Flying Kiwis – September 1
Liberato Cacace – Sint-Truiden (Belgian Pro League)
One of the worst kept secrets in kiwi footy was finally brought into the natural light on Friday night as Liberato Cacace’s transfer from the Wellington Phoenix to Belgian top flight side Sint-Truiden was confirmed by both clubs. A three year contract, including a hefty transfer fee heading back to the Welly Nix... reported in Belgium as getting as high as an astronomical NZ$2.15m although the word from this side of the globe is that it’s more likely in the mid-high six figures with add-ons. Considering that he only had one more year to run on his Nix deal and considering that the former number is roughly three times what they got from Bayern Munich for Sarpreet Singh, chances are it’s the smaller number that is waaaay closer to the truth. Which is still a brilliant fee for the Phoenix to take to the bank. Also keep in mind that whatever a team like Sint-Truiden pays for a player like Libby Cacace, it’s a figure that they hope to get back down the line.
Sint-Truiden are managed by Kevin Muscat so obviously someone with significant A-League connections. His assistant is also Luciano Trani who spent time in the Phoenix coaching staff so therefore knew of Cacace all the way back when he was a kid at his dad’s restaurant when the Phoenix first team would go in for meals. There is a belief out there that he could have gotten a go at a more renowned European club but gotta remember that this is his first step into the overseas journey and landing at the wrong club, getting too few minutes, not being trusted by a manager... these are things that have doomed many a career before him. At Sint-Truiden he’s got a manager who already knows what he’s capable of and he’s at a club where he should get some decent opportunities too... although not until after the international break in a couple weeks.
Sint-Truiden have already started their season. They drew 1-1 this weekend away at Eupen in a very frustrating game. They went down in the 13th minute to a Julien Ngoy goal but when Jonathan Heris was sent off in the 25th min they had almost three quarters of the game remaining with a man advantage. They dominated possession... but only scored from the penalty spot through Yuma Suzuki in the 85th minute. Missing a bit of that cutting edge up top... so Cacace should fit right in given how the Phoenix season ended. He’ll also be wearing another yellow jersey – STVV are knows as the Canaries.
STVV are sitting in that mid-table right now after four games with one win and two draws and a defeat. Pretty similar to where they ended up last season with 33 points from 29 games (the league got abandoned in the pandemic, hence why they’ve been able to start the next season already) to finish 12th out of 16 teams... which was well clear of relegation but even if it wasn’t then wouldn’t have mattered because there was no relegation, with the league instead expanded to 18 teams this time around. The regular season itself will still be normal but ordinarily they do this playoff thing where the top half of the table have another round against each other before they decide the champs while the bottom team is relegated and the bottom half compete for a bonus Europa League qualifying spot. Those playoffs have been shortened this time around with only the top four going into the championship round and the next four for the Europa playoffs. Places 9-16 go home after the 34 rounds while 18 is relegated and 17 plays off with a second div team to avoid relegation. STVV’s next game, after the international break, is against the Vincent Kompany-coached Antwerp.
Final words from Libby, hold back them tears...
Up Next: STVV vs Antwerp, 2am on Sunday 14 September (NZT)
Meikayla Moore – Liverpool (English Championship)
You wait for one big Flying Kiwis signing and a whole bunch come all at once. Meikayla Moore announced at the end of the last German season, having helped inspired MSV Duisburg to avoid relegation, that she was leaving the club to pursue new opportunities and it was hard to argue that she hadn’t earned exactly that. Just a matter of where. And what do ya know, Liverpool have come knocking.
Meikayla Moore: “I’m really ecstatic to finally be here. The first few days have gone as well as anyone could have hoped. When I started talks with Vicky [Jepson] and Emma [Humphries], I’m at a time in my career where I needed a new adventure and a new opportunity and I’m thankful that they were willing to give that to me. I’m excited to get here and really work hard for this team, for the staff, the club and the badge. It’s a massive club so it’s a huge honour to be here... It was certainly a very good first step [playing for Duisburg]. The league in Germany is very strong and when you play against the likes of Wolfsburg and Bayern Munich the players there are pretty phenomenal so I think it’s put me in a good place to come to the UK and kick on here. The league here is going up and up and I think it’s a really exciting time for women’s football, especially in England, and I’m just so excited and happy to be here.”
