The first season of One Future Future has reached the halfway mark. It’s time to lay out the facts, so you can experience the second half of the season, and the finals like you were there from day one.

Who’s going to win the golden boot race, who is the hottest young prospect in the league and which players do you wish you owned a piece of?

Journalist Fabio Rossi adds his own view on each team.

Naija United are great in the air, they win more aerial duels than any other team. They also rank third in cross completion percentage at 32% and first in clearances with 219, with Ivory Coast Centre Back Abdoulaye Boli leading the league with 70 and Murilo Wellington ranking 14th with 47. This strength in the air gives Naija United a significant advantage in both boxes.

Naija have a lot of defensive problems. They’ve conceded the second-most shots on target and the third-most shots in the league, with a total of 22.2 expected goals conceded, which is the worst in the league. They have also conceded 15 goals in just six away games.

They’re also yet to find a single player to take on the goal scoring responsibility, 13 goals have been shared between 6 players. Much hyped forward Deji Akande is yet to get off the mark for Naija.

Key Player:

Cristian Venditto has been in impressive form. His 3 goals make him the joint highest-scoring player for his team and puts him third among central midfielders in the league. Venditto's performance has earned him 6,820 1FF points, making him the 14th highest-rated player in the league, despite missing one game. He is ranked first in the league for final third entries and fourth for tackles completed. To get an idea of his game, he’s also first for fouls committed. In his best game this season, Venditto had an 85 rating against Inter Nusantara in Round 2. He scored one goal, completed 65 out of 80 passes, made ten final third entries and completed four out of seven tackles.

Naija United’s season started badly, taking just 3 points from the first 6 games. They then beat Angelenos and Bengaluru back to back, and have lost their last three against 1st, 2nd and a team on a 3-game winning run. I’m not counting Naija out of getting their system worked out and making a late run for the finals.

Riyadh Stars like to keep the ball and have the highest possession percentage in the league at 55.2%, and the best short pass accuracy at 88%. They are led by Sidy Mbaye and Adam Akinola at 92% pass completion, with Mbaye having the most completed passes in the league despite only playing 9 of 11 games. Additionally, Riyadh Stars is currently second-best at dribble completion, at 54%, and No.1 in through ball completion at 58%.

Riyadh Stars like to keep the ball but don’t press when they don’t have it. In fact, they press less than any other team in the league. In an effective system, this can be a good way to preserve energy and counter-attack but with their league position calls this into question. This lack of pressure means they are giving up easier chances for the opposition, as they allow 75% of shots from open possession, compared to the league average of 69%. Their preferred formation is one striker, two attacking midfielders, and two offensive midfielders, leaving only Adam Akinola to apply pressure in the middle of the park.

Key Player:

Rashid Al Balushi is a striker for Riyadh Stars with 5 goals, the most for the team, and 3 assists, making him the 9th and 12th highest in the league, respectively. He is an important player for Riyadh, as they have earned 8 points from 15 possible when he has scored or assisted. In contrast, they have only earned 1 point from 15 possible when he hasn't. Al Balushi's best game was in Round 1 against Naija United, where he earned a 94 rating, scored 2 goals, completed 23 out of 31 passes, won 2 out of 3 aerial duels and delivered 2 key passes. He has earned 6,120 1FF points so far this season.

Riyadh Stars have some brilliant young players. Al Balushi, Jamil Skaik, Cerqueria and Adam Akinola are all in the 20-23 age band and can carry this time into a bright future. They won their first two games of the season but haven’t won in 9 since. They need more experienced players in the starting XI or a change of system or even a change of manager.

Tokyo Youth Club’s main strength is the new partnership of Bunmi and Hauffe up front. Before Bunmi made his first start, the team had only earned one point from eight games. Since then, they’ve won three straight. In Bunmi's three starts, he has been involved in three goals, while Hauffe has contributed to nine goals in his 11 starts. Since the change in their attacking lineup, Tokyo Youth Club's attacking numbers have improved significantly. They now have an expected goals of 1.65, up from 1.19. Additionally, they have gone from scoring 1.25 goals per game to 2 goals per game, while their shots have increased from 11.4 to 14.7 per game.

