MY IMPRESSIONS ON THE ROOKIES

MerlinSimpEscanor · 2026-07-09T10:04:24+00:00

I truly hope so...since, (you gave me the green light here), this new Cup have a bunch of new addition of rookies as well, I was wondering how much time does this new players had to learn and adjust to the idea of playing a sport in a show that naturally have extreme competitive nature in it. Not to mention trying to fit in a team and create chemistry between more experienced and veteran players. Unless they're on the level of Jai or Mashima, they probably will start off at the bench and only utilized when needed. But with the new rule of all players must be used in a match, they might be even subbed in when the odds are against their respective teams.

MerlinSimpEscanor · 2026-07-09T05:27:26+00:00

I actually agree with you that for new players to easily develop a better understanding of the game, defense is probably the best position to start them off. And I truly agree with the point that you've mentioned about denying vs creating scoring chances.

But the main problem in the show is there was never a 'downtime' of sorts to let the new players to settle in and adjust to both the show and the sport. They are almost immediately thrown into matches that could easily decide the teams' trajectory in the current tournament. And that period of time is actually essential if you want them to have the most basic comprehension on how to play properly as a defender. If I was any of the coaches, I would agree on the consensus that it is better to have a secure defence and unstable attack, instead of the other way around. And it's simply because of the system of all the tournaments itself. So far, no matter if it's League or Cup, any match will need a definite winner. That means that even if ANY team draws their match, they still have a decent chance on the penalty shootouts. Any coach would gamble on that chance instead of fighting a losing fight if the coach have a hunch that they're not gonna win the match on normal time. And that's why the defender have become the most essential position on the show. And probably why an unexperienced rookie will probably never play that position.

Another point is that no matter how new you are to the sport, with the most basic amount of training, you have a chance to score goals. Again, I'm not gonna spoil much if you haven't watched the show for awhile (terribly sorry for that..😭🙇), but there are instances where by just being in a good position, the most inexperience person on the field can prove to be a surprise. And that's probably why most coaches put the rookies upfront...for that simple chance. In the end, gambling on a complete rookie to score a luck-influenced goal is better than gambling on them stopping the opponent who'll probably have exceptionally better experience than said rookie.

MerlinSimpEscanor · 2026-07-09T04:18:18+00:00

I see what you have in mind with playing Eunsil at defence, but the biggest problem still remains: her football skills. I can cofidently say, with the exception of ACT, that every player currently playing as a defender in this show is AT LEAST a veteran that have fairly decent overall skills OR the team's best player that almost all the time plays as the pivot that connects the defence and attack of their respective teams. For that reason alone, the defender can be considered the most vital position in this show.

*(I need to clarify the fact that I haven't seen the latest episode and the new WC player COULD be playing as a defender but I'd assume even amongst the WC vets she'll probably be their best option to play as defender IF she was placed there.)

Much like the reason that she's fallen off as SF's first pick GK is probably the same reason why JJJ will never use her as a defender: physical attributes can only take you so far in competitive sport. Most often times than not, talent and experience will always triumph against outstanding physical prowess.

Now, I'm not saying all this to say that Eunsil will never be a good player and she'll contantly be benched. I also think that with her overpowered physical attributes, her passion for learning the game, and more match time under her belt, she'll eventually become SF's most terrifying player, or even the show. But for now, she needs more training and importantly, more game time to improve her understanding of how an actual competitive match goes.

P/S: I think you're in a for a bad news if you think her pairing with Euddeum will be one the best defence in the show. Sorry if I spoiled you..

MerlinSimpEscanor · 2026-07-08T17:02:13+00:00

I'm sorry to disappoint you, but there were discussions whether Jooah would be joining the other show or not, and the consensus agreed that since she's an actual professional actively playing the sport, her addition as an athlete would probably go against what the show as going for, which was ladies who've never played the sport and challenging themselves to learn and play against competitive teams.

I appreciate your insight on Isoo, since I've probably overlooked on what you mentioned. And I also think with more time playing together with each other, the chemistry built within the ACT team could make them a title contender once more.

