NORTH EAST UNITED FC

Based at Guwahati in Assam, NorthEast United FC (NEUFC) is one of the eight clubs that will vie for the title in the inaugural season of the Indian Super League. The team is owned by Bollywood actor John Abraham and I-League club Shillong Lajong and will play their home matches at the Indira Gandhi Athletics Stadium. The region is brimming with talented footballers like Indian football legend Baichung Bhutia.

 

Key Players :-

Simao Sabrosa : The former Portugal international is expected to bring in oodles of experience to the NorthEast United side, and he has already shown what he is capable of. The former Benfica star scored twice in the three preseason friendlies this summer for the ISL side. Simao, who has played alongside the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo as well as Luis Figo, has a total of 22 goals from 85 games in his international career, and he also was one of the key men during Euro 2004, where Portugal finished as the runners-up.

Nicolas Velez : The 25-year-old Argentina forward may not be a big name, but his exploits have made heads turn. The former Warriors FC targetman has scored thrice in the preseason campaign for NorthEast United, and he is slowly turning out to be the dangerman who defenders have to be wary of in the ISL.

Indian -
Boithang Haokip : The 24-year-old midfielder is regarded as one of the best deadball specialists in India, but the player is yet to earn a national team cap. However, those who have been following the player in the I-League will know the player's abilities, with precision crosses and lethal passes his strength. And although he did not get much of an opportunity to make his mark in the ISL last year, Boithang can turn out to be the match-winner on his day.

North East United FC team full squad:

Goalkeepers: Kunzang Bhutia, Rehenesh TP, Alexandros Tzorvas.

Defenders: Aiborlang Khongjee, Jibon Singh, Pritam Singh, Robin Gurung, Massamba Sambou, Miguel Garcia, Tomas Josl, Joan Capdevilla.

Midfielders: Alen Deory, Boithang Haokip, David Ngaihte, Milan Singh, Zodingliana Ralte, Do Dong-Hyun, Guilhermo Castro, Isaac Chansa, Kondwani Mtonga.

Forwards: Durga Boro, Redeem Tiang, Seiminlen Doungel, Cornell Glen, James Keene, Luis Padilla, Sergio Pardo.

                                                                                                                                                                              

FC GOA

FC Goa (also known as The Gaurs) is an Indian professional football franchise based in Goa that competes in the Indian Super League.The club was launched on 26 August 2014. The team is owned by Goan Football Club Pvt. Ltd. which consists of Goan businessmen Dattaraj Salgaocar and Shrinivas Dempo as well asVenugopal Dhoot and Virat Kohli.

 The legendary Brazilian Football player Arthur Antunes Coimbra (Zico) is the club's Manager (Head Coach). Former Brazil skipper, World Cup winner and Champions league winner Lucio has signed as FC Goa's marquee player for the second season.

Strengths :- Domestic talent plays a massive role and the local lads are one of FC Goa’s strengths. Adding to that, the Samba flavour drilled in by coach Zico and the marquee signing of Lucio make Goa a force to reckon with this time as well.

Weaknesses :- FC Goa have lost quite a few players. Arsenal legend Pires is not the only notable loss. Goa's star player of last season Andre Santos will also not be part of ISL this time around and another noticeable is that of Afghanistan captain Zohib Amiri. Another big weakness for the Goa franchisee is that majority of the foreign players are in their late 30s, which means fitness could become a problem area at some stage in the 79-day tournament.

   
Players to watch :-

Jofre Mateu :- FC Goa have brought in Mateu from Atletico de Kolkata. It can be one of the key signings for them. He lends immense stability to this team and will be the playmaker for them this season. A product of Barcelona’s famed youth academy, Mateu surely has enviable passing skills that can be worry for any opposition. He started his career at the famed La Masia academy in Barcelona and made his first-team debut in the final game of the 1997-98 season, wherein he scored the lone goal for his side in a 4-1 loss.

