Casuals FC look to build on from their impressive Debut Season
There are teams that are machine-like in the way they play and approach football, and there are teams who are flamboyant not only on the pitch, but outside of it as well. Casuals FC belong firmly to the second category.
Casuals FC had an impressive debut in Season 3 of Aces Football League. They drew eyeballs not only due to their attractive and hipster kit, but also with the quality of football they displayed as they more than held their own in what was a formidable-looking Group A.
Drawn against Trana United and Matero, they looked all set to make it to the Finals week, leading their group with 3 gameweeks to go. However, a raft of injuries to key players coupled with indifferent form in the business end of the season meant that they had to settle for 3rd place in the group, just two points shy of Trana in 2nd place .
Co-owner Samriddh Jain did not mince his words while pointing this out in a very candid conversation with us. His first order of business after confirming that Casuals FC will be returning to Season 4 was an ultimatum to his co-owner Sarthak Dhandharia to ensure that he stays fit throughout this season, as he firmly believes that “availability is the best ability” in football.
One of the features of the Casuals in Season 3 was that they built a rather formidable and well-settled core. However, while Samriddh does stress upon the importance of building a strong core, his main aim for this season is bringing the right players who will complement the core players, somewhere that he admits they fell short last season.
Samriddh also spoke about the importance of the “Casuals Way”- an approach where they are casual, fun-loving, and affable off the pitch, but the moment they step on to the pitch, they are mentality monsters whose sole aim is to win every game they play.
When asked about how he and his side will maintain the balance through the course of a gruelling 11-week season, he says, “there is a very fine line in playing the Casuals Way, and we need like-minded individuals who share the same ambitions as us on the pitch. If they cannot toe that line, they cannot be part of the side”.
From a personal point of view, both Samriddh and Sarthak had rather impressive outings in Season 3. While Sarthak was a reliable presence in the backline for his side before injury ended his season, Samriddh was one of the standout custodians in the league, with multiple match-winning performances and saves that made viewers watch in awe and left opponents at their wit’s end. They will be looking forward to replicating the same form this time around as well.
Having done most of the things right last season, the Casuals have all the right tools heading into Season 4 of Aces Football League. They now have the experience, the learnings, and the knowledge to lay their hands on the title this time around.
Casuals FC are back, and they are not Casual about losing this time around.
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