ELF: Paris Musketeers visit Cologne Centurions in highly anticipated debut

| American Football | 06/03/2023

Saturday’s slate of European League of Football’s kickoff weekend features several intriguing matchups as all eyes will be on the league’s season three debut. One-game fans will certainly be tuning into the expansion Paris Musketeers travelling to Cologne to take on the new look Centurions.

New head coach Marc Mattioli and general manager Marc-Angelo Soumah have recruited much of France’s top talent including several national team players as the highly anticipated expansion team looks to make a splash in their first year.

The hyped cast of all-stars joining the new Paris team is headlined by the all-star duo of quarterback Zach Edwards and receiver Kyle Sweet, who led the league in passing and receiving in 2022 as members of the Barcelona Dragons. Additionally, the Musketeer’s offense bas added ELF All-Star tight end Adria Botella Moreno as well as French veteran tailbacks Meril Zero, Stephen Yepmo, and Jason Aguemon along with further receiving threats Remi Bertellin, Cheikhou Sow, and Stephane Fortes. Upfront, Celestin Ngimbi and Eduardo Sanchez Gonzalez join Sweet and Edwards from Barcelona, also joining French lineman Mamadou Doubmbouya, Ryan Iguedtjal , and Sebastien Jallier.

Read more about the Paris Musketeers roster

Defensively, Paris’s group features several ELF veterans in the front seven including defensive lineman Vincent Buffett,Giovanni Nanguy,Mamadou Sy, and Stanley Zeregbe. Linebackers Digaan Gomis Katchanga and Dauson Dales are the headliners of the second level bringing experience from the NCAA and Canadian college football. In the secondary, former Missouri University (NCAA DI) defensive back Cam Hilton joins ELF veterans Maxime Roger and Amir Kilani along with national team defenders Kenny Floret and Khefil Osseni.

The Cologne Centurions are led into the season by head coach Christos Lambrooulos who took over for Khalil Carter this spring. The former GFL Coach of the Year has recruited several new faces to the squad including quarterback Dylan Jacob, Terryon Robinson, ELF All-Star Zachary Blair, and former Colorado State (NCAA DI) defensive back Dajon Owens.

Read more about the Cologne Centurions Roster

The new faces hope to replace the production of former Cologne stars Quinton Pounds, Jan Weinreich, Flamur Simon and others. Some good news for Cologne is they recently signed former Centurions Fabian Kratz after he signed with Paris before ultimately returning to Cologne this off-season.

Offensively, Jacobs is accompanied in the backfield by the talented running back duo of Dean Tanwani and Gerald Ameln. Upfront, Fabian Kratz and Carlos Carrasco Sainz lead the offensive line, while outside receivers Kris Wedderburn and Terryon Robinson should mesh well with returning slot receiver Paul Kavadia-Lenhardt.

The Centurion’s defense, brings back safety Chad Walrond who is joined by former DI defensive back Dajon Owens. ELF All-Star linebacker Zachary Blair looks to be the man in the middle of the Centurions defense.

Today’s matchup will be a great first look at both teams as they enter the ELF’s third season in a tough Western Conference featuring the Hamburg Sea Devils, Frankfurt Galaxy, and Rhein Fire. 

Alex is a former NCAA and semi-pro American football player who is now located in London, where he works in digital marketing. His goal in writing for AFI is to stay involved with the game that has given him so much. Alex enjoys covering leagues and