User:C18ver/Merlin Regionals

The Merlin Regionals (historically known as the King of Triple Threat) is an annual club amateur football competition organised by the Singapore Football Socials Association (SGFSA) and contested by various amateur futsal clubs around Singapore, deciding the competition winners through a round-robin group stage to qualify for a single-legged knockout format, and a single leg final. It is the one of the only televised amateur futsal competitions in Singapore through the organiser's YouTube channel.

Introduced in 2019 as the King of Triple Threat (commonly known as KOTT), it was initially a single round-robin tournament contested between three teams with the leader of the table declared as the champion. The competition saw different experimental formats starting from 2021 where the number of teams jumped up to nine. The nine teams would be split into three groups of three and play in a format similar to the old variants, seeing the leaders of each group qualify to the finals stage and play in yet another single round-robin format to declare the winner.

The competition saw a rebrand in the name of Merlin Regionals in 2022 but with a decrease in teams. Four teams assembled to play in a single round-robin format in which the seedings of the knockout stages would be decided by the group rankings. All four teams played in a single-legged knockout round following a single-legged third place round and final. In 2023, the teams increase to eight with a traditional single round-robin group stage to decide the semi-finalists followed by a single-legged third place round and final. The winner of the Merlin Regionals would qualify for the SGFSA Community Shield against the Choa Chu Kang Let's Play Football champions.

The competition has been won by 3 clubs, 2 of which have won it more than once with only 1 successfully defending their title. Both Teck Whye Hounds and Elite Predators have the most titles in history, having won it twice. Only one club have won all the games in their campaign during their en-route to the title: Teck Whye Hounds in both the 2020 and 2021 editions. Northern United are the current champions, having beaten Serangoon Belgrade 7-6 on penalties after a goalless draw in normal and extra time.

Beginnings
The King of Triple Threat first took place on 15 December 2019 at the Yishun Futsal Arena. Three teams were invited to participate: Elite Predators, Golden Eagles, and Teck Whye Squad. The first match was between Elite Predators and Golden Eagles with a scoreline ending in 2-1 for the former side. Elite Predators' Khalis Iffat scored the competition's first ever goal straight from kick-off, also being the fastest goal in tournament history.

The game between Golden Eagles and Teck Whye Squad towards the end of the tournament was regarded as a final as due to Golden Eagles' victory, it meant Teck Whye Squad could not mathematically compete for the title and hence gifting Elite Predators the title. As a result, the sixth match between Golden Eagles and Elite Predators was not played.

The Lions could not defend their title in 2020 at Yishun however, as match ups against a much improved Teck Whye Squad and veterans Hawkguys meant that their route to defending champions became a much difficult task losing 4-2 to Hawkguys with former players Khaliif Shafiq and Khyril scoring against them and losing 5-0 to Teck Whye Squad. The fifth match between Elite Predators and Teck Whye Squad as considered the final with a 4-0 drubbing giving Teck Whye Squad the title. 2020 was also the first and second occasion a goalkeeper scored in a match as Hawkguys' Haleem scored via a penalty and Teck Whye Squad's Larry scored after his goal throw was mishandled by the Elite Predators' goalkeeper.

2021
In an attempt to increase the number of games and excitement in the tournament, the number of teams increased from three to a staggering nine. It also highlighted a unique occurrence of one team sending two representatives (Teck Whye Squad and Teck Whye Squad B). Nine teams in Buangkok were split into three groups of three with Group A being placed first. Hawkguys were on course to qualifying for the finals with 9-5 and 9-4 wins against Northeast rivals Elite Predators and Punggol FC. However, a lack of sportsmanship and violent conduct resulted in their expulsion from the competition, their results expunged and the subsequent 2022 edition. Punggol FC qualified after a 7-4 victory against Elite Predators with the first competition hat trick being scored by Aikel Azmi of Elite Predators.

Group B kicked off with defending champions Teck Whye Squad thrashing Vengeance FC 11-1. The matchup between Vengeance FC and Changi Maverick ended with a 10-3 scoreline for the former. It was the first match featuring two own goals for one team with Wei Leong scoring both a goal and an own goal for his side and Changi Maverick. The group ended with Teck Whye Squad winning 13-3 against Changi Maverick and qualifying for the finals.

The match between Futzzal Boys and Teck Whye Squad B in Group C was the first time in tournament history both sides scored a hat trick as the 9-5 result in Teck Whye Squad B's favour saw Nivesh and Faruq Ismail scoring hat tricks and Safuan Ali scoring four goals. Shahreez Basheer scored the most goals in a single game against Futzzal Boys, scoring eight in a 9-2 thrashing. Both he and Safuan scored hat tricks a piece when they faced off in a 9-4 victory for Teck Whye Squad B as Safuan scored six.

