Low Country Football: MBFranchise's Amsterdam Eleven MM

[MBFranchise]

Amsterdam 11 Season 3 Roster Overanalysis

The 'Dam Strikers

18 Siebe Schrijvers 19 71
9 Arkadiusz Milik 21 72
10 Moestafa El Kabir 27 75

Perhaps surprisingly, when A11 struggled last season, it was to score goals. Despite manager Patrick Kluivert envisioning a high-octane attack, that wasn't always the case. Arkadiusz Milik lived up to his end of the bargain, however, netting 17 goals in his inaugural season. However, more is needed from backups Schrijvers and El Kabir.

The 'Dam Wingers

31 Maciej Rybus 26 79
14 Paul-Georges Ntep 23 72
13 Filip Kostic 22 74
21 Jody Lukoki 22 71
24 Andreas Laudrup 24 70

One of the reasons for an offense that struggled at portions during the season was a lack of service from the wings. Sure, Maciej Rybus is a strong player and vice captain, but the other wing remained a mystery. A11 hopes to have solved that problem with Ntep and Kostic. Ntep is a new signing, and Kostic returns from injury, so he is an "Arsene Wenger new signing." Lukoki is a spark plug off the bench, and Laudrup is here, too.

The 'Dam Attacking Midfielders

23 Rafael van Der Vaart 32 77
8 Zlatko Junuzovic 28 77
6 Abdisalam Ibrahim 24 77
11 Wannes van Tricht 21 65
15 Miroslav Astafiev 18 60 loan at KV Oostende

Van der Vaart immediately gives this team legitimacy across Europe. He is the most high-profile player to wear the orange and black. Junuzovic cannot be overlooked, and his engine will allow some coverage for van Der Vaart's aging legs. Ibrahim is in a tough spot. He started his career in Amsterdam as a defensive midfielder, but he has evolved his game into an all-around midfielder. He is good enough to start, but there simply isn't a spot for him right now. Van Tricht and Astafiev both understand they have a lot of work to do to see the field.

The 'Dam Holding Midfielders

41 Thibault van Acker 23 73
7 Levin Oztunali 19 69

Thibault van Acker was one of the great stories of last season, emerging as a rock in our midfield. His positioning is underrated and his long passing has improved to lead counter attacks. He looks to keep Oztunali off the field, which may be easy to do since Oztunali has struggled since he got here.

The 'Dam Fullbacks

2 Deandre Yedlin 22 73
75 Alpaslan Ozturk 22 72
3 Konstantinos Stafylidis 21 69
36 Michael Schimpelsberger 24 68

DeAndre Yedlin was a fantastic purchase last season. He didn't take much time to acclimate from the USA and has fit in great with the team. Ozturk has been a surprise as well, but he is surprising at how often he gets hurt. At least twice a season. We thought we had something when we got Stafylidis from Bayer Leverkusen, but so far all we got was someone more comfortable on the bench than in the game. Even though he is a young guy, he hasn't really improved at all. Schimpelsberger is a great guy and understands his role in cup games.

The 'Dam Centerbacks

4 Bartosz Salamon 24 75
20 Nathan Ake 20 73
5 Vadim Demidov 28 72
27 Dario Dumic 23 70
30 Zarco Tomasevic 25 70
33 Menno Koch 21 67

Carrying six center backs seems like a lot, and it will be interesting to see how this plays out since only two of them can play at a time. Someone won't be happy. Salamon and Ake should be fine, however, since they complement each other so well. Demidov has plenty of experience starting for us, but his injury history makes anyone skeptical. Dumic has progressed very well, and is a monster in the air. Tomasevic has the added plus of being able to play on the left. Koch has been loaned out before, and it may happen to him again.

The 'Dam Goalkeepers

1 Koen Casteels 23 70
47 Patrick Drewes 22 62 loan from Wolfsburg

Perhaps it is no surprise that A11 did not sign a full-time backup for starting GK Koen Casteels since Casteels has put a stranglehold on the GK positions since he arrived halfway through last season, leading the league in Clean Sheets in the process. Drewes is nothing more than an insurance policy.

Low Country League 1 Prediction: 1st!

I know we may be biased, but this team was one of the hottest in Europe to end last season. With the additions of van Der Vaart and Junuzovic, A11 could realistically challenge for a LC League 1 title this season. Anything less than being in contention for a Champion's League spot would be a disappointment.

