Lanka's 10

Capricornus 21, 2077, m249

#7 Uday Lanka becomes the first player to hit 10 goals.

It was on Solis, Vrishika the 21st, Week 3, fresh in the MAFL season, and being great apparently wasn’t enough that day for Amrita Immortals’ Captain, Uday Lanka.

He had to be Phenomenal.

After already delivered a hat-trick in the first-half, giving the Immortals a comfortable 3 to 0 lead, Lanka had the to do something extraordinary.

With subtle coordinations, Immortals teammate Laurien Hagendoorn boost jumped her throw-in to a streaking Lanka who boosted a bicycle kick into the goal.  4 goals in a single match! 

This was the match that made Lanka a Legend.

Not only had he set a new bar for scoring, but he had single-handedly conquered the Titans; to-date, their only defeat.

Since his last PK goal in Week 11, however, Lanka's guns have fallen silent.  

Was it beginner's luck?  A matter of immature clubs yet to find their feet?  The effectiveness of deliberate counter-measures to stifle the league's top striker?  Or was it (as some have claimed) a slump?

Whatever the case, Lanka broke the silence with a stunning goal against Xue Su this afternoon to become the first MAFL player to break 10!

“It’s an incredible feeling. It’s been like being out of sync with the ball, but it has made today that much sweeter!”

— Uday Lanka, Immortals Captain

No doubt, Immortals owner Vijya Pandey hopes this re-ignites his star player.  With only 6 games left in the regular season, the Immortals are in a 3 way battle with Al'amal and the Comets to take down the Titans.

Today's match brings Immortals to 8 - 7 at the expense of Dong Ji who were clearly still stunned with this morning's announcement of #7 Dennis's impending transfer to Europa.

Dennis Goes West

Capricornus 21, 2077 - m249

Dennis will not be in the lineup of against the Immortals this afternoon as DJ announces a deal is underway to transfer him to Europa.  According to league Regulations, the registration window closes by the end of Week 15.

Huacheng Dongji will sell its star striker, Darkeem Dennis, to Europa United for 550,000 M-Credits in an unprecedented deal that has rocked the MAFL. 

League insiders viewed the move as Dongji acknowledging its season was lost, preferring to work on developing its prospects rather than make a futile push for the playoffs with a volatile star rumoured to be a toxic presence in the locker room. 

The deal will also provide a cash infusion to the struggling club, that has faced dismal attendance and fan engagement with a league-low 4-10 record more than halfway through the season. Dongji announced it will call up two junior forwards, Xie Chen and Lim Hou, from its affiliate club to fill Dennis’s role. 

“Look, we’ve had a rough start. That’s undeniable,” Dongji manager Rain Chen said. “But I think what we’re saying today is we’re focused on our future.”

Acquiring Dennis is the centrepiece of an overhaul inside the middling United, where management has decided its current squad is outmatched and in need for more talent to contend with the league-leading San Olympus Titans. 

For weeks, United has reportedly been shopping trades for several players, including defender Denica Jasienski. The team is also expected to shuffle goaltender Yvonne Barnato into a midfield role.

 But United could be making a spectacular mistake. While Dennis skyrocketed to the top of the leaderboard with four goals early in the season, his production has since stalled – prompting some scouts to suggest that he was merely quick to adapt to the game in its early days, rather than a bonafide star player. Sources inside Dongji say Dennis, a 27-year-old American who grew up in Wendland, never truly settled into life in Huacheng. 

“He can’t handle adversity,” one former teammate said. “Every loss, it was another outburst with him. Blaming people. Throwing shit. It was enough.”

Dennis shrugged at suggestions that he had been at odds with his Dongji teammates.

“Listen man, I’m just grateful for everything,” he said.  

Tales From the Pitch: My Brush With Greatness

Capricornus 20, 2077, m249

I have butterflies in my stomach. I haven’t been this excited/nervous since I was kid. Hanging in front of me is an official MAFL EV suit, and I’m about to suit up and see firsthand what it feels like to barrel down the pitch and score a goal before legions of my adoring fans.

At least I hope that is what will happen. It is also equally likely that I’ll fall flat on my face or suffer some sort of compound fracture. Or a combination of the two.

To start off here is a science lesson: Mars’s gravity is 38% of Earth’s. That means if I weighed 200 lbs back on Earth I weigh 76 lbs here. Moving to Mars is the best diet I’ve ever gone on. It also means that if I could jump a meter on Earth I can now jump almost 3 meters here. That’s why that John Carter guy was able to jump around and rescue a princess in that old-timey story.

All the MAFL stadiums are open air, and because we humans haven’t been able to exist without oxygen yet all players are required to wear a EV (environmental) suit that houses life-support, communications, and propulsion systems. You’d think that all the tech would make the suit bulky and cumbersome but it fits like a glove. And I look amazing, like I’m some kind of superhero! Staring at myself in the mirror gives me the confidence boost I need so I put on my helmet and race out to the pitch. Today, I’m an official Titan, clad in purple and gold.

I’m not alone though. There are a handful of other reporters and, I think, a couple of contest winners who are also getting to participate in today’s festivities. We are greeted by Jamarico Benson, the team's assistant coach and trainer, who starts us through some warm up drills.

And here, dear reader, is where I learned that wind-sprints and burpees are awful even at 38% gravity. Sure, I felt cooler doing them in my EV suit, but after about five minutes I thought I was going to need the life support system because of an infarction.

My demeanor totally changes though when we are greeted on the pitch by a familiar voice. It’s a voice that we’ve heard in countless interviews and sound bites: team captain Raenia Ware has come out to run us though some kicking drills.

This is where I start to lose any bit of professional cool I once had. I’m grinning like an idiot at how excited I am. She runs it all down for us and we each get a regulation MAFL ball. I place it on the ground and line up my shot, thinking of the thousands of screaming fans channeled through the com that must assault the players’ ears during a real match. I envision that this kick with determine a championship win for my team during a high-pressure shoot-out.

Running up to the ball, I perfectly connect and see soar through air against a red sky. I don’t want to blow my own horn but is perfect, a postcard image.

“We end up playing a short friendly match where I prove that I am the least useful player but I don’t care. That one perfect kick is everything I needed today.”

Being out on the pitch has given me a greater appreciation for what the athletes do, and not just because they have flashy tech suits. Everything about Mars is alien. We needed to retrain ourselves even with simple tasks like kicking a ball, and that is what MAFL ultimately represents: our victory as a new people. Every aspect of this game demonstrates how we came together as a people as tamed the red planet. And I think that’s awe-inspiring.

Where Titans Live.

San Olympus, Capricornus 15, 2077, m249

54 Ware, 22 Avdî, 8 Nash, and 38 Carballal at Impromptu Fan Appreciation Event in San Olympus

Olympus Mons is the largest known volcano in the solar system.

Where else would Titan's live?

