The Men’s Futsal SuperLeague kicks off this weekend with four of the eight teams in action.

Check out the squad lists and get the lowdown on each team’s prospects with the official preview below.

For the draw and more information please click here

The majority of matches from the Men’s Futsal SuperLeague will be live streamed, see below for the details.

Southern Home Series: https://livestream.com/accounts/10469815/events/8794889
Central Home Series: https://livestream.com/accounts/10469815/events/8794894
Northern Travel Series: https://livestream.com/accounts/10469815/events/8794895
Southern Travel Series: https://livestream.com/accounts/10469815/events/8794898
National Series 1: https://livestream.com/accounts/10469815/events/8794900
National Series 2/Finals: https://livestream.com/accounts/10469815/events/8794901

Men’s Futsal SuperLeague Season Preview

Northern Comets

Position last season: Minor premiers
Coach: Ouadhah Ragued
Key player: Mohamed Sabri
Young player to watch: Art Twigg, Denny Twigg

Squad: Bahram Ahmadi, Abdallah Amleh, Pheerawit Benjatikul, Alexei Bolger, Sam Coyle, Ben Culpan, Daniel Culpan, Felipe de Marchi Bernardi, Eduardo Espinosa, Kyle Goosen, Ben Hailes, Aayush Iyer, Chris Preece, Jason Quinlan, Ouadhah Ragued, Charles Robertson, Mohamed Sabri, Julian Stevenson, Vhivanesh Thirukumar, Art Twigg, Denny Twigg, Ollie Walsh

Prospects: The Comets will be determined to finally go all the way this time as they have earned an unwanted reputation as bridesmaids in recent seasons. They were beaten finalists two years ago and followed that up by topping the table last time around. Despite claiming the minor premiership, they were then defeated in the semi-finals and will be looking to shake off that habit of not getting across the line when it really matters. They appear to have a strong enough squad to do so with a promising blend of youth and experience. Young Futsal White Oban Hawkins has headed south to further his studies and will be a big loss but exciting talent remains in the form of the Twigg brothers, Art and Denny. Hugely experienced as a player and now also as a coach, former Futsal White Ouadhah Ragued has the know-how to take his side all the way, giving Northern real hope of finally getting their hands on a trophy they have come so close to lifting in the past. Daniel Culpan will be expected to provide much of the firepower after winning the golden boot in the previous campaign with 16 strikes.

Auckland

Position last season: Champions
Coach: Marvin Eakins
Key player: Kareem Osman
Young player to watch: Hamish Grey

Squad: Mike Antamanov, Stephen Ashby-Peckham, Jimmy Banks, Elias Billeh, Lachlan Broadhurst, Todd Broadhurst, Louis Corbett, Marvin Eakins, Naji Ghamri, Hamish Grey, Adam Larce-Paulsen, Dylan Manickum, Myron Manickum, Josh Margetts, Sean McIntee, Kareem Osman, Aalok Paudel, Declan Peach, Thomas Picken, Vincent Pineau, Vaughan Somerville, Tyler Stubbs

Prospects: The defending champions possess arguably the most star-studded squad in the league and it would therefore be a brave call to bet against them claiming back-to-back titles. They are regarded as the most consistent side in the competition and are yet to finish outside the top four, although last year’s title triumph was their first in three years. That record and the depth of talent available to Marvin Eakins means anything less than another title would be seen as a disappointment. Eakins is again coaching the team but it yet to hang up his playing boots and will still be a key figure on the court, along with a host of other players with international experience. Eakins is joined in that regard by fellow Futsal Whites Elias Billeh, Dylan Manickum, Josh Margetts, Kareem Osman and Stephen Ashby-Peckham – the latter of whom was named league MVP last time out – but that proven quality is supplemented by the youthful exuberance of the likes of Adam Larce-Paulsen and Hamish Grey. Mike Antamanov is likely to provide a safe pair of hands in goal after winning the golden gloves last season.

Waikato Rapids

Position last season: Fifth
Coach: Sam Masterson
Key player: Jordan Ditfort
Young player to watch: Casey Sharplin

Squad: Alexis Carcamo Varela, Levi Clark, Jordan Ditfort, Maxwell Ericksen, Josh Hendricks, Meshach Humby, Conor Jamieson, Brayden Lissington, Nick Lowther, Federico Marquez, Ethan Martin, Shaun Morgan, Raukawa Raynel, Jacob Robb, Aidan Robson, Aaron Scott, Casey Sharplin, Patrick Steele, Griffin Taylor, Jonathan Tobias, Kyle Wisnewski, Logan Wisnewski