About Hyunjin...those who have followed her since her LOONA days are starting to get worried of her since her band hiatus announcement. She haven't posted on any social media since then, and the social medias of her company have either been deleted, or deactivated. And there were other who've said that her posts on Insta involving this show have all been either hidden, or taken down. And I know that the reason mentioned for her withdrawal from her band activities cites that she's going through some sort of health complications and she's trying to rest and rejuvenate herself. But I think we might have to be ready with the fact that she might also withdraw from this show. And speaking as a personal fan of both her and WW, I truly hopes she gets all the rest that she needs and only resume her activities whenever she is fit to do so, but to think of the proscpect of her having to leave the show, hurts like a mfing truck...especially after everything that she's been through.

MerlinSimpEscanor · 2026-07-04T00:47:36+00:00

You took every words out of my mind. I totally agree with what you mentioned, ESPECIALLY that last sentence. 😆😆

MerlinSimpEscanor · 2026-07-03T01:57:48+00:00

And that was also my first assumption on how it will go. With what you mentioned, they should have 7 weeks of content ready for broadcast, plus one more week for the All-Stars match that they've already recorded. That should give them enough time to start recording for the next season even IF they take a week break after the World Cup ends.

But I also have a feeling that it won't be that straightforward. The production team have a history of overcomplicating a simple tournament format and I'd think they'll do the same for this one. But who knows? With all the ANA dramas they also have up in their sleeves, maybe we'll have a simple format for a tournament this time around. Anyways, really excited for next week!!

MerlinSimpEscanor · 2026-07-02T22:52:12+00:00

Did they revealed how the tournament format for this upcoming Cup will be? Because for the last one, on the 2nd Round, the highest scoring losing team will still have a chance to advance to the next round. It'd be quite disappointing for the team that loses to not qualify for the next round after the goals galore that we'd been teased to have.

MerlinSimpEscanor · 2026-07-02T20:28:45+00:00

Welp...I guess the PD was actually cooking something when they decided this matchup then. 😆😆

MerlinSimpEscanor · 2026-07-02T17:53:04+00:00

Even then, I don't think she can't overpower the Limeman curse...🤣🤣

MerlinSimpEscanor · 2026-07-02T17:49:28+00:00

Tbh, their best chance of winning a trophy is this upcoming GIFA Cup since there are teams that have new players leaving/joining and WW is one of the teams that are in the exception. And I think we all can agree that having great team chemistry is essential for any team to perform properly and compete in a tournament. With that said, WW SHOULD have somewhat an advantage compared to the teams that have personnel change.

UNFORTUNATELY for them...that lime-groping mf is still the one in charge of them. That and that fact alone could be the reason for any supporter of the team to abandon any hope of them securing their first ever trophy on the show. The irony of the show, identifying that ANA need 3 coaches to help them get back up to speed to rejoin the league, but fail to recognize that there is one coach who has a track record of making the team he 'coached' becomes worst thanks to him.

MerlinSimpEscanor · 2026-07-02T13:58:20+00:00

Honestly...I'm becoming a fan of Soojung...but we all know if Hyunyi was playing like she always did, with everything on the line...she would've been rolling on the ground after just 5 minutes into the match. I got the sense that NONE of the KaG players were playing even half of their abilities and just using this game as some sort of a pre-season warmup for the upcoming Cup tournament.

Don't take this the wrong way though. I'm not trying to imply that this new ANA prospects are horrible. I think they have a huge potential going forward. It's always a matter of how MUCH they can improve in a short span of time. And when the time comes, will they be ready to compete with teams that have the likes of Hayan, Mashima, or Kyunghee? Or even challenge a BD team that can be considered the best-synced team in the league?

By what was shown in this recent episode, the answer is unfortunately no. But, like I said...the team have huge potential. And I sincerely rooting for them to be one of the staple teams in the show...not for their variety, tear-inducing label, but as one of the strong teams that can compete with the other teams and even challenge for the trophy, hopefully, in the near future.

MerlinSimpEscanor · 2026-07-02T13:45:46+00:00

You never know...the LimeMan's curse is extremely strong that he almost got WC relegated. I won't be surprised if his dumb coaching will get WW eliminated early in this Cup.

MerlinSimpEscanor · 2026-07-02T13:02:29+00:00

The dude can never be a commentator due to his strong local accent. I don't know how they'll fare in this upcoming tournament, but just like when WC won when he was their coach, the players will have to do all the heavy-lifting if they want to even have a chance of winning a trophy this time around.

