June 25th 2022 Team Announcements and Pre-Tournament Odds.
It's been awhile since LadJefferys got involved with the Indoor Invitational to announce their pre-tournament odds. Having skipped the March 19th tournament, the team is back to once again announce the teams and who they expect to win the crown and individual awards!
As always, these odds are just for fun and the teams can change at any point with dropouts always likely to happen. There is a big number of new players in the tournament this time around, so we'll see what happens!
For those that do not know what LadJefferys is, it's a spin on popular gambling broker Ladbrokes in the UK, as well as news article site Ladbible - just a bit of fun!
These posts do take a while, so I encourage you to read at least your whole team, though if you read all of it I'll be very grateful! Please also make sure to check the very bottom of the page, which includes the odds for all teams and awards.
Without futher adieu, here are the Teams, and odds for the June 25th Indoor Invitational in Vancouver:
As always, we'll do a breakdown of each team and players before finally announcing our odds for the Championship! Keeping in mind the image of the pitch shows 6 players, our tournaments are 5 with 1 sub, so this is not actually how the teams will line up.
Tuvalu, a micronation in the Pacific is coming up against some big teams in this tournament. But do not worry Tuvalu fans as this team is all about balance.
Starting from the goalie, and potentially the most crucial part of this team, reigning MVP Ricardo Aldasora takes the net for the folks in pink. Ricardo is as agile as they come for goalies and his long lanky arms and legs make it extremely extremely difficult to beat him in the small sided goals.
In front of Ricardo will be be a mixture of three players who are all more defensively minded. Luis Gonzalez will be the ball-playing defender who can mastermind quick link up play, he does lack the pace these days but his position for the most part will be crucial on the small pitch.
Then we have Jai Park, the female on the team who only recently got into soccer but has come leaps and bounds in her game. Our scouts still remember seeing her play for the first time and to say she has improved exponentially since then would be an understatement. She is pretty quick with an astute eye for a pass when given the time. One thing she perhaps lacks is a little composure, though she is not afraid to get into a challenge. I fully expect Jai to be in with a shout at the Perseverance award.
Beside Luis and Jai will be Jake Burrows, who if all three are playing is likely to be the one pushing forward a little more. Jake is a no-nonsense defender who is not afraid to get into the gritty areas, if the ball goes into the corner, you bet he will be on your case hassling you. Jake, like Luis perhaps lacks a little pace, but again his positioning is extremely sound and he's not bad moving the ball forward either.
Moving further up the pitch, we have Jordan Mant, the captain. When he joined the first tournament in March he was very much considered a defender, but a recent shift in his Sunday side has seen him playing more as an attacker and it's really proving dividends. The beauty of Jordans' game is he can do both, he's a stocky lad who can bully people off the ball while also having the finesse to do beautiful threaded passes. His weakness is that of his own self-destruction, he's a perfectionist who is his own worst enemy and if he gets frustrated with himself, he can start to falter.
Finally we have Fionn Thielitz, making his return after missing the 19th March tournament. The 0.9 GPG man will be crucial for this team who lack a little bit in the finishing department. While all of their players could potentially chip in a few goals, this is the guy who will be tasked with doing the business this time around. A silky dribbler and a keen eye for goal, he can even put in a shift in defence too, given the small sided game this is a wonderful asset for any team. Fionn will be a contender in a number of awards if he can rally the goals for this team. The biggest downside to his game would be his need to do too much at times which can run the team into trouble.
3/1 Odds - I fully expect Tuvalu to do some damage in this tournament. There is enough balance and primarily the defence is extremely strong, everyone on this team can and will defend for the team and they have some really tactical thinkers as well. Not to mention they have the very first ever goalkeeper MVP in net. Ultimately it's going to come down to whether Fionn can get the goals but all in all, this LadJefferys joint 2nd favourites to win the competition.
Vanuatu, a nation chosen out of spite after Jake learned of his good friend Jordan picking Tuvalu (seriously, what are the chances two people pick Tuvalu). Located just a short flight away from Tuvalu, this Pacific Island nation is not quite as easy to predict as their pacific rivals.