Tokyo Youth Club has struggled to give themselves a chance to settle into games. From 11 games they are yet to lead at half time, being level five times and behind on six occasions. Just four of the club’s 16 goals have been scored in the first half.

Key Player:

Raphael Hauffe is a German striker playing for Tokyo Youth Club. He has earned 6,820 1FF points, making him the 15th highest-rated player in the league. Hauffe is tied for third in the golden boot race with eight goals and is third in the league for shots with 46. He is also third for expected goals with 6.17. His best game was in Round 10 against Palermo where he earned a Player of the Match award with an 87 rating. In that game, he scored two goals from four shots on target, completed 18 out of 23 passes, and made two key passes. Hauffe's goal in that match was also named Goal of the Round.

If I was writing this a week and a half ago I would have been writing about a win-less team and a coach on the chopping block.

Tokyo are now the form team of the competition. Conceding 24 goals in 8, to now 1 in their last three. I have no idea how high this team can go, but I expect to see them in the finals.

FC Angelenos have midfield depth which is the envy of the league. While the forward players Mateo Morales, Albin Dahlin, and Jae Jackson-Cook have started every game they've been available for, 6 others including Alex Leon, Cristian Zacarias, and Victor Chinchilla have all started games in the midfield. Five of these players have either scored, assisted, or had a rating of 75 or higher in a game. This midfield depth provides quality support to their dangerous front three, who have scored 10 of the team's 13 goals. As rotation will happen more often as the season goes on and players get fatigued, having quality midfield depth will be vital to FC Angelenos' success.

FC Angelenos have struggled defensively this season, conceding 23 goals - the second-most in the league. Although their expected goals against of 17 is the fourth-best in the competition, their save percentage of 71% is the second-worst. Opponents have found a way to score against them even when they shouldn't. FC Angelenos conceded four and six goals in their first two games but have tightened up since then. However, 15 of the 23 goals they have conceded have been against top-six teams which will be an issue if they make finals.

Key Player:

FC Angelenos’s Mexican striker Mateo Morales has earned 6,150 1FF points and is the highest-scoring player on the team, with four goals and three assists. Only two other players in the league have more expected assists than him. In round 11 against Riyadh Stars, Morales had his best game, earning a 97 rating, scoring two goals and providing one assist. He had four out of six shots on target, completed 23 out of 29 passes, made four out of four crosses, and delivered five key passes.

FC Angelenos only have two players in the top 56 rated players in the league. They’re an incredibly even team with two superstars in Morales and Alex Leon. The risk is losing one of them and not having someone to step up to take the responsibility of doing the special things. They have won their last two though and there is something special about Albin Dahlin the 19-year-old Swedish left winger. If he can maintain the level of his last two matches, it’ll be an exciting second half of the season for ‘La Familia’.

Despite sitting just eighth on the table halfway through the season, Bengaluru Phoenix have given themselves every opportunity to be higher. They have created the most shots in the league, the most shots on target, and sit third for expected goals and goals scored. They lead the league for successful dribbles and sit second for key passes.

Bengaluru are struggling away from home, having only earned three points from six games. In contrast, they have earned 10 points from five home games. Each of their away losses has been by only one goal, but their defence struggles away from home, allowing an average of six more passes into the penalty area, four more key passes, 1.5 more goals, and 0.9 more expected goals compared to their home games.

Key Player:

Bengaluru Phoenix’s Swedish Striker Noah Drakenburg has been an integral part of the team, having earned 7,680 1FF points for card owners. He’s the 5th highest-rated player in the league. Despite playing as a striker, Drakenburg has dominated the chance creation statistics. He’s ranked 1st for expected assists with 2.74 and 1st for key passes with 42. He is also 2nd for successful passes into the penalty area with 30. Drakenburg is a prolific scorer too and is equal 5th in the golden boot race with 7 goals. His best game so far has been in round 5 against Tokyo Youth Club, where he earned a 97 rating, scored a hat-trick, completed 30 out of 39 passes, and made 4 key passes.

The Rising Phoenix are an elite team with elite players like Drakenburg, Sushil Ro and Ravi Dasar. Their away form is a huge concern that’ll need to be addressed by the coaching staff, but they’re another team starting to find some good form. The 5-2 win against Manhattan was hugely impressive and can be a catalyst for a confident run towards finals.

