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Chennai, October 1 2014 Chennaiyin FC finalised their 28-man squad for the inaugural season of the Hero Indian Super League on Wednesday after adding Colombian striker John Stiven Mendoza to their roster.
Mendoza is a 22-year-old forward who represented Colombia at the 2009 U-17 World Cup in Nigeria and 2011 U-20 South American championship in Peru. The prolific striker was last playing for Colombian giants Deportivo Cali and will add plenty of quality and firepower to Chennaiyin FC’s attack.
“We are delighted to add Mendoza to our squad which is looking well-balanced now. The team has been gelling well for the last couple of weeks with plenty of hard work put in by the players and support staff. We look forward to be in Chennai soon and have an exciting season ahead in the Hero Indian Super League," said Chennaiyin FC co-owner Mrs Vita Dani
Chennaiyin’s squad comprises 16 domestic players and 12 foreigners including player-manager Marco Materazzi, marquee foreigner Elano and former Manchester United defender Mikael Silvestre.
Chennaiyin FC played a practice game against Army XI on Wednesday at the Bangalore Football Stadium and won 7-1 with Eduardo Silva and Bernard Mendy both bagging braces while Abhishek Das, Cristian Hidalgo and Jaison Vales netting one each. Chennaiyin FC faces the same opponents again on Friday.
Chennaiyin FC starts their Hero Indian Super League campaign with an away fixture against FC Goa on October 15 while their first home assignment is against Kerala Blasters on October 21.
Final squad
Note: Nationality of foreigners in brackets
Goalkeepers: Abhijit Mondal, Shilton Paul, Gennaro Bracigliano (France)
Defenders: Gouramangi Singh, Dhanachandra Singh, Khelemba Meetei, Abhishek Das, Bernard Mendy (France), Jairo Suarez (Colombia), Marco Materazzi (Italy), Mikael Silvestre (France)
Midfielders: Harmanjot Singh Khabra, Denson Devadas, Dane Pereira, NP Pradeep, Jaison Vales, Anthony Barbosa, Sukhwinder Singh, Cristian Hidalgo (Spain), Bojan Djordjic (Sweden/Serbia), Bruno Pelissari (Brazil), Pierre Tillman (Sweden), Elano (Brazil)
Forwards: Jeje Lalpekhlua, Jayesh Rane, Balwant Singh, Eduardo Silva Lerma (Spain), John Stiven Mendoza (Colombia)