Starting with the Captain, Jake Wilkinson is a ball-playing defensive minded player who is happy to play up the park if needed. A pretty tall guy who holds the ball up well and thrives on pressure, which is perfect for the small-sided game. Jake is pretty fast for his height too, which really does make a difference. On the downside though, this guy couldn't hit a barn door, so expect to see him doing the playmaking from defence and not much further up the field.
In net we've got Brandon Cotton, our resident Victoria player. Coming over from the Island again for this tournament, the beauty about Brandon is his consistency, you rarely see him make mistakes and in a game like this, that is incredibly valuable. On the downside, he perhaps isn't the flashiest of goalies either, though he is prone to a great save, you probably won't see him doing the remarkable. It's clear Brandon has played some outfield too though, he's excellent on the ball and can create plays from the goalline. One thing to note about Brandon is, he scored three goals from being a goalie in the last tournament, the most of any goalie ever in Invitational history.
In front of Brandon, we will likely have Sumo Chatterjee, also returning after missing the March tournament. Sumo is going to be the engine of this team, buzzing around creating havoc to opposing attackers. He'll be the first to tell you he's likely not going to win the MVP award but he is going to be a strong contender for the perserverence award with his relentless tenacity. A more defensive minded player, expect him and Jake to be the main defenders on this team.
The creative man on this team is going to be relatively unknown quantity Michael Poufong, he will likely be controlling the middle with Rabih El-Alami, another new player to the tournament. Michael has played most of his life back in Ireland, and is tipped to be a good player but in truth not much is known about him. Because of him and Rabih, this makes Vanuatu a real dark horse, they could end up being a top team. I'd putting Michael as a candidate for Male Star, based on limited info I think MVP might be a step up this time around, but Male Star could be an opportunity for him.
Rabih El-Alami is usually an attacking left sided player, that will obviously change a little on the small sided pitch but expect him and Michael to be the main two in midfield. Given he usually plays on the left, I would expect his defensive game to be decent too, having to track back and stop the overlapping defenders. Truth be told, just like Michael, it's hard to judge, based on limit information I think Rabih could be a genuine contender for Male Star, just like Michael, especially given he's played a lot of Indoor Soccer.
Last but not least, we've got Coral Robinson, our resident Scouser is back for a third tournament, and a second one driving down from Whistler. Coral will look to be the teams primary outlet up top, while she has a decent shot on her she is also a great passer, so expect to see a few goals from her teammates and herself. The biggest negative on Corals game is her tendency to shoot when the pass is open though, she'll find a beautiful pass in a difficult situation showing she has the passing ability, but in a situation where a pass is more suited, she might try and take a shot on. Overall her game is strong, she's not easy to knock off the ball and is very direct with her running.
7/1 Odds - Dark Horse contender here. Vanuatu is too difficult to judge, even the players that have been scouted in Brandon, Coral, Jake and Sumo they are still relatively unknown (with the exception of Coral). I genuinely believe this team will either come last or come first, and by that, it's almost certain they will finish dead in the middle because I am always wrong.
Our first big nation falls to Portugal, located in Europe and home to one of the greatest footballers ever (no not you Olaniyi). Their biggest rivals in this competition likely falls to Italy, given they are 'somewhat' closeby.
Starting from the front and working back, we've got Olaniyi Osatuyi, the current Indoor Invitational all time top goalscorer with 19 goals in 20 games for a record of .95 GPG. This doesn't put him at the highest GPG though, with 2 players sitting just above him. He'll be looking to add a few more goals to his tally this time around, hoping for over 12 to get him level with goals per game as the others. Ola is very tall but deceptively light footed, going into the first tournament he was not ranked as high as he is now because it wasn't expected the small-sided game would suit him. That was wrong and he has shown twice now he's a formiddable opponent in the tight areas. His biggest weakness is his defensive capabilities, he does just fling legs out which makes it pretty easy to get past him. As expected, he's a favourite for top goalscorer.