Bondi FC has a strong defence, with the fewest goals conceded in the league at just 10. Despite facing the second-most shots in the competition, they also have the least amount of expected goals at 1.45 per game. Their system seems to force opponents into taking shots when they can’t find that last pass. Bondi FC has kept six clean sheets, more than any other team in the league, and their goalkeeper James Keegan has the best save percentage of any starting goalkeeper, at 93%.

Bondi FC has been struggling with creating and finishing opportunities this season. They have scored just nine goals from 17.0 xG, which is the worst conversion in the league. They also have the second-fewest shots, the fewest key passes, and the fewest passes into the penalty area. Striker, Ash Jones has been struggling to convert chances, only scoring once from 3.86 xG. His teammates, Kozbasic, Park, Pellegrini, and Harris-Marsh, also sit in the bottom 15 for xG differential. With just 14 shots on target from 30 shots, Jone's 47% accuracy is the third-worst for anyone with 25 or more shots.

Key Player:

Charlie Baker-Jones is a talented Indigenous Australian football player. He plays as an attacking midfielder and has scored 5 of the team's 9 goals while assisting 2 others. He is currently 4th in the league for player rating, earning 7,830 1FF points for his card owners. He is 4th for key passes, and 5th for dribbles completed. His best game was in Round 5 against Riyadh Stars, where he earned a 94 rating and scored 2 goals from 2 shots on target. In addition, he completed 48 out of 53 passes, made 6 key passes, and delivered 5 passes into the penalty area.

Bondi are another team where this report would have looked very different a few rounds ago. They conceded just one goal in their first six games, but 9 in their next 5. A 1-0 win against Inter Nusantara stopped the rot, but scoring goals is a huge issue.

The squad looks way too light in attacking areas. I count 4 genuine attacking players out of a squad of 21. They need to address that in the draft at the end of the season.

Club Sportivo Palermo has a strong defensive game, boasting the second-most tackles in the league with a completion rate of 68% - seven percentage points clear of the next-highest team. The back four of Ferreira, Martos, Alvarez, and Broglia, all contribute; all with 13 or more completed tackles. Bernardo De Los Santos, their young left midfielder, is also a standout performer, leading the league in tackles completed with 27. Palermo also has the least amount of dribbles completed against them, only allowing three per game with a completion rate of just 38%. 

Weakness: 

Club Sportivo Palermo’s biggest weakness is in finishing from open play. Eight of their 17 goals have come from set-pieces, and only nine goals from open play despite having the second-most shots in the league. More than half of their shots are from outside the box, which is the highest rate in the league. 

Key Player: 

Spanish 21-year-old Izan Sabaté has started every game at central attacking midfielder for Palermo. He has earned 7,300 1FF points, making him the 8th highest-rated player in the league. He is the most prolific in both goals and assists for Palermo, having scored 5 and created another 4. Sabaté is dangerous on corners with teammate Salvador Broglia as a target in the box. He had his best game in Round 4 against Inter Nusantara, where he earned a 95 rating and contributed 1 goal and 2 assists. In addition, he completed 8 crosses, made 6 key passes, delivered 5 passes into the penalty area, and had 4 successful dribbles.

It’s easy to simplify Palermo’s style as hard tackling, goals from set pieces and Izan Sabaté adding the flair. They do it very well.

The issue I have is that they picked up four brilliant wins in four in Rnd’s 5-8 and nothing great either side of that. They conceded an eye-watering 16 goals in their four losses.

They’ll challenge for the finals but I’m not sure how far this style can take them when they come up against a really good team.

Strength: 

Inter Nusantara's main strength lies in their finishing ability, boasting the 2nd best xG differential in the league at +5.05, with 25 goals scored from just 19.95 xG. Segara Biru and Bas Holsink are two of the best finishers in the league, with eight and six goals respectively. Inter Nusantara scored two or more goals in six of their first seven games. Although they only scored five goals from their last four. 

