by Aleks V |

They're back.

Dynamo Moscow reserved themselves a spot in the 2017/18 Russian Premier League less than a year after being relegated for the first time in their 93-year history.

The club, which currently plays in the Football National League, Russia's First Division, won promotion with seven games to go, breaking a six-year league record for earliest promotion (in 2013, FC Ural won promotion with five games remaining).

A scoreless draw against FC Khimki meant the results of the Baltika-SKA Khabarovsk match would determine their fate. As luck would have it, 90 minutes in Kaliningrad produced an identical scoreboard, guaranteeing Dynamo a top-two finish.

The Blue-and-Whites also extended their unbeaten run in the FNL to 13 games.


Midfielder, Anatoli Katrich, has had a standout performance, racking up a goal and three assists in the last four games.

Dynamo goalkeeper, Anton Shunin, has noticeably improved in goal under Goalkeeper Coach, Roman Berezovsky. The former Dynamo and Armenia keeper fine-tuned Shunin's skills over the course of the season, contributing to the team's goal difference of +30.

The back line is a story as well, with such talents as Swedish centre-back, Sebastian Holmén, Australian international, Luke Wilkshire, and seasoned club veteran, Vladimir Rykov.

In less than a season in charge, Head Coach, Yuri Kalitvintsev, reinvigorated a team whose spirit was at an all-time low. A former Dynamo player, Kalitvintsev, who led Ukraine to victory in the 2009 UEFA Under-19 Euro, was the perfect choice to lead the historic side. He brought together both young and experienced players, whose collective effort now boasts a 22-8-3 (W-D-L) record.