Champions Cup 2010 Tournament Groups and Format

After closing the registrations earlier on 26th August 2010 due to the large number of interested teams, MKS Melbourne have announced the much awaited tournament format.  MKS Melbourne also wishes to advise that it has been necessary to extend the finish time of the tournament to approximately 1700.  The start time of the tournament remains the same (0900).  MKS Melbourne advises that teams arrive slightly before 0900 to ensure the tournaments starts on time.  Teams should be aware of the late penalties that maybe imposed.


The tournament will consist of a group stage and a knock-out stage.  This is much the same format that other MKS Melbourne futsal tournaments have used in the past.

The group stage is a single round robin competition (each team plays every other team exactly once) and the knock-out stage is an elimination competition (only winning teams progress to the next phase).

MKS Melbourne used a seeding system in order to allocate teams to groups.  This is an attempt to ensure that top teams don't meet until later on in the competition and to balance the groups.  The 14 teams have been divided into two groups of 7 teams as follows.

Group A	Group B
The Replacements	Club Maurice
Nioukyen FC	Dark Hawk United
United!!!	Undefeated FC
Deux Lagrain Gauche	Wolves
Not Quite Right	FC Goons
Milli Takim	All Out FC
Entourage	Docklands FC

The match schedule for the two groups are as follows.

Group A Match Schedule

Round 1

Match	Team 1	Team 2	Location	Referee
1	The Replacements	Bye	N/A	N/A
2	Nioukyen FC	Entourage	Court 5	The Replacements
3	United!!!	Milli Takim	Court 5	Nioukyen FC
4	Deux Lagrain Gauche	Not Quite Right	Court 5	United!!!

Round 2

Match	Team 1	Team 2	Location	Referee
1	Entourage	The Replacements	Court 5	Deux Lagrain Gauche
2	Bye	Milli Takim	N/A	N/A
3	Nioukyen FC	Not Quite Right	Court 5	Milli Takim
4	United!!!	Deux Lagrain Gauche	Court 5	Entourage

Round 3

Match	Team 1	Team 2	Location	Referee
1	The Replacements	Milli Takim	Court 5	Not Quite Right
2	Entourage	Not Quite Right	Court 5	The Replacements
3	Bye	Deux Lagrain Gauche	N/A	N/A
4	Nioukyen FC	United!!!	Court 5	Deux Lagrain Gauche

Round 4

Match	Team 1	Team 2	Location	Referee
1	Not Quite Right	The Replacements	Court 5	Nioukyen FC
2	Milli Takim	Deux Lagrain Gauche	Court 5	United!!!
3	Entourage	United!!!	Court 5	Not Quite Right
4	Bye	Nioukyen FC	N/A	N/A

Round 5

Match	Team 1	Team 2	Location	Referee
1	The Replacements	Deux Lagrain Gauche	Court 5	Milli Takim
2	Not Quite Right	United!!!	Court 5	Entourage
3	Milli Takim	Nioukyen FC	Court 5	The Replacements
4	Entourage	Bye	N/A	N/A

Round 6

Match	Team 1	Team 2	Location	Referee
1	United!!!	The Replacements	Court 5	Nioukyen FC
2	Deux Lagrain Gauche	Nioukyen FC	Court 5	Entourage
3	Not Quite Right	Bye	N/A	N/A
4	Milli Takim	Entourage	Court 5	Deux Lagrain Gauche

Round 7

Match	Team 1	Team 2	Location	Referee
1	The Replacements	Nioukyen FC	Court 5	Not Quite Right
2	United!!!	Bye	N/A	N/A
3	Deux Lagrain Gauche	Entourage	Court 5	Milli Takim
4	Not Quite Right	Milli Takim	Court 5	United!!!

Group B Match Schedule

Round 1

Match	Team 1	Team 2	Location	Referee
1	Club Maurice	Bye	N/A	N/A
2	Dark Hawk United	Docklands FC	Court 6	Club Maurice
3	Undefeated FC	All Out FC	Court 6	Dark Hawk United
4	Wolves	FC Goons	Court 6	Undefeated FC

Round 2

Match	Team 1	Team 2	Location	Referee
1	Docklands FC	Club Maurice	Court 6	Wolves
2	Bye	All Out FC	N/A	N/A
3	Dark Hawk United	FC Goons	Court 6	All Out FC
4	Undefeated FC	Wolves	Court 6	Docklands FC

Round 3

Match	Team 1	Team 2	Location	Referee
1	Club Maurice	All Out FC	Court 6	FC Goons
2	Docklands FC	FC Goons	Court 6	Club Maurice
3	Bye	Wolves	N/A	N/A
4	Dark Hawk United	Undefeated FC	Court 6	Wolves

Round 4

Match	Team 1	Team 2	Location	Referee
1	FC Goons	Club Maurice	Court 6	Dark Hawk United
2	All Out FC	Wolves	Court 6	Undefeated FC
3	Docklands FC	Undefeated FC	Court 6	FC Goons
4	Bye	Dark Hawk United	N/A	N/A

Round 5

Match	Team 1	Team 2	Location	Referee
1	Club Maurice	Wolves	Court 6	All Out FC
2	FC Goons	Undefeated FC	Court 6	Docklands FC
3	All Out FC	Dark Hawk United	Court 6	Club Maurice
4	Docklands FC	Bye	N/A	N/A