Weakness: 

Inter Nusantara's main weakness is their goalkeeping. Despite statistically being one of the best defensive teams in the league, with the third-best expected goals conceded, second-best for shots allowed, and the best for passes into the penalty area allowed, they have conceded the equal second-most goals. Their goalkeeper, Kevin Zainal, has a save percentage of just 70%, the worst of any starting goalkeeper in the league, conceding 23 goals from 54 shots on target. They conceded four goals from 2.11 expected goals against Paris St-Denis, three from 1.3 expected goals against Club Sportivo Palermo, and three from 1.33 expected goals against Bengaluru Phoenix. 

Key Player:

Segara Biru is a promising left winger for Nusantara. Despite missing a game this season, he has earned 7,000 1FF points and is the 12th highest-rated player in the league. He is first in the league for dribbles completed. Biru is a prolific scorer, with 8 goals (tied for third in the league) and 2 assists. Biru is 6th in the league for shots on target and 9th for shots, with the 3rd best expected goal differential in the league. His best game was in Round 11 against Palermo, where he earned a 94 rating. In that game, he scored two goals from two shots, completed 27 out of 33 passes, including three key passes.

In Biru and Holsink, Inter Nusantara have two of the most exciting young players in the league. Their issue is keeping them on the field; injuries and suspensions for the two brought about a mid-season form slump for the club.

In Ollie Mustafa, Amirul Abu Bakar and Juozas Butkus they have great depth in midfield.

This season might have come a little early for Inter Nusantara. Their young stars may need another season working together to make a genuine challenge for the title but getting into the top 6 will give their young stars vital finals experience.

Brasil Amazônia’s secret is in their second-half performances. They haven’t lost a second half in any match this season, with a record of 7 wins and 4 draws, scoring 14 goals and conceding only 4. In particular, they are dominant in the first 20 minutes after half time, having scored 9 goals and not conceding any between half time and the 65th minute. This suggests that Marcos Dos Santos, their manager, knows how to motivate and prepare the team well during the half-time break. This strength could be key to a successful remainder of the season.

Brasil Amazonia has struggled against top-tier teams, with zero wins, two draws, and three losses against the top six teams in the league. In those games, they only managed to score six goals while conceding nine. Their main weakness has been their inability to create chances against higher-quality teams. If they want to compete in the finals, they need to improve their offensive performance against top-tier teams.

Key Player:

Dani Viana is a talented central midfielder for Brasil Amazônia. He has been in impressive form this season, earning 7,920 1FF points and being the third-highest rated player in the league behind Dale Ramos and Jung Sang-Min. Viana has contributed five goals and two assists, which is the highest for his team. He is second in the league for expected assists and third for final third entries. His best game so far this season was in Round 5 against Naija United, where he earned a Player of the Match award with a 91 rating. In that game, Viana scored one goal, provided one assist, completed 59 out of 64 passes, made five key passes, and had 31 pressures.

Brasil Amazônia feels like a finals football team to me. They have lost against the three teams currently above them in the league, but only by a single goal each time, and they play a hard finals football style. They don’t take risks defensively, to pull another stat out, they’ve actually tackled less and fouled more than any other team in the league.

If they can play João Geraldes into form and keep Avery Joseph’s save % as high as it is, no one is going to want to meet them in September.

South London United have shown great resilience in staying in games. They have been able to bounce back after conceding the first goal of the game, getting back level four times out of five. In addition, they were the only undefeated team after ten rounds. They’ve also faced the least shots on target in the league, just 59 across the first 11 matches, the next lowest is 76.

South London United's main weakness is their chance creation. They take the third-least shots in the league, averaging only 11.5 per game, and only 50% of their shots are on target - the worst in the league. They also have the lowest xG in the competition - just 1.29 per game. South London United has the second-least possession in the league at 47% and the second-worst pass accuracy at 76%. Their playing style involves a lot of long balls, with the most crosses attempted and second-most long passes attempted in the league, which has caused them to turn the ball over more than other teams.

Key Player:

Adrien Grondin is a talented French football player who plays as South London United’s attacking midfielder. Despite missing one game, he has earned 7,590 1FF points, making him the sixth-highest rated player in the league. He has been instrumental in South London's success this season, with five goals and four assists, both team highs and tied for fourth in the league for assists. Grondin is ranked first in the league for completed crosses and completed passes into the penalty area. His best game so far this season was in Round 8 against Tokyo Youth Club, where he earned a 98 rating and was named Player of the Match. In that game, he scored three goals, had four out of seven shots on target, and made four key passes.

