Flying Kiwis – December 23
Rebekah Stott – Melbourne City (Australian W-League)
What a strike. What an incredible... okay maybe not a flashy glamorous goal but a pretty crucial one from Rebekah Stott, being in the right place at the right time to tap in from extremely close range for the only goal as Melbourne City beat Perth Glory 1-0. Even after dozens of replays it’s still to see exactly whether she even touched the ball or not but she was credited with the goal so must’ve been a little glance in there.
It was a game typical of Melly City’s recent form. They controlled the ball, played most of the game in the other half on attack, but just couldn’t fashion the goals to reflect their dominance. Kyah Simon and Emily van Egmond each went close multiple times, although as City continued to be wasteful Perth began to threaten more and more on the counter attack. Crystal Thomas in particular. And then, finally, City took the lead...
W-League: “City broke the deadlock just after the hour mark after a superb free-kick from Australian vice-captain Catley. The City skipper stepped up from outside the box and rattled the underside of the crossbar, with Simon reacting quickest on the rebound, and the ball ultimately bundled over the line by Stott.”
Right on.
Stott had started in a back four with City changing things up for this clash, however coach Rado Vidosich made a substitution at half-time with Lauren Barnes coming on which signalled a switch to the back three they’ve been using in recent weeks and that seemed to do the trick. City had a number of chances to make it more comfortable with a second goal but comfort hasn’t been a focus of their season to date. Still, that’s five straight wins (all either 1-0 or 2-1) and they remain undefeated so to keep on winning ugly is hardly a problem. Western Sydney popped Sydney FC 5-0 too so Melbourne City are now three points clear at the top, albeit with WSW having a game in hand... which gets taken care of next week as City have their first bye.
The Women’s Game Player Ratings: “Rebekah Stott (7.5) - Plenty of involvement and deserved a goal.”
Up Next: Brisbane Roar vs Melbourne City, Thursday 2 January at 9.30pm (NZT)
Ali Riley – Bayern Munich (German Bundesliga)
That’s Aussie international Emily Gielnik playing the role of Santa’s lap there... a lovely bit of timing considering the recent announcement of the combine Australia/New Zealand bid for the 2023 Women’s World Cup. The Bayern women are on holiday now, the winter break has arrived and they won’t be back in action until February, with a fair bit of hefty training to take place between now and then. But Ali Riley’s still been popping up here and there in a bit of promo material.
Like this delightful chat with fellow Aotearoa/Bayern icon Sarpreet Singh. A couple New Zealanders, one the captain of the women’s team and one an emerging star in the men’s team, one born in California and one born in Auckland of Indian immigrant parents. It’s kinda crazy and beautiful how things all happen and coincide. Riley and Singh met with Bayern’s member magazine Säbener 51 pretty much to chat about Christmas and their own family traditions... all whilst getting involved a bit of curling.
A few highlights...
Sarpreet on chilly Germany...
Sarpreet: “When I decided to move to Germany, I knew that it could get cold in winter. I was prepared and got used to the conditions. I want to assert myself as a professional soccer player, because cold weather can not play a role. I just have to buy good winter clothing.”
Säbener 51: You already have the current FC Bayern winter collection ...
Sarpreet: (laughs) “Yes, very warm, very chic. Nothing can happen to me now.”
Ali on Christmas in different countries she’s lived in...
“In Sweden or England it is similar to here: Winterly cold, there are Christmas markets, Advent wreaths and candles, gingerbread. In Los Angeles, on the other hand, my parents and I usually do a little bike ride along the beach at Christmas. In shorts and t-shirts. I love the different cultures. Wonderful!. I learned to love winter in Sweden. I was there for six years and now also have a Swedish passport. The Christmas season is fantastic when it's really wintery. Everyone in Los Angeles is hanging out on the beach, which is cool, but when it gets so cozy because of the cold, people are looking for mulled wine and gingerbread, it is just a wonderful feeling. I also love the Christmas stories: Santa Claus, the reindeer - in Sweden they tell Santa Claus lives in Norway. It's so romantic - stories like that are far away in Los Angeles. I love the European winter feeling.”
