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?

Saturni, Dhanus 21, 249

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?

Ice-miners have started a beer league 200 metres below surface

Verneris, Dhanus 20, 249

Engineers mining for water outside Novyimir have found a way to skate on underground ice deposits — a fluke development that has led to the first-known organized hockey league on Mars, according to reports out of the secretive settlement. 

A migrant contractor who just returned from an assignment at one of the remote KMH mining facilities tells us that workers in the glacier-rich region of the Ismenius Lacus quadrangle are playing a rudimentary version of hockey, competing with other teams from nearby ice mines.

“They’re using an awful lot of resources to make it happen,” said the contractor, who did not want to be named for fear of reprisals from the mine operator. “I don’t think they want people to know about it.”

Excavators around Novyimir have carved out swaths of rock and dirt to access the rich ice deposits dozens of metres beneath the surface — creating massive underground caverns roughly 200 metres deep with floors of ice that run for kilometres. 

“We were working 24-hour shifts, right?” the contractor said. “And we’re just slipping around on this stuff all day until someone finally told the foreman, ‘You think you could get us some skates?’” 

“It seemed like a shame not to skate on all that ice before we processed it.”

Management at the mine apparently took the suggestion seriously.  Within a month, the KMH Ministry of Subterranean Extraction developed a method of outfitting cavern personnel with skates. The move was an attempt at “increasingly workflow and reducing accidents,” according to a memo the contractor smuggled from a work site. 

At first, the skates didn't work. For a skate to get traction on ice, it needs to melt the surface enough for the ice to hug the blade. The average temperature in the mine, roughly -125C, was simply too cold for the ice to melt. To mitigate the issue, KMH implemented environment controls in all six ice mines near the Korolev settlement, bringing the temperature at ice level to an average of -3C — similar to a hockey rink. 

“They thought we were all going to get from A to B faster and easier,” the contractor said. “But really, it was a mess. People zipping around, clumsy, with heavy machinery around? Someone was gonna die.”

“The guys who came up with the idea, they were desperate. The Russians who run things over there, they don’t like wasting money on mistakes. So figured they could salvage the whole project by turning it into some Employee Fitness and Morale program.”

So far, it seems to have worked. KMH medical logs show a drastic reduction in cases of muscular deterioration among mine personnel in the Korolev district. And the contractor says the deputy minister of natural resources attended a game last month. 

“A lot of the players are old KHL guys,” the contractor said. “It's not bad hockey. I think some higher ups have even slipped in an order for real, composite sticks on the next barge shipment from Russia." 

But the move is not without critics. Eriika Yang, who runs three ice-mining operations in Tiangong, called the program "ghastly and moronic." 

“I don’t get it,” she said. “Why would you waste energy heating an entire cavern, just to skate on it?”

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.”

Fan Reborn

Martis, Dhanus 17, 249

Pitch view of Top-Side and Spectator Shuttles

I was born on Earth and I have memories, for good and for bad, of playing sports and being outdoors... real outdoors, breathing the actual air and not having to be reliant on any bubble to protect me from an environment that isn't species appropriate, to put it mildly.  I like games, but yes, I was one of the skeptics of the MAFL and open concept stadiums.  Just on the practical side alone, we have a lot of other pressing matters to contend with on this planet, so risking lives to play outdoor soccer didn't seem like a worthy priority.

With this notion, I've only followed the season in the news or caught partial segments, so this past week was my first live experience. 

As our shuttle drove toward the stadium grounds, something started to happen. I began to feel anticipation that I hadn't expect.  Was it possibly because I haven't been outside of the hab for months?  This clearly wasn't an instantly gratifying holo experience that could be switched off; the shuttle wasn't going to turn around on my account, after all.  

Had I underestimated the powers of anticipation that can be brought on from a glorified bus ride?  Or had I forgotten the feats of engineering and series of miracles that had taken place in order to fly us across the solar system, land on an inhospitable world, set up camp to live, grow food, and not only to actually survive on this red dust ball, but to also invent and enjoy sport here too?

