Mumbai City fly off to Bangkok for pre-season training for upcoming domestic calendar

MUMBAI: Indian Super League (ISL) Shield winner, Mumbai City FC will be preparing for the upcoming 2023-24 season in Bangkok, staying in Thailand till August 1 before returning for their season-opening campaign in the Durand Cup competition.

Having done their pre-season last year in Dubai, Mumbai City FC along with head coach Des Buckingham and the staff travelled to Thailand on Saturday as part of the squad’s pre-season preparations.

Buckingham’s Mumbai City ended the 2022-23 season at the pinnacle of Indian football with a record-breaking league campaign, that saw them clinch the ISL League Winner's Shield in a mere 18 games, registering an unprecedented 46 points.

They also marked their place in the history books by achieving the longest winning streak in the league of 11 consecutives and 18 games undefeated amongst breaking many other all-time ISL records. The Islanders also secured their return to Asia’s premier club competition, the AFC Champions League.

“Looking back on last season, I am extremely happy with how we have progressed as a club. To remain unbeaten over 18 games and secure the Indian Super League Shield was a wonderful achievement. However, it was how the team played that was the most enjoyable part, breaking many league records and players expressing themselves so well,” said the Islanders’ Head Coach.

“We must now turn our attention to the new season and the club has again been very supportive in our efforts to prepare for a new and exciting campaign. We are all looking forward to starting our pre-season here in Thailand tomorrow as we look to build and evolve our game. We then start our new journey with the Durand Cup before we ready ourselves for the ISL and AFC Champions League.,” added the 38-year-old Englishman ahead of his team’s sojourn in Bangkok.

Club CEO Kandarp Chandra outlined the objectives behind the team’s training camp in Thailand with an emphasis set on carrying forward the momentum from the success of last season.

“As we begin another season, our goal will be to replicate the success of the last season and take it even further. We have assembled a talented squad that possesses the potential to not only compete but thrive in the challenges that lie ahead of us,” he was quoted as saying by the club in a release on Sunday.

“We’ve picked Bangkok as our destination of choice because it allows us to train in the right weather conditions away from Mumbai’s monsoons and will also help the squad prepare better. Our head coach, Des, and his dedicated staff are committed to extracting the very best from this exceptional group of players and I wish him and the squad the very best in this pre-season camp.”, said Kandarp Chandra.

The Islanders’ pre-season preparations will be followed by the 132nd Durand Cup which is set to commence on August 3.