Searching for a Solution

Armed with three new signings – went into the second half of the season full of optimism.

Friendlies during the mid-season break had gone well and the team looked well prepped to take on the best Spark 25 had to offer.

However, once again, the performance in friendlies didn’t follow through into the competitive games.

A shock 0-1 defeat against 9th placed Biriyani SMVS, followed by a dull 0-0 draw against mid table Lorenskog IF put us firmly back to the drawing board…

… and worse, 10 points behind the division leaders.

Seeing the wood, despite the trees

Sometimes you become so absorbed in your own system and philosophy that you only look forward.

This tends to make you forget what worked so well previously.

What followed wasn’t a wholesale tactical revolution. It was the refinement of one. Studying the eventual Diamond League champions Us Abe, comparing player movement patterns, and a chat with Bruce L33t eventually led us back towards a narrower, more direct version of our 4-3-3. The change looked subtle on paper, but the impact was immediate. Suddenly Alderete was arriving in central scoring positions from the right, Aristizabal was receiving the ball in dangerous areas through the middle and the midfield finally had balance.

From caterpillars to rattlesnakes in the click of a button.

In the first knock out round of the cup, we smashed Ottawa Maples MFC 4-1, with all four goals coming from new signing Elias Aristizabal – putting our two cup defeats to them last season firmly behind us.

The following day we faced 7th placed Ermesinde Old Nets, who we narrowly beat earlier in the season, and demolished them 4-0. It wasn’t even close. 3.70 xG and 8 shots on target versus 0.31 xG and just 1 goal-bound effort. A feat made more impressive because nine of the starting eleven were our backups.

That win put us back up to 2nd and suddenly, our season was full of promise once more.

From Cup Anguish to League Dominance

The shine was taken off our recent success when our cup campaign came to an end in the quarter-finals. Facing a very tough 4-1-2-1-2, were defeated on penalties after a 2-2 draw.

Annoyingly, all three of our new signings – Aristizabal, Alderete and Moss missed their penalties.

I was really hoping we could win the cup this season and get our first proper piece of silverware, and with the league seemingly out of sight, the best we can hope for now is another playoff winners trophy.

There was no time to dwell though, as just a few hours later we faced 3rd placed Tournai Citadel, knowing a win would put us 5 points ahead of them as we head into a stretch of difficult games.

What followed was a 6-0 demolition.

Clearly keen to put the cup dismay behind them, we put up a commanding performance which saw the front three explode into action. Winger Mauro Alderete score a hat-trick, whilst Roman Fasching scored two from the opposite flank. Not to be outdone, striker Elias Aristizabal scored and laid on an assist.

A rotated side went down early against the stubborn Cascias Storm, a narrow 4-1-2-1-2 causing us problems again, as we conceded from their first shot on target. The visitors held on until half time, but we turned on the style with 5 seconds half goals.

Rosario Norte FC were beaten 3-0, before we took on the very talented Atletico Cusco who, somehow, found themselves in 4th position despite being the second strongest side. We picked up a tough 2-1 win thanks to Aristizabal’s 91st minute winner, and his second of the game (both assists coming from right fullback Didier Cambier).

That win left us still 10 points behind Karanovac MFC, but gave us a 10 point cushion over Atlantis whose impressive recent form has seen them surge up the table into third.

The Final Run-In

With the coveted 2nd place looking a foregone conclusion – we need only 4 points from the final 4 games – we faced the very in-form Atlantis. They’re a different team to the one we beat 3-0 earlier in the season, not allowing a shot on target.

They’re now on a 5 game winning streak and haven’t conceded a single goal in that run.

With a few of their top players rested I was expecting a battle!

However, that followed was an absolute battering.

A 5-0 win without conceding even a shot.

Alderete (RW) scored 3, Aristizabal (ST) grabbed two.

Our gap to 3rd place increased to 11 points.

With 2nd place now secured, 3 games left, and the top spot well out of sight, it was time to play the back ups to ensure the starting 11 were well rested for the playoffs.

We saw out Season 14 with wins over PFG Montevideo (2-0), MFG Magyar (1-0) and a defeat to league leaders Karanovacs.

The Playoffs

In the battle of 2nd vs 2nd it was determined that we’d face Salford City, from Spark 26. A little investigation showed they’d reached the playoffs last season but were defeated and missed their chance to get promoted to Ice.

So, they’d be even more desperate this season.

With the starting 11 well rested, we stuck with our 4-3-3 D.