[MBFranchise]

New Boys Van der Vaart and Ntep Find Scoresheet

Low Country League 1

FC Twente 2-3 Amsterdam

(A) Ntep 22'
(T) Caicedo 25'
(A) Rybus 34'
(A) Van der Vaart 68'
(T) Rendla 90'+

MOTM: (A) LW Paul-Georges Ntep 8.6 Rating

Amsterdam 2-1 Anderlecht

(A11) Ntep 8'
(AND) Nuytinck 15'
(A11) Dumic 41'

MOTM: (A11) RB DeAndre Yedlin 8.3 Rating

ST Moestafa El Kabir dislocated shoulder out 8 weeks

[MBFranchise]

Dammers Cruise Through Europa League Qualifying Stage


ST Siebe Schrijvers was all smiles following his brace.

Europa League Qualifying Round

Amsterdam 3-0 Poznan

(A) Ibrahim 9'
(A) Schrijvers 12'
(A) Schrijvers 89'

MOTM: (A) ST Siebe Schrijvers 9.1 Rating

Low Country League 1

Genk 1-2 Amsterdam

(A) Van der Vaart 4'
(A) Schrijvers 57'
(G) Costa 66'

MOTM: (A) CAM Rafael Van der Vaart 8.2 Rating

Europa League Qualifying Stage

Poznan 0-0 Amsterdam

Aggregate Poznan 0-2 Amsterdam

MOTM: (A) LB Konstantinos Stafylidis 7.5 Rating

[MBFranchise]

Amsterdam 11 Continues Unbeaten Run from Last Season

Low Country League 1

Amsterdam 2-1 sc Heerenveen

(A) Ake 45'+
(H) De Roon 52'
(A) Schrijvers 87'

MOTM: (A) CB Bartosz Salamon 8.0 Rating

League Cup

Amsterdam 1-0 sc Heerenveen

(A) Demidov 81'

MOTM: (A) CM Abdisalam Ibrahim 8.4 Rating

[MBFranchise]

Deadline Day Move for Cornelius May Be Bargain of the Transfer Window


Cornelius was visibly excited to make the move to Amsterdam.

In a surprise Deadline Day move, A11 purchased ST Andreas Cornelius from recently-relegated English club Cardiff City. Cardiff, looking to drop wages before spending too long in the Championship, let the promising Cornelius go for only $2.0 million.

For the Dammers, Cornelius provides a big target man that is excellent in the air and has shown improvement with his feet. He is expected to challenge ST Arkadiusz Milik for playing time, and the position battle will be the talk of Amsterdam fans around the world.

[MBFranchise]

Kostic Provides Game-winner, but Cornelius Earns MOTM in Debut


Filip Kostic deserves to have his picture shown.

LC League 1

Shakhtar 2-3 Amsterdam

(S) Grechyshkin 10'
(A) Cornelius 53'
(S) Douglas Costa 56'
(A) Ibrahim 74'
(A) Kostic 87'

MOTM: (A) ST Andreas Cornelius 8.4 Rating

[MBFranchise]

A11 Disappoints and Drops Points in Europa League Group Stage Opener

Europa League Group
Amsterdam 11
Dundee United
Legia Warszawa
Sevilla

Prediction: Sevilla is far and away the favorite, and A11 must be favored over the other two smaller clubs.


Dundee United's Ryan Gauld celebrates his last-minute equalizer.

Europa League

Dundee United 2-2 Amsterdam

(A) Ibrahim 49'
(D) McGowan 56'
(A) Ntep 64'
(D) Gauld 90'

MOTM: (A) CM Abdi Ibrahim 8.3 Rating

Group Update: Sevilla 3-1 Legia Warszawa

LC League 1

FC Utrecht 0-0 Amsterdam

MOTM: (U) GK C. Seitz 9.3 Rating

Amsterdam 2-0 Vitesse

(A) Ntep 58'
(A) Junuzovic 77'

MOTM: (A) CM Zlatko Junuzovic 8.7 Rating

[MBFranchise]

Cornelius Finds Back of Net Against Old Team

Low Country League 1

FC Copenhagen 0-2 Amsterdam

(A) Cornelius 5'
(A) Kostic 24'

MOTM: (A) CB Dario Dumic 8.5 Rating

Europa League

Amsterdam 2-0 Legia Warsawa

(A) Rybus 14'
(A) Rybus 50'

MOTM: (A) RB Alpaslan Ozturk 8.5 Rating

Group Update Dundee United 1-2 Sevilla

LC League 1

Amsterdam 1-0 FC Groningen

(A) Yedlin 40'

MOTM: (A) RB DeAndre Yedlin 8.1 Rating