Liverpool, aye? One of the most famous clubs on the entire planet. A club which Rosie White, Aroon Clansey, and Sarah Gregorius have all played for in the past too - Gregorius winning the only WSL title by an NZer in her short spell there back in 2013. But slight hiccup there because while their men’s team might be Premier League champions... the Liverpool women’s team just got relegated. They were definitely unlucky because the unfinished season kept them from being able to overturn what was only a one point deficit behind Birmingham with eight games remaining.. though let’s be honest there’s no reason why a club as big as Liverpool should ever be in that position in the first place.
There’s been plenty of chat about underfunding, plenty of it, for the Liverpool women’s team and they’ve failed to replace departing players over the last couple seasons. Vicky Jepson is in her first gig as a manager. The facilities aren’t great. And considering how much money the men’s team have spent on transfers over the same time there’s no excuse, really.
Hence why this could be a real opportunity for Meikayla Moore. She might be signing for a Championship club – and she’s definitely good enough to play regular games in the WSL, no doubt – but it’s a Championship club that’s just taken a rather large humiliation and will have intentions of bouncing immediately back up. Reminiscent of when Winston Reid really broke through for West Ham in that season they spent in the men’s Championship.
And there’s one other factor here because one of Jepson’s assistant coaches is none other than Aotearoa’s own Emma Humphries, a former Football Fern and a bit of a trailblazer in the coaching scene. Humphries was pretty influential in getting this transfer over the line. Here’s her bio from Liverpool’s website...
“Emma Humphries joined Liverpool FC Women during the 2018-19 season, working closely with first team manager Vicky Jepson. Prior to joining Liverpool, Emma, a UEFA A Licence coach, worked at Vancouver Whitecaps as girl’s director and head coach overseeing the academy programme. She also previously worked in her native New Zealand as the women’s national development manager and represented her country as a player at the 2007 FIFA Women’s World Cup.”
Up Next: The Liverpool Ladies Rebound Campaign kicks off against Durham on Monday at 1am (NZT)
Tommy Smith – Colchester United (English League Two)
CUFC: “Colchester United are delighted to announce that Tommy Smith has signed for the U’s. The experienced defender has put pen to paper on a two year deal and committed to the North Essex side following a trial period where he has been involved in a number of pre-season friendlies.”
There it is. No surprises given Smithy’s played a few preseason games with them as a trialist however he was strongly linked with Hearts in the Scottish Championship last week and since then an Indian Premier League club emerged with rumoured interest in him too – imagine Smithy marking Roy Krishna. But Colchester are out there offering Smithy first choice minutes and the chance to be a key player for a team challenging for promotion so that ticks the necessary boxes.
CUFC manager Steve Ball: “It's a brilliant feather in our cap, it really is. We've signed a Championship centre-half - there's no two ways about that. Tommy was being courted by some top Scottish clubs. He's has got an absolutely refreshing attitude in the modern game. It's a massive coup for us.”
Jeez that’s some hefty praise from the new gaffer. Smithy’s a few years removed from his Champo days with Ipswich so hard to judge but there’s no doubt he could at the very least be a reliable defender at League One level, if not a dominant one at the right club. So League Two is a drop from what he’s capable of but this is an upwardly mobile team that appreciates what he’s there to offer. It’s a decent trade-off, particularly if he can lead them to promotion (side note: Smithy’s only 30 years old with no major injury history, it’s not like he’s on the decline – he’s just been playing a different style of footy over in the USA the last couple years). Also to add a little bow to the package, he once spent a short spell on loan with Colchester way back when he was first breaking through as a first team player. That was in 2010-11 and he played six times for the U’s in League One.
Up Next: Sunday at 2am, Colchester are away to Reading in the EFL Cup first round (NZT)
Rebekah Stott – Unattached
The hits keep coming. Rebekah Stott has played 87 times in the W-League which is more than double any other kiwi player with most of that coming in five glorious years for Melbourne City (where she’s won four championships and two premierships as well as plenty of individual honours). Her most recent season was probably her best yet however with a mass outflux of top W-League players to European leagues in recent times, especially to England’s WSL, it’s been worth wondering if Stott would soon join them. Now it seems she will.
