Flying Kiwis – July 31
Katie Rood – Bristol City (English Super League)
Some great news on the transfer front this week, so much to keep up with. Let’s start with Katie Rood who, after a year as a foundation player with the Juventus women’s team, has decided to seek more regular playing time elsewhere with the World Cup coming up next year. Katie’s time with Juve was massively successful in terms of trophies but not so much with getting regular minutes so it all makes sense. It had already been suggested she was off to England. Now it’s been announced that she’s signed with Bristol City.
Don’t be put off by the men’s side at Bristol City not having played in the top tier in England since 1980, their women’s side sits handily in the Women’s Super League – the highest division in the country and one of the most competitive leagues in the world. They finished eight last season, one place ahead of Olivia Chance’s Everton. Meaning that Katie joins the growing ranks of kiwis in the WSL, also including Anna Green at Reading and Ali Riley at defending champs Chelsea. Gotta be rather excited about that new season.
Katie Rood: “The women’s super league is an exciting league to come in to and I feel as though I’m at a great club. There is a great sense of ambition here at Bristol and a strong long-term plan put in place by Tanya. Being a professional footballer you get very lucky to experience different countries and each country possesses a different style of play so I’m looking forward to adapting to the challenges that come with the English game.”
Up Next: Season begins in September
Aimee Phillips – Cardiff Met WFC (Welsh Premier League)
Next up how about Aimee Phillips trading Serbia and Spartak Subotica for Wales and Cardiff Met? Aimee was playing games and scoring goals in Serbia so this is very much a sideways move, joining the defending champs in Wales (the club’s fifth championship). Same as how Spartak Subotica won the title in Serbia then.
What that means is there’s no sacrifice in terms of Champions League footy. In fact Cardiff, who have made a bit of a transfer push lately, also signing Americans Maddie Schupbach and Olivia Thompson as well as Englishwoman Aimee Dagnall (this after six new signings the week before), have their first match in UCL qualifying away to Olimpia Cluj (Romania) in a week’s time. They’ll also play WFC Kharkiv (Ukraine) and Birkirkara FC (Malta) in their qualifying group, with all three of those games being hosted in Vysokiy, Ukraine over a seven day period.
The group winners advance to the round of 32, joined by the two best second-place finishers of the ten groups (only counting games against the first and third placed teams, presumably in case there’s a real battler in there that’d skew things). Then the Welsh WPL begins in early September.
Up Next: Olimpia Cluj vs Cardiff Met, Tuesday at 8pm (NZT)
Hannah Wilkinson & CJ Bott – Vittsjö GIK (Swedish Damallsvenskan)
And another one. CJ Bott’s USV Jena team in Germany were relegated last season so it made sense that she was on the lookout for something new and here we go, linking up with Hannah Wilkinson at Vittsjö GIK in Sweden. CJ’s signed for the remainder of the 2018 season but it’s said that might be extended if she goes good. This from the club’s website:
svenskalag.se: “CJ Bott is a New Zealand player who joins from FF USV Jena in the German Bundesliga. CJ, according to Matt Ross (the club’s manager), is a tough and aggressive defensive player who has represented New Zealand at both Junior and Senior levels. She balances her aggressive playing style with intelligence and willingness to contribute to the attack. CJ is a strong player who will be dangerous in forward situations.”
Up Next: The team’s in friendly mode at the moment ahead of the resumption of the Swedish league next Monday away to Linköping (NZT)
Amber Hearn - EDF Logroño (Spanish Liga Iberdrola)
But wait we’re not done yet. Three kiwis played in the women’s Bundesliga last season and all three were relegated. Meikayla Moore made the parallel jump to MSV Duisburg to ensure she stayed in the division while CJ Bott, as you read above, has linked up with Hannah Wilkinson in Sweden with Vittsjö. Now Amber Hearn has packed up for Spain with news that she’s joined EDF Logroño, bringing some serious experience to a team preparing for their first season in the top flight. Can’t argue with that. Very exciting move after several years in Germany.
Up Next: Still more than a month before the first game but preseason is underway
Stefan Marinovic – Vancouver Whitecaps vs Michael Boxall – Minnesota United (American Major League Soccer)
Two of New Zealand’s finest exports going head to head, Stefan Marinovic versus Michael Boxall, but this one was all about a Canadian teenager instead. Alphonso Davies broke the MLS record fee when he signed with Bayern Munich for US $22m. He doesn’t join the Bavarian superclub until January so days after meeting up with Bayern in Philadelphia, where they’re on preseason, he was back in Vancouver and lighting it up with two incredible goals. If you didn’t know him before then you damn sure know him now. And since this is supposed to be about kiwi footballers, here’s Big Stef’s take on the lad.