I didn't leave the comforts of the bus... The spectator deck was surprisingly immersive and I wouldn't have believed that the shuttle would, in all intent and purposes, disappear as I became enthralled with the match.

Within the first 5 minutes, I had to remind myself this wasn't a virtual game. These players were really performing feats and maneuvers I've never considered safe, let alone possible... and I've lived here for more than two decades.  It also shattered my preconceptions of size, strength and prowess.

At 38 minutes,  #30 Isabelle Marsh, a petite, young woman, charged to deliver an incredible kick that beat Dynamo's goalkeeper to open scoring.  Just minutes later, seconds before half-time, #39, Aba Samma, in a graceful display of aerial control, blew a reinforcement goal past Kyrlyuk.

I may be remembering wrong, but sports back home never felt like this!  The blend of acrobatics, tenacity, and, quite frankly, danger, have converted me.

I admit, there have been a few times where I've regretted my family bringing me to Mars, but that pales in comparison to what I was feeling then and there for not coming to support the games sooner.   As we work hard to build this planet, it is easy to forget not to apply that same efforts in maintaining our humanity.  The MAFL has, quite possibly, offered us the first vehicle to free us from often mundane, repetitive, and measured routines we must perform to survive here.  It is recreations such as these that expand the definition of what living on Mars means and helps bring all of us together. 

Not only did my home team take the bout against the Dynamos, but this match secured my loyalty to the Club, the MAFL, and, in many respects, this planet.

This win brings Marineris Comets to 6 and 4.  With two back-to-back wins, they are 2nd in the league standings.  

Next week, Comets face the struggling Tiangong Wuji. 

Payback: Titans Beat Immortals in Rematch

Lunae, Dhanus 16, 249

If their first match lay birth to the Lanka Legend, with the Immortals’ Captain scoring a phenomenal 4 goals that day, then the rematch was all about Titans’ payback, delivered by the brash Readale Nash.

“If Uday Lanka is Lanka Legend, then call me Nash the Cash. Because I am Money! Payback’s a Bitch,”

— Readale Nash #8, Titans Forward

Nash deposited both goals for the Titans leading them to a 2 to 1 victory over the Immortals. With the win, the Titans move to a league leading 9 and 1 in the standings while the Immortals go to 5 and 5. The Titans’ only loss of the season – to those same Immortals in Week 3.

In this highly anticipated rematch of their Week 3 showdown, the stars were aligned and shone brightly as the league’s top two scorers, Lanka Legend and Readale Nash were the difference makers.

Another difference maker albeit unexpected, Immortals goalkeeper Chamunda Badal.

Six of the Titans’ nine shots on goal came from interceptions of botched passes and failed clearances from Badal. Two of those shots ended up as goals by Nash.

A livid Immortals owner Vijya Pandey was ballistic afterwards, “We had that bloody game won! If our stupid goal keeper can’t do her job right, what the bloody hell is she good for? We gave them the game.”

Titans Captain, Raenia Ware disagreed with Pandey’s assessment, “We put the pressure on the Immortals all game especially on Badal. There’s a reason why we’re the best team in the league and their owner is the beast of the league.”

A mortified Badal quickly ran off the field after the whistle and could not be reached for comment afterwards as Immortals Captain, Lanka Legend shielded her from the media’s stink eye.

“We win together and we lose together. We should’ve done a better job of protecting Badal out there and not letting the Titans pressure her so much”, said Lanka.

While noble in his intention, Lanka’s assessment does not hide the reality that Badal’s blunders enabled the Titans to escape another potentially embarrassing defeat from the Immortals.

Overall, the Immortals had the advantage in terms of possession time and came out much more aggressive to start the match than the Titans.

Lanka started off the scoring with his league leading 9th goal of the season at the 16th minute. Lanka intercepted a pass from Titans’ Midfielder, Sara Kelly, dribbled across the six-yard, beating two defenders and finished with a spectacular volley into the roof of the net.