The finals were played in Serangoon with Teck Whye Squad beating Punggol FC 8-4 which followed with the latter beaten Teck Whye Squad B 6-4. In the penultimate match, Teck Whye beat their B team 5-3 to win their second title in a row. Both Teck Whye teams were considered title holders but the B team wouldn't receive a medal nor will their players receive the title honour.

Rename to Merlin Regionals
The tournament received a rebranding for 2022 with a decrease in number of teams to four. The group stages were played as a seeding rather than as an elimination format in order to seed the teams for the knockout stages by rank. The first match kicked off between Futzzal Boys and Teck Whye Hounds (formally Teck Whye Squad) as Futzzal Boys' Nivesh struck first off the post. Their lead was short lived however as Anaqi of Teck Whye Hounds pounced after the goalkeeper's punch on the ball landed at his feet. The match ended 5-3 to Teck Whye.

Elite Predators suffered a major set back as they won zero games in the tournament, suffering a 5-2 loss to Sengkang Wolves with Naufal Nico striking twice, 3-2 to Futzzal Boys, and 4-1 to Teck Whye Hounds. Sengkang Wolves were a surprise package drawing 4-4 to Teck Whye Hounds after Teck Whye's Muhammad Aiman's slide tackle offence allowed the Wolves to score a penalty. Despite his initial penalty being disallowed, Naufal Nico's retake in extra time meant that his side.

In the knockouts, Elite Predators drawn Futzzal Boys but this time they turned victorious thanks to the turn up of Aikel Azmi and Chia Yuwei bringing in a 5-3 victory. Teck Whye Hounds dismantled Sengkang Wolves 12-3 courtesy of a Nabil poker and Aiman Rifqi hat trick. Futzzal Boys beat Sengkang Wolves 7-2 in the third place playoff and after a 6-6 draw, Elite Predators beat Teck Whye Hounds in the final after Clovis Yio kept out Muhammad Aiman's penalty.

2023
The 2023 edition saw an increase to eight teams with two groups of four and the top two of each group qualifying to the knockouts. Group A saw Teck Whye Hounds comfortably make it into the knockouts but Northern United became the dark horses as the qualified after a controversial draw to Sembawang United (formally Sengkang Wolves) and a 4-0 win against Maestro Boys.

Hawkguys qualified to the knockouts in light of their ban expiring and debutants Serangoon Belgrade's wins against Shinoa and Tiger City led them to the finals. Belgrade's Ashraf would score a header to send them into the final ahead of favourites Teck Whye Hounds and a goalless draw allowed Northern United to beat Hawkguys on penalties. It was another goalless story in the final as Northern United defied all odds to beat Serangoon Belgrade on penalties and win the title.

Overall team records
In this ranking two points are awarded for a win, 1 for a draw and 0 for a loss. As per statistical convention in football, matches decided in extra time are counted as wins and losses, while matches decided by penalty shoot-outs are counted as draws. Teams are ranked by total points, then by goal difference, then by goals scored. Hawkguys' results from the 2021 edition were expunged due to disciplinary action.

Statistics not completed for Teck Whye Hounds, Maestro Boys, Hawkguys, Serangoon Belgrade, Shinoa Squad and Tiger City due to results not being released yet.

Goals

 * Most goals scored in a single match: 16 (Changi Maverick 3-13 Teck Whye Squad, 2021 edition)
 * Most goals scored in a single edition: 119 (2021 edition)

By final appearances
Year in bold: team won that year. All three teams in the final phase of 2019, 2020, and 2021 were considered to be finalists.

Best debuts
Three clubs managed to win the competition on their debut:


 * Elite Predators (2019)
 * Teck Whye Hounds (2020)
 * Northern United (2023)

Biggest wins

 * The following teams won a single match by ten goals or more in the competition:
 * Teck Whye Squad beat Vengeance FC 11-1 in 2021
 * Teck Whye Squad beat Changi Maverick 13-3 in 2021
 * The largest single match margin of victory in the competition is by 10 goals:
 * Teck Whye Squad beat Vengeance FC 11-1 in 2021
 * Teck Whye Squad beat Changi Maverick 13-3 in 2021
 * The largest single match margin in a knockout phase is by 9 goals:
 * Teck Whye Hounds beat Sengkang Wolves 12-3 in 2022
 * The largest single match margin in a finals phase or final is by 5 goals:
 * Teck Whye Squad beat Elite Predators 5-0 in 2020

Penalty shootouts

 * The first penalty shootout in the competition was between Elite Predators and Teck Whye Hounds in the 2022 final after a 6-6 draw in extra time. Elite Predators' Aiman Aqil was the first to score in a shootout while teammate Clovis Yio was the first to miss. Elite Predators went on to win the final 6-5 on penalties.
 * Two finals have been decided by a penalty shootout. Elite Predators beating Teck Whye Hounds 6-5 in 2022 and Northern United beating Serangoon Belgrade 7-6 in 2023.
 * Games that ended with a penalty shootout in the tournament:
 * Elite Predators 6-5 Teck Whye Hounds (2022)
 * Northern United 6-5 Hawkguys (2023)
 * Northern United 7-6 Serangoon Belgrade (2023)

Most goals in a match

 * The most goals scored in a single match is sixteen, which occured when Teck Whye Squad beat Changi Maverick 13-3 in 2021
 * The most goals scored in a single knockout match is fifteen, which occured when Teck Whye Hounds beat Sengkang Wolves 12-3 in 2022
 * The most goals scored in any finals phase or final is twelve, which occured during a 6-6 draw between Elite Predators and Teck Whye Hounds.

