When Atletico de Kolkata hosted the opening match in the inaugural ISL in 2014, they ended up finishing as the ultimate champions, while Chennaiyin FC emerged winners of the second edition of ISL after hosting the opening match, in Chennai.
This year, the special honour of hosting the opening match has been bestowed upon NorthEast United, and previous trends suggest the region, along with the owner, should be jumping in joy at the opportunity.
The Bollywood star though is relatively calm.
“I am not a superstitious man, but when it is a happy co-incidence like this one is, we all hope that our dreams....the dreams of all the fans of the North-East can come true this year,” said John.
NorthEast United FC finished at the bottom of the pool during the inaugural edition and John admitted they made mistakes. Last season, NorthEast missed out on a semifinal berth by a whisker.
“This year, we hope to go one step further and at least make the semis. We will see where we go from there,” he said.
NorthEast United FC play Kerala Blasters FC in the season's opening game on 1st October at Guwahati. The Hero ISL will be shown live on host broadcaster Star Sports channels.
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