Building a crystal palace in Gampola
View(s):The much competitive Dialog Champions League (DCL), the Sri Lankan version of the world renowned English Premier League (EPL) completed 40 matches by the end of last week. With 20 teams each competing in two groups Crystal Palace FC and Colombo FC, two up and coming football teams are leading the Groups ‘A’ and ‘B’ respectively.
The team to watch will be Crystal Palace FC from Gampola. The top performers are topping Group ‘A’ ahead of famous other strong sides. They beat former champions Renown, Nandimithra, Upcountry Lions and drew with Air force SC to tally nine goals in four games. Crystal Palace FC qualified for the DCL last year and in their first in the top competition, the side from Gampola has already started to create an impact.
If Crystal Palace FC continues their form and performance at this level, they are sure to create an upset in the DCL this year, after earning the tag of dark horses. Nandimithra SC, the sports arm of Civil Security Force, is placed second with nine points while Air Force follows close behind at No.3 with eight points. Army SC completed only two matches and are tipped to be one of the strongest sides with six points. They will have the obvious chance of climbing up in the points table with two more games to complete as other teams in the competition. Defending champions Solid SC from Anuradhapura lost its rhythm in the ongoing DCL while the most successful team in the recent past Saunders, is also struggling with a young side.
In the Group ‘B’, Colombo FC continues its strong presence leading with three good wins and a draw against Navy SC. By last week they gained 10 points. Colombo FC, the FA Cup winners are a play a well settled team with an orchestrated style of play and will be a top contender for the main title this year. Last season though, they had to settle as runners-up. Navy SC follows behind with three wins off five matches. They have 10 points to their credit. The top two teams are ahead of other known contenders in the likes of former champions and reigning FA Cup runner-up Blue Stars from Kalutara, the former DCL champs Negombo Youth and Don Bosco, also from Negombo.
The newcomers Highlanders FC from Ratnapura are yet to perform well in the big league. They are finding it tough to cope up in the group without many of their regular players from last season. But Matara City FC are the unsuspecting show stealers of this group with an experienced side.
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