Stefan Marinovic – Vancouver Whitecaps (American Major League Soccer)

Some stuff happened here, mate. Very curious indeed. The Whitecaps were expected to build upon 2017’s playoff appearance but instead they’re lingering on the outside of contention, playing some annoyingly defensive footy and paying the price. So this week the club sacked manager Carl Robinson. The ex-Wales midfielder had been in charge since 2013 and in that time helped build the illustrious All Whitecaps, with Stefan Marinovic and Myer Bevan still remaining and Cory Brown contracted to their affiliate club in Fresno (where Beven is currently on loan).

As far as Big Stef goes, this shouldn’t make a difference. He’s the clear number one and will remain so. You could argue it’s a blow to Bevan’s chances at the club but then how many games has he played for the Caps this season? Zero, is how many. A change of coach might even be a blessing for him. Never nice to see a manager lose his job but this is the way of the footballing world.

Without him, Craig Dalrymple, VW Academy technical director, has taken over as the caretaker for the last five games of the season and his first gig was Zlatan Ibrahimović and the LA Galaxy. If the Whitecaps were looking for that new manager bounce then it wasn’t happening. They gave up a penalty with two minutes and Zlatan slotted it with force into his bottom left, Marinovic diving the right way but unable to get a hand to it. Basically the Caps played like a team with no confidence despite their playoff hopes hanging by a thread and Ibra tore them to shreds. He was unlucky not to make it two earlier but eventually this happened…

AFTN: “And in the 58th minute they did just that, and this time Ibrahimovic made no mistake, dropping a shoulder to fool Ghazal, making space for himself to fire one straight down the middle and past Marinovic. It was one the ‘Caps keeper should have done better with. Yes, it had some power, but it was straight down his throat.”

Yeah, Stef swiping at the shot and misjudging the line of it. Stand tall and he would’ve stopped it. Quarter of an hour to go the Galaxy won another spottie and for some reason Romain Alessandrini took it instead of Zlatan who was on a hatty and had won the kick but Alessandrini whacked it home all the same. Again Marinovic went the right way and again the kick was placed too well for him to have a chance. 3-0 to LAG and Vancouver are pretty much playing for pride from here on in.

EightySix Forever Report Card: “Stefan Marinovic - 4.0 - While you can’t fault him for giving away either penalty kick, and he did guess the right way on both, Zlatan’s second was a howler. He has to make that save, it was straight at him. While the defence in front of him was poor, his shot stopping wasn’t much better.”

Up Next: Away to Toronto FC on Sunday at 10am (NZT)

Erin Nayler – Girondins Bordeaux (French Division 1 Féminine)

Erin Nayler had to be on her game early against Dijon as she denied a ninth minute free kick, turning it away for a corner. It’d been a very good start for FCGB this season but this was going to be another tricky one. Sure enough, from the resulting corner Dijon took the lead. Nayler caught out hovering at the near post as the ball was lifted over her and smacked in from a little scramble at the other post.

A bit more glove work kept the score at 0-1 going into the half but it was the frame of the goal that kept it there soon after the resumption. And then the drama happened. It had already been a game with plenty of chances at each end and Bordeaux had made a proper go at it trying to preserve their unbeaten start to the campaign. Five minutes to go and they finally got there. Brilliant curling free kick from Claire Lavogez and we were all tied up. But it wasn’t over. There was still time for Rose Lavaud to steal the points at the end, getting the decisive touch on another free kick, this one being smashed in low, after the Dijon keeper had seen red for rushing out and clattering a Bordeaux striker. A 2-1 win for FCGB giving them 10 points from four games already and they’re sitting third behind the two super clubs in France. Excellent form from the Footy Ferns number one.

And, check it out, that incredible one-handed save from last week earned Erin her first nod on the ol’ Saves of the Week compo. First place and everything.

