Overview
This is the first of a series of position by position analysis of the ABPL Teams player pool now that we have list of all the players of all four teams. We will start with our analysis of Goalkeeper. With last year’s Austin BD Soccer tournament is still fresh on mind, we have provided a review of all goalkeepers of all the four teams.
During ABPL, all goalkeepers will have twelve weeks to show their magic and impress the managers of Austin BD Tournament that is scheduled for September this year. It’s inevitable that between now and then, some new keepers will emerge, and some of them will shine or fade away and while we hope that none of them get injured. During these twelve weeks of ABPL, all goalkeepers will have a ton of opportunities to impress the selector of Austin BD national team that may play a match against Houston’s BD team sometime in July or August. Here is a high level overview of what will be going on from now until end of July:
Munir (RRP FC)
ABPL (Austin BD-Soccer Premier League) is a friendly-competitive social soccer league for Austin’s Bangladeshi Community’s amateur soccer players. Austin has seen a major growth of Bangladeshis in recent years and there has been an increase in the number of amateur/recreational soccer players. In the past, most players played soccer once or twice a week but playing Sunday evening, known as Sunday soccer, is common for most players. During the end of 2021 seasons, some of the players thought it would be a good idea to introduce a soccer league with 4 teams. This is how the idea of soccer league first came up. So, with 4 teams (based on four different parts of Austin), the first ever Austin soccer league (known as ABPL) will kick off on May 15th (Sunday) with all four teams playing on the same day.
RANA sr (Leander Bandits SC)
Rana sr (/aka Rana bhai) will most likely will be the main keeper of Leander Bandits SC though he had not played any soccer since 2019 Austin BD Soccer Tournament when he lead his team Roaring Texas to win the championship. However, he had too many shaky moments in my opinion, but he’s also made some big saves when he’s needed to, specifically in both semifinal and final matches of the tournament. against Mexico. He will be the #2 if the other keeper Tasneem plays for the Bandits, but he will definitely get enough play time for the Bandits
Tasneem (Leander Bandits SC)
Tasneem (aka MK) is one of the finest keepers that Austin had seen in many years. He is renowned for his consistent performances throughout his career, and for his concentration and calm composure under pressure. He has adapted his game with age and used his intelligence to become better positioned and less reliant on instinct, while keeping up with the trends of the modern day goalkeeper.
Abu Sohel (Austin Arsenal)
Abu Sohel is a versatile sportsmen who can play any sports in any position and in soccer most teams usually relies on him for his experience as a keeper. He is an intelligent and efficient goalkeeper, who is regarded above all for his physical presence, handling, positional sense, composure and consistency, as well as his ability to communicate with his teammates, organize his defense, and inspire confidence in his back-line. Austin Arsenal (aka North Austin) did not have a first pick goal keeper in their lineup and so they had to loan him from RRP FC.
In last year’s Austin BD Soccer Tournament, he performed really well but his team Roaring Texas got knocked out by a lone goal by Texas Thunders.
He possess significant physical strength, which made him an imposing presence in the area, despite not being the tallest of goalkeepers. Furthermore, he is known for his agility, and also possess excellent reflexes, and good shot-stopping abilities. He is known for his work-rate, mentality, discipline in training, and physical conditioning.
Noor ( RRP FC)
Noor (/Noor E Alam Sohel) may or may not play as a keeper (as his team has Munir) but there is always a possibility that he will be on that spot at least for couple of games in the league. Noor played his first soccer tournament in Austin last year and surprised everyone by performing brilliantly in that position.
Noor is described as a goalkeeper who “boasts lightning reflexes and good decision-making” and is “a formidable opponent in one-on-one situations”. His playing style, and in particular his speed when coming off his line to anticipate opponents and clear the ball, has led him to be described as a sweeper-keeper.
Fayez (United South Austin)
Fayez (also known as Shantonu) has a big summer ahead. He has been transferred to United South Austin (USA) from his original club RRP FC as South team has star players for all positions except a keeper. Fayez had lived and played in South for quite a long time and when USA team started looking for a keeper from other teams, Fayez obviously became their first choice. Fayez played as a keeper for Texas Warriors in last year’s Austin BD Soccer Tournament. He conceded four goals in two matches as his team was on the bottom of the group point table. However, Fayez played well and saved his team from conceding more goals. Fayez is physically strong, complete and athletic goalkeeper. On his day, he can deliver a lot of excellent saves. But he is often criticized for his lack of commitment/unavailability.
