2015–16 Bengaluru FC season
2015–2016 football season for Bengaluru Football Club / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The 2015–16 season was the third in the history of Bengaluru Football Club. It began on 1 June 2015 and concluded on 31 May 2016, with competitive matches occurring between January and May. The club ended their I-League campaign as champions for the second time, only winning by two points ahead of second placed Mohun Bagan. In the Federation Cup, Bengaluru were eliminated early in the first round, suffering defeat to Aizawl. In the AFC Cup, Bengaluru managed to make it past the Round of 16, defeating Kitchee. The victory had qualified the club for the quarter-finals which would take place the next season.
2015–16 season | ||||
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Chairman | Parth Jindal | |||
Manager | Ashley Westwood | |||
Stadium | Sree Kanteerava Stadium | |||
I-League | 1st | |||
Federation Cup | Quarter-finals | |||
AFC Cup | Round of 16[upper-alpha 1] | |||
Top goalscorer | League: Kim Song-yong Sunil Chhetri (5 each) All: Sunil Chhetri (9) | |||
Highest home attendance | 17,554 vs Mohun Bagan (13 February 2016) | |||
Lowest home attendance | 2,487 vs Lao Toyota (27 April 2016)[1] | |||
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Prior to the start of the season, Bengaluru were very active making squad changes. Players who have been with the club since their first season such as Sean Rooney and domestic players Darren Caldeira, Malemngamba Meitei, Pawan Kumar, and Robin Singh left after their contracts expired. Club captain Sunil Chhetri and midfielder Thoi Singh had also left the club for Indian Super League clubs Mumbai City and Chennaiyin respectively. Both would return on loan after the 2015 ISL season. Forward Kim Song-yong was signed by head coach Ashley Westwood to replace Rooney. Midfielder Michael Collins was signed a couple weeks after the start of the I-League season as an injury replacement to Josh Walker. Indian youth internationals Amrinder Singh and Seiminlen Doungel were also brought in by Westwood, alongside young prospects Daniel Lalhlimpuia, Malsawmzuala, and Nishu Kumar from the AIFF Elite Academy.
Due to the Indian Super League, Bengaluru didn't start playing competitive matches until January. The team began their league campaign positively with five victories from their first seven matches putting them first in the table. A defeat by title contenders Mohun Bagan in February saw Bengaluru slip to second. The club wouldn't return to first place until the final month of the campaign. Bengaluru had won five of their last seven matches, clinching the title with a 2–0 victory against Salgaocar with one match left to play. After the I-League season, Bengaluru participated in the Federation Cup and were eliminated in the first round by Aizawl. The club also participated in the AFC Cup, Asia's secondary international club competition. Bengaluru's Asian campaign began slowly with two defeats to open the group stage, but three victories in a row helped push the club to finish second in the table. In the Round of 16, the club took on Kitchee and won 3–2. The victory qualified Bengaluru for the quarter-finals, which would take place during Bengaluru's next season.
Bengaluru's top goalscorer for the third season in a row was captain Sunil Chhetri, who scored 9 goals from 20 matches. The club had four representatives win an individual award following the I-League season. Amrinder Singh was awarded as the best goalkeeper, John Johnson as best defender, Eugeneson Lyngdoh as best midfielder, and Ashley Westwood as best coach. This season would also be Westwood's last as head coach with him departing at the end of his contract.