Romeo Fernandes :- During the inaugural season of Indian Super League, Romeo had a fantastic time and was seen as one of the new Indian stars thrown up by ISL. The 22-year Goan was loaned to the Brazilian club Paranaense amidst plenty of hype in January after some noteworthy performances in the ISL. It was said he was personally recommended by coach Zico. And this season he should be on the pitch as an even better player. 

Denson Devadas :- Devadas played almost every game for Chennaiyin FC in the first season of the tournament and he is expected to be in Goa's starting eleven right away. Devadas, who cites midfielders Zinedine Zidane and Andres Iniesta as his footballing idols, will hope to make an impact for his new club. As a central attacking midfielder, he could be the focal point for Zico's men.  
  

SQUAD :-
 
Goalkeepers :- Andrade, Laxmikant Kattimani, Luis Barreto, Keenan Almeida.

Defenders :- Nicolau Colaco, Lúcio, Grégory Arnolin, Raju Gaikwad, Narayan Das, Roy Debabrata.

Midfielders :- Bikramjit Singh, Jonatan Lucca, Pronay Halder, Leo Moura, Jofre, Mandar Rao Desai, Léo Rocha, Denson Devadas, Romeo Fernandes.

PUNE CITY FC

Italian club ACF Fiorentina owns a 15% stake in the franchise. Indian superstar actor Hrithik Roshan co-owns the team.

 
Indian Super League (ISL) franchise Mumbai City FC player-cum-manager Nicolas Anelka believes their match against rivals FC Pune City on October 5 which is considered to be a derby clash will be a tough and a hard game.

''Game against FC Pune City will be a hard game and a tough one. It will be an important game for us and we will look to give out best and win it," Anelka, who was just a player in the inaugural ISL season before taking up an added responsibility of managing the Mumbai side, told reporters here.

FULL SQUAD :-
 
Goalkeepers:  L. Thapa, A. Bhattacharya, S. Simonsen
 
Defenders: R. Johnson, G. Singh, N. Shorey, D, Ravanan, P. Kotal, G.r Kumar, D. Colotto, G. Singh

Midfielders: I. Gurung, E. Lyngdoh, D. Zokora, J .Bailey, L. Rodrigues, M Maithani, S.Mathew, F. Lalrempuia, B. Jairu

Forwards: A. Mutu, Y. Ruiz, T. Sanli, W. Verhoek, K. Uche, J. Singh.

CHENNAYIN FC

MATCH : 1
 
The majority of the fans at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Chennai were left disappointed, as a Postiga double and a neat header from Valmiro Lopes Rocha gave Atletico de Kolkata a 3-2 win over Chennaiyin FC in the opening match of ISL 2015.

Chennaiyin came from behind to level once, in the first half from Jeje Lalpekhlua, but a second comeback, which needed two goals, fell just short, as an Elano penalty late on wasn't enough to give the home team a share of the spoils.

 
Chennaiyin FC were easily the best team in the ISL in the league stages last season, taking top spot and looking primed to become the first winners of the Indian Super League.
The franchise is owned by Vita Dani, Bollywood actor Abhishek Bachchan and Indian cricketer Mahendra Singh Dhoni. Its player-manager is Italian World Cup-winning defender Marco Materazzi.

Chennaiyin FC: Full squad :-

Goalkeepers: A Nidhinlal, Apoula Edima Edel Bete, Karanjit Singh.

Defenders: Eder, Mailson, Abhishek Das, Alessandro Potenza, Bernard Mendy, Dhanachandra
Singh, Justin Stephen, Lalmangaihsanga Ralte, Mehrajuddin Wadoo.

Midfielders: Raphael Augusto, Bruno Pelissari, Dhanapal Ganesh, Elano, Godwin Franco, Harmanjot Khabra, Thoi Singh, Manuele Blasi, Zakeer Mundampara.