Up Next: International break and then Bordeaux vs Guingamp at 1.30am on Sunday 14 Oct (NZT)

Chris Wood – Burnley (English Premier League)

Cardiff haven’t won a thing since getting promoted so Burnley, having put a halt to their own winless streak, came into this one with winning expectations. They also came into it with Chris Wood on the bench so details can be scarcer. Johann Berg Gudmundsson was the star. He scored one goal and set up another in a 2-1 victory.

After a grinding first half full of long balls and scarce quality, Burnley took the lead through Gudmundsson six minutes into the second half. Cardiff hit back quickly through Josh Murphy’s excellent strike but Joe Hart denied him a second and then Guddy put one on a plate for Sam Vokes to score off his head. This takes us through to 71 mins played and immediately after the winning goal, Woody was subbed on in place of Matej Vydra.

The Woodsman didn’t have much to do here. Cardiff were only ever a rare threat and he only touched the ball nine times in his cameo. No shots. In fact Burnley only had three shots in total and somehow managed to win while Cardiff pegged off 19 and didn’t even look like much of a worry most of the time – and Joe Hart was good enough the other times. Tee Woodsman’s been playing off the bench more often than not lately but he did start midweek against Burton in the League Cup in a rotated XI… but they lost 2-1 so the less said the better. Needs a few goals to go in, does Woody.

Up Next: Home to Huddersfield on Saturday at 3am (NZT)

Hannah Wilkinson & CJ Bott – Vittsjö GIK (Swedish Damallsvenskan)

Bloody refs, aye? Vittsjö could use a bit of that at the moment too, another loss this week (to FC Rosengård, Ali Riley’s old club) means it’s now been five games without a win. An Anja Mittag double did the business for the Rosies, with the first coming in first half stoppage time. Hannah Wilkinson was introduced at the break to join CJ Bott out there and Alexandra Benediktsson soon tied things up but Mittag bagged the winner in the 62nd minute. Vittsjö are only out of the drop zone on goal difference at the moment.

Up Next: Away to Jitex in the Swedish Cup on Thursday at 5.30am (NZT)

Marco Rojas – sc Heerenveen (Dutch Eredivisie)

Minutes are proving as hard to come by for Marco as they did this time a year ago but thank Cruyff for the cup games. With Heerenveen travelling to play lower league Katwijk in the KNVB Cup, Marco Rojas was picked to start out on the wing. No real chances to score for him, though he buzzed around and tried to get involved before he was subbed off in the 78th minute. Despite the difference between the two teams in the league, Heerenveen were sloppy in front of goal and Katwijk were happy to sit deep and try to pounce on the break. It was a very blatant 0-0 and off we went to extra time. Heerenveen began to step it up and finally, just as it was feeling like they might run out of time, Sam Lammers curled one in off his left foot and sc Heerenveen advanced. Which is cool because that next round is a chance for Marco to impress, fingers crossed.

Then on the weekend Marco was back to his unused sub reality as Heerenveen struggled to put away their chances (again) in a 1-1 draw at home against ADO Den Haag. Them being a team that Rojas has fond memories of having scored a double against them in a 2-0 win last season. Bit stink then that he didn’t get a role to play.

Up Next: Sunday at 7.45am, away to De Graafschap (NZT)

Michael Boxall – Minnesota United (American Major League Soccer)

Sometimes two shots on target is all you need. Angelo Rodriguez scored twice in the first half against NYC FC and even after Collen Warner was sent off in the second half it wasn’t until injury time that Rodney Wallace got New York on the board, by then it was too late. A 2-1 win for The Loons who have now won back to back games despite getting reds in each.

A bit of top shelf defence and the points were safe. Just a shame they lost the clean sheet at the end. Michael Boxall deserves better, Michael Boxall always deserves better.

Zone Coverage Player Ratings: “CB Michael Boxall, 7 — It’s becoming more an more likely that this central pairing will carry over to next season. Both look increasingly comfortable together and both have been solid for long stretches of the campaign.”

