Is Chicago Poised to Break Their NSL Losing Streak?
The Chicago Grizzlies play their first match of the season on Saturday, and the stakes couldn’t be higher. The Grizzlies are seeking not just a 1-0 start, but the first win in franchise history. That’s right…Chicago, despite being a charter franchise of the NSL, is also the franchise most associated with losing. But make no mistake, they’re here to flip the script.
Chicago’s New and Improved Roster
The NSL offseason ran through Chicago on the men’s side. They held the first overall pick, and dropped all but one player from last year’s roster (Sam Todd). Chicago had the opportunity to rebuild through the draft, and the result was a talented dynamic roster that I think has a real chance to be playing in June’s finals in South Norwalk, CT (tickets on sale now!). Let’s take a look at their roster:
Draft Picks:
Round 1, Pick 1: Karim Gawad (World #4)
Round 2, Pick 9: Mazen Hesham (World #49, HWR #5)
Round 3, Pick 10: Simon Herbert (World #59, Age 24)
Round 4 (keeper): Sam Todd (World #47, Age 23)
Round 5, Pick 17: Kareem El Torkey (World #22, Age 21)
Round 6, Pick 30: Yassin El Shafei (World #78, Age 24)
For me, Chicago won the draft, and I’m not sure there was a close second. You could argue that they won the draft before it even started by possessing the number one pick and having the right to select Karim Gawad. But, the way Chicago used the rest of their draft capital makes me think this season will shift the tides for them. They hit on everything and ended up with the perfect mix of youth, experience, upside, and skillsets.
Mazen Hesham strikes me as the perfect upside swing in the NSL format. Hesham’s peak is as strong as anyone in the NSL, and he is known for his flair and bold attacking shots. We’ve seen Matias Knudsen become a premium asset in the NSL who commands second round pick value, despite ranking outside the top 40, for the same reason. The NSL format allows him to lean into his attacking capabilities and functional flair as an attacking specialist. Hesham, at a minimum, projects to contribute similarly to Matias Knudsen. The upside here is much higher though, considering Hesham was a consensus top ten player in the world not that long ago. His best eight minutes of play might rival anyone in the NSL and could push him into being a viable utility player.
Hesham was probably my personal favorite draft pick in the entire league. Even better, he and Gawad will both be available for Saturday’s match against Nashville. I alluded to Hesham’s star utility upside, but he won’t be expected to carry that role with Gawad in the lineup. Hesham’s attacking prowess anchored by the elite play of Karim Gawad? That’s a lot for the Nashville Crushers to gameplan against.
Oh, and by the way, Kareem El Torkey is rounding out the lineup. El Torkey is a 21-year old top-25 player in the world who inexplicably fell into the fifth round. Usually when such a discrepancy between draft slot and talent occurs in the NSL, it’s due to availability concerns. That doesn’t appear to be a problem for El Torkey in Chicago. What’s crazy is that the pick before El Torkey in the men’s draft was Nicolas Mueller, who’s much older, lower ranked, and now on the waiver wire because he wasn’t available for any matches. Chicago absolutely stole one here.
The rest of the Grizzlies’ roster is strong too. Simon Herbert has a ton of NSL experience under his belt despite being a young player. Sam Todd seems to be a great use of a fourth round pick for Chicago, and it’ll be exciting for him to see a re-tooled roster around him. Even Yassin El Shafei, the last pick of the draft, is a worthwhile upside gamble. At just 24 years old, he could develop into solid depth or become a legitimate trade candidate for a team in need of immediate reinforcements. It’s hard not to be excited about what Chicago has done here.
That’s all well and good, but can Chicago finally get a win in the books? Chicago’s projected lineup of Gawad, Hesham, and El Torkey is a perfect configuration for the attacker, defender, and utility roles I recently outlined. I expect Gawad to act as the utility player, with Hesham as the attacker and El Torkey putting his energy and consistency to work as a defensive specialist. On paper, Chicago has achieved a rare combination of lineup synergy and raw talent. The next step is putting this potential into practice. Nashville won’t be an easy win, as Chicago is the one thing standing in between them and clinching a playoff spot. We also know that two of their players, Moustafa El Sirty and Ronald Palomino, are capable of elevating their games in the NSL format. But, I think the Grizzlies are poised to break their losing ways in the NSL. They’re hiding in plain sight as a real sleeper for championship contention.
The Grizzlies have been hibernating for the first two NSL seasons. If they wake up on Saturday, the rest of the league should be scared.