As the stories go, the founding fathers of San Olympus decided to go it alone in their quest to settle Mars because they were convinced that collaborating with other agencies would hold them back.  They were tenacious at achieving their goals and even though it was wrought with endless challenges, in many ways, they made it look easy.  

 "See you on the other side", is how Kamden Lewis closed the final press conference leading up to the mission launch date.

After 14 weeks of MAFL's first season, Titans have, like their founders, broken away from the pack.  They represent yet another achievement for the settlement.

The colony celebrates its 35 birthday in just a few months, but why wait?

Club owner, Kamden Lewis, isn't getting any younger.  

He didn't waste any time organizing tonight's impromptu fan appreciation event  minutes after the nail-biting PKOT victory against the Comets.  He ordered the team home instead of the planned overnight stay in Marineris so they could make it back in time for the celebration.  An ordinary citizen wouldn't be able to secure the entire Promenade deck of West Column, San Olympics - Lewis is far from ordinary.

Tonight, fans were treated to a festival like atmosphere a chance to get autographs and snapshots with their favourite players.

Raenia Ware, team captain, gave a thoughtful and inspiring welcome speech, thanking the fans and the colony for the tremendous support.  Her presence was particularly appreciated by many fans after having missed the last two games due to injury.  

Club manager, Paulo Salgado also shared heart-felt gratitude to the crowd,  the players and the organization, ending with a toast to Lewis.

“My dreams are simple, but without great people like Kamden Lewis, they would not have been possible.”

— Paulo Salgado, Titans Manager

Lewis, now 82 years old, did not make an address, however mingle with fans for a while before making an early exit.

Not all team members were in a celebratory mood.  

Nash was critical of the previous day's game, "It was too close of a match. Langanash came through in the end, but a game like that could have easily gone the other way.  I'm happy the team held it together, but I'm disappointed that Salgado and Wong [the club physician] held me back from the road trip just because of a cold."

Otherwise, San Olympus was glowing from the surprise revelry.  It was an incredible way to close out the weekend, but we can certainly expect more thrills and excitement from this team and this colony.

Both Nash and Ware are expected to get the all clear for week 15 when they take on Tiangong Wuji at Olympus Park.

See you on the other side!

Week 14 Roundup

Solis, Capricornus 15, 2077, m249

Dynamo #66 Sergey Samrend and Wuji #76 Vygintas Repsas

Novyimir @ Tiangong

The Chubarov outbreak weighed heavy on the minds of Novyimir Dynamo players as Week 14 opened.

Playing an away match against the Tiangong Wuji, the Dynamo were able to channel their anxiety into aggression with an attacking style that opened scoring at the 6th minute when Sergey Samrend clipped a perfect cross past goalkeeper Trenton Seaton.

Four minutes later, a plunging header from Dynamo’s Yaee Etefu gave the Dynamo a 2-0 lead.  Wuji finally responded back at the 73rd minute as a near-post corner led to Vygintas Repsas’ sweeping finish past Dynamo’s Illya Kyrylyuk.

However, too little too late as Dynamo won 2 – 1 snapping the Wuji’s modest 2 game winning streak.

The Dynamo and Wuji both end up with identical 5 and 9 records for the season.

“I hope our victory can help take people’s minds off the problems back home”, said Dynamo defender, Mariya Nikitovna. “They tell me next week we play in Korolev against Europa United but we’ll see. I just can’t wait to go home and see my family and friends”.

San Olympus @ Marineris

TiTan's De Sisto's wins the battle of the goalkeepers at Marineris Stadium

The wait for who would fall between the league’s top two teams, the Titans and Comets drew unprecedented attendance to Marineris Stadium.

They watched a match missing Titans Captain Raeina Ware and leading scorer Readale Nash, and offensive spark, as the match ended in a scoreless tie. In overtime, the Titans Pardeep Langanash put in the winner helping the Titans move to 13 and 1 for the season – undefeated in 11 matches.

The Comets moved to 9 and 5 for the season. 

For a full match recap read One Would Lose.

Amrita @ Al'amal

Al'amal SC #8 Fayad post game celebration of a rare hat trick.

In the week’s 3rd match, Al’amal’s Hamad Fayad made his case for entry into the league’s Sweet Sixteen players, with a hat trick to help his team beat the Amrita Immortals 3 – 0.

Fayad’s hat trick moved him into a tie for 4th place on the season’s goal leader board with stars such as fellow team mate Musaddiq Baddour, Dongji’s Darkeem Dennis, and Dynamo’s Ilya Jaroslav Petrovich.

With the win, Al’amal moves to 7 and 7 with the Immortals dropping to an identical record for the season.

Immortals’ star Uday Lanka was held scoreless for the third straight match. 

Outspoken Immortals’ owner, Vijya Pandey, was livid after the match. “The referees were purposefully ignoring all the fouls Al’amal was inflicting on our players. They were mugging Lanka all match.”.

And while they are looking for offences, they should also look for the offences of both the Tiangong Dong Ji and Europa United.

United #58 Yvonne Barnato earns the win in an unprecedented Goalkeeper vs. Goalkeeper Penalty Kick.

In the final match of Week 4, both teams were at least able to score a goal each - United’s Laura Pernet at the 26th minute, and Dong Ji’s Yazhu Fan at the 94th minute before heading to overtime.

This is nightmare-time for Dong Ji as they had lost 5 times in overtime prior to this match.

In Penalty Kicks, both teams played to a 2 to 2 standstill after 8 shots with goals from United Captain Lenard Fuchs and Laura Pernet and Dong Ji’s Qigang Lian and Darkeem Dennis.

For the final round of shots, United Coach Matthäus Reinmann called in his goal keeper, Yvonne Barnato, to the disbelief of many of her teammates including Fuchs visibly shaking his head.

After Dong Ji’s Olga Lobo da Costa missed their final penalty shot, Barnato calmly came up, boosted up, and delivered a thunderous shot right through the hands of her goalkeeping counterpart Xue Su.

For the Win! United 3 – 2 over Dong Ji in PKOT.  Dong Ji’s 6th loss in overtime.

After the match, Fuchs said, “Coach is one crazy bastard. Ballsy move for sure!”

“I have to admit, I was shocked myself but I couldn’t let Coach down or they’d be killing him and me for that decision”

— Yvonne Barnato, #58 United Goalkeeper

Reinmann calmly explained his rationale, “Well, Yvonne is our top scorer so you go with your best. Until we get some more scorers on this team, I’ll keep going to her”.

When asked if United was looking to solve their offensive ineptitude with player movement, Chairperson Natasha Kennedy carefully responded, “No comment”.

The win moves United to 6 and 8 for the season while Dong Ji owns sole possession of the basement with a 4 and 10 record.

After the match, Dong Ji’s Darkeem Dennis looked distraught and commented, “Something’s got to change. We can’t keep going like this.”