Round 6

Match	Team 1	Team 2	Location	Referee
1	Undefeated FC	Club Maurice	Court 6	Dark Hawk United
2	Wolves	Dark Hawk United	Court 6	Docklands FC
3	FC Goons	Bye	N/A	N/A
4	All Out FC	Docklands FC	Court 6	Wolves

Round 7

Match	Team 1	Team 2	Location	Referee
1	Club Maurice	Dark Hawk United	Court 6	FC Goons
2	Undefeated FC	Bye	N/A	N/A
3	Wolves	Docklands FC	Court 6	All Out FC
4	FC Goons	All Out FC	Court 6	Undefeated FC

The top two teams from each group will progress to the knock-out stage. The format for the knock-out stage is as follows:

Match Type	Match	Team 1	Team 2
Semi-final	1	Group A 1st Ranked Team	Group B 2nd Ranked Team
Semi-final	2	Group B 1st Ranked Team	Group A 2nd Ranked Team
Final	N/A	Semi-final 1 Winner	Semi-final 2 Winner

MKS Melbourne is putting the final touches on the tournament and will communicate further to team captains and vice captains before the tournament begins.  In the mean time, teams are advised to train and practice as much as possible.  It will be a long and hard day of competition!

Champions Cup 2010 Registrations Have Closed!

MKS Melbourne regrets to inform any further interested teams that they registrations for the Champions Cup 2010 has been closed.  The surge in the number of teams participating has been beyond what they have expected and they are currently operating at full capacity.

They will take these new found interest from the teams into consideration in planning for the next tournament.

Entourage: Keeping It In The Family

The fourteenth and final team to join the Champions Cup 2010 is the newly formed Entourage consisting of:

• Jeff Vong (captain)
• Andre Mu (vice captain)
• Kui Mu
• Sen Mu
• John Ly
• Jonathon Tran
• Kim Tak

The majority of the team,  Jeff Vong, Andre Mu, Kui Mu, and Sen Mu, are cousins who have grown up on soccer.  They extended their team base by inviting captain Jeff Vong's high school friend, John Ly, and university friends, Jonathon Tran, and Kim Tak.

Although they have individual soccer experience, this is the first time Entourage will play competitively as a team.  They don't have high expectations for themselves in the tournament and are simply interested to see how far they can progress.  To that end, they are particularly keen to test themselves against the reigning champions, The Replacements.

The tournament will definitely test Entourage and other participating teams as it is the biggest MKS Melbourne tournament to date.  To further compound the challenge for Entourage, the top four teams from the recent Mauritian Futsal Cup 2010 have confirmed their place in the Champions Cup 2010.

However, Entourage, with their individual experience, and with Kui Mu, a V-League player (the highest league at the FutsalOz complex), are well-equipped to face the oncoming challenge.

Champions Cup 2010 Tournament Update

MKS Melbourne have had to limit the number of teams in the Champions Cup 2010 tournament to 14.  The sudden increase in the number of participating teams has taken MKS Melbourne unawares.  Since only two courts are available at the tournament venue, this is the only option for MKS Melbourne in order to maintain the same quality as the previous tournaments.

As there is currently 13 teams registered there is one single spot left and it will be awarded on a first-come-first-served basis.  MKS Melbourne regrets that it may not be able to accommodate all interested teams.

In other news, Shane Chan has signed with Club Maurice.  He will be a welcomed addition as Club Maurice aim to be crowned champions. 

Out-of-contract goal-keeper Jean Marc Thoondee has signed with Milli Takim.

After the exit of their two Korea Internationals, the Wolves find themselves short of players.  Being in tatters, there are rumours that they are in talks with The Replacements to sign founding player Chris Cheong.  After playing for Not Quite Right, Chris Cheong was involved in the formation of The Replacements.  However, after tearing his ACL and undergoing an ACL reconstruction, he has been in rehab for 18 months.  The Wolves hope that they will be able to sign the recovering player from The Replacements and that he will be match-ready in time for the Champions Cup 2010 tournament.

Dark Hawk United: Victory Or Nothing

Dark Hawk United is a newly formed team based on Black Hawk United.  It is composed of:

• Rony Roussetty (captain)
• Julien Venkatasamy (vice captain)
• Jasen Francois
• Danny Nu Nam Young
• Kenny Huggett
• Didier Douce
• Pierre Yves
• Naresh Teeluck

Captain Ronny Roussetty, Jasen Francois, and Naresh Teeluck were able to bring Black Hawk United to a fourth place finish in the Mauritian Futsal Cup 2010.  They then faced-off against The Replacements in the semi-finals and lost 3-0.

In their new team, Dark Hawk United, together with their new recruits, including their new signing Danny Young, previously from the Wolves, they hope to go further in the Champions Cup 2010.  As a new team, they have no achievements to date and are looking forward to playing every single team in the tournament.  They are aiming high, as Rony Roussetty pointed says that Dark Hawk United's purpose in the Champions Cup 2010 is "nothing but a win".  It seems it's an all-or-nothing attitude for this new team.

Docklands FC: Trial By Fire

Korean Internationals, Rio Yoon and Johnny, have departed from the Wolves a decided to form their own team, Docklands FC which is composed of:

• Rio Yoon (captain)
• Yang Liu (vice captain)
• Johnny
• Lemon
• Tony
• Gen

The team consists of players who all live in the Docklands and have been having practice football games every Sunday.  Being a regular member of Sport Du Samedi, the friendly futsal get together on Saturdays, and having participated with the Wolves in the Mauritian Futsal Cup (MFC) 2010, Rio Yoon  decided that it was high time to put his Sunday practice team to the test.