Local striker Ruben Sinclair has started all 11 games so far this season but his return of just two goals will be a huge disappointment to the supporters. Chris Bird has stepped up and has five. Other than Grondin, South London United have no players in the top 65 ranked players in the league.

They are a squad that battles and is incredibly hard to beat. Bengaluru found a way to grab a 1-0 win last time out, but they’re another team that I see as impossibly hard to break down through the finals.

Paris St-Denis have an incredibly strong front three. They have the best xG differential in the competition at +6.19, having scored 29 goals from just the fourth-most shots. Their front three of Sang-Min, Grava, and Melnychuk have combined for 22 goals and 13 assists, averaging a staggering 3.2 goal contributions per game, which is the most of any three-player pairing.

Paris St-Denis’ main weakness lies in their midfield. They have yet to settle on a preferred midfield trio, with Balmy, Dosso, Barre, Haddad, and van Ooijen all having at least five starts this season. They have rotated between a CM-CM-CDM and a CM-CM-CAM formation, with Moussa Balmy starting the year strong but losing form, and Stanley van Ooijen performing well more recently. Paris St-Denis will want to settle on their preferred midfield trio before entering the finals.

Key Player:

South Korean Striker Jung Sang-Min has been in impressive form this season, scoring 12 goals (second in the league) and providing three assists. Sang-Min is second in the league for expected goals and fourth for shots on target. He is also tenth in the league for expected assists. His best game so far this season was in Round 8 against Nusantara, where he earned a 99 rating, scored four goals from four shots on target, completed 36 out of 51 passes, and made three key passes. With 8,360 1FF points, Sang-Min is currently the second-highest-rated player in the league, behind only one other player.

St Denis have an incredible front three worthy of winning any league. When they fire they really fire, hitting 6, 5, and 4 goals twice in the opening half of the season. What will concern their coach Patrick Mendy came in a four-game winless run where they lost 2-0 to Manhattan, 1-0 to a hot Bondi FC and had back-to-back 2-2 draws.

They want to avoid picking up the tag as flat track bullies. Sang-Min can win the golden boot but Grava will need to top the assists chart for that to happen.

Manhattan FC's main strength is their attack on the counter, which has led them to score 29 goals while having the lowest possession percentage and final-third entries in the league. They have a potent attacking double act of Jose Alcantar and Dale Ramos with Cormac Connolly scoring goals from the bench. Those three have shown clinical finishing with a combined 21 goals from just 12.4 xG. Manhattan FC is yet to have a goalless game and only one game with less than two goals. They have also scored the first goal of the game in all but one match and have only failed to score in the first half in one game.

Their main weakness is their unknown squad depth. Only 13 players have started a match, which is the lowest in the league. Nine of their players have started all 11 games, and Jack Holden has started 10. As the season wears on, it is unlikely that their best XI will be able to play all 22 games, and their squad depth has yet to be tested.

Key Player:

Dale Ramos is leading the golden boot race halfway through the season. He is currently the highest-rated player in the league, with 8,830 1FF points earned. Ramos has been in exceptional form this season, scoring 13 goals in 11 games. He has scored in 10 of 11 games, including all of the first nine. In addition, Ramos is first in the league for expected goals, shots, and shots on target. He is also fourth in the league for assists with four. His best game was in Round 11 against Palermo, where he earned a 96 rating and was named Player of the Match. In that game, Ramos scored two goals from two shots, provided one assist, completed five out of seven long passes, and made four key passes.

Manhattan FC has to be considered strong favourites for the title - even at this early stage. They have only started 13 players, but unlike some others, it shows they don’t pick up suspensions or injuries, and their counter-attacking style works for them in keeping players fresh.

Dale Ramos is a superstar and looks odds-on to be in the running for the Player of the Season and the Golden Boot. He’s also providing goals and sits 4th in the assists rankings.

Luca Johnson has found some very strong form recently and I’m excited to see what he can do in the second half of the season.