The Amrita Attack did not let up as just over a minute later, Lanka picked the pocket of Midfielder, Bajen Avdi, and passed off to teammate Akkilic Talpur.

Lanka rushed down the field and controlled a return pass off his chest from the edge of the area, turned and delivered a low shot past the outstretched hands of Titans goalkeeper Usian Busara into the far bottom corner…post. No goal.  

And that scare is likely what woke up a Timid Titans team before that point.  

They responded with a scoring chance from Bajen Avdi whose shot just sailed over the top post at the 21st minute.  

Then at the 25th minute mark, Nash waited behind Badal. Waited until she dropped the ball to sneak in, picked it off her boot and then drove it back into the net for his 5th goal of the season to tie up the match.

A minute later, Badal failed to clear the ball again and a surprised Nash volleyed the ball over the top post this time, cursing himself as he walked away from his squandered chance.  

Sensing the momentum shifting away, Lanka stole a pass from the Titan’s Tarik Lema Girma minutes later, and passed over to teammate Laurien Hagendoorn. Lanka quickly sliced through two defenders and delivered a header off a crossing pass just over a leaping Busara and…just a pinch over the top post.

Another missed Immortals’ opportunity gave the Titans’ the momentum they needed as they continued to capitalize on sloppy goalkeeper and defensive play with two more shots on goal just before the end of the first half.

In the second half, more of the same from Badal as her errors caught up with the Immortals as Nash scored the winner at the 59 minute mark. Badal weakly played a backpass from teammate Tanigawa Kata, right into Nash’s path. A Nash pass to Ware resulted in a return pass to Nash who rounded Badal and kicked into the low far corner for his 6th goal of the season.

Nash almost made it a hat trick with scoring chances at the 76th minute and 80th minute.

With a committee of Titans defenders (Maria Fernanda Carballal, Terry Park, and Renatta Blundell) smothering Lanka Legend, none of his teammates stepped up and the Immortals were unable to generate any shots on goal in the 2nd half despite strong possession time.  

Unlike their first match in Week 3, there were no substitutions, injuries or equipment failures in this match. In the Week 3 match, a miscommunication between Titans’ teammates and a remarkable boost jump into safety by Lanka, resulted in an epic car crash of a play resulting in Titans’ defender Terry Park taking out his own astonished teammate Maria Fernanda Carballal with a sliding tackle attempt.

“Us not talking in that Week 3 match,” said Carballal. “That was early in the season and like I said then, we just needed time to adjust and get to know each other, and I think our communication today was solid as we shut Lanka down this match.”

On Carballal’s assessment, Lanka replied, “Congratulations to them on their victory. However, I don’t necessarily agree with her statement. In the first half, two of our shots had beaten their keeper but both missed by maybe an inch. This match could have gone our way just like in Week 3.”

“The better team won today”, said Titans Captain Raenia Ware. “For Week 3, if we don’t go down to 10 players, I’m confident we would have gone out and had a strong second half just like today, and won that match as well.”

Lanka gently smiled when told Ware’s comment, “With all due respect, we were up 2 to 0 with Park and Carballal in that Week 3 match, after just 6 minutes of play. We would like to think our team’s play had something to do with us winning that day. ”

“That’s fine,” said Lanka calmly. “We look forward to next time when we’ll be on our home field. There’s a whole bunch of new moves we’ve been practicing that we can’t wait to unveil. ” The last time, Lanka used a practice move in a match resulted in his now infamous boost bicycle kick goal in Week 3 for the 4th goal of the game.

Week 17 @ Amrita – Titans vs. Immortals – Round 3.