In the center midfield area I expect to mainly see the Captain Harsh Narang, channelling his inner Joao Moutinho, he sits second only behind Italy Captain Jayson Postle in the all-time points for the Vancouver Indoor Invitational (pts for winning/runners up/league champions). He's now got his work cut out as he's expected to captain some pretty big personalities and players, theres no hiding behind others now. This leads me onto his weakness which is his talking, he is a very quiet guy so it will be interesting to see how he does as captain. However, what he lacks in talking he makes up for in all around ability, a true jack of all trades player he can pass, dribble, defend and shoot. While he might not be an MVP candidate, he's still young and building his game, I could see him being a Dark Horse contender this year.
In the wingback positions we've got relatively unknown duo Peter Licandro and Sinziana Chis. Starting with Sinzi, she is likely going to be playing a more defensive role, though she won't be afraid to push up. Athletically inclined she will chase down the opposition which is great in 5-a-side, don't expect her to tire easily. With that said, she is still more on the learning side of Soccer, so you probably won't see her playing many 1-2 passes, or taking some pop shots. She will be tasked with disrupting the play and ensuring the team retains possesion before passing off to one of the more comfortable players on the ball.
On the other side we have Peter Licandro, who is going to be vital to this teams success. He might not be the best player on the team, but it's expected he will be the biggest talker and that is so important. Peter is comfortable on the ball, so don't expect any rash decisions made under pressure with this guy. While he is still a somewhat unknown commodity, I expect his biggest downfall is going to be the speed of the game, having usually played in outdoor leagues - it might take him a short while to get used to the pace.
The heart of the defence is going to be Toluwase Olaku, otherwise known as TJ. A mountain of a man who is deceptively quick, having him at the back with Olaniyi on the other end, I don't expect many to be trash-talking this team (we don't expect trash-talking of any kind though). That being said, TJ is one of the best defenders in the tournament, brilliant on the ball and is comfortable under pressure, exactly what you need at the back. He is also comfortable talking which is going to be good as this team will need that. On the negative side, TJ lacks the midfield creativity, so he will very much be tasked with defensive duties. While he can pass well, don't expect him to thread the needle kind of pass.
Finally, in goal we have Shane McDermott, who is a new goalie to our tournaments. Little is known about him, but Goalkeeper is his natural position and while he has only been playing for fun in recent years, his junior years were more competitive. This could be vital, the goals are small and if he is a bit more on the lankier side, similar to Ricardo, it will be extremely difficult to beat him. Negatively there is very little to say, we don't know enough about him, I would say the fact he potentially doesn't know anyone, a couple of early goals go in his confidence could be shot. I'm tipping Shane for my Golden Glove award though, I have a sneaky feeling he is a very good goalie.
5/1 Odds - Joint with another team, so the 4th favourites in my books. Shane could be a real difference maker on this team depending on how good he is. Ultimately they are not in my top 3 due to the lack of an out and out midfielder. I expect to see Harsh hold that role to start, he's been put in all sorts of positions before so the truth is it's hard to judge, if he can make it his own alongside the favourite for top scorer, Olaniyi, they could go far.
The biggest team on paper (probably), Italy come into the Indoor Invitational fresh off being knocked out of the World Cup qualifying (lol), I guess it's not coming Rome. Can they bring the Indoor Invitational to Rome though? One man certainly thinks so, the Captain and two-time Indoor Invitational winner Jayson Postle.
Jayson is the Indoor Invitationals first player with a shot at Three Titles, and he's done it all as a captain. In the November tournament his team, Germany, was predicted to win, they did. In March, I predicted his team to come last and they won. A credit to his captaincy skills, or just pure luck? We'll see soon enough. Jayson is a fast, direct dribble with a beauty of a shot on him. Sitting at 14 goals in 20 games, he's truly been one of the dominant scorers and it takes a lot to stop him. Defensively sound too which is a great asset, he will track back to help the team. The only thing I would look at negatively, which isn't always a negative, would be his lack of passing and trying too much. Sometimes you need that, but other times you need to know when to find that pass. I could see Jayson being up there with Top Goalscorer and the MVP award.
