Indian Super League: NorthEast
United FC have also heavily favored South American talent as five of those
eight players are from South America. Let see the foreign players that highlanders
signed for the ISL Season 4.
Brazilian
attacking midfielder Marcio de Souza Gregorio Junior, better known as Marcinho,
has had the experience of playing across eight clubs in his native country, as
well as stints in South Korea, Bulgaria, Russia, and Turkey. The 31-year-old
has a knack of finding the back of the net and is just the kind of playmaker
that North East need, not only to build up attacks, but also to finish them.
Another
Brazilian, Wellington Carlos da Silva, will be their go-to man up front. He has
most successfully played for Romanian outfit Concordia Chiajna, for whom he has
made more than half a century of appearances. At 29, the striker will add the
much-needed firepower to NEUFC’s attacks.
The
Highlanders’ defence will be marshalled by Uruguayan centre-back Martin Damian
Diaz Perez. The 29-year-old was also the Under-17 captain for his country at
the 2005 FIFA U-17 World Championship and North East will hope that he would
help provide a solid backline going into the tournament.
Adilson
Carlos Tavares Filho, or simply Adilson Goiano, is the third Brazilian in the
squad. The midfielder has played mostly across his homeland while also having
plied his trade for Portuguese outfit F.C. Arouca. Still only 29, he too isn’t
shy to try and find the back of the net and will further bolster the NorthEast
midfield.
The
John Abraham-owned ISL team have also signed up Colombian forward Luis Alfonso
Paez who has appeared in over 150 matches in the First Division, most notably
for clubs like Nacional Sante Fe and Rionegro Aguilas. In the last season, he
bagged 21 goals in 36 matches and it is this goal-scoring prowess that could be
pivotal in his newest assignment.
Apart
from these five, NEUFC have also acquired the services of Portuguese defender
Jose Goncalves, a central defender who can double up as a left-back. The 6’2”
defender has represented his country’s Under-21 side at the 2007 UEFA Europa
Championship. The 31-year-old has also featured in Major League Soccer (MLS)
with New England Revolution as well as Scottish team Heart of Midlothian.
Goncalves impressed one and all during the 2013 MLS season, starting in all 34
games and leading Revolution to the playoffs for the first time in half a
decade. His efforts earned him the 2013 Defender of the Year award. Although
his career has been hampered by a few injuries, he is a rock-solid presence at
the back whom his team will rely heavily on.
Goncalves
will have a familiar face with him at the back as former Revs teammate Mamadu
Samba Cande, better known as Sambinha, will also turn out for the Highlanders
this season. The Guinea-Bissauan player has mostly represented Sporting Club de
Portugal B, amassing 72 appearances for them. A useful addition to the North East
squad, and at only 24, “Samba” will look to play his part to a tee in the ISL.
The final foreigner on the
Highlanders’ list is Cape Verde national Odair Fortes who has made over 200 appearances
for French club Reims. The 30-year-old has been nicknamed ‘TGV’, which is short
for “Train à Grande Vitesse”, the high speed intercity train service in France.
While that is a clear indication of his pace, the striker will also be expected
to add some goals in North East’s campaign for the upcoming season.
