Flying Kiwis - October 12
Marko Stamenic - FK Crvena Zvezda (Serbian SuperLiga)
The Champions League returned to Rajko Mitic Stadium in Belgrade as Crvena zvezda faced Young Boys of Switzerland in what shaped as their most winnable game in this group stage. Crucial points if they’re going to get themselves into third (or better) and maintain their European tours beyond the new year. Also sneakily important for UEFA coefficient points, just saying. Marko Stamenic was in his usual midfield spot for Red Star. Raucous home crowd in attendance. Away we go.
This was a very different approach to the Man City game, where Zvezda knew and accepted that they’d have to sit deep without the ball for long stretches. But they didn’t exactly dominate against Young Boys. First half hour or so they perhaps shaded the chances but it was a scrappy game with both teams aware of what was at stake. Young Boys then began to take more control yet that opened up the possibility of counter attacks the other way and that was how Cherif Ndiaye ended up giving the home side the lead (35’). Runaway from Osman Bukari who’s cross/shot was diverted home by Ndiaye. Initially flagged offside but overruled by the VAR... just like what happened against City a few weeks ago. So it was that Red Star Belgrade led 1-0 at the break – also just like against City.
But they conceded almost as soon as the game resumed. Filip Ugrinic with a slick run through the middle and it was only Stamenic who tracked him, all the way from midfield, but he couldn’t get there in time to stop the equaliser. Omri Glazer continued to make top saves for Red Star in goal which kept them around as they threw a few more numbers forward. But he could do nothing against Cedric Itten’s penalty (61’) after a VAR spotted a handball in the box. From 1-0 up at the break to 2-1 down after an hour. Marko Stamenic was subbed off on 68’ as they sacrificed balance for attacking numbers. That meant riding their luck at the back more than once. It also meant Osman Bukari scoring a belter in the 88th minute to tie things up, catching the keeper out at his near post with a rocket shot. They had chances to win it as well... but taking the whole game into account a 2-2 draw was about right.
Fewer touches for Stam in this match. He did try to spark in second half, nodding a free kick back into a dangerous area only to be given offside, curling a long shot cutting in from the left which the keeper saved comfortably, but he largely let Hwang In-beom take care of the ball-playing while he shielded the defensive line. A quiet game overall. He did achieve one notable thing though: this was the first Champions League game that Stamenic has played in which he did not get yellow carded. Finally got there at the fifth attempt. By the way, five UCL appearances ties him with Chris Killen and means that only Wynton Rufer has played more times in this competition as a New Zealander.
Stamenic was then rested for the weekend’s game, making that the first time he’s not started a game since he signed for the club. Safe to say he was due a rest leading into the international window. Not too much of a rest though. Red Star had some trouble away to Radnicki, conceding first before eventually getting a foothold later in the half. They were 4-2 up when Stamenic was chucked on after 68’ with intent to lock things down. Radicki did get another goal back in stoppage time but it was too late by then. 4-3 win. The sketchy form continues but at least they’re grinding out results. Partizan won their game but TSC lost so Crvena zvezda are back up to second on the ladder heading into the break.
Up Next: Crvena zvezda vs Javor at 4am on Sunday 22 October (NZT)
Michael Woud – Ventforet Kofu (Japanese J-League 2)
Marko Stamenic wasn’t the only fella playing Champions League this week. Over in the Asian confederation we had ourselves matchday two of the ACL and that meant Michael Woud’s time to shine. And shine he did, keeping another clean sheet and this time it came in a Ventforet Kofu victory.
Opponents were Buriram United, champions of Thailand. And for most of the game it was Buriram on the front foot. Michael Woud got away with a quiet twenty-odd minutes to begin but that was only because shots weren’t on target and once they were he had his hands full. But VK made it through the first half unscathed and were able to make a few adjustments to strengthen their defensive shape. A draw would probably have been alright for the,, repeating what they did against Melbourne City, but instead it was to get a whole lot better. They hit the post in the 88th minute to give their opponents a warning. Then won it in the 90th min thanks to Motoki Hasegawa. A massive snatch-and-grab result from Ventforet Kofu, a second tier Japanese club, against the Thai champs Buriram Utd who have made the knockouts of this competition in the past.
