The season of the National Football League starts on Friday, April 14, with the match PK-35 Vantaa–Ilves. shows the National Football League on its channels, the first match is Honka–KuPS on Saturday 22.4. Upcoming matches can be found on page 248 of teletext.
The fields of the national league will see a lot of new interesting names in the season that starts on Friday. Despite the fact that some of the previous season’s successes have gone abroad and many of the top players have ended their careers.
The championship favorites are Kuopio Football Club and Helsinki Football Club. There are three tough candidates for third place: PK-35 Vantaa, Åland United and Helsingin Palloseura.
Sports expert Essi Sainio packs the presets for the starting season. Sainio is one of those experienced players who finished their career in the previous season in the National League.
Also according to him, KuPS and HJK are the clear champions favorites – although the captain of HJK last season does not want to guess the order.
KuPS
Compared to HJK, Kuopio Palloseura has a small advantage in the experience of the players.
– Experience is needed, because even in Finland the season is quite long. A team that plays as long as possible at its own level – and is able to raise it – is strong, says expert Sainio.
Last year, KuPS won the championship with a goal difference of 93–16, and now the team is even more attacking. The club has been joined by, among other things Wilma Forsblom PK-35 from Vantaa.
– When a lot of investment is put into the attack, the team plays a ball control game. If KuPS is able to play the strong and powerful offensive game they want, many opponents may have a lot of difficulty in depriving the ball, Sainio sums up.
HJK
In the Helsinki Football Club, the young players have shown that their level is sufficient for the main league. Sainio believes that HJK will play an excellent season if the team’s ability to withstand pressure is under control.
After the previous season, the team’s best scorer has left HJK and moved to AC Milan in Italy I am Sevenius and Sainio and, who ended their careers Leonie Pankratz.
– When the real games start, the team has quite young players to fill the boots of Sevenius, for example. Hopefully, we will see such good youthful enthusiasm, where the level of performance remains high.
According to Sainio, the team’s season is unlikely to come down to a few departed players. He believes that HJK can rely on their experienced players such as Mimmi to Nurmela and to Linda Nyman. The team already showed its attacking ability by winning the National Cup in the final after KuPS’s penalty shootout.
Sports expert Essi Sanio suggest players to follow from the National League.
Selma Vidgren, defender, KuPS
Mia Kivirinta, midfield, HJK
Jackie Altschuld, midfield, Honka
Wilma Sjöholm, striker, Honka
Lotta Lindström, forward, HJK
And who is the goal queen of the season? Sainio believes that KuPS will score a lot of goals this season as well.
– Genjana Rochi and Levdije Begolli are scorers who are able to put balls into the goal from any position.
HJK’s Lotta Lindström can tighten them.
– About Lindström, I would say that we let him play and enjoy fudis. I wish her a good season rather than assigning her the goal queen position. When he can play in peace and with good support, a good result will come.
– You can at least put pressure on Roch and Begoll.
There is a chance for a bronze medal
According to expert Sainio, the bronze medal is a three-way deal: PK-35 Vantaa, Helsingin Palloseura and Åland United are all good candidates.
PK-35 Vantaa
In the previous season, PK-35 Vantaa finished fourth in the series. Since then, goalscorer Forsblom and a goalkeeper who ended his career have left the club, among others Velma Oikarinen.
Otherwise, the player base is thin, but still strong, and a lot of young strength has been added to the team. As the team’s fresh winger, he is cheering Liina Tervo18, who has been a constant face in the youth national teams.
Åland United
Last year’s bronze medalist Åland will feature a midfielder Taylor Aylmer, which is one of the hottest new names of the upcoming season. Aylmer, who played for Washington Spirit in the US main series NWSL, was a regular face in the team’s starting line-up in the previous two seasons.
Among the most famous departures is the national team topper who spent many seasons on the island Anna Westerlundwho ended his career.
On the other hand, many of the regular players have also moved on: perhaps the most interesting of them, who grew up on the island, debuted in the league at the age of 14 Olivia Uleniuswho is offered more responsibility.
According to Sainio, there is a typical team from Åland, with a lot of changes in the players.
– Every season in Åland, the trend has been that the beginning of the season is not necessarily terribly good. In terms of gameplay, what you would expect from such a player base. Then the game develops enormously during the season and from the end of the season they are always in really good positions fighting for medals.
HPS
HPS, which finished sixth in the previous season, has seen quite a lot of new names in its lineup. Interesting newcomers include, among others Anna-Stina Simonen, Annika Haanpää and Tia Painilainen.
Expert Sainio believes that the head coach Mari Savolainen is part of the reason HPS is so attractive.
– HPS is perhaps a bit of a “likeable team”. When you play against them, you know that you are coming up against a team that will play to the fullest against everyone. That energy is transmitted to the outside, also to the opponents’ players and others who are thinking about a new club. I think it’s a big deal why the team has been bumped up.
Draft
Espoo’s Honka, which finished seventh last year, is the dark horse of the season. Sainio estimates that the team’s pre-season did not go well, at least in terms of results.
– However, there are good young players in the team. The pre-season does not correlate to how Honka will play in the series.
– Jackie Altschuld and Dakota Chan come from tough clubs. Such players are mentally important for the team and at least raise the level of training, Sainio estimates.
Arrived from Iceland in the goalkeeper department Sofia Manner place well after finishing his career Emma from Immo.
Ilves or ONS falls
Expert Sainio estimates that Tampere Ilves or Oulu Nice Soccer will be seen in the place of the relegation zone.
Before the start of the season, players who were in key roles have left Ilves, when, for example Silja Tuominen moved to Åland and Jenni Kantanen to PK-35. There are no new players other than ONS Inari Salo and young people who rose from juniors to representation.
– ONS is also seen in Häntäpää, where no big names have been attracted. The players have some experience, but I’m betting it won’t be enough to secure a spot in the series.
The fate of the upstarts in the main league has been cold in recent years, when relegation has seemed guaranteed. For example, in the previous season Nurmijärvi Football Club was relegated and ONS kept its place in the qualification.
According to the expert, TPS, the new season’s winner, is not even a relegation candidate.
– There are not terribly many leavers from the TPS team, if at all. The players that have been acquired there are National League quality players.
Sainio estimates that the team has gained a lot of experience and TPS will challenge opponents who reach the upper end series.
– TPS is not a typical rising team at all, but a league-ready team.