TEAM HERALD
PANJIM: Celebrating the commencement of their 15th year recently, Sporting Clube de Goa are in good spirits as they get ready to kick off their I-League campaign against Mumbai FC at the Balewadi Stadium, Pune.
During the pre-season, Sporting Goa received a monumental make-over both on and off the field, with the start of the SCG Football Academy, catering to youngsters in the U-10, U-12, U-14, U-16, U-18 and U-20 age groups, with the aim of providing a conveyor belt of quality stars for the senior team.
Sporting Goa’s Spanish Coach Oscar Bruzon who has transformed the team since taking over last December, felt his first pre-season with the club has gone well. “The players have responded favorably in practice, with a great mental attitude and we have enjoyed a good run in the local league which has helped us to prepare for the I-League. This year I feel we can finish among the top five,” stated a confident Oscar.
Meanwhile Mumbai FC would be eager to kick off their campaign on a positive note.
Both teams finished in the middle of the league table last season, with Mumbai FC finishing eighth with 32 points and Sporting ending up sixth with 35 points.
A win for Mumbai FC at the Shree Shivchhatrapati Sports Complex would give them a good start to the season after their forgettable take-off last campaign.
The hosts will be cautious when they take on Sporting, who have already begun their season, and have been unrelenting in the Goa Pro League, pumping in goals aplenty. Prolific striker Boima Karpeh will be the man to mark.
Jamil was confident the hosts would also be a strong unit.
“We have been training for a few weeks now and the team has started to gel. We hope to give our best performance on Saturday,” he said.