MCY Director of Football Michael Petrillo: “Rebekah has been an invaluable member of our Club from the very beginning. Whilst we are disappointed to lose a player of Rebekah’s quality, we are also very happy and proud that we have been able to contribute to her success on the field. Rebekah is, outside of our Club, perhaps the most underrated player in the W-League. However, we know that she has been one of the elite defenders in the W-League for many years now. Not only is she very talented, Rebekah is a great team person, selfless and willing to always put her body on the line. Along with this toughness she is also technically very good and for all these reasons she will be almost impossible to replace. We wish her every success in the next phase of her career and she leaves knowing that she will always be a part of the Melbourne City family and will be welcomed back at any time.”
Stott has most years gone and played somewhere else in between W-League seasons. In 2019 she featured alongside Vic Esson at Avaldsnes in Norway and the couple years before that she was with Seattle Reign and then Sky Blue in the American NWSL. The difference here, and thus the reason for the big farewell, is that those seasons align with the W-League seasons (mostly, she did miss the very start of the last term after getting back from Norway) whereas wherever she’s headed next clearly won’t.
Rebekah Stott: “I’m so thankful for my time at Melbourne City FC. I would like to thank the City Football Group, the Club, my incredible teammates, the staff and the fans for making my time at City so memorable. I’m really proud of what we were able to achieve together as a team and believe we really set the standard in the league over the past five seasons. My time at City has enabled me to grow both as a footballer and as a person and I’ve made memories and friendships that I will cherish for a lifetime. It’s been an honour to represent this Club from the start – a club that truly believes in the growth and professionalism of Women’s football – and to hold a special record [most appearances] with one of my best friends Steph.”
As to where she ends up next? Her best mate Steph Catley might know because rumour has it they’ve been hanging out in London and Catley, as things would have it, recently signed for Arsenal in the WSL. England seems by far the most likely destination regardless given how many Australian/Aussie-based players have moved there over the last year. Only fair that Stotty would get amongst it too.
Up Next: ???
Nando Pijnaker – Rio Ave (Portuguese Primeira Liga)
And another one. Unlike the first four moves, this one was quite unexpected. Even from the Rio Ave side it seems to have been a bit of a surprise - there wasn’t really any talk of Nando until he and 30 year old fullback Ivo Pinto (once of Norwich City) turned up at their season opening presentation thing, paraded out at the end. That presentation was live streamed right before a preseason friendly in which they drew 0-0 with Boavista (doesn’t look like Pijnaker played, he defs wasn’t in the starters).
Pijnaker had been at Grasshoppers in Switzerland where he’d worked up the ranks to where he made his first team debut late last season. But with Grasshoppers missing out on promotion and Rio Ave coming calling after having just finished fifth in the Primeira Liga (tied best ever finish for the club) and booking a ticket for the Europa League qualifiers... it was too tempting to turn down. Pijnaker has signed a four-year contract with Rio Ave.
Interesting point about this club, they’ve had some genuine kiwi ties in recent years. Ollie Whyte spent the season before last with the Rio Ave U19s – Whyte and Pijnaker both played in qualifying for the 2019 U20 World Cup, though Whyte wasn’t in the final tournament squad – and he wasn’t alone as David Yoo also spent time there. Yoo is currently with Padroense FC in the third tier.
Up Next: It’s three weeks ‘til the proper season starts, fire up
Ali Riley – FC Rosengård (Swedish Damallsvenskan)
Another week and another beautiful result for Rosengård. They were up against Eskilstuna United and it took them all of four minutes before they were in front thanks to a belter of a strike from Anna Anvegård. But this one wasn’t destined to be as easy as that suggested.
Ali Riley was out there on the left wing and she had a role in the Rosies almost adding another one after 25 minutes but for a soft attempt at a finish. Riley then had a golden view of an incident at the other end soon after, as Katrine Veje threw a reckless challenge in and gave away a penalty. Loreta Kullashi stepped up and lashed it down the middle and this game was all tied up again.