Stefan Marinovic: “He is the fastest player in the MLS — brutally fast. And strong with the ball at his feet and unpredictable for the defense. He has an enormous pull toward the goal. As a player, a little like Robben. He’s a really exciting player. And he has so much potential; he will still get much better.”
And Big Stef would know a thing or two as well, given that he used to play in Munich when he was at Unterhaching before moving to Vancouver.
“I don’t know if he likes pork knuckle and white sausages. But Munich is comparable to Vancouver, he'll like it! He definitely has to prepare for the leather pants. And I'll tell him to go to the English Garden with some friends, swim in the Eisbach.”
Anyway, back to the game it was Yordy Reyna who scored a banger to get Vancouver up 1-0 at the break. Still a tight game that could go either way but then Davies got to work. A disgusting turnover of possession in his own half with a blind backheel from Ibson gave the 17 year old the ball and he shaped up on Mike Boxall, who’d brought his usual physical efforts to try shut this guy down. For the most part that’d worked. He wasn’t one of the defenders who got scooped for Reyna’s goal. But he fell for Davies’ trick hook line and sinker. Mate, this was silky.
Boxall of course used to play for the Whitecaps once upon a time. Alphonso Davies had no idea when he was asked about it though. No surprise since he was, like, 11 years old back then.
AD: “I didn’t even know he played for the Whitecaps! I tried to get past him, he’s a big boy and I’m kind of small. So, he bodied me and I was going to turn around and walk away but then he shoved me and I was like ‘whoa, what’s going on.’ I think they’re trying to go at me in the game, I’m not sure they were but it looked like that.”
That made it 2-0 and eight minutes later Davies had his second assist of the day when he set up Kei Kamara on the break. Two goals in five minutes late on got Minny back in the game, Marinovic losing his clean sheet, but then Davies scored another stunner to kill it off. No skinning of Mikey this time but every other defender was left on skates. 4-2 was the final score.
Having said that, Marinovic did keep a clean sheet in a cup game midweek, as Vancouver earned a spot in the Canadian Championship final with a 2-0 win over Montreal in the second leg, bouncing back from defeat in the away leg. Myer Bevan didn’t make the squad, they played a pretty strong team with a place in the final on the line. Back to the weekend’s festivities then.
Zone Coverage Player Ratings: “Michael Boxall, 5 — Held his own numerous times going up against one of the brightest young prospects in world football and did really well to adapt on the fly and play right back impromptu. Still, all three United center backs found themselves dribbled around more than they’d ever like to see on a regular basis.”
Mike Boxall: “What can I say that hasn’t been said. I think he’s got a massive future and it’s really up to him how far he goes. He’s got a great opportunity ahead of him and all the best. I think first half, he didn’t cause too much trouble. I think every time I was up against him I kind of won the ball or stuck with what he was trying to do. With him, if you stay on your feet, you give yourself a chance and then just lapse of concentration. And diving in, in the second half, and if you do that as he’s shown in the season and if you dive in like tonight, he’s going to make you pay.”
Up Next: Vancouver Whitecaps are away to NYC FC on Sunday at 12pm and Minnesota United are at home to Seattle Sounders at the exact same time (NZT)
Chris Wood – Burnley (English Premier League)
Yeah so that’s how the new campaign began for Woody. Contrary to reports in NZ, this was not his Europa League debut. Not even close. He played six times in the Europa League for Birmingham back in 2011-12, scoring two goals. But Burnley were playing their first European footy in half a century so a big occasion all the same and pleasing to see Sean Dyche play a strong XI, Woody included, to try get the win in Aberdeen.
They didn’t win. They needed a late Sam Vokes goal to save a draw. But that away goal puts them in good shape for the home leg. Gary Mackay-Steven's penalty in the 19th minute was Aberdeen’s contribution to the scoreboard. Burnley keeper Nick Pope was subbed off early with what sounds like a serious injury and he could miss a chunk of the season.
Notice Chris Wood’s physical presence playing a huge part in the levelling goal too. Might even get an assist for that sucker.
Lancashire Telegraph Player Ratings: “Chris Wood 6 - Won the first header to set up Vokes’ goal but was a frustrating night until then. One long-range drive over but looked better with Vokes alongside him.”