Prospects: These are exciting times for the small-sided game in the Waikato and Bay of Plenty regions with both representative teams undergoing a rebrand. Waikato will now play under the moniker of the Rapids – following the example set earlier by Northern in becoming the Comets – and have a highly-engaged futsal community that are liklely to get behind the fresh concept. Pleasingly for coach Sam Masterson, the core of the squad from 2018 has been retained and his aim will be to take that next step into the play-offs. Performances have been relatively consistent over the two previous campaigns but a semi-final berth has so far eluded Waikato and if small improvements can be made in certain areas then that could be enough to make Masterson’s men genuine contenders this time. Given the level of talent available to their title rivals, Waikato are likely to be the dark horses but they have no shortage of quality themselves in Jordan Ditfort, Patrick Steele, Ethan Martin and the Wisnewski brothers, Kyle and Logan – all of whom have been involved in the national team set-up. For guidance, the squad will turn to former All White Aaron Scott, who is more renowned for his footballing talents but whose presence and leadership will be invaluable.

Bay of Plenty Surge

Position last season: Eighth
Coach: Joe Dixon
Key player: Jay Silcock
Young player to watch: Mario Soares Ramos

Squad: Vinicius Azevedo, Vincent Callister, Andrew Clothier, Andrew Cooper, Kelvin Cunliffe, Harris Edlin, Tyler Ericksen, Dennis Esendam, Ryan Foord, Sergio Fuentes, Santiago Gadea Medina, Xavier Maddox, Ry McLeod, Dominic O’Sullivan, Leonardo Pardini, Vincent Phirun, Diogo Ramos, Joaquin Reynoso, Cameron Shennan, Jay Silcock, Mario Soares Ramos

Prospects: Bay of Plenty have joined their Waikato neighbours in the rebrand stakes and will now be known as the Surge, a move they hope will translate to an improved set of results on the court. Last season was a step into the unknown as it was the first time the region had been solely represented on the national stage – Waikato and Bay of Plenty previously competed together under the WaiBOP banner – and it was always going to be a challenging debut as most of the previous playing group were based on the Waikato side of the fence. But the fresh faces who took part will have benefitted from that experience and will be hoping to make more of a mark this time. Coach Joe Dixon has led his charges through an extensive pre-season that has included multiple warm-up games so the Surge should be well placed to hit the ground running. Dixon has also made some shrewd moves on the recruitment front, bringing in a bunch of Brazilian talent who will be unknown to most and could prove a powerful secret weapon. Dominic O’Sullivan is hugely experienced at this level and leadership will also be provided by Andrew Cooper, a well-known footballer who made the transition to futsal last season, while the dynamism of Jay Silcock will be a threat to opposition defences.

Central

Position last season: Seventh
Coach: Adam Cowan
Key player: Jonathan Steele
Young player to watch: Elijah Smith

Squad: Lucian Armstrong, Daniel Ball, Tai Barham, Charlie Bayly, Alex Bowden, Joshua Bowie, Nicholas Carrick, Nathan Cooksley, Adam Cowan, Joshua Cremen, Jake Erskine, Jordon Joblin-Hall, Liam Outtrim, Liam Percy-Fysh, Benjamin Ravenwood, Kenny Santy, Elijah Smith, Joshua Smith, Seule Soromon, Jonathan Steele, Thomas Viles, Danny Wilson

Prospects: Like Waikato and Bay of Plenty, it was a season of transition for Central in 2018 as they were also playing in a new format, the previous Manawatu and Hawke’s Bay teams having merged to form one entity. Given the geographical challenges involved, it was never going to be a smooth ride and the second-from-bottom placing was therefore hardly a surprise. But new coach Adam Cowan will hope some of those teething problems have now been ironed out as he embarks on his debut campaign at the helm. Still a player, Cowan will remain a key figure on the court as Central strive for a more competitive showing and they have been boosted in that regard by the return of Jonathan Steele, who has made the switch back from Capital and offers bags of experience, both on the international stage and in this competition. Cowan and Steele will be joined by fellow veteran Nathan Cooksley and Futsal White Tai Barham in forming the spine of the squad while the promising Elijah Smith will be aiming for a breakout season. A push for the top four is therefore not out of the question and no side is likely to find it easy against Central’s fast, physical and free-flowing style.    