But Rosengård came back out in the second half and more or less controlled the rest of the game, finally scoring again in the 66th minute from the penalty spot thanks to Anvegård again. Getting that goal right about the time that things would have started to get frisky without one. And they closed it out from there. Ali Riley was subbed off with quarter of an hour remaining. Not the most commanding win but a 2-1 win nonetheless. Highlights here, get on ‘em.
It gets better because Göteborg were beaten 1-0 by Kristianstad the day before which means that Rosengård now move three points clear at the top of the table after 13 games. Plus they’re ten games unbeaten, including all eight games that Ali Riley has played a part in. And there’s more where that came from too because after last week’s goal scoring performance Ali Riley was actually given the player of the day award... rude of the Rosies to tweet this link after the last Flying Kiwis was written but here it is now anyway. Glorious. Definitely listen to her speech, it’s moving stuff...
And she was also included in Aftonbladet’s team of the week after that game, so good...
“The final game of the round was a tactical triumph for Rosengård. They pressed high and locked Gothenburg's inner midfield. And above all, they enjoyed great triumphs in the space outside the guests' back three. Riley enjoyed herself there. She was positioned out wide but kept trying to break inward. That's exactly how she scored the first goal and was behind others.”
There’s been news this week that the NWSL is going to return with a Fall Series over the next seven weeks and Orlando Pride will be involved... though considering they’ve got nearly half their squad out on loan and were still confirming some of those deals this week (including to the WSL which starts after that Fall Series) it seems like loan players like Riley won’t be a part of that second mini-tournament. Orlando will just have a weakened squad is all. Still, should be a chance to see Abby Erceg, Katie Bowen, and Rosie White in action again.
Up Next: Bit of a Flying Kiwis derby, Rosengård vs Djurgården at 2am on Monday (NZT)
Hannah Wilkinson – Djurgården IF (Swedish Damallsvenskan)
Not quite the same impact as Ali Riley here but Wilkie did get back into that Djurgården squad for their match against Piteå, subbed on for the final three minutes in a 1-0 win. Sheila van den Bulk scored the only goal in the 23rd minute of the contest. That’s the team’s second 1-0 win in a row which lifts them nicely up into the midtable mess.
Up Next: Rosengård vs Djurgården at 2am on Monday, as already mentioned (NZT)
Joel Stevens & Francis De Vries – IFK Värnamo (Swedish Ettan Södra)
Got ourselves a goal to savour here as Värnamo bagged another three points but it wasn’t Joel Stevens this time, nah mate it was Francis de Vries who got on the scoresheet as the Varnies won 4-2 against Tvååkers. Sharp finish off the left boot after a low corner kick found its way to him at the back of the area. Feast upon its glory...
That was the opening goal of the match in the 19th minute (although both teams had spurned great chances already). Within five minutes of the second half kick-off they’d pushed out to a 3-0 lead and pretty much had it in the bag. Joel Stevens set up the second goal with a firm square ball across the goal to Edvin Becirovic, keeping the play alive after almost being fed through himself. Then Michael Kargbo got the third after the break with a near post header from a short corner routine. Tvååkers pulled one back in the 52nd minute but an Aldin Basic goal restored the difference for Varny.
Joel Stevens was subbed off a little before that, didn’t get a goal to go with his assist although he did go close late in the first half with a low drive that was parried away by a diving keeper. Tvååkers would score a consolation from the penalty spot late on as it ended 4-2. FDV got ninety minutes. Highlights here.
That puts Värnamo seven points clear at the top of the conference and absolutely rolling with 22 points from their last possible 24. They have a +26 goal difference fourteen games into the campaign. It’s all going smoothly for them right now. Only other thing we’d wanna see is more goals for Joel Stevens, who has just been caught by his compatriot at the club – both Stevens and FDV have one banger each. Joel’s been setting a few up lately though and he’s been unlucky a couple times in front of goal too.
