Maardu Linnameeskond II
Maardu Linnameeskond II, sometimes shortened as Maardu LM II, was the second (or reserve) team of Maardu Linnameeskond (which literally translates as Maardu City Team), a football club of the city of Maardu, located in the metropolitan area of Tallinn, the capital city of Estonia. While the football club was founded in 1997, the second team only came into existence in 2014 and was disbanded in early 2022. Maardu Linnameeskond II competed for most of its existence in the North/East Group of II Liiga, the fourth tier of Estonian football, and comprised mainly prospective young players, as well as players who were not temporarily needed or fit enough for the first team. In 2022 the first team of Maardu Linnameeskond were supposed to play in the top tier of Estonian football, but at the beginning of the year the club officials announced that they gave up professional football for (mainly) financial reasons and they enrolled only in the North/East Group of II Liiga, effectively taking the place of their second team, which was therefore disestablished. The home ground of Maardu Linnameeskond II was Maardu Linnastaadion kunstmuruväljak, which may literally be translated as Maardu artificial turf field near the city stadium, having a capacity of 150 seats. Blue is the main colour of the club, while black and white are the secondary colours. These three colours are also those of the Estonian flag.
Maardu Linnameeskond II in October 2019. Photo source: Maardu Linnameeskond Facebook page
History
The history of Maardu Linnameeskond II was strongly connected to that of the first team, Maardu Linnameeskond. The football club was founded in 1997, but the main team competed for a long time in the lower leagues, so there was no need for a second team. The results improved in the 2010s, and therefore the second team was established in 2014, when they played in the East Group of the IV Liiga (the sixth tier of Estonian football), as Maardu FC Starbunker II, according to the then-name of the first team, Maardu FC Starbunker. In the first year, 2014, they finished in third place and won the promotion play-offs against Rakvere JK Tarvas II 9-1 on aggregate, therefore gaining promotion to the III Liiga East (the fifth tier of Estonian football). In 2015 they classified in the upper half of the table, finishing in fifth place. The name of the club changed into the current one, Maardu Linnameeskond, in the next year, 2016, as the city of Maardu became the main sponsor of the football team. However, Starbunker remained the main private sponsor of the club and featured on the shirts as such. In 2016, the second team, Maardu Linnameeskond II, played in the same competition, the East Group of the III Liiga. Despite finishing in sixth place, they were allowed to move up to the North/East Group of the II Liiga in 2017. In 2017, they started very badly, with six consecutive defeats, but eventually recovered and classified tenth. They finished in tenth place also in 2018. Their best result in history was the fifth place in the 2019 II Liiga North/East. The second team had an important contribution to the development of young players, some of whom later progressed to the first team.
Maardu Linnameeskond II starting line-up in October 2019. Photo source: Maardu Linnameeskond Facebook page
The first team won the Esiliiga (the second tier of Estonian football) for three times, in 2017, 2018 and 2021, playing in the top division of the Estonian football, the Meistriliiga, in 2019, after refusing promotion a year before, but were immediately relegated to the Esiliiga. In 2020, Maardu Linnameeskond II finished in tenth place in the II Liiga North/East, while the season was affected by COVID-19. The next year, 2021, Maardu Linnameeskond II finished in sixth place in the North/East Group of the II Liiga, close to their best result, in their last season so far. The II Liiga season was interrupted at the end of October 2021 because of a new wave of COVID-19 and was not resumed, so the final table was based on the results from the first 23 rounds (out of the total of 26). In that same year, 2021, the main team won the Esiliiga once again, winning promotion to the 2022 Meistriliiga, the top tier of Estonian football. However, the end of the season was marred by suspicions regarding the possible involvement in betting scandals, which deeply affected the image of the club and led some sponsors to withdraw their support. In 2022 the main team of Maardu Linnameeskond were supposed to play in the Meistriliiga once again, but at the beginning of the year the club officials announced that they gave up professional football for (mainly) financial reasons and they enrolled only in the North/East Group of II Liiga, effectively taking the place of their second team. Therefore, in 2022 most of the players of the former second team became players of the first team, Maardu Linnameeskond, which became the only football team of the club, while the second team was disestablished. In 2023 Maardu Linnameeskond won the North-East Group of II Liiga, promoting to the 2024 Esiliiga B, the third tier of Estonian football. There are hopes that the second team would be re-established, as the main team is climbing higher in the Estonian football pyramid.