Up Next: Friday at 6.45am against Aberdeen (NZT)
Abby Erceg – North Carolina Courage (American National Women’s Soccer League)
The international break meant no NWSL this week and the one game that was supposed to happen – Rosie White’s Chicago Red Stars vs Rebekah Stott’s Sky Blue – was cancelled because of flight delays. But the Courage kept themselves busy with the inaugural ICC Women’s Tour. Glorified friendlies is all… but it meant playing European giant clubs Paris Saint-Germain and Olympique Lyon (missing out on Manchester City who lost in the semi… of a four team tournament, whatevs). And guess what? They beat ‘em both!
Darian Jenkins’ late winner took care of PSG with a 2-1 win, the PSG goal being an own goal which explains Abby’s tweet later on. Then Heather O’Reilly’s early goal was the difference in a 1-0 win over Lyon. Enough to lift a trophy.
Up Next: NCC vs Portland, Monday at 10am (NZT)
Marco Rojas – sc Heerenveen (Dutch Eredivisie)
No preseason goals to bring you this week but Marco’s been working hard and getting ready for the new season after a strong finish to a difficult first season last time out. His personal goals, as he stresses in that video above: play more games and play to his best ability.
Rojas started their most recent friendly and played the first half before being replaced by Nemanja Mihajlovic. They were, ahem, already 5-0 down by half-time so not the best. Heerenveen went on to lose 8-2, up against German club Hoffenheim (who finished third in the Bundesliga last time and are into this season’s Champions League, so at least they’re decent).
There’s a bit more room in the frontline for Heerenveen now with Martin Ødegaard back at Real Madrid with his loan finished (it was an injury to Ødegaard that opened the door up to Rojas to feature late in the last campaign) and Reza Ghoochannejhad having moved to APOEL Nicosia. Plus fellow striker Henk Veerman is being rumoured away. PSV’s Sam Lammers is on loan and looking to make a name for himself as a striker in the Eredivise but he’s the only attacking transfer coming in so far. Still some decent wing options to compete with, Mihajlovic and Arber Zeneli for example, but Rojas should at least be making that bench every week. Rojas, Lammers and Zeneli were the front three against Hoffenheim.
Up Next: Eredivisie kicks on for Heery on Saturday 11 August away to PEC Zwolle at 6am (NZT)
Jeremy Brockie – Mamelodi Sundowns (South African Premier Soccer League)
Sundowns got their Champions League stuff back on track with a 2-1 win over Togo-Port at home. Gaston Sirino and Sibusiso Vilakazi scored early and it wasn’t until the 87th minute that Kokou Kloulpo pulled one back for the visitors. Brockie didn’t score but he did start and play 86 minutes. Almost got his goal too, almost…
Times.za: “Jeremy Brockie was unlucky not to register his first official goal for Sundowns after 25 minutes as his close range shot rebounded off the outstretched legs of Ayao after Sirino supplied him with the ball inside the box.”
Up Next: Sundowns vs Kaizer Chiefs, Sunday at 1am (NZT)
Jake Gleeson & Bill Tuiloma – Portland Timbers (American Major League Soccer)
The Timbers won. Fanendo Adi scored off the bench against the Houston Dynamo in his last appearance for the team having since completed his transfer to FC Cincinnati. An 80th minute goal to cap an entertaining game with a 2-1 win. But Tui and Glees were both unused subs so we’ll keep the train rolling.
Up Next: Home to Philly at 3pm on Sunday (NZT)
Tommy Smith – Colorado Rapids (American Major League Soccer)
New formations and players returning from injury have dropped Deklan Wynne to the bench – although to be fair he’s already played more than anyone anticipated he would this season. Tommy Smith keeps chilling in the starting team though. Which means he got to be on hand to be beaten by Wayne Rooney for the winning goal in a 2-1 loss to DC United. Rooney held off Smith with his run and then slipped it through Tim Howard’s legs (another ex-MUFC player). Number five in the pic is Smithy…
Rooney then had his nose broken in injury time but that wasn’t Smithy to blame. Kelly Acosta had equalised for the Rapids with their only shot on target (Huddo still Huddo) but Niki Jackson scored an own goal in injury time. Guts.
Earlier in the week there was much more fun as Kip Colvey was recalled to play alongside Deklan Wynne for Colorado in a friendly game against Boca Juniors. Colvey didn’t last too long into the game before he had to be replaced with a concussion, hopefully he’s okay, but Wynne battled away the whole game, scoring in the penalty shootout after a 2-2 draw as the Rapids won the spotties 5-4. Only a friendly but still a bit to build upon.
Around MLS Grades the Rapids Transfer Business…
Deklan Wynne (B): “On the one hand, he’s very involved and he wins balls, and on the other, he had some devastating early season mistakes. But from an FO perspective, he’s young (23 years old) cheap (league minimum salary) and he has performed above expectation. We will see going forward if he can be a lock-down defender for a playoff-level team, or if he’s reached his best level as low-cost roster filler.”