One Would Lose

Marineris, Capricornus 14, 2077, m249

Battle of between the posts - Titans Icilio De Sisto (above) versus Comets Zaida Agre.

“Who was it going to be?  Who would fall this week?”

Titans and Comets were the buzz throughout the colonies leading up to Week 14 of MAFL play.

And that was the buzz that permeated in each transport making the trek to Marineris Stadium. There were an unprecedented 16 transports with 6 making the long trek from other colonies accounting for more than 2,000 spectators - this was the first time both parking decks were used at Marineris Stadium.

Because they all wanted to see how the first place Titans would fare against the streaking Comets in this battle of the top two teams in the league.

The Comets came in hot with a five game winning streak. The Titans – molten lava: undefeated since Week 3 and owners of a 10 game winning streak.

One streak would end this week, and one team would earn a new level of bragging rights.

As the transports streaked to Marineris Stadium, a motley crew of passengers from executives to scientists to miners and bakers, laughed, debated and sang along in a raucous celebration of sport.

“I’ve been waiting weeks for this one”, said one passenger. “I got lucky and managed to scalp a seat with the savings I have. It’ll be worth it to see the Titans finally fall today.”

And all the signs in Week 14, pointed to a potential fall for the Titans off their San Olympus mountaintop.

Playing away from home – not good.

Playing without your Captain and leading scorer – even worse.

Minutes before the game, both Raenia Ware and Readale Nash were scratched from the lineup.

For Ware this was her 2nd missed game in a row as she recovers from an injury that occurred during pre-game practise before Week 13. Team officials cited Nash as being sick with no additional detail.

And without Nash, the Titans offence was anemic with a noticeable lack of spark. Thanks to a combination of stubborn Comets defending and a dearth of quality in the Titans attack, the game was goalless at half-time.  

The depth in the Titans defence, anchored by Maria Fernanda Carballal, Terry Park, and Renatta Blundell, were also able to prevent any significant attacking momentum for the Comets.

The second half saw more of the same from both teams albeit a bit more spark from the Titans’ June Terrell who generated two scoring chances but was unable to deliver.

As one viewer observed, “It didn’t look like either team was playing to win, but rather playing to not lose.”

Which resulted in a scoreless situation at the end of regulation time – Straight to Penalty Kicks.

And while defence dominated (and dulled) regular play, it was the genius of goalkeeping from the Titans’ Icilio De Sisto and Comets’ Zaida Agre that brought the crowd back to life.

Shot 1 – Comets Captain Liddell Bradley goes top right corner as a diving De Sisto deflects it over the net.

Shot 2 – Titans Terrell goes left…and into the hands of Zaida Agre.

Shot 3 – Comets Jonathan Elliott goes right and De Sisto guesses right.

Shot 4 – Titans Tany Ingram kicks a low right corner shot which a lunging Agre gets a hand on.

Shot 5 – Comets Luz Oregon charged up and launched a rocket left that De Sisto barely tips wide.

Shot 6 – Titans Ron Perez goes top left corner which Agre anticipated with a leap and one handed catch.

“The goalkeepers can read minds”, said one fan.

Was this going to go long like Al’amal vs Wuji? <insert link to Don’t take a breath, Sudden Death>

Shot 7 – Comets Isabelle Marsh boosted a kick left which De Sisto guessed correctly.

For Shot 8, it was Titans Pardeep Langanash’s turn.

In Week 7, Langanash scored in PKOT with a boost kick to the right corner over Agre. 

So this time, Langanash faked a boost kick to the right which Agre bit ever so slightly, and then blasted a low left corner past a late recovering Agre….GOAL!

Agre, Comets Goal Keeper, fails to stop Titans #4 Langanash in the 4th round of PKOT.

Comet Fans were stunned in disbelief while the transports from San Olympus erupt!

Shot 9, Comet's last chance – Kyrie Barnet fakes left then goes right but De Sisto’s patience prevails.

“Comets Fall. Titans 1 – 0 in PKOT.”

The Titans pull off their 11th win in a row and move to 14 and 1 for the season. The Comet’s five game winning streak is snapped as they fall to 9 and 5 in the standings.

The chance for Comets redemption will have to wait until the final game of the season in Week 21 when the two teams meet again at San Olympus.

Tales From the Pitch: Our Beautiful Game

San Olympus, Capricornus 13, 249

My grandfather was a sports writer. He loved words and he loved sports, so it was a natural fit for him. I guess that is why I am now in this business, not just because I want to follow in his footsteps, but because of the love of sport he had instilled in me.

Every sports enthusiast can point to that exact moment that made them a lifelong fan. Maybe it was seeing your favourite team come back from insurmountable odds, maybe it was seeing your favourite player score an impossible goal, or maybe it was being present when sports history was made.

My grandfather was born in 1988 back on Earth (obviously) in the United States of America. When he was six years old the USA was a first-time host to the World Cup of soccer. The rest of the world called it football, but my grandfather called it calcio like the rest of the Italians. Football really was the world’s game back then but the USA didn’t have much love for the sport, but that all changed in 1994.

Matches were held all across the country, casual fans were introduced to football, and attendance averaged 69,000 spectators per match. And in the finals Brazil faced off against my grandfather’s team, Italy. The match was scoreless and went to a shootout, but unfortunately for the Italians it would be Brazil who would win that day.

Now how could a match in which my grandfather’s team lost be the event that gave him the love of sport? Because he got to see his team, play in his country, and advance round after round. He was invested in that final match, and at the age of 6, wanted his team to win more than anything. It was that moment, that passion, that would drive him throughout this career.

This past week I decided to take my daughter Maisy to her first MAFL match.  We made the trip to Al’amal. We live in Sans Olympus so I told her that we were contractually obligated to cheer for the Titans. My daughter could not have been less enthused. But the boredom of seeing her dad work melted away when she stepped foot in that stadium.  

She bombarded me with questions: How long can they be outside? How can they jump so high? Who is the best team? And when the match started she felt silent, mesmerized by the action on the pitch. The game had barely started when forward Jube Terrell scored a fierce goal. If my daughter were writing this article she would tell you that it was the greatest moment in sports history. Her face exploded with joy. Her team had scored a goal! Not that other team, but hers! And I look at that elation and I thought of my grandfather and saw him in my daughter’s smile. The rest of the match was a back and forth with strong defensive plays, but the Titans held on for the win. To Maisy they were now legend.

That whole night my daughter talked about how when she grows up she wants to play for the Titans and how Jube Terrell is her favourite player and I’m reminded that what MAFL is building on the Red Planet is special.  With every match new fans are created, family moments are built, and that passion is ignited.

Earth called football “the beautiful game”. Well this is our game, my daughter’s game, and it is beautiful.

Dynamo Scramble to Find Alternate Stadium

CID is actively investigating the  "Chubarov" outbreak.