Make that a win and a draw without conceding a goal. Michael Woud’s having fun with this Asian Champions League thing. Melbourne City won 2-1 against Zhejiang (China) in the other game of their group meaning that City and Kofu are both on four points. Everyone plays each other home and away so we’re only a third of the way through. Will be funky to see how they track against Melbourne City next match.
Up Next: Gameday three is on 25 October at 11pm when VK are away to Zhejiang of China (NZT)
Meikayla Moore – Glasgow City (Scottish Premier League)
The first major blow has been cast in the SWPL title race... and it did not go the way of Glasgow City. On a floodlit Thursday evening blockbuster came a tense game against Celtic, with all the important action happening in the last twenty minutes. Gutsy defending from both sides had kept things even with blocks and deflections proving crucial both ways, while Celtic’s keeper made a couple slick saves.
But in the 70th minute the pace of Kit Loferski led Moore’s CB partner Kenzie Weir to push KL over in the area. Weir was sent off and Chloe Craig converted the penalty. Even with ten women, Glasgow City were able to tie things back up in the 78th minute via a deflected Lauren Davidson shot. A potentially massive goal... except that they weren’t able to hold on. Colette Cavanagh scored an 89th minute winner during a spell of relentless Celtic pressure in which GC just weren’t able to get the ball far enough from their goal. 2-1 to Celtic.
However they did bounce back with a 3-0 win over Spartans on the quick turnaround. Amy Muir (9’), Lauren Davidson (55’ pen), and Brenna Lovera (64’) provided the goals. They also hit the crossbar three times and had a second penalty saved onto the post so if the scoreline flattered anyone it wasn’t Glasgow City. Moore’s ability to step out of defence and pick a pass towards her attacking teammates was a feature of the highlights package... in fact that’s exactly how they scored their first goal.
Moore played ninety minutes in both of these games to continue on her excellent form. That’s important because the next game was the most important yet, even more important than that Celtic game. It was the first leg of their Champions League second round qualifier vs Brann of Norway, at home and then away a week later, with a spot in the group stages on the line. These are the ones that players thrive upon. Exciting times.
Alas, they got tonked 4-0. Brann’s fluid movement and their greater experience in these kinds of games allowed them to burst out to a big early lead, scoring twice in the first fifteen and leading by three at the half. Glasgow City improved substantially in the second spell, granted Brann were also more cautious with a hefty lead already established, and there were several chances to pull what could have been a crucial goal back. But instead they leaked another one just before the end. Surely not going to overcome that deficit over in Norway.
Hard to argue they weren’t beaten by a better team – just a bit annoying that only 16 teams make the UCLW group stage and there’s no secondary tournament to fall back into. Moore was sharp with her passing all evening, especially second half when they had more ball, and the goals they conceded were mostly from great finishes where the defence wasn’t really to blame. She did get a yellow card right near the very end though.
Up Next: Away to Aberdeen at 2am on Monday, with the away leg vs Brann on Thursday at 6am (NZT)
Tyler Bindon - Reading (English League One)
We’ll skip over the bit where Reading lost due to an injury time Leyton Orient goal and just focus on Tyler Bindon scoring his first professional goal, if that’s alright with you? Things are bloody tough for Reading at the moment as they struggle financially, with player wages not always getting paid on time, and that’s led to multiple points deductions in recent years. They were relegated due to the six points taken off them last season. They’ve already been docked four points this term. Not to mention various transfer embargoes. But that’s also a big reason why they’ve leant into the youth this season and Tyler Bindon’s emergence from out of nowhere has been one of the few undeniable positives of the campaign so far.
Now he’s added a goal to go with his fine performances not only at centre-back but also more recently as a right back (hence he was where he was to score that goal... seemingly also hypnotising the goalie and closest defender which is a possible explanation as to how that thing snuck in). Very notable positional flexibility. Not only is it getting him more starts for Reading but right back happens to be the most open spot in the All Whites preferred starting eleven.
