In a little while from now, FC Goa fans will pop open their
wardrobes, pull out their jerseys, pull them on and head down to the Pandit
Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium (or if tickets are as difficult to come by as last
year, a much shorter walk to the couch in front of their television) as the
second edition of the ISL kicks off. Last season saw a massive surge in Goan
energy before the tournament began, only to see the same fall flat when the
team took to the pitch and put forth a series of dismal performances in the
first few games of the competition. However, the squad soon kicked into gear
and pushed things several notches higher, surprising both fans and critics,
before falling short in the semi-final stage. This year, fans of the local team
have a yardstick to measure their squad by, and will perhaps have expectations
measured with it.
Fans from the port town of Vasco da Gama, where the team’s
investors are based, are just as edgy. Bismarck Messias, a fan who loves FC Goa
almost as much as he loves Manchester United is on tenterhooks as he says, “The
other teams haven’t filled up their squads yet. It’s too difficult to predict
right now, but I feel that we are missing a playmaker like Santos. That guy
single-handedly controlled our games last season. This time around, I don’t
know what Zico has planned.”
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Much like Bismarck, further up north, in the village of
Aldona, Elroy Figueiredo, one of the team’s fans, also has his reservations
about the season, while remaining optimistic on the same. “Our squad looks a bit
weaker on paper this season as compared to last. I feel that we are missing a
midfielder like Santos who can drive the midfield. Our foreign players are
mainly above 30 which is not the ideal scenario. But then again, if Zico can
get this team to click, with his Brazilian base, then maybe we could be
stronger than expected,” he says.
Teaching is where our philosophies find their roots. And
musical educator from Margao, Gavin Carvalho, shares his, saying, “I think our
defense just got better with Lucio and Gregory right in front of goal. However,
I wish we bought more attacking options who could do the finishing for us. I
also hope that Romeo is back as a much stronger player after playing abroad.”
It won’t be too long before it’s time to chant Força Goa…
Quotes
“Here’s hoping that our boys win the league for us. They
played really well last season but crumbled towards the end. With the new
signings coming in and Zico’s coaching nous, as long as we get consistent
fluidity within the whole squad, we will continue to see some brilliant moments
like last season.”
Grayston Vaz
“I think that FC Goa has a very good chance this year. We
have a good mix of homegrown and international players. If everything clicks,
that coveted trophy could be ours. I hope we carry forward the same momentum as
the second half of the past year’s edition.”
Megann D’Souza
“FC Goa has released a few of their players that were there
last season such as Santos, Marcelino and Martins. I was hoping to see more
Goan players being picked up during the draft that happened last week, but all
said and done, we should try and win the league.”
Carlos Noronha
I think that between the retention of some of last year’s
stars and some of the new blood being injected in the squad, there could be a
lot of potential. Santos will be a big miss, but perhaps he wasn’t a truly
economically viable option, but there are newer faces that could help fill that
gap. I believe that Lucio and Gregory will have a huge part to play in the
team’s success.
Clyde Dias
