Out with the old, in with the new! 2025 was the year the stranglehold was finally broken. Real Sapphire touched the heavens and achieved what other TCC teams tried several times but could not do, gazump Beyond Limits. Even though they accumulated one less win than the Sky Blue Stars, they lost only once all season, and were the best defensive team all season. Throw in that seismic unbeaten run that lasted from September to March, and no other team earned the title better.

It was a pipe dream at season’s start, though. Their debut season was the typical acclimatizing period. Like ducks to water in season 2, they came straight out of the gates. They kept 3 consecutive clean sheets vs Gbagada, Valiant & Dino, winning 2 and drawing 1. The bump in the road came early, navigating testy waters with 2 draws at Broad City and Beyond Limits, the latter a contender for game of the season. However, they rolled on, and would finish the first half of the season handsomely, a 4-1 rout of Dannaz was preceded by wins at Imperial and VOE and at home vs Iganmu, dropping points against Sporting Lagos. That formidable first half ended with 6 wins and 5 draws and an impressive 5 clean sheet haul.

The imperious form rolled into January, where they did not concede in 3 of the first 5 matches in the 2nd half of the season, winning all. A statement win at Sporting Lagos was the pick of the bunch, but Dannaz, Iganmu, Imperial & VOE all fell as they marched towards the title. They had built a comfortable cushion atop, as others chased. The momentum slowed as they stuttered to back-to-back draws with Beyond Limits and Atlantic Business. By the time they lost 1-0 to Broad City, they had slightly opened the door, and a title race was on as Beyond Limits and Gbagada chased relentlessly. The pivotal moment came in Week 20 with a 1-0 away win at Valiant, and while there was a further stumble that narrowed the gap to one point, they closed out the season emphatically with a 4-1 rout of Gbagada away. It was indeed poetic. A first league title was here. The hex had been broken.

The Cup was not as kind, with Imperial eliminating the Royals on penalties after an entertaining 2-2 draw in the quarter-finals. They may not have won the Cup, but they boasted the best record. Across 6 games, they won 4 and drew 2 in regulation, keeping 4 clean sheets. Tallying 18 TCC wins may not be a record, but keeping double-digit clean sheets reflects a solidity unmatched, with a paltry 16 goals conceded in 28 games, it was Catenaccio reinvented.