AT THE CORE of Shillong Lajong's identity is the fact that traditionally they have acted as a platform for young, promising players, mostly from North-East India; a rare direct window for them to showcase their talent at the highest level. They get a lot of respect in the Indian football circuit because they have been doing it longer than anyone else in that region.
But in their own way they have always tried to be competitive. While their robust academy produces a good number of squad players, they often have to turn to their higher profile signings to bring in that extra bit of power that helps them make things tough for the heavyweights in the league. And often this comes in the form of their foreign recruits.
Lajong don't have the biggest of budgets out there, so their foreign signigns tend to be economical but effective. And since overseas players who have proven their talent in the Indian leagues, Lajong are often seen to be bringing in players who have never played in India before.
This season, in terms of foreign players, they have gone for a healthy mix; retaining some, getting some with proven talent and introducing some new faces to their fans. But just like in the past, they compliment the core squad strength provided by the local players.
Let's take a look.