Club Profile: Mumbai City FC
The Indian football scene is one which continues to grow from season to season. What some international football fans may not know is that one of the country’s most popular squads is only six years old!
The club in question is Mumbai City FC, an Indian Super League mainstay poised to help put the country on the football map. Whether you already tune into Indian football or check out Mumbai City FC on Sportsadda, it’s hard to deny the short history of the team is still seriously fascinating.
Let’s take a look at Mumbai City FC in profile. How have they performed this past season? What can we expect from them in future?
Big Names, Big Start
Mumbai City FC emerged in 2014 as an enterprising Indian team with big names in international football attached. That is, behind the scenes. England, Bolton, and Everton legend Peter Reid was the first coach attached to the club. He’d previously helmed the likes of Sunderland and Leeds United in his homeland, before taking on the international scene with Thailand’s national side.
France’s Nicolas Anelka, who’s played for English sides such as Arsenal and Chelsea, emerged at Mumbai City in 2015 as a player-manager. He was followed up by Costa Rica legend Alexandre Guimaraes a year later.
Jorge Costa then took over for more matches than any coach in the team’s short tenure thus far. Right now, however, the team are under the watchful gaze of Sergio Lobera.
Therefore, this bodes well. Mumbai has, thus far, always had a firm footballing talent at the head of the club. But how does the team actually perform when push comes to shove?
Emerging Champions?
It’s safe to say that Mumbai has a firm core of fans. While they are continuing to develop their stadium capacity, they may have a way to go before they approach the number of seats, other teams, in the league offer. However, it stands to reason that they are still very much in the early chapters of their own story.
As of the 2019/20 season, Mumbai City FC was able to claim a mid-table finish across 18 matches. Their win, draw and loss record remains respectable, with a solid seven wins out of a possible 18. With only six losses the whole season, they could be emerging as ones to watch in the months and years to come.
This is likely to be even more the case when it comes to one of their latest signings. Hugo Boumous remains one of the best players in the whole league. Having been a firm fixture as part of Goa’s league-winning line-ups throughout the 2019/20 season, Mumbai has been able to poach the midfielder.
This is big news for Mumbai fans. Goa is, at present, by far the strongest team in the Indian Super League. Not only that, but Lobera and Boumous have worked together before, meaning this is a matchup which is likely to continue creating fantastic moments on the pitch.
Boumous was crowned ‘hero of the season’ as of the most recent season. Can he replicate this success at Mumbai?
Big Things Ahead
While it’s safe to say that you should never pin a team’s hopes and dreams on one signing, Boumous could well bridge the gap between mid-table and top of the league for Mumbai.
Following a tricky year amid global crises, Mumbai City FC is training hard behind the scenes. The 2020/21 season, the club’s seventh year, is likely to be one for the history books. Will they emerge as Indian Super League champions? Watch this space – you heard it here first.
Sources
https://www.sofascore.com/team/football/mumbai-city-fc/174600
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Reid
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mumbai_City_FC
Image: Photo by Juan Salamanca from Pexels