Monkey Wrench

Lunae, Dhanus 16, 249

Vijya Pandey (Left), Immortals owner, with Andam Mirza (Right), Club Manager

“A setback. A mere blip. You know the thing about setbacks? They are temporary. And blips are fleeting. I am not the trigger happy type. You folks are. So, before you jump the gun, remember that deliberation should be the hallmark of good journalism. I am not backing down from my assertion that my team is on a trajectory to top the league. But before you spin tales of impending doom after a single loss, remember that hindsight can hurt your behinds soon. You may need to stock up on eggs and keep them close to your faces if you overreact.”

The snarling smirk from last week was now replaced with a scowl. Vijya Pandey would have been better served by a pout. The result of the game had rained on his parade. A parade which the owner of the Immortals had bombastically led off, firing all his cannons just the previous week. And now he was pre-emptively accusing the media assembled at the post-game press conference of imaginary pulldowns of his team following the tense loss to the Titans on the night. We could only chuckle under our breaths.

Andam Mirza had stared expressionlessly off into space at the podium. The loss to the league topping Titans was surely hurting the Immortals’ manager. The statistics for the game reveal that his team had held the upper hand right through. Their aggression had given the Titans, a team which has made a habit of laying waste their opponents in intimidating style, a mighty scare. The plethora of scoring chances the Immortals squandered away all night was surely weighing heavy. The manager hadn’t spoken yet. How could he? All the oxygen in the room was being sucked up by his hyper-ventilating owner.

The feeling tonight was nothing like the week before. That night, Mirza had watched his squad ratchet up the feverish excitement in a packed Amrita Stadium with a spectacular highlight reel goal in the second half that sealed the game. More importantly, the win against Tiangong Wuji had extended their winning streak to three. His move to a 4-3-3 formation in Week 7 appeared to have aligned the planets for his team. Not only had it seemed like they had discovered their mojo, but the shackles seemed to come off and there was more fluidity in their play. More importantly, they had discovered a consistency which had been sorely lacking at the start of the season.

A keen student of the game, Mirza would surely have offered us his astute thoughts on his team’s progress in spite of the loss. But enter stage left, Vijya Pandey! Owners are oh so rarely represented at post-match press conferences. It is the manager’s prerogative. But one Mirza’s father-in-law and boss Pandey gives a rodent’s arse about. And of course, on this night, Pandey had to appear. He needed to explain away the loss. He had made it a fait accompli – after the no-holds-barred performance at Amrita Stadium after the win against Tiangong the week before.

“Mark my words. Write them down”, he had thundered. “The juggernaut is only getting started. This dragon is no longer asleep. This is not a warning shot to all other teams in the league but the opening salvo of the battle for supremacy. There is no going back now – just continued rampage. Writing my team off was foolhardy. And you know that. And I want to make sure you remember it hereafter. We are not here to make friends. It is an all-out lunge for the jugular now. I can’t wait for the next game. I always knew this was coming. You should have listened to me all along.”

Really?

Three weeks earlier, it appeared the wheels had come off the Immortal’s wagon as they careened and crashed at Marineris Stadium in Week 6. It was their third loss in a row. More than the losses, it had been the manner of them. For three games, following the jaw dropper of a four goal performance by their magnificent captain Uday Lanka against the Titans in Week 3, the team had hit the collective skids. Lanka had toiled like a champion, but neutrals had watched on perplexed by the play of his mates looking like they were swimming in molasses.

And Pandey lashed out. At everything in sight. His soap box had been sawed off in half and the spice magnate was livid. His deranged haranguing of his beleaguered manager Mirza had been uncomfortable to watch. And we had cringed imagining what Mirza was in for at the family dinner table now. And then Lanka. In what would go down as the most unhinged tirade of them all, he had trained his sights on Lanka. “Very disappointed with our captain. How can we win if he only scores in the penalty shootout? He needs to produce when it matters.”

Perhaps Pandey’s mind was still stewing and clouded by the events of the morning at the Colonial Securities Commission headquarters in Marineris. The long ongoing investigations by the CSC into the statutory import regulation violations of Pandey Inc. had culminated in the commencement of closed door hearings. Allegations of financial blowbacks and skulduggery in his cozy relationships with exporters back on Earth had been swirling around for a long time. Pandey had testified that morning in front of the CSC and had emerged pasty faced and grim – proffering not even his regulatory squawks to the media who had chased him as he left for the night’s game.