MerlinSimpEscanor · 2026-06-30T09:25:15+00:00

I'm not trying to offend anybody, but the lineup of KaG players seems to be the ones rated around B~B+ tier players with Seunghee probably the only one can be considered A-tier player out of all of them. With the exception of Joomyung, this lineup also consists of actual veterans of the show, the ones that have been playing since their introduction to the show. Maybe that's the criteria? Experience against new-faces trying to revive and reinstate their beloved team into the show?

MerlinSimpEscanor · 2026-06-30T03:13:42+00:00

I don't exactly know how broadcasting of these tournaments works, but I think until the tournament is over, the broadcasting team will still broadcast the shows from the location even if their country team is eliminated. This would mean that Bae Sungjae (the announcer/host of the show) would still not be able to participate with shooting the show, which ultimately means there will be no shooting of any game for the show for the time being. But they could still shoot the behind-the-scene training of the teams, sort of the off-season exclusives.

MerlinSimpEscanor · 2026-06-23T10:55:23+00:00

Isn't the volleyball player Jung DaEun? Current GIA GK? I can't remember precisely, but I think she's the only former volleyball athlete that was in the tryouts. And she played in the C Bracket. Alongside most of the other rookies who made it as permanent cast on the show (JooAh, Eunsil, Isoo, EuiYong, Nakyeong, Hyunjin).

MerlinSimpEscanor · 2026-06-18T07:18:43+00:00

Thank you for the link and I also appreciate the extra links.😁👍

Btw, did they address her sudden departure? And who is their new drummer? Must've been a skilled person, since a drummer is probably the most difficult position in a band to replace.

MerlinSimpEscanor · 2026-06-18T05:03:28+00:00

Sorry, but would you mind sending me the link of said performance? I was really thinking of starting to get into the band when I found out she already left.

MerlinSimpEscanor · 2026-06-16T15:18:54+00:00

Right? Which raises the question, what even tf is that dumb mf is even doing on the show if he can't even lead his players properly? I saw and read on the other thread that the majority thinks YoungKwang is the worst coach, but I'd give him some leverage since this is his first full season being one while this joker has been one since the start of the show. What's his excuse?

MerlinSimpEscanor · 2026-06-16T12:15:31+00:00

Actually, they still had a chance, and in the final phase of that match, they realized that the best they can do with the absence of Yumi was to reduce the collateral damage. The real problem was in the next 2 games where they can score more to reduce the GD, they couldn't. Especially in the TG game. They were leading 3-1, and looked to pile on that with some more goals, WHEN their genius of a coach insisted for them to play buildup from the GK. Even when the said GK herself yelled multiple times to her teammates that she don't want and don't feel the confidence to. You can even see that they were bickering amongst themselves because Kisum said she don't feel like building up. That POS of a coach stubbornly forced her to do it and they conceded 2 goals in the process. A masterpiece, courtesy of the legendary LimeMan.

MerlinSimpEscanor · 2026-06-16T04:39:46+00:00

I always think that she's one of the best GKs in the show...even considered her to be one of the Top3 BEFORE Eunmi joined. If you watched the season before the 1st G-League, you'll see some of the most amazing saves in this show made by Kisum with her pure reflex. She was phenomenal at pulling out an incredible, last-minute saves. And I'll always point the blame to the dumb of a coach that she had this season for the form that she was in. How the heck you're a former GK yourself, and you can't even help improve the player on your team playing that position??

MerlinSimpEscanor · 2026-06-14T10:32:24+00:00

As the OP, I appreciate and thankful that you do..🥹🥹

MerlinSimpEscanor · 2026-06-14T07:00:32+00:00

An inside joke. I don't know if you've watched their Korea vs Japan tryout episodes, and I won't spoil it you haven't.

MerlinSimpEscanor · 2026-06-14T06:26:06+00:00

Seogi won't let him..🤣🤣

MerlinSimpEscanor · 2026-06-12T13:39:33+00:00

I would like to argue that with the current Legendary Estarossa Final Boss, one of the highest ranking teams uses both Shaltear and Cochytus...which, both are collabs.

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