Mid-Season Report: PFA Odin Sarawak
PFA Odin Sarawak are the league's wildcard, the only club from Borneo and capable of troubling anyone on their day. Five points from seven matches tell only part of a season that has grown harder since May.
PFA Odin Sarawak are the league's wildcard. The Kuching-based side drew their opening match of the season 2-2 with KL City, a result that felt significant at the time, and followed it up with a 7-4 win over Wipers in Circuit 2, Safiq Hamzah taking the MVP award. Those two results seemed to signal a team capable of making life difficult for anyone on a given day. The months since have been harder.
Two draws and one win from seven matches tells only part of the story. PFA Odin have taken points off KL City and drawn with Terengganu, and their willingness to play open, attacking futsal has produced some entertaining matches even in defeat. The 2-2 against Terengganu in Circuit 3 was a genuine contest, Asyraff Zakaris equalising in the dying minutes to earn a point that felt deserved.
Zakaris has been the standout figure, picking up the MVP award in that opening draw with KL City and contributing goals in several of the tighter matches. Safiq Hamzah has added goals and energy from midfield. The challenge for the side from Sarawak, the only club in the league from Borneo, has been matching the technical quality of teams who have been in this competition for several seasons.
Defeats to Selangor, JDT and Pahang Rangers were expected, but the margin of some of those results, 9-1 and 10-1 twice, points to the work still to be done. Five points from seven matches, with all three of the league's top sides still to face again in the second half of the season, makes the next five circuits a significant test of how much this Odin side have grown since May.