Sitting behind Jayson, we have 2 guys likely battling it out in the midfield. Connor Mullin returns after the March tournament in which an injury forced him to not be as effective as he would have been. The start of the tournament he really showed poise on the ball, and demonstrated the ability to find passes and take shots while being defensively sound. Perhaps this is no longer the case, but i do remember a lack of pace which could perhaps be the only negative of this guys game.
Kevin White is another unknown commodity but it's expected he'll be between defence and midfield. Having been playing all his life, it's likely Kevin will be a pretty good player, at least known the basics and be comfortable on the ball. In the small-sided game it's important to be comfortable on the ball so I really do expect him to be an assett to this team.
In defence, Laura Barlow will be the main person holding the fort. Strong in the tackle and a good passer. If things will start from the back with this team, it will need Laura to be on her game. Going forward Laura perhaps isn't the strongest, I wouldn't expect her to pitch in with goals and assists, but I would expect her to block and tackle multiple attempts on her own goal.
Emerson Lopez is likely to be all around the field depending on who is on at a certain time. He can play defence, midfield and even put a shift upfront as well. A tenacious player who will hassle the opponents none stop, decent on the ball and will never run out of gas. While he might not be a threat for a few goals a tournament, he's averaged a goal every tournament so far so expect him to pop up with one here or there.
Finally in goal we have our reigning Golden Glove winner, Ellan Ponjani. He impressively only conceded 5 goals in the regular season in 7 games, including 3 clean sheets! Definitely one for the golden glove again, though with a less defensive team this time he's going to need to be on his game. An agile goalie who is brilliant at one-on-ones and is decent with his feet, his only downside is probably his long shot stopping. The goals I did see go in were long-shots, that being said in a small-game there isn't as much chance for them to go in.
5/1 Odds - Joint with Portugal, both teams have top strikers. While Italy doesn't have that outlying commanding center back that Portugal does, they make up for in attacking ability across the team. Italy have way more threats going forward in my eyes, I expect some high scoring games for this team.
Our only African team this time around comes in the shape of Côte d'Ivoire, aka the Ivory Coast. The team in orange will be looking to showcase the African continent on the Indoor Invitational stage. There closest rivals... probably Guernsey? (Portugal/Italy taken).
In goal we have a relatively new goalie in Marlon Davila, only recently taken up the goalkeeper role but has already shown some exceptional ability. While he might not have the safest hands of all the keepers in the tournament, he has one of the biggest hearts and determination. He will throw himself at everything to keep the ball out of the net, which is not something every goalie has. One thing you can count on with him is his feet, having previously been an outfield player, he's going to be the one to start the attacks in the small pitch. A potential one to watch for the dark horse or perseverance award.
In front of him we have the returning Danny Groombridge, aka Groomers. Probably the best defender in the competition, if not one of them, trying to get through Danny is a problem for any player in the tournament. Looking at the base stats in the last tournament it might not seem that way, having conceded a middle-of-the-pack 10 goals on the team, but when you take into consideration that team was extremely attack-minded (highest scoring team) it makes a lot more sense having to do most of the work in defence alone. He reads the game better than most, and has a decent turn of pace for when a player does get by him. Going forward he's not going to chip in with 5+ goals, but he'll get you a couple, just don't expect him to be hitting screamers.
Next to Danny in defence will be Nita John, who will be entering her first tournament. Still a pretty beginner level player, Nita is not afraid to put her body on the line, which is a theme for this team. She's got a decent touch and a powerful kick which will provide useful in getting the ball away from her goalie. Negatively she's not going to do much going forward, though if you give her an opportunity for a long-shot, I think she might surprise some. A definite contender for the perserverance award here.