Up Next: Away to Karlskrona on Thursday at 5am (NZT)
Jesse Edge & Matthew Conroy – IFK Berga (Swedish Ettan Norra)
Don’t wanna spend too much time on this because IFK Berga lost yet again. It only took 21 minutes before they were 2-0 down away to Täby and although they picked it up after that they wouldn’t score until the 85th minute (Lucas Quist with the goal), leaving it way too late. There was time for a couple flashing crosses along the six yard box but neither time could a striker get a foot on it. A 2-1 defeat in the end. Highlights are viewable here though fair warning: they don’t paint the Berga defence too well. But gotta mention it because for the first time both Jesse Edge and Matty Conroy started together for their new club. Edge played a full game in midfield, Conroy was subbed off at half-time.
Up Next: Brommapojkarna vs Berga, 5am on Thursday (NZT)
Andre De Jong – AmaZulu FC (South African Premier Soccer League)
Absolutely enormous three points for AmaZulu there. Against fellow stragglers Black Leopards, it was a seventh minute goal via a gentle tap in from Bongi Ntuli that made the difference, AmaZulu scoring really early and then having barely a quarter of possession the rest of the way. They missed a bit of a sitter in the 19th minute that would’ve made it 2-0 and then increasingly found themselves on the defensive the rest of the way... but they got there unscathed for a win that lifts them up ahead of their opponents and out of the relegation playoff spot with two games remaining.
It’s still all up in the air down the bottom of the PSL table. Baroka sprung an upset to beat Mamelodi Sundowns 1-0 so there are four teams at the foot of the ladder separated by just three points. So this was an absolutely huge result for the Usuthu... so much so that we won’t complain that ADJ was an unused sub (in fairness, it wasn’t really attacking power they were looking for off the bench when 1-0 up in the latter stages of the game). Both the last two rounds will have been played by this time next week.
Up Next: Stellenbosch vs AmaZulu, 4am on Thursday and then AmaZulu vs Highlands Park on Sunday at 1.30am (NZT)
Dan Morgan – Maritzburg United (South African Premier Soccer League)
You can tell that Maritzburg have sorta run out of steam lately, they’ve now drawn three games in a row. They came back from the rona break with a chance of qualifying for continental footy but never got up the momentum they needed for all that. No dramas. Comfortable mid-table by the looks.
Their latest was a 1-1 draw with Highlands Park. Maritzburg started off really well by taking a 13th minute lead thanks to Pogiso Sanoka... but they couldn’t take their chances to add a second and were eventually pegged back with four minutes left in the game. Rodney Ramagalela scored the goal. Bit of a bummer... not that it really matters at this stage. Interesting point here is that Dan Morgan seems to have played at centre-back instead of out on the left – playing most of the game but being subbed off deep into injury time, sacrificed in the hope of snatching a winner.
Up Next: Maritzburg vs Orlando Pirates, Thursday at 4am, then Bloem Celtic vs Maritzburg on Sunday at 1.30am (NZT)
Michael Woud – Almere City (Dutch Eerste Divisie)
Willem II are currently getting ready for the start of the new Eredivisie season and a bit of Europa League qualification too (they’ve drawn Progrès Niederkorn of Luxembourg in the second round)... but Michael Woud has stepped away from all that to advance his personal development and play regular matches down a division with Almere City. He’s on loan for the current campaign and will get the chance to be a starting goalkeeper for a senior team week in and week out for the first time in his career.
That season kicked off this weekend and Woud began with a tidy clean sheet. Problem was the rest of the lads couldn’t make the most of their dominance and it ended 0-0 at home against MVV Maastricht. Woud made an impressive one on one save early on to deny Koen Kostons and that ended up being the main thing he had to do all game, although there were one or two other simpler saves required of him. Almere City had their chances, just didn’t score any of them. Better get a Flying Kiwis striker in there on loan as well. 0-0 to start the season.
Funny story... the manager of MVV is a fella called Darije Kalezic, none other than the ex-Wellington Phoenix manager who once gave Liberato Cacace his club debut. ‘Tis a small world.
Up Next: Excelsior vs Almere, Sunday at 10.15pm (NZT)
Michael Boxall & James Musa – Minnesota United (American Major League Soccer)
Bloody lost another one. Back to back defeats since the MLS regular season properly resumed. This one got away from the Loons early on as they conceded twice inside quarter of an hour. Fabrice-Jean Picault cut inside from the left and stroked one home in the 11th then barely ninety seconds later they conceded again. Picault with some nice work on the left to get his cross in but Boxall headed it away, however the ball was fed back in low to Jesus Ferreira who was able to evade Boxall and somehow slam his shot in from a tight angle.
