Better Late Than Never: Undefeated

Undefeated are late entrants into the Mauritian Futsal Cup (MFC). The team is composed of:

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

Undefeated seems to be founded on key players from Camion Lichien, who previously participated in both Champions Cup Tournaments. In the Champions Cup Winter 2009 Tournament, Camion Lichen, then led by captain Gary Wong, placed second in the qualifying round, trailing The Replacements who were in top spot by 3 points.

Camion Lichien progressed to defeat Sh*t Kickers 4-1 in the semi-finals, however, they were defeated 5-3 by The Replacements in the final match of the Champions Cup Winter 2009 Tournament.

Seeking revenge, Camion Lichien returned to the Champions Cup Spring 2009 Tournament, this time led by Christian Li. They placed second again in the qualifying round, 1 point behind Hockey Pitch FC. Having gain their place in the semi-finals, they faced The Replacements once again. Once more, The Replacements denied them victory and knocked them out of the tournament with a 2-1 score line. Camion Lichien then defeated newcomers, Pression FC, 3-1 to earn third place in the tournament.

Hot on the trail of The Replacements, Camion Lichien returns under the guise of Undefeated, a team which participates in the Monash Indoor Soccer Lunchtime Competition. With a new name, and entering in a new tournament, Undefeated is looking to bring down an old rival.

No Comments: Short Notice

New entrants to the Mauritian Futsal Cup (MFC), Short Notice is composed of:

• Charles Li (captain)
• Christopher Lim (vice captain)
• Jo Leopold
• Johnny Bucedi
• Michael Ng
• Brian Koo
• Mark Skec
  

The team seemed to also be short on comments as they did not provide any whatsoever to the tournament organizers. The team name conjures up an impression of a team that is ready to compete at any given time. Captain Charles Li is an ex-L'Equipe du Dimanche player and Brian Koo an ex-Club Maurice player. With players as these, this team may well be ready to challenge any team in the tournament as a solid opposition.

Short Notice's quiet entrance into the tournament with no comments is reminiscent of Hockey Pitch FC (HPFC), a team that quietly entered the Champions Cup Spring 2009 Tournament, demolished many teams, and provided reigning champions, The Replacements, with their most competitive match in a glorious finals game that ended on penalty shootouts.

The MFC tournament will determine if Short Notice is truly reminiscent of Hockey Pitch FC. And if they are, surely they are hopeful that they can surpass HPFC and achieve something that HPFC has not been able to achieve: to be crowned as champions.

Turning Up the Pressure: Pression FC

After having formed last year for the Champions Cup Spring 2009 Tournament, and found a degree of success in finishing fourth, Pression FC has returned to enter the Mauritian Futsal Cup (MFC). However, they are looking to turn up the pressure as a fourth place finish will not be satisfying for them in the MFC.

The team is made-up of:

• Hughes Wong Lit Wan (captain)
  
• Oliver Lam Si Kong (vice captain)
  
• Jerome Cloridor
• Marc Chung Hung Tseung
• Jason Ip Kwok Sheung
• Neil Boncoeur
• Evans Wong So
• David Chung Cheung Foo

Pression FC knows first hand of the level of competition involved in the tournament as they managed to slip into their fourth place finish on a penalty shootout in which they defeated the now defunct Tombeau Bay FC. As with other competitors in the MFC, Pression FC is on the lookout for The Replacements, who defeated them 3-0 in the group stage of the Champions Cup Spring 2009 Tournament. They may well get their revenge and level the score against The Replacements in this tournament.

Single-Minded Purpose: The Waka Waka All Stars

The Waka Waka All Stars are a new team to have entered the Mauritian Futsal Cup (MFC), having never participated in any of the Champions Cup Tournaments. The team consists of:

• Brian Lam (captain)
  
• Oliver Chung (vice captain)
  
• Binesh Seetanah
• Nicholas Chung
• Pascal Tseung
• Nirvadesh

All though participating for the first time in the MFC, when asked what they hope to achieve in the tournament and which teams they are particularly looking forward to compete against, The Waka Waka All Stars' purpose is single-minded and clear: to defeat The Replacements.

