Mikhulat has taken this team as far as he can.
Emeralds have emulated Olympia and Wavel, landing comfortably in the mid-table in their first season back in the top flight. They’re somewhat a team of both past and future, with longtime veterans who’ve spent over a decade in Vassilian rubbing shoulders with the young talent that fans hope will carry them through the top tier for the decade to come. With their prolific youth academy still churning out talent, it’s easy to see Emeralds very quickly getting used to life in the top tier once again.
Another season, another one place climbed in the final table for Larriane’s Lublova. At this rate, they only need another 11 seasons before they can hoist the trophy. Larriane may have the lifespace and patience to wait that long, but he’d have to replace more or less his entire roster by that time. The Reds were fortunate to stay healthy this season, helping them make their small improvement. For the future though, the aging first team needs to be Larriane’s primary focus, or else regression is going to hit hard.
Bit of a head-scratcher for Atherton and the Tigers. This was supposed to be the season where they started seeing real improvement. Instead, despite reinforcing with Gavax-Ajark and Shimski, the defense was a bit worse than last season, and the team lost position in the final table. It comes down to the awkward midfield personnel, and their frequent inability to cope with opposing width, leaving Binici and Najm with entirely too much work to do. Atherton’s put off bringing in a true winger for a couple seasons now, addressing more pressing concerns, but it’s clear that she can wait no longer.
Olympia might have dreamed of riding their unlikely results over the past two seasons to steal a Challengers Cup spot, but it was never a likely outcome. They’re far from a bad team, with Qusma internationals Xelez-Matez and Sevet-Matez (the Qus’mates as they’re sometimes affectionately known), among other talented players. But several of their best are nearing the end of the line, and they don’t have the star power throughout the lineup to truly compete at the level needed in the top half of the Superleague. If Olympia really hope for a return to the old days, they’re going to need to flex a little financial muscle a la Siv Cap and bring in some bigger names.
Interblag have had one hell of a run this season. They made it all the way to the semis of the Cup, only losing to Traal on penalties, and have stormed through the Liga B all the way to the final. They’ll travel to Kanmer to face Evenfar FC of Pasarga in that final. Despite all of that extra football played, they’ve kept pace in the league just enough to avoid the drop zone, with Veseli rotating players in and out of the lineup like a madwoman and reserves up and down the lineup stepping up to play their needed roles. “Next man up” doesn’t even begin to describe the job they’ve done.
Sporting have had it. Yafai’s fate was likely sealed even before a final matchday drubbing in Yassaca confirmed the Rebels for the relegation playoff. Terrible team defense, a shaky performance from Jefferson in his debut season, and an attack that was, while not totally anemic, unable to keep the ball often enough and generally just couldn’t keep up. Whoever takes over at manager is going to need to take a long hard look at this roster, to figure out who’s going to help this side climb out of the hole they’ve dug, and who just needs to go.
Brasta managed to show up the doubters and stave off relegation for one season, but that was all they could manage. Their attack was completely toothless. Jughash’s form fell off a cliff, Maranga and Huet were left stranded up front, and the central trio were invisible for long stretches, doing little with or without the ball. Maturen and the back three did a creditable job while under siege, but it was nowhere near enough to save this club.
Wavel had a pretty atrocious season. Pirin needed to do much more in the window than bring in one defensive player, as her attack was nearly as bad as Brasta’s. When you can’t even manage a goal every other game, you’re clearly not meant to be here. This has to be the death knell for Isasne’s hopes of making it in the top tier, and won’t do any favors for Walsh or Reis having hope of a move to a bigger club either. Goodish news for Wavel, as they’ll likely be able to keep the roster relatively intact in the second tier if they want to, but should they?