This Leyton Orient defeat was a third loss in four for Reading, who sit 22nd out of 24 teams in League One with six points. Stuck in the relegation zone... although only because of the points deduction. Wigan are directly below them and they’ve also had a points deduction.
Up Next: All Whites vs DR Congo on Saturday morning at 5am (NZT)
Ria Percival – Tottenham Hotspur (English Super League)
A season debut at the second chance of asking for Ria Percival. She was an unused sub in game one having been limited in preseason due to her ongoing knee recovery. Still getting things back towards 100% there. And with a new manager, Robert Vilahamn, in place with many new ideas it seems she’s going to be eased into things. Percival was an 84th minute introduction in the 3-1 win against Bristol City, replacing Olga Ahtinen.
Not a lot of time to do much there but she tried her best as Spurs mostly just knocked the ball around to ensure they finished the game comfortably with two-goal lead intact. Percy conceded one free kick and earned one free kick. She blocked a shot. She made a few passes. She also took the ball of midfield teammate Eveliina Summanen which ES wasn’t too happy about (although she made a point of shaking Percival’s hand at full time so no hard feelings – maybe don’t dribble directly into a teammate if you were planning on passing it out wide instead).
The game itself had already been settled by then. Olga Ahtinen had scored a belter firing low into the bottom corner after half an hour, then very soon after that Martha Thomas charged down the goalie to make it two. Summanen herself scored a wonderful free kick in first half stoppage time and Spurs were absolutely rolling. Bristol City did pull a goal back from the penalty spot on 64’ but they never got any closer than that. First win for manager Vilahamn, who was previously at BH Häcken in his native Sweden.
The midfield trio for this game was Ahtinen and Summanen with Drew Spence ahead of them as a ten. Percival probably isn’t going to play the ten, although she’d do a job there, so it’s the two Finnish players that she’s trying to win the spot from. Ahtinen was only recently signed but was named one of the team’s two vice captains. Summanen signed a couple of months before Percival’s knee injury. Both are Scandinavian with a Scandi coach now in place so the others might have a heads up in adapting to things. But Percival will get her chances along the way... such as in the WSL Cup group stage which began this morning but you’ll have to wait ‘til next week for that (watch the TNC socials because it was a good one for both Percival and Spurs).
That WSL Cup could be very useful for all three of the WSL kiwis. The other two haven’t been starting league games either. Anna Leat was an unused sub as Aston Villa lost 2-0 away to Liverpool, a disappointing result considering this was supposed to be the easiest game in a difficult set of early fixtures. CJ Bott played 12 mins off the bench in a 1-0 Leicester City win over Everton, again with Janice Cayman operating as an inverted fullback instead of her (though CJB went to right back when she came on, helping her team lock down for the clean sheet win). Two wins from two for the Foxes who are currently dining at the top of the table. If you’re going to be playing off the bench, it might as well be for a winning team.
Up Next: Thursday at 7.40am, Spurs vs Reading in the Conti Cup, then it’s away to Brighton in the WSL at 4am on Monday (NZT)
Chris Wood - Nottingham Forest (English Premier League)
Stay ready and your time will come. Chris Wood missed the last few months of last season and much of preseason with injury but since then he’s been fit as a fiddle and ready to offer his tunes whenever needed – defying expectations that he could be sold and instead appearing off the bench in every single Premier League game... until now. But that streak only ended because he got promoted to start upon news that Taiwo Awoniyi has suffered a groin strain and will potentially miss up to a month of action.
Awoniyi has been brilliant this season scoring three times and setting up a couple more. No other Forest player has more than two goal contributions and that dude’s got five – although Wood’s limited minutes means he does have a better goals per ninety minute ratio. Regardless, Awoniyi is injured and could miss several games so now it’s Chris Wood’s time to (hopefully) shine. He got the start away against Crystal Palace. Up front with Morgan Gibbs-White and Callum Hudson-Odoi in support of him.
