Sparky’s Column

The Promised Land.

The season gets underway next Monday night with the now traditional curtain raiser, the Etisalat Super Cup.  All eyes will be on Al Wasl's Zabeel stadium to see who can get early season bragging rights and the campaigns first piece of silverware.  Al Ain have the youngest overseas contingent in the Pro League and it will be interesting to see how the players cope with the heat. Youth and European experience are one thing but the heat of an Emirates summer is a great leveler. In Al Jazira's case it is a rebuilding process with new coach Paulo Bonamigo at the helm. It is an early season test to see if Jazira can match a team they finished 14 points behind last season.  The game kicks off at 7:05 on Monday 17th September at Zabeel Stadium, it will also feature on Abu Dhabi and Dubai Sports with English commentary.

The play offs for the coveted place in the Pro League have been a roller coaster ride so far with Al Dhafra enjoying most of the highs.  The team of nomads who train in Abu Dhabi and play their matches in Madinat Zayed have recruited well with Pro League in mind. It was a gamble that seems to have paid off with the team one game away from the promised land. The initial momentum seemed has been with the teams who plied their trade in the second division last season.  Al Shaab and Al Dhafra winning tight first matches against their Pro League opponents. Dhafra's 5-1 victory over Emirates club means they are almost home and hosed for the Pro League. Sharjah's victory in the final minute against Al Shaab was a huge result and it means they go into the final round of games with a realistic chance of holding onto their top flight status.  The third round of matches pitches Sharjah against Emirates and Shaab versus Dhafra. Sharjah have on paper the easier tie as Emirates have nothing to play for except pride. The King will be confident of retaining their top flight status, their city rivals Al Shaab face the daunting prospect of a rampant Al Dhafra, who have scored 6 in two games. 

Australians seem to be flavour of the month in the Pro League, it's easy to see why. The players are known for their work ethic, all the internationals have World Cup experience and more often than not they have plied their trade in European leagues. The fourth foreign player in the squad needs to be Asian and believe it or not an Australian is considered Asian. The latest one that could be arriving on these shores is Alex Brosque who is currently on international duty with the Socceroo. He is 28 year old and fits perfectly into Al Ain's policy of recruiting younger players.

Alumni of the Pro League are spread far wide across the globe. It's not too often you get players on the same pitch at the same time. River Plate fought out a 3-3 draw with Newells Old Boys, on the score sheet David Trezeguet and Nacho Scocco. The two playing for Bani Yas and Al Ain respectively. I saw the game on Al Jazira and well done to Liam Weeks on twitter for spotting the connection back to the UAE