Players Archives - ABPL 2022

ABPL Teams’ Positional Analysis: Goalkeepers

Austin BD Soccer — Sat, 02 Apr 2022 16:08:48 +0000

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 15^th (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.

Every old goalkeeper loses a step at some point, but you can gain that back through experience.

I couldn't have been a great goalkeeper without power, agility and quickness.

As a goalkeeper you need to be good at organising the people in front of you and motivating them. You need to see what's going on and react to the threats. Just like a good manager in business.

The post ABPL Teams’ Positional Analysis: Goalkeepers appeared first on ABPL 2022.

Players To Watch In 2022

Austin BD Soccer — Fri, 04 Mar 2022 21:55:05 +0000

As we moved in to 2022, we are all looking forward to an exciting soccer season. This year, for the first time, the players will experience something new – a soccer league known as ABPL 2022. This ensures that players will have a chance to prove themselves before they go for draft for the annual soccer tournament, Austin’s biggest sports attraction for Bangladeshi community members. Many new players have moved into Austin since last soccer tournament. We are expecting to see some great soccer talents among them.

Below we look at some of the best BD soccer talents of Austin.

Rahil Islam: Austin’s hottest prospect and already regarded as the “Messi of Austin BD Soccer”, Rahil Islam is an attacking midfielder capable of playing on either flank or through the middle. When deployed out wide, the high school senior can utilize his speed to get in to in any position. Despite being small in stature and lightweight, as you would expect for a player of his age, Rahil’s best attributes are his pace and dribbling. He can cause defenders problems and evade challenges with dribbling, acceleration, and agility.

Niraf Islam: A traditional right winger, Niraf is an accomplished crosser of the ball and thrives in wide areas. Capable of beating defenders with with pace and dribbling, the young winger has multiple strings to his bow and therefore provides a huge threat for the opposition. He is dangerous on counter attack with sprint speed and acceleration. Niraf was on his peak form in 2018 and 2019 Austin BD soccer tournament when his team won the championship on both occasions.

Abu Masud: While it is safe to say that his best days are behind him as he approaches the final gambits of his career, he still remains as one of the lethal tools of Austin BD soccer. Abu Masud has evolved from pacey winger to talismanic midfielder and remains one of the best in business when it comes to keeping his cool and scoring goals. There are few better players in Austin BD soccer at picking the ball up out wide and driving across the box at speed.

Anuj: Anuj has been magnificent since exploding onto the Austin BD soccer scene. He is one of the best crossers in Austin BD soccer and has played some of the most outrageous passes you are ever likely to see. On top of creating goals, he is also capable of scoring goals himself. Anuj is known for range and accuracy, as well as for his dribbling skills. He is also known for his ability to dictate play in the midfield or set up goals with his passing. He led his team.

Munir: Munir is one of the best goalkeepers of Austin and was in great form last year. Munir has also been praised for his excellent ball control and for his ability to produce crucial saves, as well as his positioning, distribution and consistency. He possess significant athleticism, as well as strong reflexes, agility, shot-stopping abilities, distribution, and a good mentality.

Oli: Considered as the best defender in Austin, physically strong, right-footed center-back, who usually features on the left-hand side of central defense, due to being comfortable at passing the ball with both feet. He has earned plaudits for his leadership, athleticism, technical prowess, and his ability to excel both offensively and defensively, Oli is very calm on the ball too and rarely finds himself in a heap of pressure.

Sahil: The Texas State student plays as a forward but is capable of playing in several attacking position. He was one of the best new comers in 2018 Austin BD Soccer tournament and played impressively well in last year’s tournament as well. He can dribble, shoot, he has a great shot, he can play a lot of through balls and his assists are very good as well. He was the first pick for his team TX Warriors in 2021 Austin BD Soccer Tournament.

Polin: Like a fine wine, Polin has only improved as he’s aged. He might not be the quickest out of the blocks anymore, but his supreme reading ability of the game to gobble up opposition defense still proves that he is one of the best midfielders in Austin soccer.

Mona: Mona is predominantly deployed as a central defender but can also play as a right-sided attacking full-back or wing-back. He is tactically and technically adept and capable of playing long accurate passes from defense. He has a disappointing 2021 season in Austin BD Soccer tournament, but he is still regarded as one of the best defenders of Austin BD soccer.

Sunny: Sunny is widely regarded as one of the best midfielders Austin BD Soccer, and pundits have often described him as a “complete footballer”. He plays mainly as a central or an attacking midfielder but can also operate in several other positions, and has been used as a winger or second striker; He is speedy and often uses his strength to go pass other players. Sometimes he can get explosive by combining his strength, creativity and tireless energy.

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ABPL Guidelines for Spectators

Austin BD Soccer — Mon, 01 Feb 2021 19:10:21 +0000

In addition to setting up rules for players and teams, ABPL Committee have also set up some expectations from the spectators

As spectators we will refrain from booing or yelling at officials at any time during a match AS:

Such behavior reflects on our part sets a poor example of sportsmanship.
Such behavior reflects negatively on our community, our team, our players and us.
Most of our officials have had limited experience and formal training and do the best job they can, given these limitations.
Most of our officials of ABPL are simply doing volunteer work. They should be respected.
We don’t really know how difficult it is to officiate a soccer match until we’ve run on the ‘pitch’ in the official’s ‘boots’.

During a match we will refrain from yelling at players on either team because we are aware of the following:

We are all recreational players here, and not soccer professionals, who, due to limited playing experience and great enthusiasm, may make mistakes.
Encouragement and praise should be made in public; constructive criticism is best made in private.
The coach is the best equipped to analyze and correct deficiencies in soccer skills. Our attempts to be helpful in this respect may only confuse the players.
The golden rule applies. Treat other players with the courtesy, respect and consideration, which we want other supporters to show our own players.

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