In this article, we will look over some of the changes to the league, new teams participating and a personal prediction of how I think the table will look at the end of the season. Also included are some quotes from managers of participating teams regarding their view of their key players.

One of the biggest changes to note for Season 20, is the absence of veterans and champions REVIVAL and also Venom FC, Fusion FC & Provocateurs.

Ones to watch:

I spoke with each manager to get their thoughts on who they believe their most important/influential players will be this coming season:

Black Wyrm

(unavailable for comment.)

Horizon - Shugy

Gamerz - He is one of the most experienced players in the team and the leader amongst the players.

Enzo - Defends to a high level and has good ball technique.

Legacy - Doelpunten

All our players are important to us. The two players we had been trying to sign for the longest time are Lukas and Legiunia because we were impressed by their qualities. Lukas is a stand-out defensive player who has a lot of defensive contributions but is also calm on the ball. Legiunia is a player that can create a chance on his own. Another plus for him is that he can speak English. But as I said, the team is much more than only these two players. We have former EQ's GK for more than three seasons who has experience playing in League ONE at the top level. A RB who was in TOTS last season and offers an extra weapon to the attack with his rushes. We have a troll king at the back, and the player with the highest amount of assists in this league plays on our midfield now to improve our play going forward. He also comes up with a tactical tweak every now and then. 

Magic Storm E-Sports - RoGer

I thinking We have 2 guys. One of our main guys is Kajzerman. He is our defensive midfielder, keeping midfield and defensive together, he has a good dribble style and can also play on CM, CAM and Striker. Before he came to my team, he played for Vespertillo about 2 years ago. They were the strongest Polish team ever, even winning the  Champions League. The second person I would say is myself. I'm manager and holding all things together, making tactics, ensuring the morale stays up, also speaking during games to ensure full focus from the players all 90 minutes. I’m "retired" manager of Poland and also the best LB on the planet (I think). 

Mavi Anka - Heaovel

For us all of our players are important but if I must say 2 of them there are mva-song and mva-ercanayan, for song because of his defensive contributions and his basic passing style relaxes us, with his defensive knowledge he is a complete leader for us. For ErcanAyan with his experience in the game, he is a complete leader at forward for us. Ercanayan is our indispensable player at the forward.

Ragnarök FC

(unavailable for comment.)

SimpleX - Lillsey

Without a shadow of a doubt, Mooncake is one of our most influential players. With his up and coming streaming platform and endless optimism, he will be key to many of our victories in the upcoming Pro League, FFA and Champions League campaigns. Another one to watch is Nirooh. Outstanding in the centre of the pitch he never breaks a sweat and is always laser-focused on winning that ball and creating the chance for our attack to punish the opposing defences.

SOLARIZE FC - Mattisjj

Tobias - He is highly efficient in front of goal and you need strikers that like to compete with the top teams in the competition. 

Sebastian - He is the leader in our defence, organising them and a great defender with experience.

SYNERGY

(unavailable for comment.)

Tsunami Poland - Sojczan

Hello, for the offensive formation it would be our striker - Zielu87_PL, he is a key player for goalscoring and he always makes at least 50% of our scored goals per season. And for defensive formation it's our CB - Seeleer, he's in top 3 CB's in Poland and he is the one that often fixes other player mistakes.

Unshackled - Red_Shaman

Marko - He’s much more than just a finisher. He is the striking force of our attack.

Red_Shaman - The orchestrator in the team and maestro. 

Venga Venga FC

(unavailable for comment.)

Table Prediction

Prediction:

The below prediction is solely my thoughts and knowledge of the teams competing this season. From 4th, all the way down to 10th, these teams could end up in any order and I look forward to being proven wrong.

1st - SimpleX

On their debut season as a competitive team, they finished 2nd behind runaway champions Revival. To further show their success, they are the current Champions League holders and will look to build on that strong debut season. With the withdrawal of the Revival team from the international league, I find it hard to look beyond the quality of SimpleX to become champions with the strengthening of their team already having taken place. 

2nd - Legacy

Long-standing Dutch-based team started off slow last season but really picked it up in the second half. After the season, Provocateurs (5th in S19) have also folded and many of their players moving across to legacy in a merge of sorts, only strengthening the depth of the club. They will look to push to the top of the league, even with a few players leaving, the polish influx of players will no doubt see them improve on their 4th placed finish last season, provided they get off the mark quickly and do not squander a chunk of the season to inconsistency.

3rd - Horizon

After finishing 3rd last Season, Horizon will be looking to improve. With no Revival ahead of the pack they might be looking to contest at the top, but I think with Legacy taking a large roster of experienced players that Horizon will end up third once again this season. 

4th - Ragnarök

This team surprised many people last season with their resilience and records of clean sheets. Many teams struggled to break this compact and well-drilled side down. With a few new signings in the offseason they will be looking to replicate their defensive solidarity and improve on their goal return to hopefully see off some of the competition in those tighter games. A 6th place finish last season, with Provocateurs and Revival no longer in the division means they should climb up to 4th. However, if they get scoring more and maintain their defensive efforts, they could push for a Champions League place.

5th - Synergy

Synergy, formerly known as Gravity, is a newly promoted side from last season’s Division 2. They finished second, just 1 point behind Magic Storm E-Sports. In the offseason, however, they have strengthened largely, bringing in experienced midfielder Dirk and some other good signings which have helped them improve as a collective. Their recent participation in the FFA Cup saw them crowned as champions, without a single goal conceded against some top competition. I believe if they can keep that kind of thing up, they will place highly this coming season. 

6th - Unshackled

Veterans of the proleague. Finishing 7th last season, I predict this team will end up in a similar place this time around. A large roster and lots of experienced players, but can Red_Shaman get them working together as a cohesive unit and prove my placement wrong? With a few tweaks, a bit more quality and more consistent performances could see them press for a higher finish.

7th - Black Wyrm

Long-standing, French-based team entering into the proleague scene this season. Their last outing into the international league being back on FIFA 17. Many have faced this team and know of the frustrations that can ensue from such a match up. Black Wyrm are experts at keeping the ball and I believe this is something they will look to do this coming season and try to grab a goal on the counter against some impressive defences. They may struggle if they don’t get the initial goal and have to come out a bit more as possession doesn’t always win you games. 

8th - Solarize

Solarize is a new team this season, formed with Mattisjj in the dugout with a number of experienced players amidst their ranks. Quite a few former Fusion players which done well before the team folded last season. This team is in its infancy, but as we saw with SimpleX last season, if you have experienced players and you play well you can perform well even at a nubile age. Will they have the quality and consistency? How will they handle a bad result? Only time will tell. 

9th - Venga Venga FC

A second, predominantly French team in the international league. This team has experience in the Champions and Europa League, but experience doesn’t always get you results. Can they adapt to the International League? Hopefully, they can and prove me wrong. 

10th - MSE

Magic Storm finished top of Division 2 last season and earned themselves a spot in Division 1. Personally, I think they may struggle a little this season given the difference of opposition in comparison to their opponents last season. 

11th - Tsunami Poland

Avoiding relegation last year by a point, Tsunami Poland will look to try and achieve the same this season. However, given how close many of the teams are in terms of quality and competitiveness I think they may succumb and end up in Division 2 next season. 

12th - Mavi Anka

With a few players in their somewhat small roster which have been in the competition before, this new team will be looking to show what they are all about. However, with a roster of just 10 players going into the season, they may struggle against some of the more established teams.  

Have a good season.

H