Tommy Smith (B+): “Tommy Smith is plus defender who also plays long passes quite well. Apparently he’s a key locker room guy too- vocal, energetic, and well-liked. His quality and experience after 11 years at English Championship club Ipswitch has translated well to MLS. He ventures forward in attack a lot; a tactic I’m still not sold on, but that’s less Pádraig Smith’s fault than Anthony Hudson’s. He, too, has been responsible for a number of lapses, including just this past week against RSL. That’s a reality of being a defender: you aren’t gonna get ‘em all right, and Tommy gets it right more often than not. To that point, he’s also been twice named to the MLS team of the week. He’s about what you’d expect for a guy making $600,000 this year. Good pick, Pádraig.”
Up Next: Colorado vs LA Galaxy, Sunday at 1pm (NZT)
Logan Rogerson - Carl Zeiss Jena (German 3. Liga)
Proof for y’all. And CZJ opened up their league season this weekend with a 3-2 win over Sonnenhof Großaspach. Rogerson started on the bench and was an 80th minute sub, coming on after his team had fallen 2-1 down a minute earlier. Then Manfred Starke added his second of the day and Dominik Bock bagged the winner in the sixth minute of injury time. Last kick of the game. Hell of an introduction for Loges.
Up Next: Away to Preußen Münster at midnight on Sunday (NZT)
Moses Dyer – Florø SK (Norwegian 1. Division)
From Manukau United to Florø in Norway. Moses trialled at a few clubs a year ago, including in Scandinavia, but couldn’t get that elusive contract offer. Now he’s gone and done it, joining the Flying Kiwis ranks. Florø compete in the second tier in Norway although were bottom of the league when he put pen to paper, but as he joked in his unveiling he worked in ‘demolition’ over the kiwi summer so this isn’t the first heavy task he’s taken on. Also having a laugh is new teammate Luc Jeggo, an Aussie who wanted the team to sign another of his compatriots, but when hearing they got a New Zealander instead he said “close enough”.
Didn’t take him long to make an impact either. Dyer was a half-time introduction off the bench against Tromsdalen in his first game (replacing Jeggo) and the 1-0 win, thanks to a 13th minute strike from Halvor Solheim-Olsen, broke a four game losing streak for the side. Gets them up off the bottom and into 14th, the relegation playoff spot. Only halfway through the season still. Moses has signed until the end of next year.
Up Next: Ullensaker/Kisa vs Florø, 4am on Monday (NZT)
Clayton Lewis – Scunthorpe United (English League One)
You can’t watch the video without subscribing but the headline (and the fact they made the vid at all) seems promising. Clayton played 87 minutes in a friendly against Notts Forest and then 15 mins against Lincoln City in friendlies this week. Signs are decent.
Up Next: Season starts away to Coventry on Sunday at 2am (NZT)
Laura Merrin - Fylde Ladies (English Premier League Northern Division)
Up Next: Preseason’s coming up
Nik Tzanev – AFC Wimbledon (English League One)
Up Next: Away to Fleetwood on Sunday at 2am (NZT)
Elliot Collier – Chicago Fire (American Major League Soccer)
Recent reinforcements have meant that Collier’s slipped back down the depth chart for Chicago, whose MLS form has been awful recently and they lost again on the weekend. 3-0 to Toronto this time. Collier wasn’t even on the bench and there appears to be a good reason for that.
One of those trades brought in Nico Hasler from Toronto, with fifth overall pick in 2018 Jon Bakero traded away as part of the deal. Bit of a surprise to part with a high pick after less than six months but the team’s general manager pumped up EC to defend the decision. But it sounds like Hasler’s gonna squeeze Collier out on loan so that’s what’s up right now.
President and General Manager Nelson Rodriguez: “In that (2018 MLS) draft, we also selected Diego Campos and Elliot Collier who for us, for the moment (of the trade) had outperformed Jon. As the season progressed and we got to the point where we are today and through the normal course of conversations that you have with teams, Toronto expressed an interest in him, they indicated that Nico Hasler might be available.”
Up Next: Well, we’ll see about that
Tyler Boyd – Vitória de Guimarães (Portuguese Primeira Liga)
Quick update here because Vitória have snuck in more friendly football ahead of the new season, which begins with a league cup game against the team that Boyd spent last season on loan with, and Tyler Boyd continues to start games and set up goals, assisting the first in a 4-0 win over Rio Ave. Boyd played 70 minutes and is winning over a lot of fans, not the least being club manager Luís Castro.