The obvious question about that front three is where Woodsy’s service was going to come from with two forwards who aren’t going to hand wide and cross the ball in like traditional wingers. Serge Aurier did punt a tasty one in from deep early on but that was a rarity. Palace were also missing a couple of players, limiting their creativity, which lent the game a notable air of caution from both sides. Forest started well. Palace finished the first half better. MGW hit the post with a lob while Murillo went on an absolutely thrilling dribble but then toe-poked his shot straight at the keeper. Palace had a few attempts blocked and a Mateta strike only just missed. But really this was one of the least eventful games you’ll ever see. It felt like both teams would’ve shaken hands on a 0-0 draw after ninety seconds, let alone ninety minutes. Surprise, surprise, that’s exactly how it ended.
Woodsy played 75 minutes before being replaced. Good reps leading into the All Whites camp. He wasn’t stoked when he dashed near post for a Harry Toffolo cross only for it to be chipped back post instead – that was the closest he came to a goal-scoring chance. Still a few instances where his tendencies and those of his teammates aren’t entirely aligned. He didn’t have a shot and only made 21 touches. But his defensive workrate was good and he held the ball up nicely. Divock Origi replaced him for the last quarter hour.
Manager Steve Cooper had some nice words for him afterwards: “I have to give Woody recognition. He did a really good job for the team. He would probably have loved more chances and crosses, but his work freed up the way we ended the game. I really respect that. He’s been waiting in the wings. He’s trained really well and has come back from the serious injury he had last season. He looked ready for the game. I know that will be recognised.”
As did Morgan Gibbs-White, the champion bloke that he is: “We have different strikers who can create a different role. Credit to Wood, he’s an incredible player and gives us something completely different to Taiwo. We missed Taiwo’s pace in behind but we had Wood’s hold-up play. He gives us a different aspect of the game. We’ve got good competition in the group now, so we will miss him but we have people who can do the job.”
By the way, only four players have gotten minutes in all eight of Forest’s EPL games so far: Matt Turner (who has started all eight in goal), Morgan Gibbs-White (7 starts, 1 sub), Anthony Elanga (2 starts, 6 subs), and Chris Wood (1 start, 7 subs).
Seems his horse had a win the other week too...
Up Next: Nottm Forest vs Luton Town on Sunday 22 October at 3am (NZT)
Jamie Searle – Forest Green Rovers (English League Two)
The EFL Trophy, also known as the Papa John’s Trophy for sponsorship reasons which ironically highlights the frivolous nature of the tournament, is often where backup goalies get to shine. Jamie Searle has yet to make a league appearance for Forest Green Rovers, sitting on the bench for twelve games in a row and counting. But he’s gotten three games in the various cup competitions to show what he can do. His EFL Cup debut wasn’t Searle at his best but he was brilliant in a clean sheet EFL Trophy win against Max Mata’s Shrewsbury Town and then how about this for appearance three...
FGR made nine changes to their previous league line-up but they still hauled in a 1-1 draw against a Walsall team that also used the opportunity to rotate, although only by about half as much. A major reason why they achieved that result was a second-half Jamie Searle penalty save, coming within ten minutes of FGR having taken the lead via Tyrese Omotoye. An absolutely brilliant diving one-hander from the big man born in Whakatane. Ross Tierney was the unlucky chap to be denied. Searle did still get beaten soon afterwards, getting a hand to Isaac Hutchinson’s shot from the edge of the box but being unable to keep it out.
A draw was about fair in an otherwise dull game. But the way they do it in the Papa John’s is that both teams get a point in the case of a draw but they also do a penalty shootout for a bonus point. And, guess what, Jamie Searle saved two more spotties there as FGR converted all five of theirs. A 5-3 shootout win, get that bonus point into ya. Note that Searle saved one kick to his left, one to his right, and one down the middle. A perfect hat-trick of penalty saves.
This was actually Rovers’ first win in seven games across all competitions... if you count it as a win which it isn’t really, it’s a draw with a bonus point. But yeah tough run of results for them lately so they needed this.
