By Shoubhik Mukhopadhyay
I-League Media team

NEW DELHI: Mumbai FC, another veteran club from Maharashtra, are going to embark their U-18 I-League campaign against DSK Shivajians in an away fixture tomorrow.

Albeit Mumbai FC colts had a cold outing last season, they are determined to turn the table now under the tutelage of Alex Ambrose. The youngsters have been practicing too hard under the tutelage of Alex Ambrose and Kundan Chandra, who is heading the youth development. These two persons know the boys like back of their hand and they are here not just to compete, but to cement their berth in the next round-robin stage. Pune FC, who have started their journey with a bang, must be pretty cautious while taking on these Mumbai boys.

Skipper Rahul Baishnab Jaydebdas is the mainstay in the defense line and controls the team from his own half. His dedication towards the game infuses the never-say-die attitude into his teammates. The fidelity shown by Rahul as well as the Assisi brothers in the backline has earned enormous adulation from the experts till now.

While Sudhakar Ranjan and Rakesh Karmaran are the front runners to make into the starting eleven, Rolden Castelino, Abhishek Patil are actually breathing down their necks and the healthy competition amongst themselves is being enjoyed by the gaffer very much, “We have promising youngsters who have been performing consistently since last season. It’s really a pain to name one particular boy, all are giving their best and showing tremendous dedication during the practice sessions.”

The scouting team did no delay to sign Rohan Shukla, who got released by AIFF Elite Academy of late. Rohan’s inclusion will infuse more vigour in the midfield and he is striving to prove his worth, once he’s provided with an opportunity.