Chennaiyin FC’s Under-18 team will begin its AIFF Under-18 Youth League 2018-19 campaign with a fixture against Raman Vijayan Soccer School (RVSS) at the Sri Sivasubramaniya Nadar (SSN) College Ground on Monday. The SSN College Ground will continue to serve as the home venue for CFC’s B team and youth teams this season as well.

CFC U-18s will play three other teams home and away in the Chennai zone this campaign apart from RVSS; namely FC Madras (Mahogany FC), Football Plus and Chennai City FC. Last season the CFC U-18s were part of the Chennai-Bengaluru zone with Bengaluru FC and Ozone FA also involved. CFC’s aim will be to improve on the record of 14 points from eight matches, which saw them finish third in the previous campaign.

CFC’s 29-man U-18 squad is a diverse mix of budding talent with more than 50% of the squad hailing from Tamil Nadu and the rest from around the country. 15-year-old Cuddalore boy J Jaya Ruban has been promoted to the U-18s for his consistent performances with the CFC U-15s last season while wing-back Paarvin Raj, winger Zahaid Ahmed and midfielder R. Sathish Kumar – all Chennai boys – are mainstays from the previous campaign.

CFC’s scouting department has brought in some of the best talent from around the state to strengthen positions across the field. Defenders Sanjeev Maria Soosai and Nishok G from Kanyakumari and Ooty respectively, midfielders Chequvara M from Thanjavur and Pradap Balashanmugam from Vellore, and forwards Joy Kumar and Prasanna Kumar P from Kanyakumari and Coimbatore respectively, to name a few.

Defender Hendry Antonay, who has been promoted to the CFC senior team will also feature for the U-18s and B team. Other B team boys along with Hendry who were signed from the AIFF Elite Academy last season and are part of the U-18 squad this season are Ajin Tom, Mohammed Sarif Khan, Saurabh Meher, Joysana Singh and Aman Chetri.

Chennaiyin FC U-18 Squad

Goalkeepers
S. Lourdhu Divyanathan (Chennai), Vignesh (Pudukkottai)

Defenders
Selvaniranjan C (Dindigul), Ajith Arasu (Karnataka), G Jagadeesh (Chennai), J Paarvin Raj (Chennai), Sanjeev Maria Soosai (Kanyakumari), Ajin Tom (Kerala), Hendry Antonay (Karnataka), Nishok G (Ooty), Mohammed Sarif Khan (Manipur), Saurabh Meher (Maharashtra)

Midfielders
Sanjay S (Karnataka), R Sathish Kumar (Chennai), V. Perinbaezhilan (Chennai), Syed Jaabir Pasha (Chennai), Chequvara M (Thanjavur), Pradap Balashanmugam (Vellore), Shajan Franklin (Kanyakumari), Yunus Shaikh (Maharashtra), Kartik Nayyar (Punjab), Zahaid Ahmed (Chennai), Harsh Bartwal (Uttarakhand), Nonghtombam Joysana Singh (Manipur)

Forwards
Joy Kumar (Kanyakumari), Prasanna Kumar P (Coimbatore), Vijay Thangavel (Karnataka), J Jaya Ruban (Cuddalore), Aman Chetri (Assam)

Officials
A. Shanthakumar (Head Coach)

Chennaiyin FC U-18s AIFF U-18 Youth League 2018-19 Fixtures – Chennai Zone

Chennaiyin FC vs Raman Vijayan Soccer School – 15th October 2018 – SSN College Ground

Chennaiyin FC vs Football Plus – 23rd October 2018 – SSN College Ground

FC Madras vs Chennaiyin FC – 29th October 2018 – SSN College Ground

Raman Vijayan Soccer School vs Chennaiyin FC – 12th November 2018 – Gateway International School, Padur, OMR

Chennaiyin FC vs Chennai City FC – 20th November 2018 – SSN College Ground

Football Plus vs Chennaiyin FC – 27th November 2018 – Chettinad School Ground, Kelambakkam

Chennaiyin FC vs FC Madras – 3rd December 2018 – SSN College Ground

Chennai City FC vs Chennaiyin FC – TBC

(Chennaiyin FC)