Docklands FC is happy to join their first tournament as a team and their main aim is to determine what level of futsal they can play.  With hard-hitting teams such as defending champions The Replacements, MFC 2010 runners-up Club Maurice, and second-placed Nioukyen FC, along with a gamut of new teams already registered in the Champions Cup 2010, this tournament will definitely be a trial by fire for Docklands FC.  However, with Rio Yoon being no stranger to the MKS Melbourne futsal tournaments, he may well be able to lead this team of unknowns to success in the Champions Cup 2010.

Milli Takim: A New Rival for The Replacements

Milli Takim is yet another new team in the Champions Cup 2010.  The team is composed of:

• Oz Acisu (captain)
• Phill Robotis (vice captain)
• Ali Cheshmeh
• Dima Nichiforeneo
• Tim

The team is headed by captain Oz Acisu who has hand-picked friends he has made playing futsal at various venues around Victoria.  Having had extensive experience at various futsal venues, Oz opened his "little black book" and called up players who he believes will work well as a team.

As the team is newly formed, they have no futsal achievements to date.  Outside of the futsal arena, Oz Acisu was crowned as the MKF Oceanic Light Weight Muay Thai champion.  This is one defender that strikers from other teams will definitely need to be on the look out for!

Oz Acisu says that the most important thing about Milli Takim is that they are a competitive team.  They are looking to enter the tournament for fun and to win as many games as possible in the chance of reaching the final.

Milli Takim, in particular, Oz Acisu, is looking forward to against The Replacements.  Dima Nichiforeneo has also played with The Replacements (under the name of "Collingwood FC" in the FutsalOz state league).  Oz Acisu is a good friend of The Replacements captain, Jason Cheong, and was also his coach at the Tullamarine Jets.  Having instructed Jason Cheong in the art of football, this Muay Thai champion and football coach is looking forward to see if his student has learned anything from him.

Undefeated FC: Formally a Futsal Team

Undefeated FC, previously Undefeated and previously Camion Lichien, returns to the Champions Cup 2010 after an unsuccessful campaign in the Mauritian Futsal Cup 2010.  As Camion Lichien, this team reached the finals in the Champions Cup Winter 2009 tournament and were defeated by The Replacements.  In the Champions Cup Spring 2009, they had another unsuccessful campaign as they were defeated in the semi-final by The Replacements once more.  However, not one to be deterred, the team reformed as Undefeated and entered the Mauritian Futsal Cup 2010 tournament, and they were unsuccessful again, finishing in sixth place.

In the upcoming Champions Cup 2010, the team has formalized themselves as a futsal team and added "FC" at the end of their name.  Undefeated FC is composed of:

• Gary Wong (captain)
• Landry Mungly (vice captain)
• David Ip
• Andy Li
• Andy Goriah
• Kevin Lau
• Chris Tin
• Franklin Koon

Gary Wong has now attained the captaincy of the team and is looking forward to play against their long time rivals, The Replacements.

All Out FC: The Joy of Futsal

All Out FC is another newcomer to the MKS Melbourne tournament.  The team formed as a bunch of friends who enjoyed playing after school soccer in their VCE year and decided to test themselves in a local indoor competition.  They grew to enjoy the competitive aspect of the competition and decided to pursue it further.

All Out FC is composed of:

• Kevin Vo (captain)
• Khang Le (vice captain)
• Brian Khuat
• Nam Vo
• Franco Mangano
• Daniel Newton
• Huy Le

The team plays in the State League, the second highest league at the FutsalOz complex and competition.  That alone should warn other teams in the Champions Cup 2010 of the skills in this high caliber team.  All Out FC, however, is taking a humble and diplomatic approach in their first MKS Melbourne tournament.  They state that their main aim is to enjoy the day as mates playing soccer and that winning the tournament will be a bonus.  As a new team, they also do not have any rivals at the moment.

Given that three of the top four teams of the Mauritian Futsal Cup 2010 have confirmed their attendance at the Champions Cup 2010, and the quality of new teams in the tournament, All Out FC may well need to look for more than just enjoying futsal on the day.  A feat that a FutsalOz State League team can surely bring about!

Not Quite Right: Bringing Down The Replacements

After a long absence from MKS Melbourne futsal tournaments, Not Quite Right (NQR) returns with a singular purpose: to defeat The Replacements.  Not Quite Right is an indoor soccer team, not to be confused with futsal (futsal: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Futsal, indoor soccer: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indoor_soccer), formed by a group of friends in the northern suburb of Epping.  The team is composed of:

• John "King" Nguyen (captain)
• Thinh Tran (vice captain)
• Justin "Thirly Whirly" Thirlwell
• Khoa Vuong
• George Massouh
• Quang Tran

The friends formed to join forces to take on the northern suburbs and have an impressive record as an indoor soccer team.  They have been premiers of Epping Leisure city 7 times, including a recent victory.  However, in their last foray into a futsal tournament at the Champions Cup Winter 2009, they struggled to find form and finished in fifth place in the six-team competition.

Since then, they have improved significantly, as their record shows, and are ready to play again in a futsal tournament.  They seem intent on defeating The Replacements, the current defending champions.  In particular, their focus seems to be on ex-NQR player, Jason Cheong.