Specific group stage records

 * Most goals scored in a group stage: 24
 * Teck Whye Squad in 2021
 * Fewest goals scored in a group stage: 0
 * Shinoa Squad in 2023
 * Fewest goals conceded in a group stage: 0
 * Teck Whye Hounds and Serangoon Belgrade in 2023
 * Most goals conceded in a group stage: 23
 * Changi Maverick in 2021
 * Highest goal difference in a group stage: +20
 * Teck Whye Squad in 2021
 * Lowest goal difference in a group stage: -17
 * Changi Maverick in 2021
 * Lowest goal difference while winning a group: +1
 * Hawkguys in 2023
 * Lowest number of points while winning a group: 3
 * Punggol FC in 2021
 * Highest goal difference while being last in a group: -2
 * Shinoa Squad in 2023
 * Highest number of points while being last in a group: 3
 * Golden Eagles in 2019
 * Elite Predators in 2020

First goal

 * On 15 December 2019, Khalis Iffat scored the first goal of the King of Triple Threat straight from kickoff with Elite Predators against Golden Eagles.
 * On 12 November 2022, Nivesh scored the first goal of the Merlin Regionals with Futzzal Boys against Teck Whye Hounds.

Other goalscoring records

 * Safuan Ali has scored a record 19 goals in the competition
 * Iman holds the record for the highest-ever goals-per-game ratio for players who have played at least 10 matches (0.94); he scored 15 goals in 16 matches.
 * Three goalkeepers have scored in the competition:
 * Haleem scored a penalty for Hawkguys against Elite Predators on 25 July 2020
 * Larry scored a goal throw for Teck Whye Squad against Elite Predators on 25 July 2020
 * Wayne scored a penalty for Futzzal Boys against Teck Whye Squad B on December 2021

Most wins

 * Six players have won the competition on two occasions:
 * Aiman Rifqi, Amirul Thaqif, Arul Chandran, Clovis Yio, Khaliif Shahfiq, Khalis Iffat
 * One player has participated in three finals (both finals phase and final):
 * Clovis Yio in 2021, 2022, and 2023
 * Only one player has won the competition with two clubs:
 * Clovis Yio with Elite Predators in 2022 and Northern United in 2023

Own goals

 * One player has scored two own goals against their team:
 * Javen.
 * The fastest own goal scored in the competition so far was by Dixon who put the ball into his own net in just under a minute against his team Futzzal Boys for Sengkang Wolves during the 2022 edition.
 * Six players have scored an own goal in a finals phase or final:
 * Matdos scored an own goal against his team Hawkguys for Elite Predators in 2020
 * Immanulah and Sufi scored an own goal against their team Punggol FC for Teck Whye Squad in 2021
 * Aiman Firas scored an own goal against his team Teck Whye Squad for Teck Whye Squad B in 2021
 * Chia Yuwei and Aiman Aqil scored an own goal against their team Elite Predators for Teck Whye Hounds in 2022

Goalkeeping

 * Clovis Yio holds the record for the most saves in a single game, with 20 saves for Elite Predators in a 2022 group stage match against Futzzal Boys
 * Clovis Yio is the only goalkeeper to have played in a finals phase or final for two different clubs with Teck Whye Squad B in 2021 and Elite Predators in 2022.

Captaincy
The following table shows the captains who have won the title:


 * One player participated in the finals phase or final as captain on three occasions:
 * Aiman Rifqi with Teck Whye Hounds in 2019, 2020, and 2022
 * Two players participated in the finals phase or final as captain on two occasions:
 * Amirul Thaqif with Elite Predators in 2019, and 2020
 * Clovis Yio with Teck Whye Squad B in 2021 and Northern United in 2023

Trivia

 * Clovis Yio was the first player to win the trophy with two clubs, doing so with Elite Predators in 2022 and Northern United in 2023.
 * Only one player reached the finals phase or final with three clubs:
 * Clovis Yio with Teck Whye Squad B in 2021, Elite Predators in 2022, and Northern United in 2023.
 * Khaliif Shahfiq was the first player to score in a finals phase or final against his former club, doing so for Hawkguys against Elite Predators on 25 July 2020.

Awards
Starting from the 2022 edition, SGFSA introduced the Merlin Regionals Player of the Tournament, Goalkeeper of the Tournament, and Best Goal of the Tournament award. Winners