Up Next: Philly vs Minny, Sunday at 12.30pm (NZT)

Ria Percival – West Ham United (English Super League)

That’s what we’re talking about. Full game and maximum points for Ria Percival. Leanne Kirnan scored first for West Ham in the 67th minute before Ellie Mason equalised with a dozen to play. Far from getting disheartened, West Ham took the lead straight back thanks to Rosie Kmita and that’s a first win of the WSL season for the Hammers after a couple close ones, drawing with Reading and losing 4-3 to Arsenal. Both commendable results, plus they’ve been sharp in the WSL Cup. Yeovil aren’t up to much having gone nearly two years without a win and regularly getting pumped by the top teams but West Ham still needed that win.

Big shame for Yeovil though, a team that we should now care a bit about after they gave kiwi footy player Monique Fischer a pro debut two weeks back. Fischer has an incredible story, a former telly journalist for TVNZ who shipped off to the UK last year to chase the dream. She played a bit for Cardiff Met and trialled with a few other clubs and now here she is popping up for Yeovil. She came off the bench for 23 minutes in a 4-0 defeat against Spurs before starting against Arsenal and playing 72 minutes before being replaced with injury. And that’s where we’re at now. Fischer, who has represented Samoa internationally, busted her collarbone and will miss the next six weeks – starting with the loss to West Ham. Here’s hoping for a swift recovery.

Up Next: Away to Man City on October 15 at 12.30am (NZT)

Emma Rolston & Meikayla Moore – MSV Duisburg (German Frauen-Bundesliga)

A couple 4-0 defeats is no way to start a happy Bundesliga season but with the chance to get the train back on the tracks at home against Werder Bremen, MSV Duisburg did exactly that. Emma Rolston didn’t play but Meikayla Moore got the start as she has done in all three league games so far and she cashed in with Duisburg’s first clean sheet of the 2018-19 Bundesliga. It began with Yvonne Zielinski’s goal in the 12th minute before Lina Hausicke’s first half red card really gave MSV the advantage. Lisa Marie Makas and Dörthe Hoppius added goals in the back 45 and, bingo, there’s that first win of the league campaign.

Up Next: Freiburg vs Duisburg, 1am on Monday 15 October (NZT)

Ali Riley – Chelsea FC (English Super League)

It was hoped that Ali might be back for the second leg against Sarajevo in the Champions League but she wasn’t and they won 6-0 anyway, an 11-0 aggregate win to advance. But all goods because she cracked her first matchday squad a few days later – named on the bench for Chelsea’s league game against Brighton.

All those goals in the Champions League were one thing but after three league games without a goal they clearly needed the confidence. Sure enough, after breaking through in the midweek, Fran Kirby and Erin Cuthbert both scored late in the first half to give CFC the lead. They should’ve won by more, it was incredible that they didn’t add to that tally, but 2-0 was a good enough result in the end. A much needed win and even though Ali Riley didn’t get on the park she’s officially ready to roll again after a much delayed start to life as a Blue. Chelsea have now gone seven straight games in all comps without conceding a goal.

Also, here’s one to peruse for a little inspiration…

Up Next: International break followed by Chelsea vs Arsenal at 2am on Monday 15 Oct (NZT)

Winston Reid – West Ham United (English Premier League)

Something to think about…

Up Next: Nothing for at least a few more weeks yet

Kyle Adams – Rio Grande Valley vs Myer Bevan & Cory Brown – Fresno FC (American United Soccer League)

It’s not often you get three kiwis starting in a game but here we were. Kyle Adams at CB for the RGV Toros, having firmly re-established himself there following a bit of hot form, up against Myer Bevan up front and Cory Brown on the left of a back three for Fresno. Neither team’s really been up to much in 2018 but RGV got the laughs on this day with a 2-1 win.