As outbreak rocks Novyimir settlement, Dynamo scramble to find new stadium

Refusing to forfeit their next home game, Novyimir Dynamo executives announced plans to hastily construct a temporary stadium in neighbouring Korolev after the team was shut out of its home field by the ongoing quarantine. 

But Dynamo majority owner Melnikov Aleskeevich — already facing a dismal season with a last-place team and drooping attendance — lashed out at what he called a “ridiculous expense,” calling on the Novyimir administration to foot the bill for the relocation. 

“It’s their mess,” he said. “How am I expected to pay for all of this? I can’t afford it, but I can’t afford to miss games either.” 

Novyimir’s Interior Ministry has repeatedly deflected inquiries into the cause of the outbreak that has so far killed three people at the settlement. 

But inspectors from the Martian Council for the Control of Infectious Diseases have suggested the Chubarov outbreak started with “an extreme breach of protocol” at a containment centre at sub-station in Novyimir, where two crew members returning from an 18-month expedition to Ceres were inexplicably allowed back into the open population without the requisite medical testing.

When news of the outbreak first emerged last week, the Dynamo were at an away match in Huacheng.  Since then, the entire team has been stranded, after all non-essential travel in and out of Novyimir was banned until Martian Council inspectors complete their investigation — a process expected to take at least three weeks.

The scale of the outbreak remains unclear, with Council officials accusing Novyimir of deliberately downplaying the gravity of the little-known illness that apparently attacks the respiratory system.  

“My kids are still there,” Dynamo midfielder Oksana Makarovna said. “I’m trying not to think about it but I just — it’s hard. They’re OK, and I’m sure this is all just a precaution, but it’s scary.”

A KMH crew arrives in Korolev with auto-excavators and machinery to build adhoc field.

 The team is now scheduled to play the week 15 home game in Korolev, Novyimir’s smaller, sister settlement to the south. The new stadium at Korolev is expected to be finished in time for the Dynamo to host Europa United. 

Dynamo executives are planning to fully refurbish a rudimentary pitch in a defunct strip mine just outside of Korolev, which has only been used for recreational and youth matches. The overhaul will involve excavation work to widen and lengthen the field to MAFL standards, as well as the construction of basic spectator areas on the top deck and a infrastructure for broadcast to quarantined fans in Novyimir.

Week 13 Round-up

Tiangong, Capricornus 8, 249

With the final whistle at Tiangong stadium, week 13 closed with more MAFL twists and turns.

The Chinese clubs both took surprising wins stirring up the sentiment from the swamp.   

Dongji's 2-1 win came at the expense of Novyimir, pulling them down to share a last place standing.

For Wuji, back-to-back wins promises up new life for the team.  It is also the first time this season that they find one of their team members on the leaderboard. Waaijer earned her 3rd goal in today's match against United.

The western clubs, San Olympus and Mariners, keep their winning streaks going.  12 and 9 wins respectively. 

#12 Terrell takes to the air to capture the deciding goal at 18 minutes into the 2nd half.

The Titans victory over Al'amal was compliments of #12 Jube Terrell; whereas the Comets demonstrated firepower with a 3-0 assault on the Immortals.

Comets #42 Chanara Benjamin gets results at 32nd mark.

The last time they faced each other was 6 weeks ago, with Titans taking the match only after PKOT!

The excitement is palpable.  The Titans face the Comets on their home turf!  The Comets have never lost a home game... and the Titans have only given up one game (and that was an away match)!

The Immortals and Al'amal may be licking their wounds after this round of defeats, but they too face off in a 3rd and 4th spot battle. 

It is also noteworthy to mention that this was a week where the women took charge.  Of the 10 goals scored over Saturni and Solis, 8 were made by female players!  If you haven't read the You Kick Like a Girl posted on Dhanus 16th, you should, it truly resonates!

Regardless how you are looking at the sport, whether it is from boys vs girls, from the top, middle or bottom, the MAFL continues to excite.

Stay tuned for going coverage of professional sports on Mars!

Europa Divided

Tiangong, Capricornus 8, 249

Tradition.

Entrenched in the roots of the Europa colony is tradition.

A tradition of integrating to achieve common goals…and putting goals into nets, as Football is one of many traditions ingrained in the essence of Europe.

Yet a losing tradition is what Europa United is trying to avoid in season one of MAFL play.

In Week 13, the lowly Tiangong Wuji beat United 2 to 1, to move out of the basement with a 5 and 8 record for the season.

For United, this was their 5th loss in a row as they continued their slide downwards to a 5 and 8 record for the season.  

The reason for their downward trend - a tradition of putting goals into nets hasn’t materialized.

In 7 of the 13 games to date, United has been held scoreless.

They are at the bottom of team scoring for the league, and of the top scorers in the league, only two come from United (the lowest of any team).

Their top goal scorer….is their GoalKeeper, Yvonne Barnato with 2 goals!

United Goalkeeper, #58 Barnato, still likes to get out of the net, But the opponents are on to her.

“I know our forwards are working hard but it’s hard to win matches when you can’t put the ball in the net,” said United defender Garfield Dickson.

The bright spot for Europa, the team’s identity has a high currency in defense which has helped the team allow the fewest goals for the season.

Will the loss to Wuji serve as a wakeup call for Europa to unlock more value in their teams’ offensive depression?

United Defenders Dickson, Claudia Moruga and Carlinhos Varela have the pace and crossing ability to be a threat going forward.

Yet concerns over Coach Matthäus Reinmann’s ability to unleash his team’s offensive prowess, continue to escalate.

 “I’m glad our defenders play an efficient style that’s created a solid protective culture,” said United Captain Lennard Fuchs, “However, we need to tweak this to enable a more open, creative culture which we lack at crucial times – the guile and cutting edge to generate offense”.  

This lack of cultural cohesion among Europa was apparent during many times of the match.  

When asked, Wuji Captain Stanislas Hachette added, “Their players seemed out of sync. Their passes were going nowhere. They don’t seem to be communicating with each other on the field, nor off the field as they have defenders and offence sitting away from each other.”

After Wuji’s Marysa Waaijer scored the 2nd goal of the match (which was the eventual winner), Fuchs appeared to be engaged in a long and spirited conversation with Coach Reinmann.

“It was simply a disagreement between us”, said Fuchs after the match. “I simply suggested we switch our formation to a more attacking style like a 4-2-4 or even a 3-5-2 but Reinmann did not agree. Oddly enough, the 3-5-2 is a style perfected by the Germans which Reinmann is, so I thought we would be in agreement on this.”

Coach Reinmann commented, “I would love to play a 3-5-2 style which is more offensive or even a 4-2-3-1 style which would help us maintain possession of the ball more. However, you need specific personnel for that, and I think our results to date confirm, that’s a challenge.”

After the match, Europa United Chairperson, Natasha Kennedy put in a vote of confidence for Reinmann.