Capital

Position last season: Semi-Finalists
Coach: Enrico Meirelles
Key player: Luc Saker
Young player to watch: Grant Baker 

Squad: Grant Baker, Sean Beresford, Alexander Brodie, Lucas Da Silva, Jherson Heredia, Brayan Heredia, Shingo Ina, Mohsen Maddah, Miroslav Malivuk, Ruben Marull, Dom McCann, Seth Mitchell-Webster, Matthew Peden, Michael Plim, Luc Saker, David Silva, Jerram Tuck, George Walker, Thomas Withnall, Sam Wright

Prospects: Capital are in the same boat as Northern in that they have been among the top sides in the league in recent seasons and looked odds on to claim the silverware at certain points, only then to fall at the business end of the campaign. They stormed to the minor premiership in 2017 with a seven-point lead but then suffered a shock loss to Northern and again suffered semi-final heartbreak last season with a narrow defeat against eventual champions Auckland. They will hope a change in the coaching hot seat will lift the curse that seems to have prevented them from claiming a title with Enrico Meirelles taking the reins. One of the highest-capped players in the league, Meirelles has now retired but is no stranger to coaching after providing support to previous boss Callum Holmes. He will be tasked with leading a group that is largely the same as its previous carnation with Luc Saker, Lucas Da Silva and Miroslav Malivuk offering leadership and all likely to play an important role in supporting Meirelles in his first year in charge. There is a core of exciting talent coming through underneath that with George Walker, Ruben Murell, Matthew Peden and Seth Mitchell-Webster all looking to make their debuts but the jewel in the crown of the youngsters is Grant Baker, who is remarkably in his third season at this level despite being only 18-years-old.   

Canterbury United Dragons

Position last season: Sixth
Coach: Ronan Naicker
Key player: Matthew Bergin 
Young player to watch: Benjamin Cameron 

Squad: Matthew Bergin, Charles Boot, Daniel Boys, Benjamin Cameron, Rami Dawwas, Cameron Emberton, Tim Evans, Victor Ganescu, Finn Gaupset, Lewis Guy, Oliver Hawkins, Hemi Innes, Alex Kedzlie, Hamish Mitchell, Samuel Mitchell, Jake Neill, Daniel Oakman, Mitchell Radcliffe, Daniel Ribeiro de Abreu, James Toohey, Shannen Vailu’u

Prospects: It was only three years ago that the Dragons claimed the title but they have since been brought crashing back down to earth, picking up the dreaded wooden spoon a year later before falling seven points shy of the semi-finals last season. That showing at least represented considerable improvement and coach Ronan Naicker will be looking to keep the curve trending upward, with a place in the top four his obvious aim. That would be a significant accomplishment when considering the strength of some of the other squads and it will take an increased level of consistency for Canterbury to get there. Their quest won’t be helped by the absence of the talented young trio of Benji Lapslie, Sam Lapslie and Thomas McGowan while Ezequiel Xavier De Freitas Junior is another big loss. Those departures mean the squad has a fresh look to it with a host of youthful hopefuls being brought in to plug the gaps. There’s also a dash of experience among the newcomers with Jake Neill back from a stint at Capital while Daniel Boys also brings a wise older head to the group. Boys is better known for his footballing exploits for Canterbury but has been named in the futsal squad for the first time as Naicker looks to bring some guidance to his young squad. Matthew Bergin and Hamish Mitchell will also be key figures while Benjamin Cameron is the pick of the up-and-coming talents.

Southern United

Position last season: Runners-up
Coach: Darren Hart
Key player: Ben O’Farrell
Young player to watch: Oban Hawkins

Squad: Kasam Ali, Rahan Ali, Iuri Batista de Souza Felix, Matt Brazier, Yun Sung Chang, Daniel de Souza, James Govan, Oban Hawkins, Carlos Herrmann, Reid Hulleman, Fraser Hunter, Tennessee Kinghorn, Jan Kumar, Ben O’Farrell, Thomas Petersen, Mazen Rabih, Daniel Robinson, Christopher Sannum, Michael Sannum, Arnon Tapp, Logan Wallace, Jacky Zeng

Prospects: It would be no surprise if Southern were to make it all the way to the final as they have done so in both of the previous campaign, lifting the trophy in 2017 before giving up their crown to Auckland last season. Much of their success has been based on a strong team culture and sense of togetherness, which has allowed the southerners to succeed at the expense of some more star-studded rivals. The strength of that collective unit looks set to continue as the set-up has a settled feeling with Darren Hart again returning as coach to work with many of the same players. The Queenstown-based pair of Daniel de Souza and Carlos Herrmann are back to add their Brazilian flair and have been joined by two more talented imports in Jan Kumar and Iuri Batista de Souza Felix. The talismanic Michael Sannum also has much to offer after being named league MVP in the title-winning season two years ago while Fraser Hunter is among the most consistent goalkeepers in the competition. Southern will meanwhile benefit greatly from Oban Hawkins’ decision to move south with the young Futsal White regarded as one of the most exciting prospects in the country.

Article added: Friday 20 September 2019