Forwards: Balwant Singh, Fikru Teferra, Jayesh Rane, Jeje Lalpekhlua, Stiven Mendoza.

ATLETICO DE KOLKATA

MATCH : 1

The majority of the fans at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Chennai were left disappointed, as a Postiga double and a neat header from Valmiro Lopes Rocha gave Atletico de Kolkata a 3-2 win over Chennaiyin FC in the opening match of ISL 2015. 

Atletico had hardly got into the game, but, as is so often the case, they found themselves a goal up thanks to a massive error from the home team in the 13^th minute.

 A harmless freekick was floated in by Borja, with Edel Bete coming out to catch the ball. It looked like that was that, only for the Chennaiyin goalkeeper to crash into his own teammate Mailson Alves, and in the process drop the ball. That dropped ball fell to Postiga, who netted into the open net for the easiest goal he will score in the ISL this season.

 Atletico, after the opening goal, started to take control of the match for the next ten minutes or so, dictating the pace of play – which to be honest was quite slow, understandable considering the heat and humidity in Chennai – to try and frustrate Chennaiyin further.


Atletico-De Kolkata FC :

Here comes the Inaugural Indian Super League (Football) Winner of successful first season in 2014 - Atlentico de Kolkata Club. Managed by former India cricket captain Sourav Ganguly, businessmen Harshavardhan Neotia, Sanjiv Goenka, and Utsav Parekh, as well as Atlético Madrid of La Liga in Spain.

We Congratulate the Team and We wish once again the team to grab the success of season 2 of ISL-2015.

Goalkeepers :- Amrinder Singh, Kunzang Bhutia, Juan Calatayud.

Defenders :- Arnab Mandal, Denzil Franco, Josemi, Mohan Raj Nallapan, Augustin Fernandes, Tiri, Lalchhawnkima, Rino Anto.

Midfielders :- Borja Fernandez, Ofentse Nato, Jewel Raja, Syed Rahim Nabi, Clifford Miranda, Arata Izumi, Jaime GavilAin MartAnez, Sameehg Doutie, Valmiro Lopes Rocha (Valdo), Javi Lara.

Forwards :- Iain Edward Hume, Helder Postiga, Nadong Bhutia, Baljit Sahni, Sushil Kumar Singh.

Head Coach :- Antonio Lopez Habas.

KERALA BLASTERS FC

Runners of the 1st season of Indian Super League (Football) - 2014. The team which is Owned and managed by The Legend of Cricket, Master Blaster Sachin Tendulkar the Kerala Blasters FC.

 We Congratulate the team and we wish the Kerala Blasters to be the Winner of upcoming 2 season of ISL-2015.

Blasters went into the first season of the ISL with former England international David James as their marquee signing cum head coach with Iain Hume and Michael Chopra the other prominent foreigners in the squad.
They had a tough start to the league with five straight away games of which they could accumulate only four points. The following five games saw them gain 11 points and a reputation for having one of the meanest defences in the league marshalled by Cedric Hengbart and Sandesh Jhingan from Chandigarh.
Successive defeats against FC Goa and Chennaiyin FC and a stalemate with NorthEast United left the Blasters requiring an outright win in their last league encounter against FC Pune City at Kochi. An Iain Hume free-kick saw them keep Pune at bay and qualify for the semi-finals.

MANAGER :-

PETER TAYLOR :- 
Blasters have roped in former England international and Under-21 & Under-20 head coach Peter Taylor as manager for the 2015 ISL season. Taylor who played for Tottenham Hotspur and Crystal Palace as a winger is a proven customer as a coach, having managed numerous clubs including Leicester City in the Premier League.

He has also managed Bahrain and England (albeit for one game as a caretaker manager). Taylor had this to say after his appointment: “I'm personally impressed with the support that Kerala Blasters have received in the inaugural edition. Kerala has a strong legacy in Indian football and I am looking forward to working with the team and share the passion for football with the fans."