“I think he’s done a good job with the talent he’s been given. However, we are always looking at ways to improve the club to give us the lift we need to end the season strongly and win a championship.”

Sweet Sixteen

Europa, Capricornus 8, 249

Top row - The Captains;  Bottom row - League Leaders

For some, this represents a coming of age party – a celebration of one’s ascension.

For others, a field of the finest sixteen competitors.

Shouldn’t the Team Captain be your best player? 

For MAFL, who are those “Sweet Sixteen” – the finest competitors who have come of age?

Let’s start with the 8 Captains of the league.

Here they are listed in order of their team’s ranking and their goal totals after Week 13.  

If best player equals highest scorer, then only 3 teams satisfy this statement: the Immortals, Al’amal, and Dynamo. Each of these team’s top scorers are their Captains, with a combined 17 goals so far.

For the other 5 captains, they have scored a combined 3 goals to date.

“There’s more to being a Captain than just scoring goals”, said Ware. “There are intangible leadership skills that don’t show up in the stats – being mentally strong, communicating with your teammates, and motivating them - it all comes down to winning and right now we’re 12 and 1.”

If we extend this logic, then let’s also give a passing grade to Captain Bradley of the Comets for helping his team deliver a 9 and 4 record and sole possession of 2nd place.

As for Fuchs, Hachette, Lian – their teams are near the bottom, and combined they have two goals to date – which means to date, they get failing grades.

Now for the players who have ascended their games – we go to the rest of the top scorers in the league.

And 5 of those eight are women with forwards Al’amal’s Arwa Farra (5 goals) and the Comet’s Liddell Marsh (3 goals); and three attacking defenders in Titans’ Maria Fernanda Carballal, Dyanmo’s Mriya Nikitova, and Wuji’s Marysa Waaijer – each with 3 goals.

The Titans’ Readale Nash (the Cash) is challenging Lanka Legend for individual supremacy with 7 goals; Dongji’s Darkeem Dennis has an impressive 4 goals; and the Comet’s Stephen Liu’s deft defensive style has also enabled his attacking offence with 3 goals.  

However, has success gotten to the heads of our Sweet Sixteen? In the past two weeks, only three of our Sweet Sixteen have scored.

Or have defences adjusted to keep stars like Lanka, Baddour, and Petrovich  and Nash scoreless over the past two weeks?

“Has season fatigue begin to kick in with Readale Nash at the tender age of 17? Or Darkeem Dennis who at 27 years of age hasn’t scored since Week 8?”

 “Long season. Teams do make adjustments”, said Lanka. “I’ve had some scoring chances over the past two matches but just nothing to show for it. Thankfully, we won one of those two matches. Hopefully things I’m working on in practice can help us down the playoff stretch”.

Perhaps we should wait until that playoff stretch is over before throwing out that coming out celebration. After all, our Sweet Sixteen invites may change by then.

Take it when you get it

Huacheng - Capricornus 7, 249

It's quite possible this win came as much to the surprise of DJ as everyone else, but when you are in the gutter, take it when you can get it... and ENJOY IT!

Dong Ji celebrate a 2-1 win over Dynamo.

The beleaguered Dong Ji club has not been able to cut a break, that is, until now.  By no means does this turn the ship around.  With Novyimir allowing a whopping 30 goals so far in the season, one could argue it is harder not to score on the Russian team. Though it may not be much consolation to be sharing the basement with the Dynamos, it is a whole lot better than being dead last on your own.

Unlike other clubs, DJ can get the ball into the net.  On paper they aren't the worst club in the league and have multiple players contributing goals. Today's match is an example of what the team is capable of with #60 Saqqat and #68 Sertac each scoring their 2nd goals of the season.

There is enough runway left in the season for Dong Ji to get back on track and fight for a playoff spot. 

 Dong Ji and Dynamo are both 4-9.

Al'amal Fails To Topple Titans

Al'amal, Capricornus 7, 249

It was a particularly dusty day in Al'amal, not enough to warrant the stadium crew to deploy the tent, but enough to cast the appropriate shadow over the record 16 spectator-transports that lined the top-side deck around the pitch.

The last home game win came in Week 8 against the Marineris Comets.  It feels like eons ago since this crowd erupted into excitement over a Farra goal, but it wasn't going to happen for her, or them, in today's contest.  

"The referee isn't doing he job," according to one local fan, "I don't care what they say about the bots and referee-systems... they are letting obvious fouls against Arwa [Farra] go without cards." 

Others site the team's over-indulgence to prop her up as a problem.

"When you see players giving up clear opportunities and instead pass to her [Farra], it is frustrating.", described Stanley Rathi, himself a phys-ed coach at an A-Levels institute, "We all want her to be top scorer in the league, but not at the expense of the match!"

By no means did the Al'amal SC roll-over and make it easy for the league's juggernaut. 

Farra narrowly missed a rebound shot at the 42 minute mark and came oh-so close to tying the match with a break-away shot that was stolen from her by Titan goalkeeper, #15 Busara.

Al'amal SC held Titans to only 3 shots on goal, but with constant pressure from the Titan forwards, the deciding factor came with #12 Jube Terrell's goal at 18 minutes into the 2nd half. 

#12 Terrell scores her 3rd of the season against Al'amal SC.

"Readale (Nash) was taunting Pour (Al'amal goalkeeper),", Terrell described, "But his pass to Perez was intercepted by Guler (Al'amal #11).  They didn't have their eyes on me, so I came in on Guler's blindside and took the shot right in front of his feet.  It felt like taking candy from a baby."

Though Titan's Captain, #54 Raenia Ware was spotted with teammates in Al'amal earlier in the week, she was not in the lineup, not present pitchside, nor in the post-game briefing.  The club, however, did not have any comments about her absence.

The Titans remain undefeated in their last 10 games.  Big question is:  Which club will finally break the Titan streak?

The Contrast between Comets and DJ

Huacheng – Solis, Capricornus 1, 249

#87 Caleb Houghton takes Dong Ji to school.

That makes 4 wins in a row for Marineris.  

They were the clear favourite for the match as they faced one of the league's worst.

Winning has just seemed to elude Dong Ji.  Even with a respectable number of goals (14 on the season, which just puts them behind Immortals and Al’amal), DJ has consistently run out of steam by the end of every match.  Aside from their opening game victory against the Immortals to an elated home-crowd, DJ has been unable to beat any other team aside from their sister colony’s Wuji club, who has also been struggling.

Today’s loss places Dong Ji at the very bottom of the pack.

It wasn't always easy for the Comets, though, who have been middle-of-the-pack for the first quarter season, but, now, they are confident and disciplined.

“It feels good. We feel like a team and we are playing that way.”