Results season by season:
- as Maardu Linnameeskond II –
Since 2022: not enrolled in any competition
2021: II Liiga North/East: 6th (out of 14 teams). Results: 23 12 3 8 55-37 39 points[1]
2020: II Liiga North/East: 10th (out of 14 teams). Results: 26 9 3 14 52-71 30 points
2019: II Liiga North/East: 5th (out of 14 teams). Results: 26 12 5 9 63-35 41 points
2018: II Liiga North/East: 10th (out of 14 teams). Results: 26 9 3 14 38-62 30 points
2017: II Liiga North/East: 10th (out of 14 teams). Results: 26 10 1 15 72-72 31 points
2016: III Liiga East: 6th (out of 12 teams). Results: 22 12 0 10 62-57 36 points. Promoted
- as Maardu FC Starbunker II –
2015: III Liiga East: 5th (out of 12 teams). Results: 22 10 3 9 57-52 33 points
2014: IV Liiga East: 3rd (out of 8 teams). Results: 21 11 0 10 85-46 33 points. Won the promotion play-off 9-1 on aggregate (6-0 and 3-1) against Rakvere JK Tarvas II. Promoted
Honours
IV Liiga East: 3rd place (2014) – as Maardu FC Starbunker II
The main team, Maardu Linnameeskond, are three-time champions of the Esiliiga, the second division in Estonian football, in 2017, 2018, and 2021. The main team also won the Esiliiga B, the third division, in 2015 (as Maardu FC Starbunker), the II Liiga North/East, the fourth division, in 2013 (as Maardu FC Starbunker) and in 2023, and the III Liiga East, which at the time was also the fourth division, in 2011, as FC Maardu.
Stadium
The home ground of Maardu Linnameeskond II was Maardu Linnastaadion kunstmuruväljak, which may literally be translated as Maardu artificial turf field at the city stadium, the second largest football field in Maardu, having a capacity of about 150 seats. The artificial turf field is located next to the main city stadium, Maardu Linnastaadion. Maardu kunstmuruväljak has only one stand, including about 150 seats. Other spectators may watch from around the fence. There is also a higher platform, above the fence, opposite the stand, for TV cameras, all sorts of video broadcasts and for those who wish to take photos. The platform is accessible by stairs.
Maardu kunstmuruväljak main stand in October 2021 in the last home match for Maardu Linnameeskond II. Photo source: Maardu Linnameeskond Facebook page
The entire sporting complex has been renovated in 2013. There are 40 parking places available at the stadium.
Crest
The crest of club, Maardu Linnameeskond, is the same for both the main team and the second team, and for any other team belonging to the club. The current crest was established in 2016, when the club achieved its current name, Maardu Linnameeskond. It has the shape of a coat of arms or a shield, with a larger upper part, which slowly decreases in width towards the lower part, with the two sides turning gradually towards each other, to form a rounded end at the bottom. The upper side has a waveform, consisting of four rounded waves, two at the edges and two in the middle, resembling and symbolically representing the waves of the sea, as the city of Maardu is located on the sea shore.
Inside the crest the main colour is blue, with a darker shade of blue on the outside, and a lighter shade of blue within a smaller shield, placed in the middle, which includes also a white ball of football. In the upper side, on the dark blue background, the name of the city, Maardu, is written in uppercase white letters. Right below, on the upper part of the light blue shield, the name of the club, Linnameeskond, is written in smaller uppercase white letters. The white ball of football is in the central and lower part of the light blue shield, and contains a number of five-pointed stars on its surface, designed with blue margins. The central star is entirely dark blue, and contains the reference to the year in which the club was established, EST. 1997, written in white uppercase letters and numbers in two small rows against the blue background.
The previous crest of Maardu FC Starbunker and of FC Maardu before that was quite different. It was cup-shaped, with a rounded bottom and an upper slightly curved line, pointing upwards in the middle and downwards on the sides. The outline of the crest was black, while the main colour inside was white, with the name of the club, FC Maardu, written in black uppercase letters in the upper part. Below the name there is a black anchor and below it, a ball of football in the centre of the crest, with black and white pentagons, and black margins, against the white background. On each of the sides, there are three stripes, two of light blue on the outside and one white in the middle, running almost vertically. They symbolically represent the colours of the Maardu City flag. The vertical stripes stop in the lower part of the crest, where there are three horizontal stripes of darker blue, black and white, representing the colours of the Estonian flag.