In the early days of NQR, Jason Cheong and The Replacements player Duong Pham, played an integral part of NQR as they reigned the Epping Leisure city indoor soccer league.  Since the departure of these two players, NQR has pushed themselves to show that no single player is bigger than the team.  With their new recruits, they have forged themselves into a seven-time premier team and look forward to pit themselves against their old teams mates, who just so happen to have formed a team who have won every single MKS Melbourne futsal tournament to date.

Their clash will be one of epic proportions, with NQR looking to prove that they can convert their skills to the futsal arena and looking to extend their reign to include the central city of Melbourne.

Deux Lagrain Gauche: A Ragtag Team

Newcomers to the MKS Melbourne futsal tournaments, Deux Lagrain Gauche (DLG), has a fun and carefree attitude towards their place in the competition.  Their team name is proof of that!  The team consists of:

• Anthony Koon (captain)
• Kenrick Chan (vice captain)
• Jason Chien
• Alex Chong
• Kelvin Chan
• Julien Bebe
• Harold Sing

According to captain, Anthony Koon, the team saw the light of day as he and vice captain, Kenrick Chan, decided to bring together two teams made up of an assortment of housemates, uni acquaintances, wingmen, and smoking buddies.  Amongst the randomness of this team, their one commonality is their love of futsal and soccer.

Their seems to be a gamut of skills in the team team.  Anthony Koon and Alex Chong have participated in the Champions Cup in the now defunct Tombeau Bay FC.  Both Anthony Koon and Alex Chong, together with Kelvin Chan, have also played in the outdoor team, L'Equipe du Dimanche, captained by Alex Chong and now also defunct.

The DLG captain describes his vice captain as a striker with two left feet who kicked his first ball at the age of 18.  Jason Chien, he describes as the honkie Lionel Messi, and Alex Chong is described as the "V line" who promises to shout the team dinner if he is able to score.  Kelvin Chan is described as the team's resident Roy Keane and Julien Bebe is likened to Manchester United's newest signing of the same name.  The captain describes himself as a goalie with two left hands from North Korea.

Amonst the multitude of truths, half-truths, and outright lies in his media communication (most likely to confusion opposing teams), the captain is quick to point out in his cavalier attitude that DLG has no achievements to date, but warns other teams to remember their name as it will be soon on the top of every list.

DLG expects to be the underdogs of the tournament as a new team.  They have no rivals in the competition but boast that other teams will surely consider them as rivals after the tournament.  With three of the top four teams of the Mauritian Futsal Cup 2010 signing up for the Champions Cup 2010, DLG will definitely be at the top of their game to deliver on their promise!

Nioukyen FC: Chasing Victory

After an excellent start in the Mauritian Futsal Cup (MFC) 2010 which was their very first entry into an MKS Melbourne futsal tournament, Nioukyen FC returns with their line-up unchanged:

• Melvin Lim Shung (captain)
• Sebastien Lan (vice captain)
• Gerald Wong
• Derek Lee
• Kenny Woo
• Jason Woo

At the end of the qualifying round in the MFC 2010, Nioukyen FC was placed second, 2 points behind The Replacements, the juggernauts of the tournaments.  Nioukyen FC can also boast about having the best defence as they only conceded 4 goals in the entire tournament.

However, even with these impressive feats, they were hard pressed to win the MFC 2010.  Finish in second place on the ladder meant they squared off against the third-placed team, Club Maurice.  These two teams were both part of the big four of the tournament and were both on 14 points.  Only goal difference could separate the two teams, with Nioukyen FC proving to be better with 7 against Club Maurice's 4.

Having already defeated Club Maurice 2-0 in the qualifying round, Nioukyen FC headed into the semi-final with confidence.  However, the match was a very intense event with both teams scoreless at the end of normal time.  This was even though Nioukyen FC was awarded a penalty on the buzzer.  Failing to convert the penalty kick to a score on the board, Nioukyen FC drew the  game into extra time.

In the extra time period, Club Maurice took the lead, however, Nioukyen FC responded and equalized with only 30 seconds left in extra time.  With the teams on an even score at the end of extra time, a penalty shoot-out was necessary to separate the two.

The penalty shoot-out went against Nioukyen FC and they lost 11-10.  Once again they were part of semi-final match, but were unable to proceed to the final.  Having been in this position three consecutive times (they lost to The Replacements in the semi-final of the RMIT Soccer Challenge 2010), they are now prepared to go one step further.

They are particularly keen to play against The Replacements, the reigning champions, and Club Maurice, another of the top four teams.  This time, Nioukyen FC has made it clear that they will not settle for second fiddle behind neither The Replacements nor Club Maurice.  They want "Nioukyen FC" as the very first team name engraved on the virgin Champions Cup trophy!

Wolves: What Doesn't Kill Us, Makes Us Stronger

After receiving a battering at the Mauritian Futsal Cup (MFC) 2010, the Wolves enter the Champions Cup 2010 tournament eagerly.  The results of MFC 2010 were terribly disappointing for the Wolves as they finished in last spot on the ladder.  However, instead of quietly licking their wounds, they have steeled themselves and began whatever preparations they can to ensure a different outcome on the Champions Cup 2010 tournament.

With some changes in their line-up since the last tournament, the Wolves enter the tournament with these players:

• Kim Young (captain)
• Kenny "Cha Cha" How (vice captain)
• Jeff Lai
• Edouard Whan Kan
• Nicolas "Teokon" Tao
• Rio
• John

Wolves captain, Kim Young, admits that "the Wolves have been through a rough first experience but we learned a lot from our first team experience".   However, the captain of this young team definitely has an indomitable spirit, which he can hopefully impress upon his team.  Like the real Wolves of the wild, Kim Young looks at their encounters in the MFC and positively characterizes it in a well-known and appropriate adage, "what doesn't kill us, make us stronger".