Sarpreet on the first time he saw snow:
"I think I was ten years old. We played at a junior tournament in Japan. It was a fun experience. As a little boy, at the age of ten, snow for the first time - you don't mind the cold, you play in the snow, make snowballs and so on. I've also learned to love snow, although of course I prefer it to be warmer. I also don't mind playing football in the snow. Sometimes I even like it. It has a very specific note. There would be no point whining. I try to enjoy it. The secret is very simple: you just have to make sure that you are wearing the right clothes.”
How do your families celebrate Christmas?
Sarpreet: “We have a barbecue in my uncle's house, play games, talk, relax. With the meal there is steak, beef, sausages - everything that belongs on a grill. We go to the beach every now and then.”
Ali: “We go to church on Christmas Eve. My dad sings in the choir. On the morning of December 25th there will be a mess, after which we will go on our traditional bike tour, of which I have already told you. We have Santa hats on, even though it is warm. So we visit all the neighbours for a short hello. We always have a mix of food: pancakes, cinnamon buns and Mexican food - I love Tamales. Mexican food is very popular in the United States, especially California.”
What do you want for 2020?
Sarpreet: “Since my move in the summer, I have hoped for my debut in the Bundesliga. This wish has already been fulfilled in 2019. "
Ali: “I'm looking forward to the Olympic Games, that's a big deal for New Zealand. With Bavaria I want to win all the titles that are possible. And when Saddy says that every training session with Bayern is like Christmas for him, I can only confirm that. Or like a birthday. As a child I also played tennis, did swimming training and did gymnastics. But I love team sports. Football just gives me more. I think we have the best job in the world."
Also, they call Sarpreet Saddy over and over, which is kinda cool. Not as good as his Niche Cache nickname of Superstarpreet but perhaps a little more casual, to be fair. Saddy Singh’s heading back to Aotearoa for Christmas as we speak following Bayern’s final game of the year, while Ali Riley’s off to the Dominican Republic to meet up with her family there for a bit of sunny paradise.
Up Next: Festivities
Bill Tuiloma – Portland Timbers (American Major League Soccer)
Swish. What a strike.
There’s good reason for re-hashing that one too: Billy T’s signed a new contract. He’d already had his 2020 option picked up by the Timbers but they’ve just gone and trumped that with a multi-year extension that’ll keep him in Portland for the foreseeable future. Not sure what multi-year means specifically because there hasn’t been a number applied to it yet, presumably at least two years on top of next year? But regardless the 24 year old, who joined Portland back in 2017 and just had his best season yet, has thrived under the consistency offered at the club following an erratic time in France and this is clearly a good move for him.
Portland have also retained fellow CBs Larrys Mabiala and Julio Cascante, while signing Croatian defender Dario Zuparic to add to the crew. So a full-time starting gig probably won’t be a given, though Tuiloma’s already proved himself a versatile bench option for the Timbers in the past. Plus he’s still relatively young in his career, especially as a central defender, which means plenty more room to improve. His kiwi GM sure reckons so, as does his coach...
Timbers GM Gavin Wilkinson: “Bill is an ascending young player who has a very bright future. He has played his way into becoming a fixture along the back line and we are delighted to secure his services for years to come.”
Timbers head coach Giovanni Savarese: “We feel very excited that Bill will continue as part of the Portland Timbers family. He is a defender with a lot of quality who can be versatile. He has worked hard to be an important player and still has the potential to grow.”
Playmaker Diego Valeri has also been re-signed, as has goalie Steve Clark. There’s a definite plan to prioritise continuity despite an inconsistent 2019 campaign, hoping that better luck with fitness and a couple key additions can get them back to the level that they were at in 2018 when they made the 2018 MLS final. All good trends for Bill Tuiloma.
