Is there a dark side to Titans' dominance?

San Olympus – Saturnis, Dhanus, 28

United captain Fuchs clashes with the titans

With their defeat of Europa United, the San Olympus Titans moved to 11-1 – solidifying themselves as the most dominant team in the MAFL. 

The Titans’ runaway success has shocked scouts and bookmakers, most of whom weren't expecting much from the league’s only majority-female team. But their cruise to a near-perfect season has exposed the prevailing soccer wisdom from Earth to be obsolete on Mars – where lived experience on this planet has proven far more valuable than natural talent and athletic ability. 

The Titans’ firepower this season has come exclusively from Martian-born and naturalized players — more than half of them women. And their star forward, #8 Readale Nash, is still a teenager.

“Most of this team never played before,” manager Paulo Salgado said. "You can teach the game. But those who played on earth – they’ve got habits that don’t always work here, and you can’t un-teach that.” 

Rivals, however, have cast the Titans’ success in a darker light.

“Look, it just shows you can buy your way into the top of the standings,” said exasperated Europa coach Matthäus Reinmann, after his loss to San Olympus at Olympus Park. “It’s disgraceful.”

Titans owner Kamden Lewis — the tech billionaire who was one of the founding settlers at San Olympus — is the subject of much suspicion in MAFL circles. The mercurial 82-year-old’s has been dogged by allegations of his involvement in the 2071 bribery scandal at the Olympus Mons strip mine. And rumours about his erratic, menacing visits to the team locker room have swirled in recent weeks. 

“Get out of my face,” Lewis barked on his way out of Olympus Park, flanked by the team of doctors who follow him everywhere. “They’re all just sore losers with stupid conspiracy theories.”