MONGOLIAN FOOTBALL CENTRAL

The Mongolian Football Federation announced today that the senior men's national team will compete in two friendly matches during the March 2018 international matchday window. The first will be against Malaysia in Kuala Lampur on 22 March with the team returning home to face Mauritius in Ulaanbaatar on 27 March. Malaysia, currently ranked 175th in the FIFA World Rankings, will face Mongolia for the first time at the senior level in Mongolia's third-ever official friendly. Mongolia will make history in more than one way as the host Mauritius on 27 March. Not only will the match mark the first time that Mongolia has hosted an international friendly but it will also be the nation's first match

Image property of Tim Guercio Less than a week ago, MFF scout Tim Guercio held the second Mongolian Premier League Combine of the offseason, this one again in Charlotte, North Carolina, USA. Although it was the second event, the combine yielded the first prospect who will be travelling to Mongolia in March 2018, Noah Parker. Noah Parker (born 30 October 1998) is a 19-year-old who prefers to play in the central attacking midfield position but is versatile in that part of the field and is able to play on both sides of the ball. He was born in Hackettowns, New Jersey before moving to Charlotte, North Carolina at the age of 8. The majority of Noah's playing experience is with his school team at

Update: it has been revealed that Retamero will return to Ulaanbaatar City for the 2018 season. He will manage Victoria FC only during the Mongolian offseason. Manuel Retamero Fraile has been announced as the new head coach of CD Victoria CF in his native Spain, likely ending his tenure as manager of Ulaanbaatar City FC. CD Victoria CF hails from Valladolid and currently plays in the Spanish Liga Nacional Juvenil de Fútbol, the second division for teams of players under the age of 18. Retamero is no stranger to football in Valladolid as it is his hometown; he played there during his career; and coached the B team of Real Valladolid from 2010 to 2011. This is his first coaching position in Sp

Image property of Takashi Morimoto Erchim FC's Mönkh-Erdengiin Tögöldör has emerged as one of the brightest stars in Mongolian football. The 26-year-old is coming off a career season in which he scored 10 goals in 17 matches and won the Mongolian Male Player of the Year Award at the Golden Ball Ceremony in December. In addition to his club exploits, he has become a mainstay in the national team set up; was the second place scorer at the 2017 Tsunami Cup; and is only four goals away from becoming Mongolia's all-time leading scorer. For these reasons and more, it should have been no surprise when news broke last week about Tögöldör being followed by the Uzbekistan Football Federation in hopes

With approximately one month until Erchim FC kicks off its 2018 AFC Cup qualifying campaign, we look ahead to the team's qualifying play-offs opponent, Hwaebul Sports Club (which translates to Torchlight Sports Club) of North Korea. With the higher seeded association hosting the second-leg matches this year, Erchim begins its campaign at home on 13 February. Exactly one week later, the team will travel to North Korea for the away fixture. Although venues have not been announced, it is expected that Erchim will play its matches at the MFF Football Stadium as it has done in recent years. It is unclear whether Erchim Stadium, which is more like a pitch with bleacher seating than a full stadium,

When Giacomo Ratto landed in Mongolia and signed for Ulaanbaatar City FC in August 2016, he was known for his wide travels and the numerous clubs he had represented. It must have been a bit of a shock for him when over a year after departing Ulaanbaatar City in October 2016 because of visa issues he was still without a club. The player now has a club with S.K. Victoria Wanderers F.C. of the top tier league on the Maltese island of Gozo. Ratto previously played in Malta in 2013 and 2014 also. After leaving UB City and returning to Italy, the player negotiated a deal with Philippos Alexandreia F.C. of the Greek Serie C. However, paperwork and deadlines proved a problem and the player gave up o

Uzbek football has been on the rise. From deep qualification runs for the 2014 and 2018 World Cups; at least quarter-finals appearances in every AFC Cup since 2004; and players representing an ever-increasing number of clubs around the globe, the nation has found a formula that works. Mongolia's footballing relationship with its neighbor has been less pleasant. It was Uzbekistan that handed Mongolia a 0-15 defeat in Mongolia's second-ever match after becoming a FIFA member in 1998. That result still stands as Mongolia's largest-ever margin of defeat nearly twenty years later. Two years after that defeat, Uzbekistan thrashed Mongolia 8-1 in the latter's first official friendly. However, happi