Flying Kiwis – January 14
Joe Bell – Viking FK (Norwegian Eliteserien)
Joe Bell is only 20 years old but he might already be a first choice All White. He made his debut in the match against Ireland and looked right at home, just as he has at every age group level, and with Danny Hay taking this national team into a fresher direction Bell is one of the fellas who shapes to be a big part of that. A serious talent in the midfield... it’s just a matter of when and where as far as his professional career is concerned.
Back in June, right about the time that Sarpreet Singh was flying over to Germany, Bell was invited to trial with Norwegian top flight club Viking FK for a week or two after his influential performances at the U20 World Cup (including against Norway). He showed enough promise there that they were ready to offer him a contract but the lad declined, choosing instead to return to Virginia for his third year of university and a run at the national title in the USA. Which almost panned out, Virginia were beaten on penalties in the final to Georgetown (Bell scored the first goal in a 3-3 draw and then buried his penalty first up to get the shootout underway).
Joe Bell scored 7 goals with 4 assists in his 21 games for Virginia in 2019 (including four of those goals in the national championship) and the awards followed so thick and fast he’s gonna need to buy a bigger house just for the mantelpiece room. United Soccer Coaches Scholar Player of the Year. First Team Scholar All American. ACC First Team. ACC Midfielder of the Year. He was even on the three-man shortlist for the MAC Herman Trophy for the best college player in the country (the Heisman Trophy of soccer)... although Robbie Robinson of Clemson won it instead, his name gets included here for posterity in case people google search him in the future so they can know that Joe Bell was robbed. Robinson went on to be picked number one overall in the MLS Draft by Inter Miami.
Anyway, with a glorious college year out of the way, Viking have renewed their interest in the kiwi midfielder and this time he hasn’t refused. He joins the club on a three year contract. Here’s the money shot...
Now, it ain’t Bayern Munich (or even Borussia Dortmund, who Bell’s name was semi-linked with by Wynton Rufer after the U20 World Cup, although club’s like that are ‘interested’ in thousands of players and only ever sign a handful – useful context for Sarpreet Singh there too)... but there are a couple things about this move which make it an incredibly exciting one for JB. The first is that this team genuinely fought for him. They flew him over to trial six months back and they sent scouts to watch his NCAA finals, probably always in contact throughout that time in the understanding that he’d be more open to a move after another year of university (it might have been a tacit agreement back then, even). Not only that but with local midfielder Kristian Thorstvedt, who played 12 minutes off the bench against Bell for Norway at the U20 WC, having signed with Belgian club Genk recently having played 50 games for Viking over the last two seasons, Bell has been deemed a direct replacement... which should mean regular first team football from day one.
And then the other thing that’s great here is that Viking are a club heading in the right direction. After being relegated in 2017, they bounced back immediately as second tier champs and more than consolidated that last year with a fifth place finish in the Eliteserien and by winning the Norwegian Cup... meaning that they’ll enter Europa League qualifying this year. The season in Norway runs year to year so Bell will still get a full preseason before it kicks off in April. Yeah this feels like a pretty decent choice.
Up Next: The 2020 season kicks off in early April, with preseason friendlies beginning in February
Rebekah Stott – Melbourne City (Australian W-League)
There’s no slowing this lot down. With Western Sydney losing their undefeated campaign with a shock 4-0 loss away to Brisbane, Melbourne City extended their lead by putting Canberra United to the sword by the same scoreline. Those were the only two games played last week thanks to atmospheric conditions from the bushfires (and even the Brisbane game was in doubt to proceed) but City sure made it count. Kyah Simon celebrated her recall to the Matildas with a double and Claire Emslie and Emily van Egmond also found the net for City’s seventh win in a row but the first in which they’d scored more than two goals.
Simon’s first was a ripper from outside the area in the fifth minute, then Emslie both won and scored a penalty in the 32nd minute so MCY were in control the majority of the way, never really in any doubt. There was a decent Canberra shout for a spottie of their own in first half stoppage time but it was denied and then Emslie won another straight away down the other end, which Simon converted this time (after debating the ball away from Emslie, seniority winning out) and it was 3-0 at the break. Van Egmond’s late fourth was a quality strike but didn’t make much difference. Not a whole lot for Rebekah Stott to do in defence but another commanding performance from her all the same and you’d better believe it’s being recognised...
The Women’s Game Player Ratings: “Rebekah Stott (8) - Stott was patient on the ball, playing backwards when she had no options and going forwards where possible, her passes often hit their mark.”