If there was one lingering doubt heading into the playoffs, it centred on Salford’s attack. Their narrow 4-2-2-2 had produced 57 goals during the season, the second-highest tally in their division, and its compact shape had caused problems for opponents all year. The question wasn’t whether we would create chances. It was whether our league best defence could withstand one final test.

The answer arrived within ten minutes. Alderete fired us ahead from a Karsai through ball, settling any early nerves before Fasching doubled the advantage midway through the first half, rounding the keeper in style. Salford responded with their most dangerous moment shortly afterwards, striking the post in a reminder of the threat they carried. Salford applied more and more pressure, but Wells was assured when called upon, the back four remained organised, and Karsai screened the defence superbly.

By full-time, the statistics told the story. Salford enjoyed slightly more possession, but we generated the better chances and limited a potent attack to 0.82 xG and a blank scoresheet. For a team built on defensive discipline and collective organisation, there could have been no more fitting way to secure promotion to Ice Division!

THE MAYHEM WERE PROMOTED TO ICE!!

A Season of Two Halves

The aim of our mid-season recruitment was to tackle two problems:

1 – Add more bite to midfield. We did this with the purchase of Graeme Moss (70 OVR) for $25. The Englishman averaged 7.4 in his 8 games, assisting 4 times and helping us stop being overrun in the middle so often.

2 – Add more firepower to the attack. Over the first half of the season our attack noticeably lacked a cutting edge. Starting striker Al Harbi and left winger Fasching both scored 7 goals, whilst right winger Favre netted just once, for a combined 15 goals.

To combat this, I picked up Mauro Alderete to replace Favre for $6 and a new star striker, Elias Aristizabal for $55 (which was much more than I intended to spend but his market value was incredible, with the next cheapest player matching his age and attributes listed at $120!!).

In 9 games, Alderete scored 9 goals and Aristizabal scored 14. All three players added to the squad made a massive difference to our season and our climb to Ice.

While Aristizabal grabbed the headlines, the signing of Alderete may prove to be the bargain of the season. Signed for just $6, his 9 goals in 9 appearances saw him quickly became one of the most dangerous wide forwards in Spark Division.

While the goals grabbed the headlines, the foundation of our promotion was the defence. Throughout the second half of the season we repeatedly restricted opponents to fewer than 1.0 xG and in several matches prevented them from registering a shot on target at all.

To make room for the three additions, I had to remove 3 players from the Mayhem squad and send them out on loan.

Striker Nestor Zamorano went to Flint team Torrente Terrors, where he scored 8 goals in 12 games, helping them to promotion to Spark via the playoffs. Joining Zamorano at Torrente was right midfielder Emile Marechal who played 8 games, grabbing a goal and an assist.

Young striker Karim Maillard was loaned to fellow-Spark club Dapto Fury where he disappointed, scoring just 2 goals in 9 games.

Team Leaders

It’ll come as no surprise that Aristizabal was our top scorer, despite playing only 9 games – which shows how blunt our attacking trio was previously. Just behind him with 12 goals each were Al Harbi (14 games) and Fasching (19 games).

For the second year running the player with the highest overall rating (behind Aristizabal) was left back Didier Cambier (7.5 avg) who tied with backup right back Milijov Vuksanovic. The trio just ahead of midfielders Graeme Moss and Daniel Karsai (7.4).

The top playmaker is surprisingly low. Rather than having one main creator, it shows how well the system worked in terms of creating chances from everywhere.

In fact, THREE players ended up with 5 assists: Central Midfielder Gerhard Zander, right back Dusan Vlasak and left back Didier Cambier, with Zander doing it in less games.

We also had four players with 4 assists: Midfielders Graeme Moss, Teofilo Espindola and Stefan Alexe, along with back up fullback Endre Brenden.

Perhaps the most understated contributor was Daniel Karsai. Rarely making headlines, the Hungarian anchored the midfield, protected the defence and allowed the more creative players ahead of him to flourish. His influence was particularly evident during the playoffs, where he delivered one of his best performances of the season.

Progression

One of the most satisfying elements of playing MFL is seeing players progress. Whether that’s through being nurtured in your own system or out on loan gaining valuable experience.

In my squad, Didier Cambier, Walter Falcone and Carl Boone all progressed +3 overall this season.

Out on loan, Cristian Bevilacqua went up a massive +4, showing the value of regular game time.

Looking Ahead

Promotion to Ice changes everything. The challenge now is no longer survival in Spark. It’s proving that Madero Mayhem FC belong among the Ice’s elite. With a new sister club, several promising youngsters developing through the system and a tactical identity that finally feels settled, Season 15 promises to be the biggest test in the club’s short history.