Infront of the defence, and maybe playing a little defence also would be Miguel Mantilla. Miguel is expected to control the tempo of the game, not the fastest player by any means but cool under pressure and a brilliant passer with an acute eye for goal also. While onlookers should not be expecting Miguel to be close to the top goalscorer award, some suggest if there was an assist award he could be a one to watch. I think his biggest downside might be towards the end of the tournament his legs might become a bit heavy and the passes become a little more wayward.
Calum Arul is the captain of this time and very much the engine, I expect this guy to be playing a lot of minutes and to be doing all sorts of roles. While his primary ability is going forward, this team is going to need the fresher legs from his younger self. This will be Calums third tournament and so far has averaged 2 goals per tournament, at a rate of 0.2 per game. If he can top that up a little bit, this team has got a serious chance of being a contender.
Upfront they will look to Reza Rahiem, who in the first tournament back in November netted a respectable 5 goals, primarily playing in midfield. It was in the next tournament, in March where he found his rhythm though, jumping upfront for the side he was captaining and ousting Patrick McCarthy for the top goalscorer award by 1 goal, with 11. Expect Reza to be upfront for this side, his nifty feet and ability to give and go is an asset to anytime, but players like Miguel able to find him in space he could be in for a wonderful day. Negatively, he's not an out an out striker, while 11 goals is a lot, you could make a case that it should have been more.
3/1 Odds - Joint second favourites, the Ivory Coast have a genuine shot if they can play their game right. They have the former top scorer, and the best defender (imo) in the competition, that should give them an advantage in any game. It's whether this team can work together and ensure they are playing to each of each others strengths.
Indonesia will be looking to take their spiritual lands to the lands of Champions by winning the Indoor Invitational. Rivals to Mongolia, just because they're the only two teams left, Indonesia will be looking to represent South East Asia.
Captain Luke Weller will be joining his first ever Invitational and looks to win his first title too. This guy is pipped to be a candidate for Male Star or MVP, while perhaps not having the shooting prowess to be the top goalscorer. A tall midfielder who is strong on the ball and nifty with his feet, one of the best passers in the competition for sure. Expect him to be the creator, while also chipping in with 3-6 goals.
Eileen Raffel was probably not expecting to be the main focal point for her team, but she will likely be just that with a pretty defensively looking side. Eileen, usually a winger has a brilliant cross and a very good shot on her, she'll need to be utilizing the latter for their team to stand a chance here. Definitely my one to watch for Female Star of the day, and an outside candidate for MVP perhaps? One of Eileens strongest abilities is her constant communication and positive vibes which is bound to keep team morale up.
Martin Gillen is a newcomer to the tournament and not much is known about him. That being said, he's expected to be a well-rounded contributor given he's played 5-aside semi-regularly over the past few years so should know the basics of soccer. Outside of that not much is really known, so is well and truly a wildcard for this team.
Sakib Hasan is expected to be part of a defensive duo, a good all-around player that isn't likely to win MVP but could be a contender for the dark horse award for his defensive capabilities. He's got pretty long legs which make him quite difficult beat, especially in the small sided game. He's also comfortable on the ball so don't expect him to panic under pressure, though his weaknesses lie in his 'game-changing' ability, he's not likely to score a flashy goal, or do the one-time through balls.
Alongside Sakib will be Sean Bideshi, who like Martin is another wild card for this team. All we know is that Sean has been playing soccer for a very long time and is still playing weekly these days. Unlike some people who haven't played for a while, Sean has kept his soccer days going so we fully expect him to be a comfortable player on the ball and able to move the ball out from defence.
Finally, in goal we have Luiss Portillo, who is probably the game-changing factor for this team. It's Luis' first tournament after months of our scouts trying to bring him on board and we're thrilled to have him. One of the best goalies in the tournament for sure and if his defence helps him out, I fully expect him to be close to the golden glove award and could see him going for further awards. A brilliant shot stopper and always willing to put himself on the line. His Mexican blood runs through his veins too, as he's got some silky footwork and a brilliant passer. With the height of Luke, I expect to see a few balls launched at his chest from Luis.