W-League.com Team of the Week: “Rebekah Stott (Melbourne City) - Stott showed once again why she is one of the dominant figures in the Westfield W-League, and a key reason why Melbourne City have conceded only three goals in eight matches and have gone more than 400 minutes without leaking a goal. The Kiwi stopper tied a team-high six winning duels from the eight she contested and racked up three clearances as the Green Machine looked to catch the league leaders on the counter attack on Thursday night.”
Yeah that’s right, 410 minutes to be exact since they last conceded. All the way back on December 8. Not only has Stotty played every one of those minutes but she’s played every single minute fullstop since joining the team having already missed the first game. That first game was a draw which means that City have won every game that Stott has played in and they’ve only conceded twice in those 630 minutes all up. Immense.
The Player of the Month voting for December was scandalous though. Only 2% !? What are we up to, Aotearoa... gotta do better than that next month if/when Rebekah Stott is nominated again (might need to score a goal or two to hammer it home like she did in December with the winner against Perth).
Up Next: Melbourne City vs Newcastle Jets, Saturday at 7pm (NZT)
Noah Billingsley – Minnesota United (American Major League Soccer)
Joe Bell might have been the kiwi darling of college soccer last year but Noah Billingsley sneakily put together a super campaign himself as his UC Santa Barbara squad made it to the semi-finals with Billingsley a regular just as he has been for the last four years. The Ole Academy alum, who has been capped three times for the All Whites and is a current member of the U23s squad, is as versatile as it gets being capable of playing up front or anywhere across the backline. These days he seems to be best used as an attacking fullback and it’s in the backline where he’s most likely to see time for Minnesota United after they selected him with the 18th pick of the 2020 SuperDraft.
Minnesota Star Tribune: “Minnesota United used the 18th pick in the MLS SuperDraft on Thursday to add depth by selecting big UC-Santa Barbara defender Noah Billingsley. A 6-2 former forward who could play both left back and center back, Billingsley, 22, now is a fellow New Zealander on a Loons’ roster with veteran defender Michael Boxall. Billingsley has played for his country’s national and under-20 teams. Both defensive positions are positions of need for a Loons team that found a starting left back in Chase Gasper with the 15th pick in last year’s draft. United signed French defender Wilfried Mombe-Tahrat for left-back depth during last season, but he will not return this season.”
Michael Boxall and Noah Billingsley together – perhaps not a coincidence either because Boxall was a former UCSB player himself and for the same coach too: Tim Vom Steeg. Funny how the kiwi lads in MLS seem to clump together. The Vancouver All-Whitecaps of yore. The Colorado Hudsons. Gavin Wilkinson’s influence at the Portland Timbers. By the way, Anthony Hudson’s just gotten the gig as the USA U20s head coach which is hilarious and tragic in equal measures... not sure how he’ll be able to get Deklan Wynne into that team but he’s picked him whilst ineligible before, to be fair.
This is Noah Billingsley’s moment though. It’s not just that he got selected but he got selected in the first round. We didn’t have a kiwi picked in the MLS Draft last year after four years straight with at least one so a pleasant return there... although very few of them lads stuck around afterwards. Elliot Collier’s still hanging in there to be fair. But a good reason for that is most New Zealanders pop up later on in the draft – Billingsley was the highest kiwi drafted since Andrew Boyens back in 2007, going 10th to Toronto. If Joe Bell had declared then he might have topped Ryan Nelsen’s 4th overall pick for DC United in 2001.
And Minnesota were so keen to get him, and so keen to make sure nobody else got in first, that they had agreed a trade to Montreal to move up to ninth overall to draft him (so the coach claimed, anyway). It was even reported by ESPN as a done deal... but Montreal Impact (coached by Thierry Henry these days) took a second to cool off and then pulled out of the trade, leaving Minnesota in their original place where Billingsley fell to them anyway at no additional cost. Montreal selected Jeremy Kelly at 9 and then traded him to Colorado Rapids for general allocation money. Billingsley does still need to agree a contract with the Loons but given their love for him that seems like a routine thing.
E Pluribus Loonum: “In terms of finding playing time, his versatility could prove to be an asset. Similar to Hassani Dotson’s play-anywhere rookie season last year, Billingsley could find opportunities all over the field. He’ll be the obvious back-up to Romain Metanire, who misses time due to international duty with Madagascar (though that amount should be lessened in 2020). Assuming it’s Chase Gasper who starts at left back, Billingsley might well be the back-up on that side too, which would likely make him part of the bench for each match. With his size, perhaps Billingsley earns time at centerback if his defensive skills are up to par, and he has the experience to play in attacking roles as well.