League 1 Final Table:
Pos Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
1 Traal Athletics 38 22 8 8 49 25 +24 74 Promoted to Superleague, IFCF LBCT, Hui Lā, IFCF CWC
2 Han Dold City 38 21 7 10 62 33 +29 70 Promoted to Superleague, IFCF LBCT
3 Stavromula United 38 19 8 11 41 29 +12 65 Promotion Playoff, IFCF LBCT
4 Striterax FC 38 18 8 12 66 42 +24 62
5 Viltvodle City 38 17 11 10 49 41 +8 62
6 Arkintoofle United 38 17 10 11 57 45 +12 61
7 Hensha Rockets 38 17 10 11 45 41 +4 61
8 KFX Halazem 38 16 11 11 48 37 +11 59
9 Viltvodle United 38 15 12 11 43 32 +11 57
10 Golgafrincham City 38 15 9 14 43 32 +11 54
11 UFC Flamarion 38 14 12 12 35 38 −3 54
12 Flania Zarss 38 12 13 13 52 51 +1 49
13 Athletic Damogran 38 11 13 14 54 61 −7 46
14 FC Sjerezo 38 11 9 18 48 56 −8 42
15 Rudlit Miners FC 38 9 13 16 34 56 −22 40
16 Dynamo Lublova 38 8 14 16 23 37 −14 38
17 Cramshananteen AC 38 9 10 19 40 59 −19 37
18 FC Hunian 38 8 12 18 35 55 −20 36 Relegation Playoff
19 Olympia Sasava 38 9 8 21 40 71 −31 35 Relegated to League 2
20 FK Kakrafoon 38 8 10 20 27 50 −23 34 Relegated to League 2
Are Traal back? Well back in the top tier they certainly are. Remains to be seen whether they can make something of that, but they put together a strong league campaign in a crowded field, clinching the league with a match to spare. Both VIltvodle clubs, Arkintoofle, Halazem, and Striterax were also among the pre-season favorites, so Munib definitely deserves credit for setting the Oilers comfortably above all those teams as the dust now settles. Promoting Ronan Pharlain to starting goalkeeper was clearly a great move. For Han Dold City, this is definitely something of a surprise. They were supposed to be a decent team, but were no one's idea of a promotion favorite, as many believed they'd see sharp dropoffs from the more aged players on their roster. That didn't materialize; Damnagoras in particular has looked fairly ageless, and their window additions both had excellent years. The only trouble is, will this roster, not expected to be competitive in League 1, be able to cope with the competition in the first tier? Elsewhere around the league, there were few major surprises. Viltvodle United had a poor showing despite being the odds-on favorite to win the league. Hensha Rockets continue to overachieve under Ucyxi-Slokt, and Stavromula made the most of some streaky form to earn a shot at promotion. Other than that, most teams performed about as expected.
A classic performance from Traal, as they conceded two goals in their six-match run, including twice going to extra time. Despite all their world-class talent, Megabrantid simply could not find a way to break through Traal’s smothering press, and Pharlain, who looks a favorite to start for the next DBC, was equal to all the chances they did generate. When Routan put Traal up late, breaking through on the counterattack, you could see the wind go entirely out of the Firm’s sails. It's certainly not the traditional form of domestic double, but this still has to be credited as Traal's best season in 20 years, winning promotion back to the top tier and taking home the cup to boot.
The Blues got on the board first, and took the lead into the half courtesy of Kejr’s goal good urgency of play from the back line, and a few timely saves from Syafi. They couldn’t hang on in the second, however, as former SRS international Hedberg got the equalizer on a rare goal, and Lo Lihozhung Lu notched the winner late. Even with silver medals to take home in place of a trophy, this is still a run the Blues can be proud of, and an experience that should only help them as they hope to stick around in the top flight.
It was a meeting between two sides not quite achieving what they’d wanted in their respective leagues. Kirkenes fell out of Champions League position, settling for a disappointing fifth place amid swirling rumors of a management change. Sivolvia saw failed to win their third straight league title, and also missed out on the Champions League by one spot. Each side also featured a steadily aging Nepharan legend: Catheline Matthias and Jasper Mordecai respectively. It would be Matthias, in fact, who opened the scoring. Perhaps the possibility of this being her final match in red and white gave some extra bit of motivation, as she controlled a ball forward from dos Santos well from the chest, turning smoothly to strike it on the volley before Kim could block her off. Capitalizt found their answer before halftime, though, from a striker still building her own legend. Sargsa made a slashing diagonal run to split Konarik and Durocher, striking Fillar’s through-ball left-footed to the near corner to make it level at the half. The second half became a battle of attrition, with both Moon and Archer going deep into the reserves for fresh legs and inspiration. Thus, of all people, it was teenage reserve center mid Ayaz Sangshak, brought on for a gassed Amjol in the 81st, who finally broke the deadlock. Making a late run into the box toward Shakhnovich’s cross, Sangshak corralled an incomplete clearance for a quick shot. The ball had just enough power to Maraipu’s fist and into the side netting. Sivolvia Capitalizt became the first Squornshelan club to win an IFCF final in twelve years, and while their associations trophy is certainly not as prestigious as the Challengers Cup gathering dust across town, that argument won’t get much traction among Siv Cap supporters tonight.