Minnesota were visibly shocked by that. FC Dallas hadn’t scored a goal since March having not partaken in the Covid Cup and gone scoreless in three straight games since then. So the less said about that first half the better. In fact it was so bad that the coach made FOUR changes at the break. There was also an extended lightning delay to contend with as well... but it all seemed to do the trick in sparked them into life because Hasani Dotson, one of the subs, scored a blinder after 54 minutes to get Minny back into the contest.
Almost immediately they went close to tying it up but Raheem Edwards’ rocket of a shot came back off the far post (and with some force too). That led to a much more energetic contest with FC Dallas going close on the break once or twice as well. The four HT subs didn’t happen to include our boy James Musa by the way.. but with ten minutes to go he got the tap on the shoulder from the manager. He’s been a familiar face on the bench but this was just his second game of this stuttering 2020 season so far.
Buuuuut he gave away a penalty in stoppage time. Sliding in a bit too strong and a bit too late, Reto Ziegler put it away from the spot to seal a 3-1 win for FC Dallas. Bugger.
Up Next: Houston Dynamo vs Minnesota Utd on Thursday at midday (NZT)
Winston Reid - Sporting Kansas City (American Major League Soccer)
Hefty week here for a guy who went 902 days between games and then suddenly started three in nine days. The first of those was the win over Minnesota United last week, then in the midweek they hosted Houston Dynamo... and this one got rather wild. SKC started pretty well and tested the oppo keeper early on. And even after they went behind on 16 mins, with Alberth Elis beating the offside trap (just) after Winnie had been waxed on the other side of the goal, they responded through Johnny Russell to level it up within ten mins, Russell tapping in after the ball came back off the bar (or maybe a defensive header, hard to tell).
Then it all turned to bollocks. They conceded right before the break with Reid again getting beaten to the ball after losing track of his man by the looks of it. Dude slammed his fist into the ground in frustration afterwards. Then they let in a third two minutes into the second half as the whole defence was beaten for pace down their left side. Gadi Kinda hit back straight away with a scrappy goal... but then Darwin Quintero scored a quickfire double to make it 5-2 with half an hour still to play. Mercifully there were no more goals. Definitely a few cases of Reid looking off the pace in this one, which is understandable as he builds back up his match fitness. Though he did almost score a goal right at the end with a header from a corner at the back post which was hacked away off the line. 5-2 the final score.
It was a slight surprise he played that second game after only a three day break when the gaffer had already mentioned after his first game back that Reid was tired. Yet not only did he start that one but the next one as well, away to Colorado Rapids. No Deklan Wynne for the Rapids, he seems to have disappeared into a sub-molecular form or something, however Reidy remained in with his centre-back partner switched out instead.
However he didn’t last too long...
There was a collision with an opponent which didn’t help him though it sounds like it was merely cramp which forced him off. SKC had already had to use a sub earlier with midfielder Roger Espinoza having to be removed apparently for the same reason. Definitely a precautionary one... although it makes the decision to start him in three straight games after two and a half years out of top level club football seem rather dumb in hindsight. Sporting KC would go on to draw 1-1, equalising in the second half but copping a red card with a dozen minutes remaining.
Up Next: SKC vs FC Dallas on Thursday at 12.30pm (NZT)
Elliot Collier – Chicago Fire (American Major League Soccer)
Two more games and two more Elliot Collier appearances. He came off the bench in the 58th minute of a 3-0 win over FC Cincinnati, a game which Chicago had controlled since the early stages having gone 2-0 up after just ten minutes. Which meant a lovely window for Collier’s biggest cameo of the 2020 season so far... and he played a big role in the third goal too. Finding himself on the right wing, he charged into the penalty are and slipped a pass to fullback Boris Sekulić and he fed Ignacio Aliseda who put it away. The MLS website actually credited both Collier and Sekulić with the assist, oddly. Which makes that his first assist of the season and just the second of his MLS career. 3-0 was the final score, Collier didn’t have a shot in his 32 minutes but he was busy and involved. First man off the bench and a positive influence on the match.