Billingsley isn’t the type of pick to start right out of the gate, and that’s fine for Minnesota United — the club has had success transitioning players to the professional game so far. He’ll likely be the back-up to Metanire and Gasper for now, but he’s versatile, in experience and skill-set, so he could earn chances at other positions. How he’ll hold up as a fullback, especially against top-tier talent, is a question mark, but SuperDraft picks make a low-risk way for teams to bring in depth and develop talent, so the Loons should be safe with their selection.”
By the way, with goalie Vito Mannone seeming likely to reject a massive offer to return as goalkeeper, it seems now that the Loons are moving for Joe Hart instead. Current teammate of Chris Wood. The cycles continue.
Up Next: New MLS season starts at the very end of February
Chris Wood - Burnley FC (English Premier League)
That was about Chris Wood’s most prominent moment as Burnley travelled to face Chelsea in the Premier League. A clash of heads with defender Antonio Rüdiger as Woody rose up to try win a header down the sideline. Nothing that Rüdiger did wrong, he was just standing there as Chris Wood’s snozz came thumped down across his skull which led to an extended physio break as The Woodsman got his nosebleed mopped up and dealt with. Rudy actually hung around a while to check he was okay first which was nice of him. And he was okay eventually. It took a while to patch him up but he played on and completed the ninety minutes.
Not that it was much of a game for the Clarets. They were up against a top six team which is always a red flag for them and Ashley Barnes was missing from the lineup alongside Chris Wood which is also a red flag. For 25 minutes they were able to hang in there and compete, keeping themselves in the game as per the gameplan and even getting the ball in the net as Ben Mee nodded a free kick over to Jeff Hendrick to score but Mee was ruled off side and VAR agreed after a long look, only inches in it... but then a couple defensive errors ruined things and they went on to lose 3-0.
First off Matt Lowton went flying in on Willian and conceded a penalty which Jorginho had no trouble dispatching having sent Nick Pope the wrong way. Then Pope himself was to blame as he and Mee got in each other’s way to somehow miss a soft header from Tammy Abraham. All on the keeper’s shoulders, that one. He should have saved it comfortably. Pope did do well to save a low one from Reece James but at 2-0 down with the form Burnley have been in this one was as good as over already. But just in case, Callum Hudson-Odoi scored his first Premier League goal with an easy finish at the far post.
Chris Wood did have one shot on target and as far as Burnley players went here he was one of the better ones trying to throw himself around physically against the Chelsea CBs as a lone striker but yeah not one to remember fondly as Burnley lost their fourth PL game in a row and remain just three points clear of relegation. They’re in dire need of some transfer boosts but they don’t look likely either. But to be fair it’s not games like this that will determine whether Sean Dyche’s team stays up, it’s games against the teams in the lower half of the table and they were pretty good against those folk over the first half of the season.
Oh well. On to the next.
Up Next: Burnley vs Leicester City, Monday at 3am (NZT)
Erin Nayler – Girondins Bordeaux (French Division 1 Féminine)
First game back after the a few weeks off for the holidays and lovely to see Erin Nayler regain her starting spot between the sticks as Bordeaux travelled to Paris FC for a bit of French Cup football. Paris (not PSG, if you were wondering), a team that had been struggling before the break having lost five of six including a 3-0 loss to Bordeaux but the break is always a reset button and cup footy gets weird.
Well, not that weird. Vivianne Asseyi still scored for FCGB... although just before the half they were pegged back by Coumba Sow and with no extra time in this one it was straight off to a goalkeeper’s time to shine: the penalty shootout. And sure enough...
The missed Paris FC kick was knocked off target so Erin Nayler didn’t actually get to save one for all the glory but her teammates were flawless with five from five and FCGB are into the next round. This was a pretty strong XI too so fingers crossed that Erin Nayler will be back to playing week in week out like at the start of things. Bordeaux are chilling way up in third after 12 games, the best of the rest behind Lyon and PSG and they’re only two points back on PSG.
And here’s a thing. Team bonding exercises with the French military... yikes.
Up Next: Bordeaux vs Olympic Lyon, 3am on Monday (NZT)
Matt Ridenton – Newcastle Jets (Australian A-League)
Interesting, very interesting. It’s been too long since the good old days of Tommy Smith/Chris Wood playing every week in the Champo. Stefan Marinovic had a spell there about a year ago but that didn’t go too flash. It’s legit one of the most exciting leagues out there to follow so we definitely need another kiwi presence sooner rather than later. If it doesn’t work out, Ridenton will be back training with the Jets prior to their game this weekend.