Timbers.com: “With Mabiala and Cascante slated to return for the 2020 season, and Croatian Dario Zuparic added to the squad this offseason, that time on the field is not assured, though nor is Tuiloma’s path confined to that central defender role. The Timbers coaching staff remains intrigued by what Tuiloma can contribute in midfield, where his history as a ball-winner and his skill with long passes give Savarese & Co. a robust, regista option. Likewise, with the backup spot at right back currently unaccounted for on the depth chart, he and Marco Farfan could yet see minutes spelling the team’s first choice, Jorge Moreira.”
Stumptown Footy: “Fans generally agree that one of the more steady center back pairings last season was Bill Tuiloma alongside Larrys Mabiala. It will be interesting now to see how the battle for starting spots and chemistry along the backline progresses this offseason. It’s uncertain whether Tuiloma and Mabiala will come out of that battle as the first-choice center back pairing, now that Dario Zuparic is in the fold and Julio Cascante is back from injury. One thing that can be certain though is that Ol’ Bill will be indeed part that battle, new contract in hand.”
Up Next: The draw’s just been released and Portland opens their 2020 season at home versus Michael Boxall and Minnesota United at 1.30pm on 2 March (NZT)
Annalie Longo – Melbourne Victory (Australian W-League)
Ninety more minutes for Annalie Longo as the Victory hosted Brisbane Roar, however it was another frustrating one for the team as they again struggled for goals. The game was supposed to be played on Saturday but the heat was so bad that they delayed it until 10.30am the next morning, so maybe that was part of the issue. Victory started okay with Natasha Dowie and Darian Jenkins offering a threat but as the half went on it was more and more Brisbane Roar, although Victory keeper Casey Dumont kept up her top form to keep it nice and even at the break.
And then after the break too. The Victory really had to scramble for a lot of that second half but Natasha Dowie did get in behind the defence in the final minute with the chance for a real pick-pocketed three points but she lost her nerve and shot too early, hitting her attempt straight at the keeper who didn’t have to move. 0-0 was the final score, which means that the Victory have still only won once this season... which was against the Roar the first time they played them.
Up Next: Perth Glory vs Melbourne Victory, Sunday at 12.15am (NZT)
Chris Wood - Burnley FC (English Premier League)
Last week’s game against Newcastle was a real snoozer but it was salvaged by a Chris Wood winning goal. This week, away to Bournemouth, not even an 89th minute winner from Jay Rodriguez, Burnley with their second 1-0 win in a row, could quite erase the sheer paint-drying boredom of what preceded it.
Chris Wood was fit to start having missed training on Thursday with a sore achilles. In fact he’d end up playing ninety minutes even despite that, with Ashley Barnes subbed off with quarter of an hour to play for the eventual goal-scorer Jay Rod. But it wasn’t a memorable one. Burnley clearly had a plan to hit Bournemouth early in their possessions so there were plenty of long balls to deal with and Woody did alright on that end, he always does. But in ninety minutes he attempted nine passes and had zero shots – although there was one of those scuffy cross-shot things. To be fair there were only five shots combined between the two teams in the entire game so yeah... horrid football.
Also horrid weather which contributed to the lack of spectacle. Bournemouth and Burnley have had similar rises in recent years but very different styles to get there. Bournemouth more of a modern passing team, Burnley playing that old school footy. Those two elements kinda cancelled out here as Bournemouth knocked the ball around but couldn’t do anything with it against a brick wall Burnley defence while Burnley were dominant in the air across the park but didn’t have the quality to make it count... until right at the very end. Jay Rodriguez with the back post header from another excellent Ashley Westwood cross, the only shot on target of the match, and the Clarets had three points. Hey, they all count. Burnley now get to feast upon their Christmas dinner ahead of Arsenal on the Premier League ladder.
Up Next: Everton vs Burnley, Friday at 4am (NZT)
Hannah Wilkinson - Sporting CP (Portuguese 1a Divisão)
A bit of cup footy to close the year and... yup, another Hannah Wilkinson goal. At home against Ouriense (who they beat 2-0 away in the league the previous game), it was still scoreless at the break but a brilliant and opportunistic Carolina Mendes goal ten minutes into the second half opened things up. Wilkie was subbed on in the 68th minute and soon enough she scored the second to really punch Sporting’s place in the fourth round, a powerful header of course. They then scored three more late goals as the visitors crumbled. The fifth of which was delivered with the class of the wine menu at a fine restaurant by Hannah Wilkinson out on the left wing. A goal and an assist and a 5-0 cup win, happy holidays indeed.