The loss in this night’s game is a bugaboo only in the convoluted mind of the owner. The stoic and focussed Mirza is not going to see red after a hard fought loss. And the classy and uber-talented Lanka is certainly not losing sleep over any deranged comments by his owner. Lanka has shone effervescently all season – in wins and losses. Seeing his name in the scoresheet has become de rigeur to all watchers of the game. The Immortals (5-5) certainly have turned a corner in the season. And we can only wait in anticipation to see how they move on from what really should be a blip. Pandey is right on that one. Now, if he would only leave us and his team alone to relish the journey.

We can always hope for the CSC to get their act together.

You Kick Like a Girl

Lunae, Dhanus 16, 249

Farra, Ware,and  Barnato are among the women taking MAFL by storm.

When Al’amal SC were looking to pull off a stunning upset of the Marineris Comets in Week 8, Captain Musaddiq Baddour instantly knew who his dance partner would be.

“Arwa Farra is our most agile and precise player. If anyone was to manage their way through the Marineris Comets’ defenders, it would be her.”

— Baddour

And that she did.

For the game’s first goal, Farra cleverly anticipated and intercepted Comets Defender Stephen Liu’s pass, passed it to Baddour as she ran through the defenders, played his return pass and finished with a boost kick dagger into the far corner. 

Care for another dance?  Baddour and Farra did as they continued their match magic on the second goal of the game.

This time it was Comets Defender Zaida Agre who was victimized by Farra who intercepted Agre’s errant pass and passed over to Baddour who began a crisp, flowing team move. Baddour then delivered a no-look pass over to a streaking Farra who brilliantly rounded the keeper and lofted the shot into the net for the second and final goal of the match.

Al’amal SC: 2, Marineris Comets 0.

Baddour’s confidence in Farra’s ability is no shock as the emerging impact of Women players this year has been one of the more exciting themes in this early MAFL season.

Another theme: The top team to date are the San Olympus Titans with an 8 and 1 record.  

Their Captain: Raenia Ware, 22 years old, Earth Born and the only Woman Captain in MAFL.

Ware isn’t even the Titan’s leading scorer. That distinction belongs to her teammate, María Fernanda Carballal with 3 goals to date. You guessed it, Maria’s a Woman as well.

Amazingly, it wasn’t that long ago that the gender parity discussion was a hotly debated one.

So much so, that even up to the 11th hour of MAFL inauguration, MAFL officials were debating the merits of having two separate leagues: one for each gender (with non-binary players given the right to choose which league).

Ultimately, MAFL decided to bring everyone together in a parity party with target numbers to create balanced player demographics for gender and for birth place.

While we’re not quite at parity yet, the disparity isn’t as wide as you think.

Of the 84 goals scored after Week 8, 43% have been scored by female athletes.

43% of the top 14 scorers to date are women:

• María Fernanda Carballal of the San Olympus Titans;
• Arwa Farra  and Vivian Badour of the Al’amal SC;
• Yvonne Barnato of Europa United;
• Mariya Nikitovna of Novyimir Dynamo; and
• Samantha Park of the Marineris Comets.

While aspirational gender equity played a factor in mixed league play, some cynics believe sheer pragmatic population numbers, and lack of, may have played an even bigger role.

Raenia Ware however, isn’t buying any of that. She insists the decision to go mixed was based on merit.

 “Frankly, we’re almost in the 22nd Century and I can’t believe we’re still fixated on gender. If you look at the numbers, they confirm what myself and others already know. Some of the best players on this planet are women, full stop”, said Ware.

“There’s a reason why they made me Captain of the Titans just like there’s a reason why Maria, and Arwa, and Vivian are doing so well in this league”, said Ware.