Kit colours
The main colour of the club and the one most used for the kits is blue. Full blue kits were used extensively, both at home and away, in 2020 and 2021. White stripes on the shoulders and on the sides of the shirts, shorts, and/or socks were also used on the blue kits. The numbers and the name of the sponsors, as well as the logos were all written in white against the blue background.
Maardu Linnameeskond II in full dark blue kits on their last ever game at home in October 2021. Photo source: Maardu Linnameeskond Facebook page
Between 2016 and 2019, blue shirts, black shorts and blue socks were used as the home kit, with white stripes on the shoulders and sleeves.
Maardu Linnameeskond II in blue shirts, black shorts and blue socks in September 2019. Photo source: Maardu Linnameeskond Facebook page
When the opponents used blue for part of their kits, Maardu Linnameeskond II used either black or white shirts, shorts or socks, accordingly. Full white kits were also used as an alternative, away.
White shirts and black shorts and socks were used as the main kit in 2014 and 2015, when the team was still called Maardu FC Starbunker II.
The kit sponsor was Adidas. There was no shirt sponsor on the front of the shirts, but the name of the main private sponsor, Starbunker, appeared on the back of the shirts, below the shirt number. The name and the logo of another sponsor, iSport, appeared on the back of the shirts in upper side, above the number, and on the right lower part of the shorts. The name of the kit sponsor on the left and the crest of the club on the right were featured on the upper part of the front of the shirts. Other logos appeared on the sleeves. The competition logo, II Liiga, appeared on the left sleeve, while another logo, which resembled the lowercased letters p and d intertwined, appeared on the right sleeve.
Squad (as of October 2021)
|
No. |
Nat. |
Position |
Name |
Date of birth |
Since |
|
1 |
EST |
Goalkeeper |
Risto Paju |
14.12.2003 |
|
|
2 |
EST |
Centre Back |
Daniil Volkov |
26.02.2005 |
|
|
3 |
EST |
Left Back |
Mihhail Jakovlev |
28.03.2002 |
|
|
4 |
EST |
Defensive Midfielder |
Danil Kuzin |
24.10.2004 |
|
|
|
EST |
Defender |
Edgar Litovtšenko |
11.11.2005 |
|
|
5 |
EST |
Left Midfielder |
Roman Komaldinov |
10.05.2004 |
|
|
6 |
EST |
Midfielder |
Aleksei Stratiitšuk |
17.03.1996 |
|
|
|
EST |
Right Back |
Denis Maksimenko |
12.08.1998 |
|
|
7 |
UKR |
Winger |
Yevgenii Kulyk |
17.03.1999 |
|
|
9 |
EST |
Midfielder |
Aleksei Petjukevitš |
11.02.1990 |
|
|
10 |
EST |
Defensive Midfielder |
Dmitri Gabinet (captain) |
22.01.1985 |
|
|
11 |
EST |
Defensive Midfielder |
Konstantin Butajev |
02.09.1978 |
|
|
|
EST |
Midfielder |
Ilja Zelentsov |
02.08.1992 |
|
|
12 |
EST |
Midfielder |
Andrei Habarov |
01.09.2005 |
|
|
|
EST |
Forward |
Erik Žirov |
19.11.2004 |
|
|
|
EST |
Centre Back |
Deniss Kovtun |
16.09.1989 |
|
|
13 |
EST |
Defender |
Timofei Mihhailov |
25.08.2005 |
|
|
14 |
RUS |
Midfielder |
Nikita Rokachevskiy |
14.01.2005 |
|
|
|
RUS |
Forward |
Danil Lebedev |
09.03.1999 |
|
|
|
EST |
Midfielder |
Erik Grigorjev |
31.12.1986 |
|
|
15 |
EST |
Midfielder |
Martin Jaagumets |
17.04.2002 |
|
|
16 |
EST |
Midfielder |
Maksim Ivaštšenko |
02.12.2003 |
|
|
17 |
EST |
Midfielder |
Matvei Borodin |