Up Next: Away to Sporting Braga at 1.15am on Monday 6 January (NZT)
Sarpreet Singh - Bayern Munich (German Bundesliga)
A fourth straight appearance in a matchday squad... but no run out for Sarpreet Singh. Instead it was Leon Dajaku’s turn for a first team Bayern debut under Hansi Flick’s interim leadership while Joshua Zirkzee again came off the bench to score a crucial goal. The young fella bagged one midweek against Freiburg in stoppage time to put Bayern up 2-1 in a game they’d end up winning 3-1 and then here he scored in the 85th minute to break the deadlock against Wolfsburg before Serge Gnabry added a sealer in the 89th for a 2-0 win.
Those two wins help steady things for Bayern as they head into the winter break, no more games for a month now. Steady enough that Hansi Flick has had it confirmed that he’ll stay on as manager “at least until the end of the season”. They’ve won eight out of ten since Flick took over which has Bayern back up to third at Christmas, four points behind leaders RB Leipzig. But it’s not only results, they’ve also been playing a more uptempo and exciting style of footy under Flick which has pleased both fans and the club hierarchy.
And as far as Sarpreet Singh’s concerned the more Hansi the better as he’s shown a serious intent to give opportunities to young players, an intent that’s already been rewarded with those two Zirkzee goals. Three of the last four Bayern games have seen a youngster given a debut. Zirkzee got his first senior appearance against Spurs in the Champions League and has since come off the bench twice more and scored crucial both times. Sarpreet Singh got his turn next up against Werder Bremen. The game against Freiburg didn’t offer up anyone new but then there was Leon Dajaku’s cameo against Wolfsburg. Oliver Batista Meier has also been on the bench in two of those four games (Singh and Zirkzee were picked in all four, while Dajaku’s featured in the last sub lineups).
You may recall that Flick promoted four youth stars to train full time with the first team over the month of December... those four players were Singh, Zirkzee, Meier, and Dajaku. Three of the quartet have already been given debuts. All under the guidance of Hansi Flick. After the break the injuries won’t be so piled up which means these opportunities won’t be as common but Flick’s shown a willingness to look in that direction when needed. Good for Saddy.
And thanks to way the fixtures worked out we got one more bonus effort with the reserves, who played a day later a home against Wurzburger Kickers. Their own last game before the winter break and it wasn’t only Sarpreet Singh getting a run, Josh Zirkzee also made a headline bow while Leon Dajaku and Lars Lukas Mai also started here after being regulars on the bench for the Bundesliga team in recent times. Ollie Meier was an unused sub. He’s used to that.
There was late drama in this one as a Kwasi Wreidt goal with ten minutes to go was swiftly cancelled out by Leroy Kwadwo... though all the Sarpreet stuff happened in the first half. He lost the ball poorly in midfield which led to the first major chance of the game for der Kickers, the ball ending up in the side-netting, but he made amends with a wonderful through ball to Zirkzee who was unable to score one on one with the keeper.
Then the real madness. Singh had seemingly been caught on the edge of the area by a sliding challenge which wasn’t called a foul. His touch had been heavy so the ball was there to win, however der Kickers then ran off on the counter, so Singh had to get up and rush back. He reached out and tripped the fella to stop the attack. Happy to take a yellow for the team... except the card that came out was painted red instead. Much to his shock.
Even with ten men Bayern were still able to create a few things and take the lead, but yeah they didn’t hold it long. Couldn’t win a header at the back and it ended 1-1. Not bad after playing the entire second half with ten men to be fair. Unfortunately that’ll probably mean a suspension when the league resumes in a month, although not sure how that works between the first team and reserves. They’ve got plenty of time to appeal now at least... it looked pretty harsh.