4/1 Odds - Honestly this could be a generous score, this puts them in 3rd (or 4th if you count 2 teams in 2nd). This team is probably the least known out of all, and that could be a good or bad thing. Our scouts have sneaky suspicions that this team might have an ace up their sleeve with one of the lesser known players. The thing that is going to keep this team rolling though is they are all genuinely nice people from what we can tell, everyone is going to be encouraging each other, which could have a genuine impact on there game.
Guernsey, home of Donkeys. Honestly, we've never seen any donkeys in Guernsey, but that is what people from Guernsey are called... really true story. A tiny island off the coast of France, not as pretty as it's neighbours Jersey to the south but they are technically in a higher division in soccer, so maybe that will help them here.
We might as well start with the obvious first, captain Johnathon Jeffery will be heading into his... 20th? tournament, spanning 6 cities, three countries and three continents... and he's still yet to win a winners medal. The curse of Jeffery conintues, so much so he decided to captain his bitter rivals, and where is Mother was born, Guernsey. Johnathon has always been a fan of the small-sided game, playing at a high level in the UK and NZ before becoming a chunky monkey. However, in the last tournament he finally showed his ability with a 6 goal cameo and a contender for goal of the tournament, not to mention the scorpion kick that hit the bar (definitely would have won it). JJ is likely to be the central midfielder for this team, using his deft passing to make plays happen. On the negative side, don't expect him to run much, he's very unfit.
Upfront we have newcomer Toby Moffat and our favourite for the top goalscorer award. Toby can play both CB or CF and will likely be doing the latter for this team, unless JJ or James have their scoring boots on. Similar to JJ, Toby has played at a pretty high level in both England and New Zealand, he's a tall, stocky guy who has insanely quick feet which is perfect for the small-sided game. Expect to see a few solo goals from this guy as he climbs the scoring charts. On a negative side, he is also a little unfit, so expect his legs to give out after a few games.
In goal we have Andrew Donnelly, whom is probably the best passing goalie in the tournament, case-and-point with the esquisite ball he played not once, but twice for JJ in the last tournament, one of which would have been the assist to the Scorpion Kick.... (not salty). Andrew is a tall, and stocky guy who gets down surprisingly well. This gives him a massive advantage as when he runs out at you, it's incredibly difficult to get it past him. Screened longshots are definitely his weakness, which seems to be a concentration thing, a few pop shots through the defenders did find their way past Andrew in the past tournament.
Haley Cairns is another newcomer to the tournament, comfortable in both wide midfield or wide defence, expect her to be comfortable defending and attacking. The interesting part will be how she will handle the small game given there are not so much 'sides' so she'll be playing through the middle a little bit, but not the worst negative to have! Haley has a decent amount of experience, and something is telling us she could be in with a shout at Female Star of the day, especially given the passing nature of her team.
The engine of this team will be James Hagans, the Irish-born now apparently Guernseyman is the battery in the middle of the park, expected to defend and attack alike. James will get a few goals, no doubt, he's got a brilliant shot on him, but knows when to pick out the right pass too. His unfloundering resilience and never give up attitude will be a massive reason for this teams success. James has one downside, the guy gets injured more than anyone I've ever seen, so he'll need to keep stretching in order to last the full day!
Last but not least, Stuart Taylor who will be instrumental for the teams defensive success. The beauty about this guy is his overall ability to read the game. He knows where to be when defending, as well as attacking. Sure, his shot isn't the greatest thing in the world, but in the reality of everything that's not a bad weakness to have given they have James and Toby. I think Stuart will be the leader in defence, though I also expect him to crop up with a couple of goals moving forward too. Stuart is also a brilliant passer, which comes from his reading the game, he can see things on the pitch not everyone can.