10.06.2005 |
|
|
18 |
EST |
Forward |
Arvidas Pankevitšjus |
16.01.1997 |
|
|
19 |
EST |
Forward |
Dmitri Dovženok |
22.08.2003 |
|
|
20 |
EST |
Centre Back |
Aleks Polkopa |
03.06.2002 |
|
|
21 |
EST |
Right Back |
German Ussov |
26.08.1997 |
|
|
22 |
EST |
Defender |
Dmitri Kruglov |
24.05.1984 |
|
|
|
EST |
Wing Back |
Kirill Vinogradov |
05.06.1992 |
|
|
23 |
EST |
Centre Back |
Aleksandr Shevchenko |
04.10.2003 |
|
|
25 |
EST |
Goalkeeper |
Kirill Jussov |
09.03.2004 |
|
|
27 |
EST |
Wing Back |
Jevgeni Radionov |
01.10.2004 |
|
|
77 |
UKR |
Attacking Midfielder |
Yaroslav Panchenko |
15.05.2003 |
|
Staff
Dmitri Kruglov – manager (in 2021)
Aleksandr Kruglov – manager (in 2021)
Andrii Ponomarenko – team manager
Aleksei Baikov – team representative
Maksim Krivošein – team representative
Dmitri Kruglov, last manager of Maardu Linnameeskond II (in 2021). Photo source: Maardu Linnameeskond Facebook page
Notable former players
Aleksandr Alteberg
Timur Bulavkin
Artjom Jakovlev
Daniil Mark Belei
Artemi Butajev
Aleksandr Šepotko
Mark Terehhov
Valeri Trušin
Vadim Aksjonov
Yaroslav Dmitriev
Vadim Mihhailov
Vitali Teleš
Daniel Kile
Vladimir Tšvertko
Stanislav Tsõmbaljuk
Klimentii Boldyrev
Maksim Krivošein
Vitali Gussev
Lucas de Sousa Antunes Batista
Vadim Šalabai
Maksim Zelentsov
Daniel Žukov
Anton Aristov
Daniil Golovatš
Matvei Kudinov
Nikita Jefremov
Rain Aasmäe
Deniss Suvorikov
Kotaro Amemiya
Daniel Daineko
Nikita Dronov
Denni Grintšenko
Alan Mones
Andrei Issatšenko
Danila Kudrjašov
Dmitri Tarassenko
Andrei Russak
Vladislav Sokolov
Aleksei Zelentsov
Nikita Kirejev
Vladimir Gerasimov
Adrian Rasskazov
Sergei Zabelo
Roman Rasskazov
Danila Kirejev
Nikita Brõlin
Pavel Gabrieljan
Daniel Prigoda
Vladimir Gorbatov
Maksim Medvedev
Juri Javljanski
Andrei Drozdov
Aleksandr Kalinin
Denis Kotov
Dmitri Baranov
Dmitri Dolmatov
Aleksandr Zahharõtšev
Andrei Borissov
Ilja Kassjantšuk
Šahrijar Abdullajev
Aleksei Titenok
Aleksei Baikov
Andrei Katsimon
Jevgeni Tšigrinov
Emmanuel Gurtckaia
Aleksandr Savtšenko
Igor Vereštšagin
Maksim Krivošein
Mihhail Drozdov
Yuriy Fenin
Kalev Starkopf
Stanislav Šapenkov
Eduard Gorohov
Roman Smishko
Tõnis Starkopf
Aleksandr Matvejev
Dmitri Denissov
Damir Nizamov
Aleksei Tepljakov
Sergei Karpovitš
Sergei Savitski
Aleksandr Aksjonov
Jevgeni Sai
Vitali Sokerin
Pavel Kuzmin
Anton Popov
Vladimir Sõtšjov
Aleksandr Kovaltšuk
Stanislav Tokarev
Anton Chuikov
Konstantin Televinov
Aleksandr Kirpu
Aleksandr Gostev
Dmitri Gostev
Anton Muraveiko
Jaroslav Formantšuk
Ilja Krivošein
Aleksei Kudrjavtsev
Maksim Mamutov
Former managers (coaching history)
Mark Kolk (2020)
Valeri Brõlin (2018-2020)
Nikita Brõlin (2018-2019)
Viktor Passikuta (2017)
Andrei Borissov (2016-2017)
Aleksandr Matvejev (2014-2016)
Main sources
Estonian Football Association page on Maardu Linnameeskond II (in Estonian)
Estonian Football Association page on Maardu FC Starbunker II (in Estonian)
Maardu Linnameeskond Facebook page (in Estonian and Russian)
Wikipedia page on Maardu Linnameeskond (in English; the Estonian and Russian pages are also useful)
Brands of the World
[1] The season could not be finished due to a new wave of COVID-19 and the classification was considered final even though the last three rounds were not played.
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