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Team owner John Abraham with marquee player Joan CapdevilaNorth East United kick-start their ISL campaign on Monday, 13th October at the Indira Gandhi stadium in Guwahati against the Sachin Tendulkar owned franchise, Kerala Blasters. The team seems to be a balanced unit with a blend of youth and experience. Most of the Indian boys are based out of the north-east and a majority of those players come from I-League side Shillong Lajong FC. Under the guidance of Kiwi coach Ricki Herbert, Joan Capdevila and the boys would try their heart out to achieve success in this inaugural Indian Super League.Here are 5 things about the franchise you need to know:
#5 Ricki Herbert - The coach with World Cup experience
NorthEast United FC’s head coach Ricki Herbert is the only coach in the Indian Super League who has the experience of coaching a national team which has participated in the FIFA World Cup. During his stint as the head coach of New Zealand national team, they qualified for FIFA World Cup 2010 and came out undefeated from the tournament, although they couldn’t qualify for the next stage
In Herbert, the franchise have a seasoned coach who possesses both man-management and tactical nuances necessary to bring the best out of the team.
#4 Only franchise which represents 8 Indian states
The various franchisees in the Indian Super League represent different cities. NorthEast United FC is the only team in this ISL who are representing an entire region of India, that is, the eight different states of north eastern India.
The team crest features eight stars, showing their representation of the eight states. The team also plan to play out of each of the 8 states in the future.
#3 4 players to have participated in the World Cup
North East United FC is the only team in ISL who can proudly boast of four World Cuppers. Their Spanish marquee player Joan Capdevila, New Zealand’s Leo Bertos, Trinidad & Tobago’s Cornell Glen, who also plays for Shillong Lajong FC and Greek goalkeeper Alexandros Tzorvas.
It will be interesting to see how these foreigners are able to adapt their experience and skill, adjust to the Indian conditions and contribute to the team’s success.
#2 A lot of the Indian national team members hail from the north-east
Maximum players from the Indian roster hail from the eight different states of north-east. Thus, a sense of loyalty and passion will naturally be inculcated among the players as the team represents their own states.
The fans too will be able to relate better with the local players and their passion for the team will hence be much higher.
#1 Majority of the players come from Shillong Lajong FC
Most of the squad members of North East United FC play for I-league club Shillong Lajong FC. This may prove to be an added advantage for the team as the coordination among the footballers will already persist. The head coach Ricki Herbert just needs to blend the other players with the Lajong bunch and make them adapt to his style of play.