Up Next: FGR vs Colchester on Sunday at 3am (NZT)
Liberato Cacace – Empoli (Italian Serie A)
Cacace Season is back on track and while Empoli are still one of the worst finishing teams in all of Europe’s top leagues they did at least keep a clean sheet against Udinese this week (who are almost as bad). Between both teams there were 29 total shots and only four of them were on target. Empoli won a penalty after 57 mins as an Udinese defender went barrelling into Matteo Cancellieri but that call was very surprisingly overturned after a VAR intervention. Cancellieri and Nicolo Cambiaghi both put acrobatic volleys wide in the closing stages which was as close as Empoli were able to get. Probably did shade that thing overall but nah the goals are still elusive. They’ve only scored once in eight games this season.
Cacace had a decent one though. Got the full game and made a couple of key passes. No shots but his defensive work was very good and he was smart with his passing, getting lots of touches. This was the first time that he’s played ninety minutes this season – now that Guiseppe Pezella is out injured indefinitely.
LC has now played a little over half the total Serie A minutes and when he’s out there they’ve scored once and conceded five in 367 minutes. When he’s been on the bench they’ve scored zero and conceded 11 in 353 minutes. Remember that Cacace was benched for the 7-0 loss to Roma, the one time they’ve truly been blown out (the other two games he missed were against Inter and Juventus which helps too). Even still, you crunch those numbers some more and it turns out Cacace has the best on-field goal difference per ninety minutes of anyone at the club to have made multiple appearances.
Up Next: International window, don’t worry about it
Joe Bell – Viking FK (Norwegian Eliteserien)
Sorry to say that there were more points dropped by Viking in their title race. The 4-0 loss to Molde last week was the blow that knocked them off the top but there’s enough time for other results to make up for that so long as they take care of their own business. Alas, a 1-1 draw away to Odd isn’t quite getting that done.
Joe Bell always starts but he never finishes. Not yet anyway, as he reintegrates into the side (and the country too – which is why he’s skipping the upcoming All Whites games). But he did last 76 minutes of this one which is one of his longer efforts. This after VFK conceded inside of four minutes – not the ideal way to get underway. Good news is that it only took them twenty more minutes before an own goal cancelled out the deficit. Bad news is that they spent the rest of the game trying and failing to score another.
The other bad news is that Bodø/Glimt won 3-1 against Molde in that game which means that B/G are now three points clear in first, with Viking second, and Brann and Tromso each a further four points back. Viking plays Tromso after the international window which is their toughest remaining fixture. B/G still have an away trip to Brann but otherwise their fixtures are pretty similar in difficulty, in fact B/G’s is probably easier since three of their remaining six games are against the clubs currently in the relegation zone. The big hope for Viking is that Bodø/Glimt are having to balance this league quest with a Europa Conference League group stage quest, with a trip to Turkey to face Besiktas in the midweek between two of those games.
Up Next: Viking vs Tromso, Monday 22 October at 6.15am (NZT)
Katie Bowen - Inter Milan (Italian Serie A)
Back to winning ways with a 2-1 victory against Sassuolo. Pity that they blew the clean sheet with fifteen mins left but nevertheless Internazionale remain undefeated with 7 points from three games. Only Roma and Juventus have more points (both with three wins outta three). And Katie Bowen’s out there playing every minute for Inter at centre-back.
Up Next: Italian Cup round of 16 on Friday at 2am away to Lazio, then one of their toughest fixtures away to Roma at 3am on Monday (NZT)
Matthew Garbett - NAC Breda (Dutch Eerste Divisie)
One of the wilder finishes you’ll see for a wee while (outside of the NZ National League). In his second game back from injury, Garbett was subbed on against Groningen after 65 minutes with his team 2-1 up. They’d scored inside of four minutes then after being dragged back by a wonderful free kick they retook that lead just before the break. Groningen again equalised, this time a brilliant header with quarter of an hour to go. Yet NAC pulled it out of the bag with a 90+6th minute winner to send the home crowd absolutely bonkers. No major Garbett involvement but he did win the free kick that was sent deep, leading to a corner kick that was crossed in, leading to the header that won it. 3-2 final score. A win that MG’s team desperately needed after taking just one point from their previous four fixtures.