Then they got pumped in a game against New York City FC which unfolded in the opposite way. Chicago conceded on 16 mins through a Keaton Parks strike. Mauricio Pineda equalised in first half stoppage time but Anton Tinnerholm put NYCFC back in front in the 53rd min and then the same bloke set up a third with fifteen minutes remaining, Alexander Ring with the goal. Collier was brought on with the score at 2-1 to play the last 24 minutes. Another significant cameo from the fella and just before NYCFC scored their third he came so close to levelling it up. Holding off his marker for a ball over the top and getting there before the keeper, for a second it looked like he’d be able to strike at an open goal (from outside the area) but the defender recovered to slide in and block his attempt a few yards off the line. Then City scored a minute later to finish the game off. Damn.
Up Next: Thursday at 11.30am, Cincinnati vs Chicago (NZT)
Bill Tuiloma – Portland Timbers (American Major League Soccer)
Billy T didn’t play this week. Dario Zuparic was available again so naturally Tuiloma slipped out of the lineup though surprisingly he slipped further than expected... not even on the bench for their game against Real Salt Lake. He wasn’t included on the most recent injury report but it could have been a knock picked up later in the week, dunno what’s up with that. He also didn’t play great in the previous game so could be down to that too. But have a look at the highlights anyway because that game was completely bonkers. It ended in a 4-4 draw, with Portland seemingly having clinched it with five minutes left when they went 4-2 up (having twice been pegged back earlier after taking the lead) only to concede in the 90th minute and then leaking a devastating 94th minute equaliser. Shoulda had Bill Tuiloma on the bench, he’d have closed it out.
Up Next: Portland vs LA Galaxy, Thursday at 2.30pm (NZT)
Joe Bell – Viking FK (Norwegian Eliteserien)
You may recall that Joe Bell was the odd man out as Viking switched things up last week in order to arrest a run of bad results and despite coming off the bench to score in that game Bell was a substitute once again for Viking’s latest. They were up against Molde, second placed team on the ladder, and we’ll skip ahead to half-time where the teams hit the sheds still locked at 0-0. Viking had gone closest with a couple chances which drew quality saves but nil-all was the status quo after forty-five.
58 minutes in and Viking took the lead. Big goal against a big team, it was Veton Berisha who surged through and held off his marker to slip the ball past the goalie. Molde hit back quickly. They had one chance blazed wide and then in the 67th minute a great ball in from the right gave Eirik Ulland Andersen a sitter of a header to put away, scores all level. But this was already looking like one of Viking’s best performances and although they’ve let plenty of decent positions slip already this season they weren’t gonna do that this time. A two-goal blitz in five minutes put them up 3-1. Ylldren Ibrahimaj with a great finish from a tight angle in the 72nd and then Fredrik Torsteinbø in the 76th min with the simplest of tap-ins.
Sweet as, because that left them with a lead to protect and very quickly after that third goal went in, on came Joe Bell. First man off the bench replacing an attacking player as Viking went more defensive. The result of that was that Viking spent the bulk of the last ten minutes on the back foot trying to hang on against a pretty strong team. And it was looking shaky when Molde won a penalty at the start of stoppage time... except they missed the bugger. Saved by Arild Østbø. Molde would score from the resulting corner but that left them with just two minutes of stoppage time left to find an equaliser and they ran out of runway. Viking with the 3-2 win. Boom.
Also, that Europa League second round of qualifying draw has come through and Viking have drawn Aberdeen. That’ll be on 17 September local time with a single legged tie this season because of all the fixture complications. Decent early opportunity for Bell to get amongst some continental footy. He won’t be the only one either, Greg Draper is a regular in early season European qualifications both Champions League and Europa. He was an unused sub as The New Saints won 3-1 after extra time against Žilina (Slovakia). They’ll face B36 Tórshavn (Faroe Islands) in the next round. Rio Ave are also entering at this round with Nando Pijnaker sneaking into contention, their tie is against Borac Banja Luka (Bosnia-Herzegovina). And then once we get to the third round ol’ PSV Eindhoven step in with Ryan Thomas. Nothing else going on in the men’s Champions League but the women’s one could feature Ali Riley if she’s still at Rosengård in November. Also CJ Bott’s Vålerenga will enter the qualifying round.