Up Next: Come on Reading, do what you’ve gotta do
Hannah Wilkinson - Sporting CP (Portuguese 1a Divisão)
Only got a few seconds at the end so not much to say. Sporting were up against league leaders SL Benfica in the first round of the Taça da Liga Feminina, a league cup type competition where the top four teams at the halfway stage of the league play each other once each with a final between the top two at the end of it for a cheeky trophy. Sporting were up twice but twice conceded to draw 2-2. These two will most likely end up against each other in the final so not much on the line here really other than bragging rights. Sporting will need to beat this same opposition later in the season when they meet in the league though.
Up Next: Monday at 4am against A-dos-Francos in the league (NZT)
Olivia Chance – Bristol City (English Super League)
It was a famous win last week, backs to the wall and battling to a 1-0 win over Manchester United. A first win of the season for Bristol City to ease their troubles one spot clear of the relegation... well it’s not a zone because only one team gets relegated. But a great result any way you cut it. It’s hard to repeat the dose however and away to Chelsea this was a game that’s best forgotten.
It actually got off to an incredible start as, after Sophie Baggaley made a great save to deny Beth England, Ebony Salmon did what she did against Man Utd and put Bristol City in front. Very different goal this week, pouncing on a loose ball on the edge of the area and driving it home. Big celebrations for the Robins who at that point had to fancy that repeat dose after all just quarter of an hour in... until England beat Baggaley to a deep cross to head in the equaliser in teh 28th minute and by half-time it was 4-1 to Chelsea. It was the five minutes before the break that killed them, with Hannah Blundell scoring a deflected effort before Jess Carter scrambled one over the line after a corner kick and then Ji So-yun popped one in from outside the area in stoppage time.
If they’d gotten to HT at 1-1 then you never know. Even 2-1 and they’re still in it. 4-1 though, that’s a mess. Chelsea then proceeded to score a fifth in the 50th, Ji with the simple tap in. Beth England then added another late on to complete a 6-1 rout and Chelsea remain undefeated this season in the WSL. You can find the highlights in here somewhere...
If you were wondering about Chelsea’s Aussie star signing Sam Kerr, she was subbed on at the half and almost scored her first goal for her new club but after rounding the keeper she was denied by a quite brilliant sliding clearance on the line by Jasmine Matthews. Ninety minutes for Olivia Chance which is always good but she spent most of her time chasing after Chelsea’s midfield here. Should be more opportunity for her over the next two weeks as BCFC face bottom-placed Liverpool and then host lower division Durham in the FA Cup.
Up Next: BCFC vs Liverpool, Monday at 4am (NZT)
Ria Percival – Tottenham Hotspur (English Super League)
Ria Percival and Spurs had a much happier time of it though. Spurs faced West Ham in a London derby and a chance for Percy to face her old club for the third time this season. Tottenham took the lead after half an hour when an Emma Mitchell shot from distance squeezed inside the near post but try as they might they just couldn’t find a second to make it 2-0. Percy was in her usual midfield role, sitting deep and winning that ball back before launching Spurs on their old favourite counter attacks. It didn’t help for WHU that their first two games since the break were both postponed so this was their first game in more than a month and they’d had an illness sweep the camp as well.
Hence once Tottenham got on top they were pretty dominant... but yeah no second goal, despite Rianna Dean having one tipped over the crossbar, and they were made to pay for that when Kenza Dali scored in the final minute of the ninety. But no need to panic, there was enough injury time for Spurs to break once more with numbers and Angela Addison’s cross was headed in for the winner by Rianna Dean in the 96th minute. Late, late drama over here but a deserved win for Spurs who move up to fifth on the table (although that’s likely to change when Manchester United and Reading play their two games in hand each). Full game for Percy btw, although that doesn’t mean she wasn’t in the wars.
Up Next: 1am on Monday against Manchester United (NZT)
George Stanger – Forfar Athletic (Scottish League One)
Sweet so George Stanger has ended his loan deal at East Kilbride and immediately moved to Forfar Athletic instead. Two things that matter here...
1) Forfar gaffer Stuart Malcolm, as it says in the post above, was an assistant coach leading to caretaker boss leading to full time manager at East Kilbride which is a position he held when Stanger moved to the club and one he held until November when he was hired by Forfar, one of his old clubs as a player, to be their manager instead and here he was dipping back in for George Stanger again.
2) Forfar play their footy two divisions higher than East Kilbride. They’re sitting ninth out of ten clubs in League One – the third tier in Scotland – and in threat of relegation but a couple wins could shoot them up the ladder quickly. Forfar drew with top placed Raith Rovers this week, with Stanger playing the full game at centre back on debut. A big step up in quality compared to his last loan and an immediate impact. Right on.
Up Next: Away to Falkirk at 4am on Sunday 26 January (NZT)
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