STRENGTHS :-

The Blasters only conceded 11 goals in 14 games in the group stage which formed the bedrock of their charge to the final and it will be no different this time around. Their defence looks the most settled area of the squad with Jhingan, Gurwinder Singh, Saumik Dey retained and a stalwart in Marchena brought in along with shrewd buys like Ramage and Perone who have Premier League experience.

It will be tough to score against them with fine holding midfielders like Mehtab Hossain, Joao Coimbra and Peter Carvalho providing cover. Trveor Morgan being the assistant manager of the side is certainly an asset given his knowledge of Indian football and conditions.
Do not concede a free-kick against Blasters this season as Marchena is an expert from set-pieces. It is learnt reliably that the Spaniads spends at least 20 minutes each day after the training sessions to practice free-kicks and scored a couple in their practice games.

WEAKNESS :-

 Attack was often their Achilles Heel last season with Hume rescuing the team on several occasions. With the English striker joining Atletico de Kolkata, the Blasters are with an entirely new frontline devoid of their star man from last season. It will be interesting to see if the new boys can click and find goals upfront. They were the only side to conduct their pre-season training in India. Whether it comes back to haunt them remains to be seen.

KEY PLAYERS :-

Carlos Machena :  

Carlos Marchena’s pedigree is unquestionable. The former Valencia and Villarreal defender is also a World Cup, European Championship and La Liga winner. He will be the player Peter Taylor will look to marshal and organise the defence. His experience will benefit the young Indian players and will calm the team down in pressure situations. 

Sandesh Jhingan : 

Sandesh Jhingan was an unknown quantity till he burst into the collective conscience of the Indian football fraternity with stellar performances last season, which won him the ISL Emerging Player of the Season and AIFF Emerging Player of the Year 2014 awards.
The 22-year-old was also handed a call up to the national team and the Blasters will hope their young defender can repeat his performances.


Full Squad :-
 
Goalkeepers: Sandip Nandy, Stephen Bywater, Shilton Paul.

Defenders: Saumik Dey, Sandesh Jhingan, Rahul Bheke, Carlos Marchena, Peter Ramage, Bruno Perone, Gurwinder Singh, Ramandeep Singh, Marcus Williams.

Midfielders: Ishfaq Ahmed, Peter Carvalho, Joao Coimbra, Antonio German, Mehtab Hossain, Cavin Lobo, Josue Currais Prieto, Victor “Pulga” Forcada, Shankar Sampingiraj, C K Vineeth.

Forwards: Chris Dagnall, Mohammed Rafi, Manandeep Singh, Sanchez Watt.

DELHI DYNAMOS

 Delhi Dynamos had a not bad season last year but Dynamos with few changes in the team are ready to grabs all the chances to win the tittle in the 2nd season of ISL.

 
 After missing out on the semi-finals spot last time around, Delhi Dynamos have strengthened heavily this time around with a new coach, new marquee player and a new look team to find a place at the top of the charts.

 After announcing the massive signing of Roberto Carlos as their marquee player-cum manager, Delhi managed to acquire big names like Indian ace striker Robin Singh alongside the foreign duo of Florent Malouda and John Arne Riise.

  Italian legend Alessandro Del Piero was their marquee player last season - but the former Juventus striker found it hard to get going on his ageing legs, and hence Delhi set their sights on Carlos.
Delhi finished fifth last time around and that was due to their inconsistent performances throughout the season.

  The team from the Indian capital started with two draws and then thumped Chennaiyin FC. But after that win their performance went downhill and there was even a time when they were bottom of the league for a few days. However, they did make a strong comeback towards the end of the season as they registered four wins in their final six outings but that was not enough to help them finish in top four.

  The Dynamos had a memorable jersey launch this season in front of the historic Taj Mahal in Agra. The team, including big players Malouda, Riise, Adil Nabi, Robin and Ravi Kumar, along with Brazil legend Carlos, unveiled the white jersey.
And they will hope the Taj brings their way that slice of luck which was missing for Delhi in the inaugural season.