— Bradley, Comet's Captain

The wins have, indeed, been a team effort.  Goals have been made by 19 members of the 25 man squad.  And it isn’t just the forwards.  Their top scorer is #2 Stephen Liu, a defender.

There has been a lot of talk on social channels about consistency around the league. Without precedence for professional sports on Mars, the MAFL’s first season is proving to be somewhat of a living experiment.  

According to Dr. Vijay Lee of the newly founded sports medicine department at Huacheng Institute this is expected:  “We have people who originally came to Mars to be genetic engineers or physicists and now they are suddenly thrust into competitive sport.  As our educational programs, infrastructure and our culture evolve to nurture athletes, we will see greater consistency and better contests.”

Others disagree.  

"It doesn't matter.", says Comets Manager, Gordan Pryce, "There will be always winners and losers, regardless of the quality of talent pool. That’s the magic of sports.  We are witnessing a golden age of opportunity here.  It’s lit that Nestor (#15 Ramirez, Comets defender) came to Mars on a work visa to be a machine-psychologist."

Both goals in this match came in the 2nd half.  #87 Caleb Houghton captured his first goal at 49 minutes.  That was enough to unravel Dong Ji.   #2 Liu scored his 3rd of the season at the 57 mark, finishing the deal.

Comets are now 8-4 and Dong Ji is 3-9.

Don't take a breath; Sudden Death

Al'amal – Solis, Capricornus 1, 249

76 Vygintas Repsas carries the Tiangong Wuji to an important win, breaking a month long cold streak

Just Breathe.

That’s what they tell you to do in tense, stressful situations.

But on Mars, where every breath counts, just breathing may need to be done sparingly.

Especially, when your oxygen tank of gaseous gold is running low and depleting by the second.

Because no one on your team can put a goal into the opposing team’s net.  

A goal that not only would keep your playoff hopes alive… but also keep you alive.

With 55 minutes of oxygen supply per half in their suits, minus 45 minutes of game time, minus another 3 minutes of added time, minus every minute of missed penalty shots, equals new meaning to the term…Sudden Death Overtime.

This was the case in Week 12’s Al’amal SC vs. Tiangong Wuji match which needed 16 penalty kicks in overtime to determine a victor.

“We decided to go to straight to Penalty Kicks in Overtime to improve players’ safety but clearly, our players weren’t helping themselves out there with all those missed shots”, nervously laughed MAFL Commissioner Aiger Masing.

“I’ve never seen so many missed penalty shots before”, said Wuji Captain Stanisals Hachette. “And those oxygen warning messages that kept repeating in our helmets – not helpful!”

Al’amal SC forward Arwa Farra agreed. “They were downright terrifying to be honest.”

It was Farra, the twinkle-toed forward, who opened the match’s scoring at the 27th minute. But alas in this match, Farra was one of many players who missed their shot.

After Al’amal SC was able to unlock the Wuji defence with their rapid change of pace, close control and crisp passing, a superb run and cross set up Farra’s volley into the far corner past Wuji goalkeeper, Trenton Seaton. Al’amal SC 1 – Wuji 0.

It was Farra’s 5th goal of the season, moving her up to 3rd on the season’s goal leaderboard.

“I’m here to help my team win a championship,” said Farra, “And if I need to score more goals to help achieve that, happy to do so and take over the league lead from Lanka and Nash.”

After muddling through most of the first half, unable to find a way around their opponent’s deep-lying and tenacious defence, Wuji manager Bobby Chung signalled their attacking intent by switching from their favoured 5-4-1 formation to a 4-2-3-1 system.

It paid off as Wuji was able to mount more pressure resulting in a goal at the 41st minute.  Vygintas Repsas was able to burst into the Al’amal penalty area, and deliver a backward header into the net for the equalizer.

In the 2nd half, both teams continued to run fearlessly at each other’s defence, willing to make bold decisions in a bid to generate the winner.

But to no avail. And despite three minutes of extra time added, the score remained 1 to 1.

Straight to Penalty Kicks.

Shot 1 - Al’amal Captain Musaddiq Baddour powered a superb shot past Seaton. Goal!  PKOT 1-0

Shot 2 - Wuji: From one Captain to another – Stanislas Hachette’s low drive….forced a fine fingertip save from Al’amal goalkeeper Ahmed al-Pour.  PKOT 0-1

Shot 3 - Al’amal’s Hamad Fayad choose right…as did Seaton - Save. PKOT 1-0

Oxygen Supply Warning – 5 Minutes Remaining, announced in Wuji's Chen Jai's helmet, prompting a nervous kick right into al-Pour’s welcoming hands for Shot 4. PKOT 0-1

Shot 5 - Al’amal’s Farra boosts a kick over a leaping Seaton…and over the net. PKOT 1-0

Shot 6 – Wuji’s John Ming Wong boosts a kick left and wide of the net. PKOT 0-1

Shot 7 – Al’amal’s Genrietta Olegovna sails one over the top far corner. PKOT 1-0

Oxygen Supply Warning – 4 Minutes Remaining.  

Shot 8 – Wuji’s Ozil Alvi rushes a shot right into a diving al-Pour who catches it before it can cross the line. PKOT 0-1

Shot 9 – Al’amal’s Vivian Badour goes right and Seaton guesses right too. PKOT 1-0

Shot 10 – The tour buses start up and are ready to leave as an Al’amal save ends the game…until Wuji’s Respas responds with magic again! Goes left, past a diving al-Pour – Goal! PKOT 1 – 1.  

There must be a winner announces the Referee as the teams scramble to get their players lined up for the next round of shots.

Oxygen Supply Warning – 3 Minutes Remaining.  

Shot 11 – Al’amal’s Rashaa Adel rushes up to the line and nervously boosts a kick wide right.

Shot 12 – Wuji’s Alicia Beldad goes left…as does al-Pour who makes the grab.

Al’amal’s Akaltat Mohar mutters an expletive in his helmet and angrily boosts a shot left…into a diving Seaton, who cannot stop its momentum as the ball and goalkeeper cross the line – Goal!

The crowd goes wild and the tour shuttles power-up for departure until...

Wuji’s Anne-Marije Festen follows suit with a boost shot through the hands of al-Pour – Goal!  

“The game isn’t over!”, cried the fans. 

Oxygen Supply Critical– 2 Minutes Remaining.  

Shot 15 – Al’amal’s Ikram Muhammad boosts a shot right as Seaton guesses left…into the post bouncing away from the net – No goal!

Shot 16 - Wuji’s Zeng Qigang sends a low shot to the left corner which al-Pour guessed correctly, but past his outstretched hands. His tired reflexes (and nerves) could not match his instincts. – Goal!

Game Over – PKOT 3 to 2 for Wuji!

And the crowd goes wild (again)! Everyone exhales.

After the match, with everyone equipped with copious quantities of oxygen, Commissioner Masing stated, “We will look into the necessary changes to ensure this does not happen again.”