With two former Replacements players in their ranks, Nicholas Chung, a founding player in the original The Replacements team, and Binesh Seetanah, a later addition in The Replacements, this is not an empty threat. However, The Replacements, has greatly evolved since then. They have since won a number of tournaments and have proven themselves to be a solid and consistent team in all competitions to date. Only the MFC will determine if this young upstart team can bring old the reigning champions.

New Blood: Black Hawk United

Black Hawk United make their first participation in the Mauritian Futsal Cup, having never participated in any of the Champions Cup Tournaments. The team formed a few years ago and has been active playing indoor soccer at Box Hill Indoor Sports Centre. However, with their Mauritian heritage and after having heard of the Mauritian Futsal Cup (MFC), Black Hawk United is interested in getting a taste for futsal, the FIFA governed version of indoor soccer.

Black Hawk United is composed of:

• Rony Roussetty (captain)
  
• Matt Moothia (vice captain)
  
• Jaysen Thomas
• Naresh Teeluck
• Yannick

The vice captain, Matt Moothia, is an ex-L'Equipe du Dimanche player and is looking forward to meeting his old L'Equipe du Dimanche team mates (who are in various other teams competing in the MFC) on the pitch. He looks forward to some fun and friendliness on the pitch, however, he knows that in the end, it will be competitive. In particular, he admits that The Replacements, will definitely be the team to beat.

It appears that the ranks of Black Hawk United is currently quite thin as they have only five players in their squad. Hopefully they will be able to recruit more players as the fast and non-stop pace of the MFC will be extremely challenging with such a minimal squad.

Underdogs No More: Club Maurice

After failing to live up to expectations in the last Champions Cup Tournament, Club Maurice is participating in the Inaugural Mauritian Futsal Cup. Perhaps the most significant change in the team is its name; the word "underdogs" has now been dropped. This may well be a sign of what is to come at the upcoming tournament.

The team line-up remains largely the same, except for the addition of Olliver Lim and Darry Koo:

• Kenny Lam (captain)
  
• Olliver Lim (vice captain)
  
• Dean Lau
• Teddy Choon
• Kenny Choon
• Mervyn Lam
• Darry Koo
• Ken Lo

Both new additions are ex-Club Maurice players, and Olliver Lim, the vice captain, is also an ex-L'Equipe du Dimanche player. As Club Maurice is one of the earliest Mauritian-based football team to be established in Melbourne, it is only appropriate that these players enter the Mauritian Futsal Cup (MFC) to contest for the title of inaugural champions.

Captain Kenny Lam, says that all the players from the previous tournament want to compete in the MFC and are hungry for success, especially after their early elimination in the Champions Cup. The team is looking to bring the same passion that they shared on the pitch as the outdoor team, Club Maurice.

They have learned a lot from the last Champions Cup are are looking forward to competing against all the teams, especially the current champions, The Replacements. Club Maurice lament that they did not have the opportunity to take on The Replacements in the last tournament as they were placed in different groups. If Club Maurice is able to defeat The Replacements, it will be a particularly sweet victory for captain Kenny Lam, who was in the ranks of The Replacements.

The Replacements in Their Sights: Nioukyen FC

Nioukyen FC, who were defeated by The Replacements in the semi-finals of the RMIT Soccer Challenge 2010, enter the Mauritian Futsal Cup with The Replacements in their sights. As with The Replacements, they have only entered 6 players in the tournament:

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

Kenny Woo, Jason Woo, and vice captain Sebastien Lan, have competed in the Champions Cup tournament previously in the team Lekip Gros Ventre (LGV). If they competed as they did during that tournament, it is expected that Kenny Woo will provide a robust defence with Jason Woo and Sebastien Lan contributing to the midfield.

Melvin Lim Shung, the captain, has previously played a defensive role, and both Gerald Wong and Derek Lee showed good attacking form in the RMIT Soccer Challenge 2010, in which Nioukyen FC defeated Ban Go-Goat, the players of which form the foundation for the newly formed The Wolves, in the quarter-finals.

Niouyken FC show great potential for victory in the Mauritian Futsal Cup. However, their rivals, The Replacements will surely stand in their way. Will they be able to break The Replacements' winning streak and claim the championship?