Up Next: Fresno vs Colorado Springs on Saturday at 3pm and RGV are away to Tulsa on Sunday at 1pm (NZT)

Clayton Lewis – Scunthorpe United (English League One)

It was only a midweek friendly but Clayton Lewis came on at HT of the game against Doncaster with the score at 0-2 to the home side and within ten minutes his team were leading, Clay playing a bit of a crucial part in the third goal too. The Iron went on to win it 4-2. A good 45 minutes hopefully positions him to get a few more opportunities soon. The proper Scunthorpe team went on to draw 0-0 with Burton on the weekend and are currently tenth on the League One ladder.

Up Next: Home to Charlton, 7.45am on Wednesday (NZT)

Tommy Smith, Kip Colvey & Deklan Wynne – Colorado Rapids (American Major League Soccer)

You may be interested in a quick squizz at this old thing…

… and having read that you may be interested to know that the Rapids lost 4-0 this week to Seattle Sounders on Sunday arvo. Things are not getting better. The only good news was that Deklan Wynne’s ridiculous red card last week was rescinded by an independent panel after the Rapids challenged the ruling so he was available to play and play he did, getting all ninety of the horrid thing. Same as Tommy Smith.

It was only 1-0 at the break, Raul Ruidiaz with a 21st minute strike after a couple cutbacks had taken advantage of Colorado’s rubbish midfield failing to track runs and their deeply held defensive line allowing space to shoot. Same old story, really. Nic Lodeiro’s penalty early in the second half was perhaps a tad unlucky, looked like he might’ve actually tripped over his own feet, then Tim Howard almost saved it too. But the second goal is always the killer for Anthony Hudson teams. Ruidiaz added another in the 73rd and then Victor Rodriguez completed the rout with ten mins remaining. Tommy Smith picked up a yellow in the first half. It was probably the Flying Kiwis highlight of the game.

The Rapids are now on a six game losing streak in which they’ve scored once and conceded nineteen. They’ve already had an eight game losing streak in 2018. Praying for the season to end at this point.

Burgundy Wave: “This afternoon’s effort is what happens when the season is almost over, everything is terrible, and a team is just getting outplayed week after week. When your coach doesn’t set you up for success and you’re playing teams with legit offenses and defenses, I’d imagine that would be pretty disheartening. The players have done the best they can all year, and I genuinely feel bad for them.

I can’t say for certain whether or not Hudson has lost the locker room, but at this point, it wouldn’t come as a surprise. I think the new players have always been on board with his philosophy and program, but given that the majority of players from last year have left, been traded, or mysteriously don’t put in the effort anymore, I’m not sure they were ever all that convinced.”

Up Next: Colorado vs LAFC, Sunday at 2pm (NZT)

Elliot Collier – Indy Eleven (American United Soccer League)

Nooice.

Up Next: Indy Eleven vs Bethlehem Steel, Sunday at 12pm (NZT)

 Abby Erceg – North Carolina Courage (American National Women’s Soccer League)

That’s an entire article (it’s been a great week for extra-curricular Flying Kiwis reads) going on about what an incredible season Abby Erceg has had for the Courage this year and it’s been so incredible that even that article was out of date in a couple places within days because soon enough afterwards Abby Erceg was hailed by the league as the NWSL Defender of the Year. A massive honour and an unprecedented one for a kiwi in this competition. Erceg is relentless in her success.

And somehow we’re not even done here either. Capping off one of the great single seasons in kiwi football history, Abby’s gone and re-signed for 2019 with the Courage as she seeks to do it all over again.

Abby Erceg: “Re-signing was an easy decision. Taking into consideration our success, the culture of the team and the support we receive, it left me very little option other than to sign for as long as I possibly could. I’m excited for the seasons ahead.”

Paul Riley, NCC head coach: “Fantastic for our club to ink our leader and defensive general. Ability is what you're capable of doing. Motivation determines what you do. Attitude determines how well you do it. She is a thoroughbred in every department and has been an integral part of the Courage success story. Look forward to continuing the journey with such a fabulous player, selfless leader and true professional.”

Up Next: A bit of well-earned rest wouldn’t go astray

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