Up Next: Monday at 3.45am away to Cambuur... but of course Garbs won’t be there for that, he’ll be in between All Whites fixtures instead (NZT)
Abby Erceg – Racing Louisville (American National Women’s Soccer League)
Last week it was all about how form slumps at the worst possible time seemed to have doomed the four kiwis in the American top divisions to a year without postseason soccer across the board. All four were in range, all four dipped when they couldn’t afford to and have been left hoping for helping hands elsewhere.
This week came the desperate last efforts, the not going down without a fight performances. Racing Louisville, with Abby Erceg as captain, were 2-0 down at home against Orlando Pride but then pulled one back just before the break and a strong second half led them to a 3-2 victory to keep the flame burning.
Angel City were also trailing in their game, down 1-0 against a rampant Houston Dash team at the break. But Alyssa Thompson equalised with a little over twenty to go and then Savannah McCaskill won it in injury time. 2-1 to ACFC. Ali Riley started on the bench but came on for the last ten mins to aid the comeback cause.
With one round left, both RL and ACFC are on the outside looking in. Sixth place is 29 points, then three teams above them are on 30 points. The Angels are on 28 points and they face Portland Thorns who are the league leaders. Anything less than a win and they’ll be done because their goal difference is not an ally. Racing Louisville are a further point behind but with a better GD and they’re away to San Diego Wave who are in second place. Again it’s win or begone for them too.
Up Next: San Diego Wave vs Racing Louisville at 10am on Monday (NZT)
Michael Boxall – Minnesota United (American Major League Soccer)
Over in the MLS, Minnesota United looked buried when they got pummelled 5-1 by LAFC but then Teemu Pukki scored four times in a 5-2 win against LA Galaxy and all of a sudden not so fast. Tyler Boyd scored the first for the Galaxy in that game (his shot took a clip off Michael Boxall’s heels on the way through).
The Loon sacked their long-time manager Adrian Heath after the LAFC game. The Englishman is the only coach the team has ever had since they wre founded in 2017. Boxy and several others were pretty loyal to Heath although it had felt like perhaps the team was a tad too stuck in their ways this season (particularly with their poor start, which stemmed from a lack of goal-scoring).
Also Heath was the bloke who played silly buggers in keeping Boxall out of the Olympics after he’d been named so yeah. To be fair, Danny Hay gets as much if not more blame for that since he had the chance to pick a replacement and didn’t go for it. Efficient injury management and NZ Football are long-time foes, as we all know. Anyway, such an emphatic goal-scoring bounce-back in the first game under the interim boss does kinda vindicate the decision to sack the bloke, even if he did a pretty great job with this team on the whole.
Michael Boxall has also been long-listed for the MLS Defender of the Year award. That’s the list from which voting is done, so it doesn’t mean too much – there are 42 defenders on the list. The Coach of the Year award has 23 coaches on it, including Adrian Heath, despite it being a 29-team league. Nice to be an option though.
Charlotte FC also won 2-0 against Chicago but Bill Tuiloma was an unused sub again. He’s yet to play since returning from injury. Top seven is out of the question for Charlotte however they do have a game in hands on those immediately above them so that 8-9 play-in area is theirs for the taking if they can repeat the feat and win these last two. Minnesota Utd have one more game to go and it’s away to Sporting KC who are level on points with them. Win that and another result elsewhere goes their way then they could also sneak into a playoff for a playoff position. Meaning that four of the kiwis are still in the hunt with a week or two to go. Just when we thought we were out they go and pull us back in.
Up Next: Sporting Kansas City vs Minnesota United, Sunday 22 October at 2pm (NZT)
Malia Steinmetz – FC Nordsjælland (Danish Kvindeliga)
Another good win for Nordsjælland who put three unanswered past FC Thy. Malia Steinmetz had a prominent role to play in midfield, setting up the second goal for Clara La Cour with a superb through ball. A tidy 3-0 victory, which is becoming par for the course with this team. Steinmetz missed their previous match, rested after coming back from Footy Ferns duty, but has otherwise started every game since she signed – up to four appearances now – and her debut was the only one they didn’t win (1-1 draw vs Ally Green and AGF). It was also the only one in which they conceded a goal.