2/1 Odds - The beauty about this team is that anyone can play anywhere, one moment you might see Toby in defence, then upfront, Stuart in defence, then upfront. Even Andrew might end up outfield too, given JJ can also play goalie. They have no real weak areas, and while they might not have that one "outstanding defender, or playmaker" that shouldn't be an issue here and I expect this team to be pushing for the winners medals. But what do I know, I'm always wrong! With that all being said, 2/1 isn't the strongest odds we've had before, I genuinely believe this is one of the closest tournaments we've had on paper.
Mongolia, rivals to Indonesia as the only other Asian team in the tournament. While they'll be going for the championship, they will also be happy to be the best Asian team.
In goal we have newcomer Sergio Castillo, who is one of the less-experienced goalies in the tournament. Don't let that fool you though, having only recently (in the last couple of years) moved from outfield to goal, expect that to give him an advantage with his ball control and movement. As we know, these pitches are small and a well versed goalie can really make a difference. On the negative side, he might not have mastered positioning quite yet as a goalie, which could leave him stranded, especially for pop shots. All in all though, I have a feeling we might see Sergio get a goal, definitely a few assists.
Madison Churchwell, returning for her third tournament will be looking to finally open her goalscoring tally. While primarily a defender, she's not afraid to move up if the opportunity arises. On her day, when she takes the time on the ball she is probably one of the best passers, in the tournament. Her negative though is her want to rush things, perhaps due to pressure or just trying to get a goal, her game is much stronger when poised. Defensively she might be the best female, and certainly a contender for female star of the day.
Gursewak Mangat, the captain will be on the other side of Madison in defence. That being said, Gurse will definitely be more willing to take some risks going forward, with the energy this team has, expect a lot of chopping and changing as people take over others positions and I could definitely see him going on some runs. His shot is deceptively good, case-and-point in the first tournament where he won goal of the tournament from an audacious volley. Gurse is also good at playing from the back, so don't expect this team to be launching anything forward.
Ray and Dean are likely going to be the two guys in midfield, potentially playing defence too. Raymond Chan is a high octane midfielder who will not stop pressuring for the whole game. He actually plays similar to Dean, except Ray is more of a passer and will make late runs into the box. He has some pretty nifty feet and isn't afraid to run at people, arguably his best ability is to defend from the front though, hounding down any potential 50/50 to create a turnover. Negatively there isn't much to write about, he's not going to score an abundance of goals, but 4 in 10 games in one tournament is not a bad return.
On the other side of Ray, or potentially switching with Ray, will be Dean Millis. He is almost a carbon copy of Ray, but will look to take pop shots. While that might not seem like the case as Dean has 3 goals in 10 games, these shots tend to come from Dean making the opportunities himself, finding the space and shooting. While Ray tended to find a pass, make a late run then tap it home. Ultimately though, both of these guys are going to be instrumental for this team, they are the work-horses and ones expected to link up with Hilary upfront. Dean himself has a shifty dribbling sense about him, he won't do any fancy tricks, he'll just run and put his head down and go past you with his low center of gravity. From a negative standpoint, if he doesn't look up that can put him in a cul-de-sac.
Speaking of Hilary, if this team is going to defy the odds and not be the lowest rank team, they need Hilary to step up with the goals. He is an extremely skillful, player who does tend to pass first. He might need to be more greedy for this team sometimes as they need someone to take those shots. With one tournament under his belt, he has 4 goals in 10 games, but he was on a team with two other attack-minded players, this time he's that guy and he needs to showcase the ability and composure he showed during the penalty shootout last time. Negative point would be that he does give up on a play, if he loses the ball he might not work to get it back, luckily his team is incredibly hard-working so that shouldn't be an issue.
10/1 Odds - Ultimately there is always one team that needs to be last, unfortunately for Mongolia, it's them. This team could be a good team still, especially if Hilary pops off, I genuinely believe he has a top scorer race in him if he takes those shots instead of that extra pass or skill move. Outside of that, this team needs to rely on there relentless energy, they are truly the "fittest" team and even if they lose a couple of games to start, I could see them being extremely dangerous towards the end of the day when the other teams start gassing out.