From one Captain to another, Liddell Bradley of the Comets has his own theory on why women players have had such a strong impact so far.

“I think it’s great for the game that our Lady friends are doing so well but I know in those two games where Nikitovna scored on us in Week 3 and Farra scored twice on us in Week 8 , I can honestly tell you that our Defenders weren’t focusing on them” said Bradley.

“Our defensive strategy was focused more on shutting down Ilya Jaroslav Petrovich, Sergey Samrend, Mussaddiq Baddour, and Hamad Fayad. I guess when I think about it, they’re all the male stars so maybe there’s this unconscious bias we have. I don’t know. ”

Coach Matthäus Reinmann of Europa United agrees with Bradley, “I’ve seen all the matches so far and I can say, all of us are guilty of collapsing our defenders around the star male players and it’s like we’re ignoring the ladies and taking them for granted. They are definitely getting more chances.”  However, some experts wonder whether the chances women players have displayed to date relate to their unique biology and adaptation to Mars environment.

Early NASA studies and ongoing research at Marineris Tech U on gender in off-world conditions provided suggestions at how the cardiovascular, immunologic, sensorimotor, musculoskeletal, and behavioral adaptations may differ.  Some of those key differences:

• Women had a slight bias towards accuracy versus speed in alertness test vs men.
• Women suffered less visual impairment than men.
• Hearing sensitivity, when measured at several frequencies, declined with age much more rapidly in male astronauts than it did in female astronauts.

“When my helmet’s on, all the Closed Circuit Player Communication noise doesn’t faze me”, said Carballal of the Titans, “I’m able to process it and tune it out when needed. I know some of the guys hate it. They say it distracts them.”

Recent studies on first generation Mars habitation looked at Mars’ gravitational impact on muscle/bone mass loss. Early results suggested that since men generally have more muscle and bone mass than women, the rate and percentage of loss for men appeared to be greater than women.

The more you have, the more you lose according to these studies thus Men apparently had to train harder to reduce the amount of bone/muscle decrease. However, the more you train, the more likely you experience sopite syndrome – a neurological disorder with symptoms of fatigue, drowsiness, and mood changes to prolonged periods of motion.

Bradley admitted to experiencing some of those challenges. “I put in as much Gravity training as possible and I still find it hard to find equilibrium. You can only use the centrifugal services so much and it isn’t feasible to live 1 g on Mars all the time.  It’s an ongoing struggle.”

In addition to exercise, nutrition and medication has been used together as the holy trinity to mitigating Mars gravity.

Some studies suggest women may be responding to diet and medication better than men as early results have indicated more reported incidences of nausea, extreme muscle/bone loss, and allergic reactions in men than women.

One potential reason for the male side effects: a large portion of that medication is in the form of fertility drugs. Those fertility drugs (clomiphene citrate, human chorionic gonadotropin, and human menopausal gonadotropin) were generally made for women initially but have been approved for male use as well to help boost fertility and mass.

So while science may be suggesting a few biological and adaptive advantages for women over men, others are not so convinced.

“If you’re basing things on biology, well, men generally have more endurance than women so I expect as the season goes on, women will begin to tire more quickly”, said Coach Reinmann.

“Teams will also make adjustments and focus more defensive assignments on the gals, so I expect some correction later in the year with men’s scoring up and women’s scoring trending down.”

— Reinmann

Bradley added, “Well, all that geeky science stuff sounds nice but none of it seems conclusive. What is a hard fact is men have scored more goals than women so far and that Uday Lanka is the leading scorer in the game right now and last I checked, he’s a dude.” 

When told Reinmann and Bradley’s comments, Farra replied, “Well, let’s see what happens for the rest of the season. I have lots of respect for Lanka but my teammates have put money on me being the top scorer at the end of the season, and I want to make sure they get paid.”

Regardless of what happens during the rest of the season, one can agree that the Shape of the Game is much more enhanced with women in the picture.

Final Farra words, “Boys - Beware the Chick Kick”.