Two months ago, the European League of Football announced the disappearance of the Helvetic Guards, while revealing the franchise would be replaced by another that would maintain Switzerland as one of the ELF countries and that would operate under the name of Mercenaries.
Although the deadline seemed really short (two months before the competition, with most of the franchises having revealed their rosters), the League assured that they had been working on this movement for some time with the new ownership and guaranteed that the team would compete in the 2024 season.
NEW OWNERSHIP AND STAFF
Despite the logical initial uncertainty, the truth is that the new franchise seemed to clear up any doubts by announcing Chris Rummel as its Managing Director and Matt Hammer as Director of Sports. Shortly after, Val Gunn was announced as Head Coach of the Helvetic Mercenaries.
The veteran American coach is no newcomer to the league. Gunn was General Manager and HC of the defunct Istanbul Rams, although he left both positions in Week 4 leaving the Turkish team with a 0-4 record.
Before joining Istanbul, Gunn had previously trained in Europe. His extensive resume includes teams in Norway (Oslo Vikings and Norway national team), France (Aix-en-Provence Argonautes), Germany (Paderborn Dolphins), and Poland (Wroclaw Devils and Wroclaw Panthers). Gunn is not a stranger in European football, and his experience should help a franchise that needs a firm hand at the helm.
A NEW TEAM WITH THE SAME PLAYERS
The bulk of the team maintains the national block that already competed last season under the Guards franchise. This is good news for the Swiss team. Players of the calibre of Defensive Lines Tim Hänni and Dominik Liechti or the charismatic and heart of the team Linebacker John Falk, and Timothy Schürmann are the soul of a defence that will miss last season's defensive player of the year (DPOY) Maceo Beard. The secondary now depends on the return of north American Defensive back Ken Hike Jr. The U.S. Cornerback from the Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Nazir Streater, joins this unit to help with his ballhawk skills.
The offense has been reinforced especially with European players to build an Offensive Line with names like the Frenchman Maxime Roussel (from Munich Ravens), or the Icelandic Stefán Númi Stefánsson, (current GFL champion with Potsdam Royals). They lose, thinking of Mercenaries as Guards' continuation, the outstanding all-purpose player Silas Nascita, a true Swiss Army knife who will undoubtedly be missed by the Guards offense (and the league fans).
THE A-IMPORT DUO
At the controls, Mercenaries will have the former Pace University Quarterback, the north American Carlton Aiken Jr. The 6'2", 220 pound dual-threat already played last season for the Barcelona Dragons replacing an injured Connor Miller and completing 25 passes for 354 yards and 2 TDs, as well as 162 and a career TD in just two games.
Although he declared himself eligible for the 2023 NFL draft, Aiken could not sign for any team, so he came to Europe looking for an opportunity to prove his quality, and ended up with the Silesia Rebels of Poland, whom he led to the final completing a season with impressive numbers.
Along Aiken Jr, the Helvetic Mercenaries have covered the second American offensive spot with receiver Anthony Brown. In his years in Saint Anselm College he put great numbers during almost 4 seasons with the NCAA Division II program. He was injured in the 2023 season, and this is his first professional team, so he will have to prove himself able to play at the highest level in the ELF, where for sure he will be well covered by north American Cornerbacks.
CONCLUSION
In short, it would be unfair to consider this a second season for the Swiss team. To the change of ownership, we must add the departure of key pieces that defined the Helvetic Guards game, like Silas Nascita or Maceo Beard. But the bulk of the team remains, and these are players who enter their second year of ELF having played well together.
Perhaps it is the Offensive Line that may generate the most doubts, as it is a unit that has incorporated several new players (although with experience in the best European leagues). Also we’ll have to wait to see if Aiken Jr. finds a trusty ally in Anthony Brown.
A demanding schedule will face them against rivals like the finalists Stuttgart Surge or the Munich Ravens in a Central Conference in which they will have to compete with Milano Seamen and Barcelona Dragons. The intergroup rival will be Vienna Vikings, 2022 season champions.
Mercenaries are not going to have it easy. But this is the Mercenary life, always working under a new contract.
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