He had no guarantees when he came back to VSC but now looks to be a dead set in that squad for the upcoming term. Castro referred to his performance against Santa Clara as “monstrous”, having scored one and helped set up two other goals. With a contract running for two more years, this was a crucial opportunity to impress and so far so good on that account.
Now check this bad boy out, a big old profile of Tyler on Bancada.pt, in which they interview Alex Rufer amongst others to get a line on Master Boyd. Some valuable nuggets…
Alex Rufer: “He's a good friend of mine. Very down-to-earth and affectionate. I have a lot of respect for him.”
Miguel Palha: “I did not understand him very well [at first], since he was only fluent in English. It was all based on nodding his head, but he was not understanding anything of what I was saying. But even without our noticing, we would both begin to laugh in the car wherever we went.”
Joel Vieira: “He has opened himself with time. It's a shock. Fantastic person. Accessible, understanding and humble. He does not think of himself ahead of anyone else.”
Joel Vieira: “I think he plays well on both sides, but personally I like him better on the left because of the quality of the shot he has on his right foot. It's always dangerous when he cuts in on the dribble. Tyler is a smart player, with a lot of technical quality on both feet and who finishes very well. He likes to dribble and make breaks.”
If you can traverse the Google Translate barrier, or if you speak Portuguese, then it’s a bloody insightful article, actually. Really interesting to get the local perspective on his efforts from teammates of his, especially when what he does is usually framed in New Zealand (although not here, of course) in comparison to his exile from the national team. Which is something that the article addresses at the end – even down to the NZ media’s focus on that storyline. We already know that he’s focussing on establishing his club career in a notoriously brutal professional sport though it’s also added here that he’s been avoiding talking about it so as not to make headlines from the backlash… which is fair enough. Alex Rufer adds that the frustration back home is because we realise he’d be a key player if he did. And that ain’t wrong.
Up Next: Vitória vs Tondela, Next Tuesday at 7am (NZT)
Nikko Boxall – Viborg FF (Danish Division 1)
New season has begun for Boxall II, who got the full ninety for Viborg as they opened things up with a 0-0 draw against Nykøbing. It was a big preseason for them, logging wins on top of wins so they’ll be hoping to improve upon last season’s fourth placed finish and get up into that Superliga. Expect Nikko to be a key player this campaign.
Up Next: Away to HB Køge at 11.45pm on Sunday (NZT)
Erin Nayler – Girondins Bordeaux (French Division 1 Féminine)
Up Next: Game one of 2018-19 is away to Metz on Saturday 25 August (NZT)
Ryan de Vries – FC Gifu (Japanese J2-League)
It’s been tough going for FC Gifu lately. They’ve now lost three in a row and have only one win from their last eight games. But Ryan De Vries has been getting regular games and he finally got his first goal for them in a 3-2 defeat to Kamatamare Sanuki. The opening goal of the game but three second half goals against cost them all the points. De Vries was subbed off in the 71st min. Took him until his 16th game to score but he got there, sweet as.
Up Next: Tochigi vs Gifu, 10pm on Saturday (NZT)
Ali Riley – Chelsea FC (English Super League)
Still a while away from the new season in England but Ali’s debuted her new podcast in the meantime and it’s an absolute cracker. Such a natural with the mic in hand. First up is a great interview with Swedish midfielder and ex-teammate Caroline Seger, gotta give it a listen. Fingers crossed we get some Footy Ferns on there soon.
Up Next: Hopefully more poddies
USL Hombres
Kyle Adams (Rio Grande Valley) – Back in the starters at centreback as RGV beat Colorado 1-0 thanks to an 83rd min Pablo Aguilar goal. Love a clean sheet.
James Musa (Phoenix Rising) – Subbed off in the 72nd min of a crap one, Phoenix losing 4-1 to Real Monarchs, going down to ten men while it was still 2-0.
Trials of the Trialists
We’re running out of them now, with Logan Rogerson and Moses Dyer signing contracts. News isn’t as flash for a couple of the remaining folk however. Adams Mitchell is under contract at Bolton with their U23s but had been auditioning with Walsall for a spot in their senior team. He was one of a number of trialists there and…
… don’t get your hopes up. The two remaining dudes were Tomas Egert and Tom Brewitt. Which means that Mitchell was amongst the several others to get the thanks-but-no-thanks treatment. Back to Bolton it is then, no worries. Having said that, Egert gave away two penalties in their last friendly so you never know.
Max Mata has also ended his trial with Grasshopper Club Zürich after a month. Didn’t get that professional deal this time but it will have been a huge learning experience and he was straight back at it scoring goals for Onehunga Sports once he got back.