The tournament will prove to be another challenge to the Wolves.  Jeff Lai returns in the team line-up as Danny Young exists the team and their goal-keeper Christopher Chong is replaced by veteran Edouard Whan Kan.

The Wolves know that they have a lot more work to do, and they do not underestimate any teams in the tournament.  Kim Young wishes all the other teams the best of luck and looks forward to the upcoming tournament, determined to improve upon their mistakes and make their way further up the ladder.

United!!!: New Name, Same Purpose

United!!! is the re-branded name of The Waka Waka All Stars who made their MKS Melbourne futsal tournament debut in the Mauritian Futsal Cup (MFC) 2010.  Prior to that, the team was formed by Brian Lam to compete in the RMIT Soccer Challenge 2010.  The team was then composed of Brian Lam, Nirvadesh, Oliver Chung, and Jason Ip.

After missing out on qualifying for the elimination round in the RMIT Soccer Challenge 2010, the team recruit some new members from Sport Du Samedi.  They entered the MFC 2010 with a singular purpose, defeat The Replacements, and claim the first mark on the then fresh MFC trophy.  Although they made a valiant start, they fell short of their target.

They finished in 5th place in the MFC, just one place away from a top four finish.  However, they performed admirably well against the big four teams in the tournament.  In the second round, The Waka Waka All Stars defeated Black Hawk United 1-0.  They drew against Nioukyen FC in the third round.  Their only lost against a top four team was against Club Maurice in round 4, in which they lost 2-0.  In round 5, they drew 1-1 against the eventual champions of the tournament, The Replacements.

Having made a good debut, the team has renamed itself as United!!! and is, thus far, composed of:

• Oliver Chung (captain)
• Nirv Nirvadesh (vice captain)
• Jason Ip
• Binesh Seetanah

Oliver Chung is taking the captainship from Brian Lam as the Mauritian international is currently away on international duty.  The team's goal-keeper, Nirvadesh, fills in Oliver Chung's shoes as vice captain. 

With their captain missing, United!!! is ready to compete as one and is looking forward to the matches against Club Maurice and The Replacements, two of the big four teams that they have not defeated yet.

FC Goons: A True Sporting Club

The MKS Melbourne futsal tournament has, of course, many competing futsal/football clubs, however, none of those clubs are what one would call a true sporting club.  A sporting club, by definition, is one which participates in a number of sports. As all of the MKS Melbourne clubs so far are specialized in futsal or football, it would be a stretch to call any of them a true sporting club.  However, the one true sporting club making its debut in the Champions Cup 2010, and thus their first appearance in an MKS Melbourne futsal tournament, is FC Goons.

FC Goons began from a group of friends with common sporting interests, as many good clubs do.  The club participates in sports such as indoor cricket, basketball, and volleyball.  Given that they are all passionate football fans, it was only natural that they venture into competitive futsal.

FC Goons is made up of:

• Phuong Phan (captain)
• Kenny Ma (vice captain)
• Quoc Le
• John Truong
• Phung Truong
• Khoa Pham
• Ben Pham
• Ivan Curak

FC Goons captain, Phuong Phan, believes that the team works well because each player has different strengths and weaknesses, and this leads to a complementary and balanced side.  FC Goons is proud to be a futsal team and can boast on having made the finals in all but one of their seasons since they began competing a few years ago.

As they are a new team in the tournament, FC Goons is testing out the waters.  Their aim is to enjoy the tournament and to make it as far as they can.  With the champions and runners up of the Mauritian Futsal Cup 2010 confirming their attendance, FC Goons have their work cut out in front of them.  This may well be the tournament in which they make the finals and emerge victorious, marking a new era of futsal achievements for this true sporting club.

Club Maurice: From Strength to Strength

After goal-keeping for The Replacements in the Champions Cup Winter 2009 tournament, the very first MKS Melbourne tournament, and with the taste of success after The Replacements won the tournament, Kenny Lam amicably parted ways with The Replacements to for Club Maurice.  Drawing in players from the outdoor soccer incarnation of Club Maurice, there was high expectations of the team as they debuted the Champions Cup Spring 2009 tournament.  However, they failed to qualify into the elimination round.  Quick to learn from their errors, Club Maurice entered the Mauritian Futsal Cup (MFC) 2010 with their typical enthusiasm and organization.

In the MFC 2010, their made their stellar rise to success, established themselves as strong contenders and as one of the big four teams of the MKS Melbourne tournaments.  Having missed the opportunity to play against The Replacements in the Champions Cup Spring 2009 tournament (as they were in a different group), Club Maurice entered the round 2 MFC 2010 match against The Replacements with fervour.  Their determination earned them a 1-0 victory.  In round 6 of the MFC 2010, they convincingly defeated Black Hawk United, a fellow big four team, 3-1.  However, in round 7, they fell to another big four team, Nioukyen FC 2-0.  As fate would have it, they face Nioukyen FC in the semi-finals and sought to make amends for their earlier defeat.

The match was the more exciting semi-final of the two and was very a tense game.  At the very end of the match, Nioukyen FC was award a penalty-kick, however, they failed to convert it to a goal.  Thus, the match ended with both teams scoreless at the end of normal time.  Club Maurice scored first in extra-time, however, Nioukyen FC equalized and, at the end of extra time, the match ended in draw once more.

