SHILLONG: Rangdajied United FC will soon strengthen their squad when a Brazilian and North Korean striker, both of whom play in the Japanese second division, join the team.
Rangdajied coach Santosh Kashyap said that the two players are likely to arrive in Shillong by the middle of the month.
“We have seen their videos and they look impressive,” Kashyap said on Wednesday. “The standard of the Japanese league is high and we hope their presence will strengthen our side.”
Rangdajied, who are new entrants to the I-League, are undergoing rigorous training in preparation for the upcoming season.
The club has retained South Korean midfielder Ho Jun Shin and signed Churchill Brothers defender Lamine Tamba recently.
On the upcoming season, Kashyap said, “Before going for the I-League, we would love to play some competitive tournament and the only one coming up is the Durand Cup.”
The coach said that he will talk to the club management to see if Rangdajied can participate in the Durand Cup as it falls during the same time as the local league.
Talking about the pro-licence camp for coaches that he attended recently in Mumbai, Kashyap said, “It was excellent. Got to learn many things especially in the field of management and leadership quality.”
He also informed that the camp focused more on modern day conditioning training.
Meanwhile, Rangdajied and fellow local team Shillong Lajong FC have announced that, according to the tentative schedule released by the All India Football Federation, the two teams will face off in the first ever Shillong derby in the I-League on September 22.
The Sunday match will arguably be the biggest in the city’s history as both teams will want to get their season’s campaign off to the best possible start.
Lajong, now veterans of the I-League, will not want to lose to their rivals, who will be playing their debut top tier game.
The first day of the I-League is September 21, which will see three games held, followed by four on Sunday, according to the draft fixtures.