Strengths :-

  With the signings of two experienced men in  Malouda and  Riise, Delhi have arguably one of the strongest attacks in the tournament along with stability and balance. The sight of  Riise and  Malouda down the left side will indeed be one to behold; and if the duo can find the understanding between them, then the opposition defence will be under big pressure to contain the former EPL duo. The Delhi management has also done well to retain the likes of Hans Mulder, Gustavo Dos Santos, Anwar Ali and Shylo Malswamtlunga. These players were the core of the team last time around and their influence will be a big boost for the dressing room.

  Another big strength for the team will be their marquee player-cum-manager Carlos. The Brazilian is a highly respectable figure in the world of football and will demand a lot from his players; and the players will surely improve under his guidance. Although Carlos isn't very experienced when it comes the manager's role, he did well to recruit new players and now it's down to him to make them click and help Delhi to go all the way this time around.

Weaknesses :-

The biggest weakness that came out during the last season was Delhi's inconsistency. The team could not put together a string of wins and when they did it was too late. With other teams too strengthening their squads, Delhi players need to set the ball rolling right from the start. Hans Mulder and Brazilian Gustavo were the only two players who impressed last season. Also a worry is Delhi's defence, which didn't show much improvement in the pre-season games.

Marquee player-cum-manager :-

When it comes to big former football stars playing in India, it can't get better than Roberto 'The Galactico' Carlos. The former Real Madrid star was snapped up by Delhi Dynamos as their manager-cum-marquee-player for the second season of the league. One of the best left-back of his time and a dead-ball specialist, Carlos will look to showcase his outstanding skills in the ISL as well. Having Carlos in the dugout will give the young Indian players an opportunity to pick his brains and surely Delhi Dynamos will be a team to watch out for this time around just for that reason alone. Carlos replaces Alexandro Del Piero as the marquee signing for the team from the capital city.

Players to Watch :-

Robin Singh:

  He is touted as the next big thing of Indian football and hopefully the game's flag-bearer for the country in the coming years. Born and raised in Delhi, Robin will surely be delighted after being picked by Delhi Dynamos for the second season of the ISL. The on-loan Bengaluru FC forward is an opportunistic striker. It was unfortunate for him to not feature in the first edition of ISL as his I-League club refused to release him, but this time around he will surely be excited to play alongside some big names and make his mark in the tournament.

John Arne Riise:

 Delhi Dynamos won the race to sign the former Liverpool left-back who was also linked to Kerala Blasters. Having won the Champions League, UEFA Cup, FA Cup and the Carling Cup with Liverpool, Riise will be a big asset for Carlos' team. He brings with him a bundle of experience, which Delhi dearly wanted this season. Despite being a left-back, Risse has scored some brilliant goals in the past and is a handful on free-kicks as well.

Florent Malouda:

  The former Chelsea winger is one of the only two players in the ISL with an English Premier League winners' medal. The left-footed French footballer is known for his tricky dribbles and creativity. The winger has not only been the key player for his teams in the past but also pitched in with crucial goals throughout his illustrious career with Lyon and Chelsea. He was also part of the French national team to finish runners-up in the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany.

Squad :-

Goalkeepers :- Subhasish Roy Chowdury, Toni Doblas, Ravi Kumar.

Defenders :- Roberto Carlos (Coach), John Arne Riise, Cichao, Anwar Ali, Anas, Prabir Das, Naoba Singh, Robert Lathlamanua.

Midfielders :- Serginho Greene, Hans Mulder, Francis Fernandes, G Vignesh, Zodingliana Ralte, Souvik Chakraborty, Snehaj Singh, Gustavo, Florent Malouda.

Forwards :- Vincius Ferreria, Robin Singh, Adil Nabi, Seminlen Doungel, Richard Gadze.