Atletico Austin
Austin Mighty BDs
Atletico OR Mighty BDs?
All the excitement, passion, enthusiasm, tension, frustration, tactical battles, sleepless nights – all are coming to an end this Sunday with the final battle between Austin Mighty BDs and Atletico Austin. While any of the eight teams could have been in the final in their own days, the two best teams of the tournament went to the final, and deservedly so! Miraculously enough, these are the very two teams that were earlier predicted for the final in the pre-tournament review by our anonymous reporter – a great visionary indeed!
Winning the Semi-final easily, Austin Mighty BDs might have been dreaming about lifting the trophy every night. Austin Mighty BDs played like the best team in the tournament having the best midfield with Riyan-Sami duo upfront. Riyan has taken his game to another level in central midfield/ forward position past couple of years. Sami turns into a different player during any tournament, be it soccer, be it volleyball or cricket. In the midfield, Mighty BDs have speedy and energetic Mortuza, Shouvik, along with veteran Bahar who can easily outpace any teenager on the soccer pitch. Zahedul Khan reinvented himself as a defensive midfielder and is happy to leave the defensive lead to Faisal Rashid, who has been a revolution in defense in this tournament. Alongside Faisal Rashid, they have speedy Reazul and Zahid Hasan with new-recruit from Gladiators, Nuruzzaman! Pingpong King Munna would also join Riyan-Sami duo in the attacking third in pursuit of his first Championship of the year after losing the Pingpong Crown earlier this year. This team also has the most stylist and charismatic midfielder, Masum Billah who became famous with his spectacular assist in the semi-final. The only weakness, Mighty BDs have, is their untested goalie! Can Mohammad Hasan ‘Tank’ live up to the expectation under pressure? Can mastermind Manager Saiful bring out the spirited football from the team and lift the cup without a regular goalie?
On the other side, Atletico Austin is the most calm and composed team of the tournament. According to the source, Atletico Austin is sweating on injuries to one of their key defenders after losing their main defender, Wali Jr. But Atleticos will be waiting till the last minute for the fitness test of the injured defender. Despite being beat up by injuries, Atleticos are upbeat after their gritty win in the semi-final against Austin Fighters. They have tournament’s superstar Niraf along with subtle class Captain Abu Masud and new-recruit Raihan from Gladiators. In the midfield, they have another classy player Jami who is known for his deadly through passes and dribble-master veteran, Kollol. They will be assisted by the best defensive midfielder in Austin, Tomal along with Zarif and Commander Khwaja. In the defense, Atleticos are struggling the most at this point. They would likely have Sohel, Neon, Ilias and Upal. One of these defenders may drop out due to injury and according to the source, Atleticos’ think-tank has reached out to other teams to keep back-up players ready if needed. Despite all the injuries, Atletico Austin would be feeling, they are en-route to the Championship with the best goalkeeper, Tasneem under the goal post.
Five lucky players from last year’s final are in this final too: Zahedul Khan and Riyan of Mighty BDs and Commander Khwaja, Raihan and Upal of Atletico Austin. There is one manager in this final who ended up on the wrong side in the last final: Reyad Shikder! Can his team put an end to his sleepless nights on Sunday? Can Riyan take his revenge and embrace the glory this year? Can Mighty BDs stop Niraf? Can they break through the Déjà vu of Zakaria Khwaja who won previous four Championships in a row?
P. S. It has been the best tournament so far in Austin’s history from so many perspectives. For the very first time, eight teams participated in this Community Soccer Tournament that ensured maximum participation (127 players plus 16 managers). Professional referees were deployed along with a great Disciplinary Committee. No words would do justice to the hundreds of hours of personal and family time the organizing committee sacrificed for the sake of this soccer tournament. Kudos to the entire organizing committee, truly!