Early days yet but with 14 points from six games overall, FCN currently occupy number en on the standings (that’s number one for those of you who don’t speak Danish)... although HB Køge are only three points back with a game in hand. That’s after they could only draw 0-0 with Fortuna Hjørring. Not a game of very many chances but HBK did probably edge it. Daisy Cleverley got the last 24 mins off the bench while Claudia Bunge did her bit by contributing to another clean sheet...
Meanwhile Ally Green played all but the last few minutes as AGF beat Aalborg 2-0 for their second win of the campaign. Greenie’s started half of their games so far, coming off the bench in another. Considering she missed one for international duty that’s pretty encouraging overall. We had a spell where the Danish men’s top division was looking like the place to be and then Marko Stamenic and Joe Bell both left while Eli Just got relegated (but Callum McCowatt did get promoted to carry the torch alone). Now it’s the Danish women’s top division that’s got the spotlight instead.
Up Next: 2am on Sunday away, FCN vs Kolding (NZT)
Jacqui Hand - Åland United (Finnish Kansallinen Liiga)
Third is good. Third is fine. It’s not the championship that Åland United were competing for a couple of months ago but it’s a fair representation of where they’re at, having not quite been good enough when they met the top couple clubs.
When Hand left for the World Cup, she had seven goals and a couple of assists and her team were looking like they could go all the way – or at least second place and Champions League qualification. And at first they kept on chugging away without her: after losing their opening two games AU then won 12/13. But just before Hand returned they got knocked out of the cup and then lost 4-0 to KuPS. A couple of clean sheet wins steadied the ship but then three defeats in four games not only took second place out of the question but it had them worried about dropping even further down. However a 3-0 win against PK-35 Vantaa has now secured those bronze medals.
Jacqui Hand has missed a third of the season due to the World Cup plus a couple of injuries... and to be honest she hasn’t had the same impact since returning from what was a very impressive WWC2023. No goals or assists since June. Bit of a bummer how things have just fizzed out there. AU have one more game to go this season and while it won’t make a difference to their season, it’s possible it could be Jacqui Hand’s last for the club if she decides to move on to bigger things.
Up Next: KuPS vs AU at 1am on Sunday (NZT)
Logan Rogerson & Ollie Whyte - FC Haka (Finnish Veikkausliiga)
LR helping apply the final touches to a 2-0 win for Haka against KTP. Never more dangerous than when you get him on the counter attack.
FC Haka were in a horrid place when they were knocked out of Europa Conference League qualifying and sitting deep in a relegation battle domestically but since then they’ve steadily turned things around. Only one loss in their last ten matches. Constantly ticking over points, that’s how it’s done. They’ll be back in the Veikkausliiga again next season. Nothing to worry about there.
Up Next: Oulu vs Haka in the last game of the season, after the int break, on 22 October at 1am (NZT)
Corban Piper - Wexford (League of Ireland First Division)
Up Next: Wexford vs Cobh Ramblers at 3am on Monday (NZT)
Myer Bevan - Cavalry FC (Canadian Premier League)
That was the one. A convenient deflection to aid a very good finisher - always handy when luck is on your side. That goal was number 11 for the season and helped clinch a 3-0 win against Pacific FC in the final round of the CPL regular season. Cavalry have already secured top spot from the round robin so they didn’t need to go hundies for this one... but then again Bevan did have a golden boot to win.
11 didn’t get it outright. Bevan does still have to share the trophy. However he shares it with Ollie Bassett of Atletico Ottawa... a Northern Irishman who once played for Team Wellington where he and Bevan were rivals during MB’s time at Auckland City. Bevan won the golden boot in that season too (2019-20 in the old NZ Premiership).
With that in the bag, attention turns towards trying to win the Canadian Premier League. As league leaders, Cavalry go straight into the preliminary final against second-placed Forge with the winner advancing into the big decider and the loser getting another chance against whichever team of the 3-5 range progresses through the other games. Bassett’s team finished sixth so they’re already out.
Up Next: Preliminary final is on Sunday at 10am against Forge (NZT)
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