Published 17:29 IST, October 14th 2019
ISL 2019-20: New-look Mumbai City FC sport fresh faces this season
A look at Mumbai City FC's new-look squad as they gear up for ISL 2019. Jorge Costa has opted to bring in former NorthEast star Rowllin Borges to boost midfield
Advertisement
As the commencement of the 2019-20 season of the Indian Super League (ISL) is upon us, there is one team that will be desperate to do one better on their previous season. After agonizingly missing out on a spot in the final last season, Mumbai City FC will be hoping to hit the ground running this time around. Since its establishment, the ISL has seen five seasons. Mumbai City FC, however, have failed to secure a league title in each of their five seasons.
The Islanders have reached the last four of the ISL on two separate occasions. After a disappointing first season where the club finished seventh in the league under the guidance of former England international Peter Reid, Mumbai City FC decided to take a whole new approach to their second ISL season. Out went Peter Reid and in came former Chelsea striker Nicolas Anelka. The Islanders also signed India's record goalscorer Sunil Chettri, along with dynamic Haitian Sony Norde. The signing of the I-League's 2015 Player of the Year, Sony Norde, was meant to be the push that The Islanders needed in order to compete for the top four spot. Anelka and co. managed to win just four of their fixtures in the season to end up sixth; a marginal improvement over last season.
After another change in managerial hands, and then another, Mumbai City FC are once again sporting a fresh look for the 2019-20 season. This time around, Mumbai City FC will be hoping that new signing Rowllin Borges hits the ground running for The Islanders. After spending three seasons with NorthEast United FC, the midfielder decided to ply his trade in the Maximum City and Jorge Costa and Co. hope to turn their fortunes around with the help of the former NorthEast United midfielder. The acquisition of Indian mainstay, Borges, will boost Jorge Costa's options, as he looks to improve on Mumbai City FC's last season. The heavy defeat to FC Goa in the first leg of the semi-final will have left some scars on The Islanders, but after a host of signings, Jorge Costa's men will be well primed to improve on their last season's showing.
Hero ISL: Mumbai City FC Squad
Goalkeepers - Amrinder Singh, Kunal Sawant, Ravi Kumar
Defenders - Anwar Ali, Valpuia, Mato Grgic, Pratik Chaudhari, Sarthak Golui, Sauvik Chakrabarti, Subhasish Bose
Midfielders - Bidyananda Singh, Bipin Singh, Diego Carlos, Mohamed Larbi, Mohammed Rafique, Paulo Machado, Pranjal Bhumij, Raynier Fernandes, Rowllin Borges, Serge Kevyn, Sourav Das, Surchandra Singh, Vignesh Dakshinamurthy
Forwards - Amine Chermiti, Modou Sougou
Hero ISL: Players to watch out for
Raynier Fernandes, Rowllin Borges, Subhashish Bose, Modou Sougou
15:32 IST, October 14th 2019