Picture courtesy Hero Indian Super League / IMG-Reliance
Chennaiyin FC finalised their 28-man squad for the inaugural season of the Hero Indian Super League (ISL) after adding Colombian striker John Stiven Mendoza to their roster.
Mendoza is a 22-year-old forward who represented Colombia at the 2009 FIFA Under-17 World Cup in Nigeria and the 2011 Under-20 South American Championship in Peru.
The prolific striker was last playing for Colombian giants Deportivo Cali and will add plenty of quality and firepower to Chennaiyin FC’s attack.
“We are delighted to add Mendoza to our squad which is looking well-balanced now. The team has been gelling well for the last couple of weeks with plenty of hard work put in by the players and support staff. We look forward to be in Chennai soon and have an exciting season ahead in the Hero Indian Super League,” said Chennaiyin FC co-owner Vita Dani.
Chennaiyin FC’s squad comprises 16 domestic players and 12 foreigners including player-manager Marco Materazzi, marquee foreigner Elano and former Manchester United defender Mikael Silvestre.
Chennaiyin FC played a practice game against Army XI on Wednesday at the Bangalore Football Stadium and won 7-1 with Eduardo Silva and Bernard Mendy both bagging braces while Abhishek Das, Cristian Hidalgo and Jaison Vales netted one each. Chennaiyin FC face the same opponents again on Friday.
Chennaiyin FC starts their Hero Indian Super League campaign with an away fixture against FC Goa on October 15 while their first home assignment is against Kerala Blasters FC on October 21.
CHENNAIYIN FC SQUAD
Goalkeepers
Abhijit Mondal, Shilton Paul, Gennaro Bracigliano (France)
Defenders
Gouramangi Moirangthem Singh, Dhanachandra Singh, Khelemba Meetei, Abhishek Das, Bernard Mendy (France), Jairo Suarez (Colombia), Marco Materazzi (Italy), Mikael Silvestre (France)
Midfielders
Harmanjot Singh Khabra, Denson Devadas, Dane Pereira, Naduparambil Pappachen Pradeep, Jaison Vales, Anthony Barbosa, Sukhwinder Singh, Cristian Hidalgo (Spain), Bojan Djordjic (Sweden/Serbia), Bruno Pelissari (Brazil), Pierre Tillman (Sweden), Elano (Brazil)
Forwards
Jeje Lalpekhlua, Jayesh Rane, Balwant Singh, Eduardo Silva Lerma (Spain), John Stiven Mendoza (Colombia)