A penalty shoot-out was necessary to separate the teams and determine a winner.  The shoot-out was long and drawn out, however, Club Maurice managed to get their revenge and emerged victorious 11-10.

Club M then moved on to the finals and face The Replacements.  Having already defeated The Replacements once in the tournament, they were surely confident against them. however, they were the least rested of the two teams given their drawn out encounter against Nioukyen FC in the semi-final.  Club M managed a dream start to the finals by scoring right from kick-off.  However, in the end, they were unable to hold the lead as The Replacements equalized and took the lead late into the match.

Having been a breath away from winning their first MKS Melbourne futsal tournament and making the very first mark on the Mauritian Futsal Cup silverware, Club Maurice have returned to the Champions Cup.  Their line-up for the tournament is as follows.

• Kenny Lam (captain)
• Olliver Lim (vice captain)
• Dean Lau
• Teddy Choon
• Kenny Choon
• Mervyn Lam
• Ken Fat Low

Their line-up remains largely unchanged, save for the addition of Ken Fat Low.  The team was bolstered with the addition of vice captain Olliver Lim in the Mauritian Futsal Cup.  There are also rumours of the addition of Shane Chan to their ranks. Shane Chan, who was the captain of the outdoor incarnation of Club Maurice, would be a strong addition to the team and would make Club Maurice an even bigger powerhouse than what it already is.

Captain Kenny Lam, says that Club Maurice enters the tournament with no rivalries, and is looking forward to play at its best against all teams in the competition.

It seems that Club Maurice is pushing hard to make up for the silverware they narrowly missed out on.  With the club going from strength to strength, this may well be the tournament in which they, in one fell swoop, realize their dream, and bring to a grinding halt The Replacements' winning streak and dominance.  Club Maurice has shown that they are the team with the best qualifications to derail the juggernaut that is The Replacements and make the first impression on the new Champions Cup trophy.

The Replacements: Defending Champions

Since the inception of the original Champions Cup, in the winter of 2009, and thus, the inception of the MKS Melbourne futsal tournaments, The Replacements have been the only champions in all competitions.  The Replacements' trophy cabinet currently holds the following:

• Mauritian Futsal Cup 2010 - Winners
• RMIT Soccer Challenge 2010 - Winners
• Champions Cup Spring 2009 - Winners
• Champions Cup Winter 2009 - Winners
• RecWest Cup - Runners Up
• RMIT Soccer Challenge 2009 - Winners

 With back-to-back victories in both the RMIT Soccer Challenge and the Champions Cup, and being crowned champions in the first ever Mauritian Futsal Cup, their RecWest runners up achievement is the only black mark on their otherwise impression record.  Having won the last two Champions Cup, they return as defending champions and will certainly give all participating teams a run for their money.  Their motivation is likely to have increased since the introduction of the Champions Cup trophy.

If The Replacements win the Champions Cup 2010 tournament, they will win the tournament for the third successive time.  However, MKS Melbourne has cleared decreed that if that happens, The Replacements will not be walking away with the Champions Cup trophy as the title count for the trophy begins from the Champions Cup 2010 tournament itself.  Having previously won back-to-back, and having shown that this is a feat not beyond them, this will surely bolster their resolve.

Their line-up has changed vastly since forming and first playing in FutsalOz, however, they seem to have plenty of depth in their team and have always brought quality players who have been able to step up to the occasion.  In the upcoming Champions Cup 2010 tournament, their line-up is as follows:

• Jason Cheong (captain)
• Cameron Holmes (vice captain)
• Ahmed Badawy
• Simone Tortorici
• Duong Pham
• James Bush

The team captain, Jason Cheong, and vice captain, Cameron Holmes, are the two main stay of the team.  In the Mauritian Futsal Cup (MFC) 2010 finals against Club M, The Replacements had a nightmare start with Club M scoring right from kick-off.  However, Cameron Holmes, with some trademark team play from The Replacements, neutralized the deficit and Jason Cheong scored the tournament-winning goal late into the match.

James Bush, The Replacements' first choice goal-keeper, was unavailable to play in the MFC 2010 and many competing teams saw this as a great opportunity to bring down The Replacements.  However, Duong Pham, The Replacements' striker filled in between the posts and quickly showed his opponents his depth both as an attacker and defender.


Significant changes in The Replacements' line-up includes missing players Nicholas Sin, Michael Whan Kan, and Dean Singh.  Nicholas Sin is currently on loan in Mauritius, rookie Michael Whan Kan is unavailable, and Singapore international Dean Singh is also unavailable.  This is the first MKS Tournament that Dean Singh will be missing.  Along with Jason Cheong and Christopher Cheong, who is currently undergoing rehabilitation, he one of the founding members of The Replacements and has proven to be a solid defender.

With such quality players missing from their ranks, opponents are surely seeing this as another opportunity to defeat The Replacements and make the first mark on the Champions Cup trophy.  However, The Replacements are bringing in two new players to their team in this tournament: Ahmed Badawy and Simone Tortorici.  Some opposing teams may have seen Ahmed Badawy play in the RMIT Soccer Challenge 2010 against The Replacements, who emerged triumphant.  It seemed that Ahmed made an impression on The Replacements as he was recruited into their ranks after the tournament.  Simone Tortorici will likely be an unknown to other teams as it is his first participation in an MKS Melbourne futsal tournament.

