BLURB
FC Goa are scheduled to play five pre-season friendlies against Al Khaleej, Al Shabab,
Ajman, Al Jazeera and Al Hatta at the clubs’ respective stadiums on Sept 11, 15, 16, 19 and 20
respectively. All games will kick off at 7pm local time.
THE GOAN NETWORK
PANAJI
As part of FC Goa’s pre-season training and conditioning, the team hasassembled at the Spanish Soccer Schools (SSS) grounds in the Dubai Sports City (DSC) in Dubai,United Arab Emirates (UAE), to prepare for season 2 of the Hero Indian Super League (ISL) under the guidance of head coach Zico.
DSC is a multi-venue sports complex wherein the Spanish Soccer Schools has a full-size indoor pitch with FIFA 2-star approved competition turf for year-round usage and two full-size outdoor pitches.
FC Goa are scheduled to play five pre-season friendlies against Al Khaleej, Al Shabab, Ajman, Al
Jazeera and Al Hatta at the clubs’ respective stadiums on Sept 11, 15, 16, 19 and 20 respectively. All games will kick off at 7pm local time. The matches are open to fans of both teams.
Speaking of the Goan ISL franchise’s target for the coming season, Zico has predicted a better
season for the Gaurs, as the team is popularly referred to, in ISL 2.
“The target is not like last year,” the buoyant head coach said on the sidelines of a training session in
Dubai.“We want to get better. Last year I did not know the players, the foreigners and the technical
staff. In the beginning it was difficult. This year we will be better because I got to choose the Indian
players and the foreigners also.”
Goa’s marquee player Lucio also elucidated his thoughts on the team’s preparations ahead of the
upcoming season. “I’m very happy to be here. It’s a new challenge to work with Zico. The training is going perfect. The climate in Goa will be like Brazil. We will be ready for the challenge,” remarked the Brazilian. “Zico called me and I’m very happy to work with him and the guys from Brazil” he added.
Local superstars Joaquim Abranches and Mandar Rao Dessai were also elated to be part of the
squad’s preparations in Dubai. “It’s a great feeling for me to be a part of FC Goa. It’s good for me to
play with some big players,” stated Abranches.“It was a good season last year. There was a great
response from the crowd and fans believed in us. We learned a lot from players like Andre Santos
and Robert Pires last season,” said Dessai. “This year also we have a lot of new faces like Lucio, Leo Moura, Reinaldo. We will learn from them too and I thank Zico for believing in me and selecting me for this season,” he added.
The squad will train in Dubai until 20 September 2015, post which the Zico-managed team will be
back in Goa for the final phase of training at the Tilak Maidan ground in Vasco before the season
In their first fixture in ISL 2, FC Goa will take on Delhi Dynamos FC in a home game on Sunday, October 4 at the Fatorda stadium in Margao.