Wuji move out of the basement with a 4 - 8 record while Al’amal drops to 6 - 6 for the season.

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.”

Dynamos Tune Out

Novyimir – Saturnis, Dhanus, 28

Immortals #77 Brian Hyun makes his first goal of the season, securing a 2-0 victory over the Novyimir Dynamos.

Just when you though that the Dynamos had turned a corner for the 2nd half of the season after besting Al’amal SC in week 11, apparently, just didn’t feel it was necessary to show up for week 12.

In a pitiful display against the 4th place Immortals, the Dynamos failed to muster any offence. 

To the dismay of the local Novyimir fans, the Immortal defence held the Russian squad to just a single shot on goal by #1 Avideh Karaaria at the 9 minute mark.  

Petrovich (C) was unable to produce any sparks.  Quite possibly one of his weakest performances to-date, at final whistle, he retreated to the club transport clearly rattled by the loss and ignored all interview requests.

“We let down the home crowd today.”, said #8 Mariya Nikitovna. “But we won’t let this bring us down.”

For the Immortals, this was an important win.  With #33 Fox and #77 Hyun each scoring their first respective goals of the season, it is a positive indicator for the club.

“I’m pleased the players are stepping up.  This will make the difference for our run to the championship.”

— Andam Mirza, Immortals Manager

Lanka (C), the leagues top scorer was silenced in the match, but had this to say, “It really doesn’t matter if I score, so long as we take the win.  Alan (Fox) demonstrated his skill today and you will see a lot more from him, I promise.”

MAFL Midway

Solis.Dhanus, 22, 249

It’s been a thrilling ride so far in the inaugural MAFL season and to celebrate the midway point of the season, the league broke out into a big spontaneous party.

A Penalty Kick Over Time Party! Because Week 11 of MAFL play was all about the PKOT.

The PKOT Party got started when the Immortals and United invited themselves over with a scoreless match in regulation which was then decided in Penalty Kicks as Immortals forward Ran Naik curved the winner over the outstretched hands of United goalkeeper, Yvonne Barnato into the opposite top corner. PKOT 3 to 2 for the Immortals.

The Immortals moved to 6 and 5 while United dropped to 5 and 6 in the standings.

Next ones to crash the PKOT Party were the Comets and Wuji.

Their match ended in a 1 to 1 tie with Marysa Waaiger scoring for Wuji and Isabelle Marsh knotting it up for the Comets.  In Overtime, Comets forward Kyrie Barnett charged up to power her shot through the hands of Wuji goalkeeper Trenton Seaton for the clincher. PKOT 3 to 2 for the Comets.  

The Comets moved to  2nd place in the standings with a 7 and 4 record while Wuji remained at the bottom of the standings with a 3 and 8 record.
 

Not wanting to miss out on all the fun, the Titans and Dongji also joined the party.  Last place Dongji put a scare in the first place Titans with Zhao Jiao scoring at the 1:03 mark. However, Readale Nash (the Cash) responded 4 minutes later with his 7th goal of the season. In Overtime, Titan’s Jube Terrell blasted a blur to the right of a frozen Dongi goalkeeper. PKOT 2 to 1 for the Titans.

The Titans soared to a 10 and 1 record with Dongji tied at the bottom with Wuji at 3 and 8.

In the fourth and final match of Week 11, Mussaddiqu Baddour of Al’amal SC opened up the scoring at the 9 minute mark against the Novyimir Dynamo.  Ilya Jaroslav Petrovich tied it up at the 43 minute mark.

With just one half left, all the makings of a full on league PKOT party were in play.

Until that buzz kill, Mariya Nikitovna spoiled the party.  Her goal at the 57th gave the Dynamo a 2 to 1 win in regular match play.

With the win, the Dynamo moved to 4 and 7 for the season while Al’amal went to 6 and 5.

“I’ve never seen anything like that”, said MAFL commissioner, Aigar Masing. “I know some traditionalists loathe the overtime Penalty Kicks but even they have to admit it was a lot of fun to watch.”

And fun has been plentiful at the MAFL midway so far. What have been some of the key attractions?

Step right up and see Immortals clash with Titans for league supremacy.

The Titans’ only season loss was to the Immortals in Week 3 as the Lanka Legend scored 4 goals that day.  In the week 10 rematch, the Titans gained revenge with a win from Nash the Cash’s two goals and a little help from sloppy goalkeeping.
 

Lanka Legend and Nash the Cash are also battling for individual supremacy as they are leading the league in goals with 9 and 7 respectively. How many more goals will these two score in the Week 17 grudge match between the Immortals and Titans?

How many goals will the Tiangong Wuji score in the second half? Despite their heavy spending, the Wuji can’t buy a goal with an anemic 8 goals. Even Lanka Legend has scored more.  Will their spending eventually pay off in the 2nd half and lift them out of the basement?

Their fellow basement brethren, the Tiangong Dongji, can score thanks to Darkeem Dennis and his 4 goals. Despite their spending, they can’t buy a win in overtime having 5 of their 8 losses in PKOT. Now if they could just clone Dennis….

Or talk to the Marineris Comets and learn how their balanced attack has helped them run off a three game winning streak vaulting them into 2nd place in the standings. Can they continue this momentum in the 2nd half?

Can Europa United learn that successful balance too? Despite a Martian air lock tight defence which has allowed just 7 goals, they have a mediocre 5 and 6 record. Like the Wuji, the opposing net might as well be lost in a Martian sand storm.

The Dynamo’s net however, is as big as the Valles Marineris canyon. Opponents have scored 26 goals against them. The next worse team – the Wuji with 16 goals allowed. And yet how have the Dynamo won more games than Wuji and Dongji?

And has anyone noticed the Al’amal SC are in 3rd place? And that four of their players are in the Goal Leaders rankings – the most of any team. If you don’t know, Musaddiq Baddour or Arwa Farra, you will soon.

And what else will pop out in the 2nd half of this MAFL ride? Hold tight and keep your eyes open. 

Born to Play?

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Europa United Forward Alex Barlas described his first week on Mars with terms like, “absolutely maddening” and “why did my parents bring me here again?”

Put yourself in his cleats: isolated from friends some 54.6 million kilometers away; constantly facing severe risk of radiation exposure that could increase his lifetime risk of cancer; a complete shift in diet; a majority of his day spent on exercise just to keep his muscles and bones from deteriorating; and for the rest of his day - confinement with fellow citizens.

Who would have guessed he would grow up on Mars and become among the first to play professional sports on a whole new world?

Alex Barlas, 21 year old United Forward, wasBorn in Manchester Uk and arrived in myear 245.

“The Best Footballers are from Earth. ”

— Alex Barlas

One couldn’t blame Barlas or others for such an assumption. After all, Football was born on Earth. Of the 106,000 Mars citizens, 78% were Earth born. So the majority of MAFL players are from Earth right?