Up Next: Kristiansund vs Viking on Sunday at 4am (NZT)
Vic Esson – Avaldsnes IL (Norwegian Toppserien)
A couple games, a couple wins. First was a 2-1 win over Klepp in which they came from a goal down at the half to win it in the 80th minute thanks to an Elise Thorsnes goal. A few days later came a much more comfortable one as they pumped Røa 4-0 with Esson getting her fourth clean sheet of the season and tell ya what that’s now 13 points out of a possible last 15 and they’re now up to fourth on the ladder, four points off top. Vic Esson has started every game this season.
Top spot? That’d be Vålerenga... and sneaky thing there was that CJ Bott has been back on the bench for them these last three games as she returns from injury. Hasn’t played since the last Footy Ferns tour back in March but edging ever closer to a debut for her new club.
Up Next: Arna-Bjørnar vs Avaldsnes at 1am on Sunday (NZT)
Chris Wood - Burnley FC (English Premier League)
The main man striking a pretty pose at Burnley’s media day. It feels like last season only just ended – because it did – but preparation is well underway for next season and The Woodsman was on target from the penalty spot in a preseason friendly against Shrewsbury Town. The Clarets played two concurrent friendlies to begin their preparations, with Woody playing in that one (mostly first XI dudes, but with a few academy dudes to mix it up) and his spot kick was a late consolation in a 2-1 loss. Not that preseason results matter at all.
Up Next: First game of their PL season is Leicester City vs Burnley on 20 September at 2am (NZT)
Ryan Thomas – PSV Eindhoven (Dutch Eredivisie)
Cheeky assist in preseason action for Thommo. He’s been getting starter’s minutes in central midfield during these friendly games, plenty to be excited about there as PSV round the corner towards actual football after all these months. The Dutch league never restarted after the pandemic so it’s been a long time coming but there’s only one more friendly (and then an international break) before the Eredivisie finally kicks off for the 2020-21 campaign.
Up Next: Groningen vs PSV on Monday 14 September at 2.45am, first game of the season (NZT)
Betsy Hassett - Stjarnan (Icelandic Úrvalsdeild kvenna)
It took until the 86th minute but Stjarnan finally found a way through against ÍBV for a 1-0 win. Shameeka Fishley scored the crucial goal with a crunching finish after latching onto a ball over the top. See the goal from the 1:15 mark in that vid above. Betsy Hassett played a full game, though not one of her best. She pumped one shot well over the bar and apparently had a bit of trouble keeping her balance on a muddy pitch. Important win though. They’d gone eight games without one so yeah.
Up Next: Away to Selfoss at 4am on Monday (NZT)
Nikko Boxall – SJK (Finnish Veikkausliiga)
Two games this week for SJK and we can forget about the first one, they were up against HJK who are the top team in the country and were too good for that midweek matchup. Nikko Boxall got a yellow card in a 2-0 defeat. They conceded inside quarter of an hour and then again with about quarter of an hour left... and who should have scored the second goal but Papua New Guinea’s David Browne, he of former Auckland City renown. There ya go.
But a few days later SJK took on RoPS and guess what? They won! A 2-1 win against a winless team, not as convincing as it could have been but it broke a run of ten games without a victory. Only problem with that was Nikko Boxall didn’t play because that yellow in the previous game was his fourth in a mere seven games and thus was suspended for the next match. At least they won, woulda felt pretty guilty if they hadn’t.
Up Next: At home versus Inter Turku at 3.30am on Thursday 10 September (NZT)
Sarpreet Singh - Nürnberg (German Liga 2)
Right on. In the meantime, Singh got another friendly game in. Nürnberg won 2-1 against Türkgücü München with Sarpreet starting in the midfield. They were in control for most of the game, at least while the starters were out there, with Singh almost setting up one goal and coming close to scoring himself with a cheeky backheel off-balance that snuck just wide. Just two more weeks before the proper games begin with a German Cup match.
Up Next: Ruthless one first up against RB Leipzig at 1.30am on Sunday 13 September in the DFB-Pokal first round (NZT)
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