 Jason Cheong states that The Replacements have no rivalries with any other teams, but it may be different for the other teams though.  That may well be true, as after having stamped their authority and superiority on the MKS Melbourne tournaments, other teams have been particularly seeking to play against The Replacements.  This was strongly apparent in the Mauritian Futsal Cup.  However, The Replacements have proven themselves as the top team in the MKS Melbourne tournaments.

With The Replacements missing quality players and bringing in two new recruits, it seems that a change is on the way.  But one is unsure if it's a change for the better or for the worse.  The competition level has increased in the MKS Melbourne tournaments, and The Replacements were in doubt in the early stages of the Mauritian Futsal Cup 2010.  Their opponents' resolve have also been bolstered by the introduction of the Champions Cup trophy and are also seeking to make the very first mark on the new silverware.

Champions Cup 2010 Tournament Announced!

After the success of the hugely anticipated and first ever Mauritian Futsal Cup, MKS Melbourne have announced the Champions Cup 2010 Tournament.  This is the original tournament that started the journey that led to the momentous event of the Mauritian Futsal Cup.


Although the Champions Cup was a tournament that was previously hosted twice a year, with the addition of the Mauritian Futsal Cup, it will now only be played once per year.  To explain the matter, MKS Melbourne has announced that there are some changes underway to the tournaments that it annually hosts.  They remain tight-lipped about the changes and Christopher Cheong, one of the committee members of MKS Melbourne, would only reveal the following:

There are a number of upcoming changes to the MKS Melbourne tournaments.  We don't want to reveal too much right now as we'd like to keep these as surprises for the participating teams and players.  Of course, with these changes, we're sticking to what has worked for us and participating teams in the past.  That is, providing low-cost tournaments, a good social and competitive atmosphere, and lots and lots of futsal. 

The changes that we have planned is only possible with the continuing support and interest that we have received from the teams so far, which I have to say has been over-whelming thus far.  I mean, consider the following. 

In the first Champions Cup, in the winter of 2009, there were 6 participating teams, however, the second Champions Cup in the spring of 2009, attracted 8 teams.  Seeing the increasing interest and inspired by both the success of Mauritian-based teams in the RMIT 2010 Soccer Challenge and the 10th FIFA World Cup, we felt that it was necessary to introduce a new tournament and that it was only appropriate to name it the Mauritian Fustal Cup (MFC).  The MFC 2010 has been our biggest tournament so far, with a record of 9 teams.  I think it's fair to say that all teams played their hearts out during the MFC 2010.

With the resounding success of the MFC 2010, we again think that there are some further appropriate changes to be made to the benefit of all.  We are starting to phase these changes in this year.  By the end of next year, all of the changes we are planning will be in place and I think 2011 will be a good example of what the teams can expect in the coming years.

One change that MKS Melbourne was willing to reveal is the introduction of the official Champions Cup trophy.  The Champions Cup trophy will be much the same as the Mauritian Futsal Cup trophy: starting this year, the first team to claim 3 consecutive or 5 (non-consecutive) Champions Cup tournaments to their name will retain the trophy.

The Champions Cup Trophy

Starting from 2010, the first team to win 3 consecutive or 5 (non-consecutive) Champions Cup tournaments will retain the trophy.

Although The Replacements have won the Champions Cup twice already, in the winter and spring of 2009, these two wins will not be taken into consideration for claiming the Champions Cup trophy.  MKS Melbourne believes it only fair that since the trophy is being introduced at the Champions Cup 2010 tournament that the count should start fresh from henceforth.

The tournament details and format will follow the same MKS Melbourne futsal tournament format.

Tournament details
Champions Cup 2010 Tournament
5-a-side futsal tournament
Saturday 4 September 2010
0900-1600

Important dates
Fri 13/08/2010: Team registration deadline
Fri 20/08/2010: Team payment deadline

Team Registration
To register your team, please fill in the form at:
http://bit.ly/ChampionsCup2010TeamRego

Team size
Team sizes are strictly limited to the following.
Minimum: 5 players
Maximum: 8 players

Team Cost
By Friday 20 August 2010: Discounted early bird team registration cost of $120.
After Friday 20 August 2010: Team registration cost of $150

Tournament Format
The exact tournament format will be confirmed at a later date as it depends on the number of teams competing. However, in general, the tournament will consist of:

1. Qualifying round - a single round robin competition. All teams will participate in this round.

2. Elimination round - a knock-out competition. Only a number of top ranked teams from the qualifying round will progress to this round.

Please note: MKS Melbourne reserves the right to alter the tournament format without notice.

Tournament Rules
The tournament rules will be follow the MKS Melbourne Futsal Tournament Rules.

Referees
In order to keep the cost of the tournament low, every team will need to provide referees for some games. The referees can be one of the players and they will not referee any of their own team's matches.

MKS Melbourne Website
http://mksmelbourne.blogspot.com/
Please monitor the website for updates.

Enquiries
Please send all enquiries to:
mks.melbourneATgmail.com
(replace "AT" with "@").

As always, MKS Melbourne is looking forward to a great and successful tournament and wishes all participating teams the best of luck!

Futsal Tournament Rules

MKS Melbourne

Futsal Tournament Rules

1. Knowledge of the game

1. The laws of indoor soccer that apply are those of FIFA.
2. In the event of conflict between FIFA rules and the rule of the tournament, the tournament rule will prevail.
3. Specific rule amendments:

1. The decisions of the referees is final.
2. An indirect free kick shall be awarded in the following situations:

1. If a goal-keeper touches or controls the ball with his hands after it has been deliberately kicked to him by his team-mate.
2. If a goal-keeper touches or controls the ball with his hands or feet in his own penalty area for more than four seconds.

