Image credit: Indy Saints FC

INDIANAPOLIS — The 2018-19 Premier League season is right around the corner. That means, of course, it’s time for some fantasy football.

Join Indy Saints FC‘s Fantasy Premier League group to compete for prizes in the season-long game. A $10 donation to the Indy Saints Soccer Foundation, a nonprofit that operates both the Indy Saints FC men’s and women’s sides, gains you entry into the league. The top three finishers will receive prizes, as will the three “relegated” teams at the very bottom of the table. The season kicks off Aug. 10.

Contributors from Bloody Shambles, Lady Victory and Soc Takes are participating, so get those lineups set to test your Premier League mettle against local soccer media members and the rest of the knowledgeable field. The league is open to anyone, not just Indy Saints FC supporters and Indiana residents.

REGISTRATION

1. CLICK HERE to make a $10 donation to the Indy Saints Soccer Foundation to gain entry to the league.
2. CLICK HERE to sign up or log in at the official Fantasy Premier League website.
3. Select your squad. Note: You can make unlimited changes prior to the start of Week 1.
4. Follow the direct link or manually enter the league code emailed to you by Indy Saints FC after completing Step 1.

Image credit: Fantasy Premier League

PRIZES

First:
Copy of FIFA 2019, Indy Saints FC scarf, shirt, swag pack and all-access 2019 season pass to ISFC events

Second:
Indy Saints FC scarf, shirt, swag pack and all-access 2019 season pass to ISFC events

Third:
Indy Saints FC scarf, swag pack and all-access 2019 season pass to ISFC events

Relegation (bottom three):
Vintage Indy Saints FC fidget spinner

Support Soc Takes on Patreon for access to exclusive content and supporter benefits. Click here to become a patron today.

Related

Photo credit: Danilo Borges/Portal da Copa

Costa Rica goalkeeper Keylor Navas held a clean sheet and was nothing short of brilliant for 90 minutes Friday against powerhouse Brazil. Unfortunately for the Ticos, the beautiful game can be awfully cruel at times, especially that pesky old stoppage time.

In the blink of an eye, the scoreboard read 2-0 Brazil at fulltime. Philippe Coutinho megged Navas in stoppage time give Brazil the lead it craved throughout. And moments later, Neymar netted a second to figuratively twist the knife. Gabriel Jesus and Douglas Costa notched the respective assists.

By any stretch of the imagination, Brazil was the better side and every bit deserving of three points — hence Navas’ excellence to keep it close. The Real Madrid backstop played like a ‘keeper of such pedigree. The Brazilians bombarded the Costa Rica goalmouth with 20 total shots, 10 of which were on frame. Brazil also owned 69 percent of the possession.

The Ticos’ vaunted 5-4-1 formation — the source of so many sleepless nights for opposing coaches during the 2014 World Cup — once again significantly flummoxed a world-class foe for 90-plus minutes. Costa Rica set up tactically the way it always does, cramming bodies in the central part of the pitch and using effective lateral movement to clog passing lanes and block shots, all the while waiting patiently for the right opportunity to strike on the counter.

But because of Brazil’s dominance, the Ticos proved unable to get many numbers forward. They only generated two shots, neither on target, and one corner kick. Navas and Navas alone kept them in the match. Despite getting nutmegged in stoppage time and letting in another dagger shortly thereafter, on the whole it was sublime stuff from the 31-year-old goalkeeper.

As every footballer to grace the pitch has learned at some point or another, sometimes the game is just a cruel, cruel bastard. Navas’ heroic individual display will ultimately go down as just another side note to a well-deserved Brazilian triumph, but it was a performance that his teammates, coaches and Costa Rican supporters won’t soon forget.

The loss, Costa Rica’s second of the tournament, removed any hope the Central American nation had of replicating its 2014 success by advancing out of the Group Phase.

Group E play will wrap up Wednesday with Brazil taking on Serbia and Switzerland facing Costa Rica. With only the Ticos eliminated so far, the Brazilians, Serbs and Swiss are all still vying for a spot in the Round of 16.

Follow Kevin on Twitter: @KJboxing.

Support Soc Takes on Patreon for access to exclusive content and supporter benefits. Click here to become a patron today.

Related

Soc Takes correspondent Aaron Gunyon joins the Feuerstein’s Fire podcast to preview the upcoming 2017 North American Soccer League spring season along with host Daniel Feuerstein and special guests Tommy Hodul, Neil Morris, Steven Sandor, David Kilpatrick and Logan Alexander. Listen:

Thanks to @Hodulbass @AGunyon @ByNeilMorris @stevensandor @ItsLogie @DrDKilpatrick for coming on tonight.

— Daniel Feuerstein (@DFeuerstein) March 22, 2017

Follow Soc Takes on Twitter @SocTakes.

Related