AGMK Olmaliq - Uzbekistan Super League 2021



 

AGMK from the factory town of Olmaliq, which is one of the most polluted places on Earth, were the first team that I watched this season. I had seen some Uzbekistan games last season, but it was their opener against Lokomotiv Tashkent that drew me in to watch and find out more.

AGMK were founded in 2004 and are named after the mining company that owns them. They made their debut in the Super League in 2008, despite only finishing  7th in Division one the previous year. In 2009 they renamed themselves Olmaliq after the town and finished 4th in the league. This was the highest finish they achieved under the name Olmaliq. In 2018 they reverted back to being called AGMK and last year they recorded their highest finish of 3rd. A position they are likely to want to at least equal this year. Whether they are good enough to break the dominance of Pakhtakor is a question for another day though. If they were though, it would eclipse their biggest trophy to date - the Uzbekistan Cup that they won in 2018

Players to watch: Dutch born, Cape Verde international Alvin Fortes is an exciting winger who has scored in the opening two games and is definitely one to watch. Abbos Otakhonov in central defence doesn’t mess around and is highly rated by the club and fans. He joined recently from Metallurg and they might regret the decision to let him go.

Star signing: Sanzhar Shaakmedov is a 30 year old central midfielder who still has a lot to give. He also has 3 Uzbekistan Champions medals, which is more than his club! He signed from Terengganu in Malaysia.

Foreign Legion: Popping up with the winner in the first game was Aleksadr Kasyan, who is a decent centre forward, but can’t make up his mind if he is Ukrainian or Russian, so he needs to be treated with a deal of suspicion! Also scoring in that game was the aforementioned Alvin Fortes. The 3rd foreign player is Jovan Djokic, who is perhaps AGMK’s most highly rated player. After an inauspicious start to his career in his native Serbia, he’s made his name in Uzbekistan and as a defensive midfielder at 28 he might still get his chance at home.
 

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