Wrong.

Before the season began, MAFL set player targets for birth place and gender because they wanted balanced player demographics. So despite Mars born citizens only representing 22% of the Mars Population, they represent 41% of MAFL players, followed by 38% Earth born players and 20% Naturalized citizens.

“Parity you say. Or was it prophecy from MAFL officials? ”

Of the 108 goals scored in total after Week 11, the highest scoring segment belonged to Mars born players with 47% of the goals scored.  This was followed by 27% for Earth born players and 26% for Naturalized citizens.  

The top two scorers in the league are both Mars born: Uday Lanka (Lanka Legend to many) of the Amrita Immortals with 9 goals and Readale Nash (the Cash) of the San Olympus Titans with 7 goals.

Top Scorer, Uday Lanka, Captain of the Amrita Immortals

In fact, 5 of the top 8 scorers in the league are Mars born.  

Contrary to Barlas’ point of view, are the Best Footballers from Mars?

“I’ve been around this game for over 30 years, and the best Football training comes from Earth,” said Manager Gordan J Pryce of the Marineris Comets.  “Ilya Jaroslav Petrovich of the Novyimir Dynamo, Vivian Badour of Al’amal SC, Liddell Marsh of the Marineris Comets are all among the top scorers and they were born on Earth”.

Nash disagrees, “the Best Footballers on Earth, are from Earth, but once they touch down on Mars, this is a whole different world of Football for them. A world I’ve been used to since Birth”.

Is it true? Do Mars born players naturally acclimatize to Mars’ conditions much more easily than Earth born players?

Does this make Mars born players better than Earth born players?

In the short history of Mars colonization, it wasn’t too long ago that the thought of ever conceiving Mars born citizens was highly questionable.

1. It took three major breakthroughs to answer all the questions to: Where will babies come from? Radiation Barriers
2. Fertility Medications
3. Advances in Reproductive Technologies such as In-Vitro Fertilization

Once the scientists alleviated everyone’s fears that their private treasures wouldn’t disintegrate while copulating, the long season of wildness began – because what the hell are you going to do on Mars when you weren’t working the mines or farms or construction i.e. surviving.

And that was one of the key questions and challenges, Earth born Martians had as they acclimatized to their new surroundings.

What to do on Mars other than surviving?

According to ongoing studies by Marineris Tech U on Mars acclimation, Earth born Martians have exhibited various forms of anxiety related stress due to a multitude of factors including:

• Lack of outdoor exposure – No fresh air? Where’s the sun?
• Separation from loved ones on Earth – Are virtual hugs virtually empty?
• Isolation in their confined living spaces – Where can I roam and be free?
• Diet – Where can I get a juicy BBQ steak?  
• Excessive gravity training which increases incidents of sopite syndrome (fatigue, drowsiness, and mood changes) – If I train more, I get depressed? If I don’t train, I get emaciated?

Questions all running through Earth born Martians. Questions that Mars born citizens wouldn’t have. Because, you don’t know what you don’t know.

Are all these differences from Earth life to Mars life really impacting the performance of Earth born players negatively?

Nash isn’t sure. “I mean, I hear my Earth born teammates bitch and complain about all these things they miss on Earth but c’mon man. It isn’t like life on Mars is bad. We have entertainment and games here and plenty of chances to have fun at the markets and clubs.”

Barlas adds, “The lifestyle adjustment was tough, especially as I came here as a kid.  On Earth, I was used to running freely and going outside... so this was probably the biggest factor.”

Barlas has 0 goals to date after 11 weeks of MAFL play.

Nash adds, “I’m sure Barlas and all those Earth borns might be awesome on Earth but it’s a different game here on Mars. I’m no scientist but if Mars is 38% of Earth’s gravity, shouldn’t the Earth borns be doing a lot better up here?

Huacheng's Darkeem Dennis

Mercurii, Dhanus 18, 249

Darkeem Dennis, one of the breakout stars of the upstart MAFL, is alone at his pod in the west quarter of Huacheng. Through a port window over his single bed, the lava plains seem endless, just craters and silhouetted ancient volcanoes.

“It’s tough not to think too much,” Dennis said.

His assigned roommate, midfielder Gao Zheng, was at his girlfriend’s pod, in the central quadrant. “He spends a lot of time there,” Dennis said. “She's got a lot more space.”

It was midnight; hours after Huacheng Dongji dropped its Week 9 match to Al'amal SC, stretching their losing streak to six games. Dennis didn’t score in the loss. And when the 27-year-old striker doesn’t score, Dongji rarely wins. 

Almost half Dongji's losses have come in penalty kicks. Dennis has missed every penalty he's taken, save for one.

"I'm still trying to work out the boost on my kicks," he said. "I scored last week. I think I've got the hang of it."

Dennis didn’t want to talk much about pressure, about chafing against outsized expectations on an underachieving team. But the reality is, Dongji’s fate this season has become inextricably linked with this previously unknown import player from Wendale.

Dennis has surprised most MAFL scouts, leading the league in scoring early in the season. Still, despite a mid-season slump, he’s still in the top three — and the only Donji player in the top 20. 

“Honestly? We weren’t expecting much from him,” Dongji manager Rain Chen said. “We didn’t even start him the first game.”

Dennis spent his childhood in the U.S. Soccer Development program, playing for the FC Portland Academy team. When he was 13, his parents won a 15-year research grant to develop EV suits and body armour for mining engineers on Wendland, the satellite settlement outside Amrita.

“I was gutted,” Dennis said. “My whole life was soccer. And when I got to Wendland, there was nothing. Even if there was a league then, I couldn’t walk right for the first year.”

“I sort of lost myself. I didn’t even watch the game feeds coming from Earth. Seeing some of the guys I came up with – it was too much.”

Until last year, Dennis was working with his parents. He tested prototype equipment they developed in the lab.

“I wore them out into the field, so I could identify kinks that happen in real-world situations,” he said.  “It could be gruelling. But it was good. I had my family. I knew a lot of the guys at the lab.”

But his life was upended last year when an old coach from Portland FC Academy reached out. The coach, Jonas Erlbaum, was now chief of scouting for Dongji.

“We were trying to fill out the bottom of our roster,” Erlbaum said. “My team thought I was crazy. This kid from some backwater settlement who hadn’t played a sport in 13 years? Crazy. But I just had a feeling.”

It paid off.

“I know how EV suits work,” Dennis said. “I think that’s what gave me an edge. Everyone else was just getting used to playing in them, but I’d been working on those things for years.”

His emergence as one of the most promising players in the MAFL has earned him some notoriety in Huacheng. “People will pass me in the corridors,” he said, “and I can tell they recognize me. They look back and whisper.”

But sitting alone on the foot of his bed, with a sandstorm visible through the window, it doesn’t seem like Dennis is certain he made the right decision.

“We just got to start winning more games.”