3. The free kick:

1. There are two types of free kicks:

1. Direct free kick: if a direct free kick enters the opponents' goal, a goal shall be awarded.
2. Indirect free kick: a goal shall only be awarded if the ball touches another player before it enters the goal.

2. All opponents shall be situated at least 5 meters from the ball until it is in play.  When a defending team is taking a free kick from inside its own penalty area, all opponents shall remain outside said area.

4. The kick-in:

1. The kick-in is a method of restarting play after the ball has gone out of bounds.  A goal may not be scored directly from a kick-in.
2. The ball shall remain stationary on the touch line.
3. The player taking the kick-in shall have part of one foot on the touch line or off the pitch at the moment he takes the kick-in.
4. The player taking the kick-in shall do so within 4 seconds of receiving the ball.
5. The players of the defending team shall be at least 5 meters from the place where the kick-in is taken.

5. Tackling:

1. Tackling from behind is allowed.
2. Players may not slide tackle, except for the goal-keeper.
3. The goal-keeper may slide tackle under following circumstances:

1. He must clearly be slide tackling for the ball.
2. The slide tackle must start from inside his own penalty area.

6. Send-offs:

1. A player who is sent off may not re-enter the play, and should not interfere with the play.
2. A substitute player may enter the pitch two full minutes after a team-mate has bee sent off, unless a goal is scored before the two minutes has elapsed.

2. Tournament format

1. The following describes an example of the tournament format with a single team.  The actual tournament format will vary depending on the number of teams participating.
2. The tournament is composed of two parts: (1) a qualifying round (a.k.a. “group stage” or “group round") and (2) the elimination round.
3. The qualifying round:

1. The qualifying round shall consist of a single group.
2. The qualifying round is a single round robin competition.  That is, each team shall play every other team once.
3. After the completion of the qualifying round, the top four teams will qualify to partake in the elimination round. 
4. Team ranking in the qualifying round will be determined as follows:

1. Teams will first be ranked by points.  A win is awarded 3 points, a draw is awarded 1 point, and a lost or forfeit is awarded zero points.
2. If teams are equal on points, they will then be ranked as follows:

1. By goal difference (goals for - goals against)
2. By goals for
3. By goals against
4. By toss of a coin or penalty shootout (if time permits)

4. The elimination round:

1. The elimination round consists of two semi-final matches and a final match.
2. The elimination round is a knock-out competition.  That is, a losing team will not progress further in the tournament.
3. The semi-final matches shall be as follows:

1. The 1st ranked team from the qualifying round will play against the 4th ranked team.
2. The 2nd ranked team from the qualifying round will play against the 3rd ranked team.

4. The two winners of the semi-final matches will play against each other in the final match. 
5. The winner of the final match will be deemed the winner of the tournament.
6. In the case of a draw in the elimination round, winners will be determined by extra time (if time permits) or penalty shootout.

3. The games

1. Duration of the games:

1. Qualifying round games will consist of a single 10-minute match with no breaks.
2. Elimination round games will consist of a single 10-minute match with no breaks.
3. Games are to be strictly limited to the aforementioned durations.  Once a game has finished, no further play may take place.  The sole exception is if a team is awarded a penalty kick, in which case, even if the game has finished, the team will be permitted to take the penalty kick.  This does not apply to free kicks.

2. The game start and finish by the referee’s whistle or sirens.

1. Once a game has finished, no further play may take place.  The sole exception is if a team is awarded a penalty kick, in which case, even if the game has finished, the team will be permitted to take the penalty kick.  This does not apply to free kicks.

3. Kick-off is decided by toss of coin.
4. Time of the games:

1. Teams are to be on court at the scheduled time for the start of the game.
2. The clock will be started at the scheduled time to ensure all teams have their full game.
3. Failure to be on the court by at the scheduled time will result in a one-goal penalty. 
4. Thereafter teams will lose one goal for every minute after the scheduled start of the game.
5. The game will start with or without a full team.
6. Teams that have players running late must take the court when they have a minimum of three players.
7. An automatic forfeit will apply if a team is not on court within 5 minutes of the scheduled starting time.

4. Teams

1. A team must have at least three players for the game to start.
2. No more than five players will be allowed on the court at any time.
3. A team may have up to a maximum of 3 substitutes.

5. Injuries

1. Players play at their own risk.  The tournament organizers will not be held liable for any injuries or accidents.
2. To minimize the disruption of subsequent games, no extra time is allocated in this tournament.
3. An injured player must leave the court as soon as reasonably possible so that play may continue.
4. Once an injured player leaves the court, his position may be filled with a substituted player.
5. If a player is bleeding, he must vacate the court immediately and cannot return until the bleeding has stopped.

6. Substitution

1. The referee must be notified if the goal-keeper is substituted.
2. Failure to do so will result in a yellow card to the player and/or the captain.
3. Substitutions can be made at anytime during the game.  The player being substituted off must cross the sideline before the new player comes on.
4. Failure to do so will result in a yellow card to the player and/or the captain.

7. Fees

1. All payments should be finalized before the start of the tournament.
2. Teams will outstanding payments will not be allowed to compete in the tournament.  

8. Changes

1. Tournament organizers reserve the right to makes changes to any and all parts of the tournament without notice.