Up Next: Hertha vs Bayern, January 20 at 3.30am (NZT)
Ryan Thomas – PSV Eindhoven (Dutch Eredivisie)
PSV.nl: “Jorrit Hendrix has returned to full training. The midfielder is fit and available for selection. Kosta Mitroglou, Érick Gutiérrez, Michal Sadílek, Donyell Malen and Ryan Thomas are not match fit, while Denzel Dumfries is suspended.”
And thus concludes 2019 for Ryan Thomas. Not sure what his injury is specifically but he’s got a little while to recover now as PSV hit their winter break, the Eredivisie running in parallel with the Bundesliga in that way. The two leagues restart at the same time too. But yeah, no Thommo for PSV as they took on GVVV in the second round of the KNVB Cup on Thursday, winning it 2-1 after extra time despite playing a relatively strong team (albeit without risking any of the injured folks) and then again on the weekend where they beat RT’s old team PEC Zwolle 4-1, bouncing back nicely after falling behind early in that game.
Certainly not pretty for interim boss Ernest Faber but they’re still in the Cup (which is huge since the winner goes straight into the Europa League group stage) and they leap a point ahead of Willem II at the end of the year in third in the Eredivisie. Ryan Thomas missed the last three games with that injury but prior to that he’d made a big impression in the midfield so this break is coming at a great time for him. Rest up, no need to rush things in training, then come back strong in mid-January, bingo.
Up Next: A long winter’s break until January 20 at 12.15am, away to VVV (NZT)
Jeremy Brockie & Dan Morgan – Maritzburg United (South African Premier Soccer League)
Bouncing back from that Telkom Knockout final defeat, Maritzburg closed out their 2019 with a pretty commendable 1-1 draw against the top of the table Kaizer Chiefs. Both Dan Morgan and Jeremy Brockie were in amongst the starters too, what a blessing.
Chiefs started the game better, as expected, and they took the lead in the 21st minute through Lebogang Manyama with a leaping header. But the Team of Choice struck back ten minutes later as the in-form Judas Mosemaedi. A long ball over the top from the keeper, a quick free kick actually (the longest quick free kick ever), was misplayed by the defence and suddenly Mosemaedi was through on goal. He slipped it past and there it was. Would’ve been better if it was Jeremy Brockie of course, but he had his chances. One just a few minutes later at the near post which he stabbed wide and a couple more times the ball didn’t quite get to him as he lurked the six yard box. Note Dan Morgan whipping in the odd attacking free kick too.
So a strong response to falling behind, clearly. Brockie was subbed off after 55 minutes, Micah Lea’alafa replacing him, and Maritzburg had an incredible chance to take the lead ten minutes later... but Daylon Claasen’s penalty kick was saved. Dan Morgan was then subbed off in the 79th as Maritzburg smelled blood in the water and the chances kept on coming. They just couldn’t put a second one away. Still, a 1-1 draw’s alright, not the worst. Puts them eighth on the ladder with a game in hand on the two teams above them.
Up Next: Maritzburg vs Golden Arrows, Saturday 4 January at 7am (NZT)
Steven Old – Morecambe (English League Two)
A win! And a dramatic one too, is there any other kind for a team in Morecambe’s predicament? They went down 1-0 inside quarter of an hour when Joss Labadie scored off the underside of the crossbar for the visiting Newport County but the Shrimps came back well in the second half. A few times they were able to go close after getting runners going beyond the defence out wide, and eventually the equaliser followed as Cole Stockton held off his man in the middle to strike into the bottom corner.
That was in the 68th minute and the winner had to wait until the 80th... but it was well worth it. A beautiful flowing counter attack in which multiple players all combined with some sharp passing before John O’Sullivan put it away. Ninety minutes for Steven Old (playing next to makeshift defender Alex Kenyon thanks to the old injury/suspension bug around this time of the season as fixtures congest upon each other). That one lifts them back ahead of Stevenage and off the bottom of the table and three points from safety.
And a bit of good cheer too.
Up Next: Away to Oldham on Friday at 4am (NZT)
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