Japanese midfielder Taisuke Matsugae, Liberian medio Eric Brown and North Korean defender Min Chol Son are the three foreign players who will the key member in the Mumbai FC team which is fine tuning their squad for their I-League – 2016 campaign.
Taisuke
The 33-year-old Taisuke has extended his contract with Mumbai FC after an impressive first season last year. He had joined Mumbai FC in January 2014 from Shillong Lajong, and was the star member of the Mumbai outfit. Taisuke, an attacking midfielder has shown excellent work rate and creativity and was an instant hit with both coach Khalid Jamil and the players. His modest approach and affable nature made him a favorite among the club’s legion of fans. The Japanese had earlier played for clubs in the 2nd Division J-League in Japan.
Eric Brown, a 25-year-old Liberian, is a versatile midfielder, who is comfortable with both his feet and is a powerhouse in the attack. Brown already has the experience of having played in the I-League and last year he had represented played for United SC.
Min Chol Son, a 29-year-old defender, has represented the North Korea Under-23 team and has plenty of experience having played over 60 matches in the I-League over the last couple of years. Son, who captained Shillong Lajong last season, has a great vision and anticipation skills and is certain to provide depth and stability to the Mumbai FC defence.
All the three foreign players have already made their presence felt in the team by guiding Mumbai FC to winning the MDFA organized Nadkarni Cup last month.
Mumbai FC manager, Henry Picardo is happy with the signing of three players and is confident that the trio would deliver the goods. “All the three foreign players who we have signed as some of the best players, which we managed to rope in. They have all played in India and know the conditions in the country and that would be valuable for us,” Picardo stated.
“Taisuke has already proved his worth in the team, Eric has done well in local tournaments and we spotted him during a 7-a-side in Kerala last season, while Son has shown great form with Shillong and won quite a few ‘Man-of-the-match” awards in the I-League last year. All three brings in a lot of experience to the Mumbai FC squad,” Picardo further stated.