Flying Kiwis – August 4
Michael Boxall – Minnesota United (American Major League Soccer)
Columbus Crew vs Minnesota United in the MLS Is Back Tournament Round of 16 knockout stage. Bit of a mouthful but that was the situation last Wednesday. The Loons were unbeaten through the groups but the Crew were the only team in this tournament to win all three group games and the only team not to concede a goal in the groups. So... tough task.
After some initial caution from both teams, Columbus soon began to show exactly what they were about with a series of dangerous set pieces and some pace on attack, keeping Boxall and company on their heels or off their feet entirely. Sure enough, a goal quickly followed... except it was Minnesota who scored it. A corner kick of their own got some pinball header treatment then a downward half-volley from Robin Lod had a little too much sauce for the CC keeper. Get that into ya.
That gave Minnesota something to defend with Michael Boxall running that show at the back, since Ike Opara isn’t there in the bubble. No dramas with that, they shaped up fantastically to shut down the Crew for most of the first half... in fact the closest either team came for scoring in the opening stanza was Luis Amarilla going for a 45-yard chip of the keeper in stoppage time that ended up on the roof of the net. Even through the second half they mostly had that thing under control with their speed on the break and power from set pieces keeping them on the edge of a second goal.
Then the stupidity happened. Without Opara (the reigning MLS Defender of the Year), the Loons have had Uruguayan defender José Aja in there next to Boxall and in the 78th minute Aja, for no apparent reason, left a few springs in late on a Crew attacker who was facing away from goal in the corner of the box and it ended up being a penalty. Gyasi Zardes stepped up and although Tyler Miller made an impressive first up save, Zardes then put it away on the rebound and this game was thus destined for penalties. Again, no dramas there either. Miller had already saved one in regular time and he denied Columbus’ third attempt, the only miss of the shootout, as the Loons advanced to the quarters.
After that it was San Jose Earthquakes in the quarters and folks this game was not so tricky. On paper it should have been close but barely four minutes in Michael Boxall was already charging out of the defensive line. He nearly threaded a brilliant ball through the defence but it was blocked, he then got on the loose ball again and charged into the box where his attempted shot was closed down by the rushing keeper. Still, consider the gauntlet thrown down.
The Loons kept up the pressure with a couple more pokes at the bear and then in the 20th minute they put one away to show for it. Robin Lod at stabbing in at the far post after a corner was cleared then tossed back into the mixer... and within ninety seconds it was 2-0. Keeper spilled a shot and Jacori Hayes put it away on the rebound, too bloody good.
Naturally the Quakes got better after that. Eventually they’d get a lifeline from the penalty spot which Magnus Eriksson put away – Hayes had been caught with a handball by the VAR – but then Luis Amarilla scored a lovely solo one six minutes later to restore the difference and Marlon Hairston tapped one home in the 86th minute to cap off a pretty comfortable 4-1 win and book a trip into the top four. Michael Boxall with the full game in both knockout matches... which means that the next game will be his 100th MLS appearance if they’re counting these as regular MLS games. Seems they might not be though so he could be stuck on 97 until the regular season resumes later in the year, with these ones considered cup games. James Musa was an unused sub both knockouts. Anyway, cue celebrations...
Good lord. Imagine the scenes from Boxy if they win the whole ‘ship, how about it!
Also, Box and the Moose bottom row, all in on the pizza party. Bit of an angry bite from Boxall, must not be much of a fella for the pepperonis.
Up Next: Orlando vs Minnesota on Friday at midday in the semis (NZT)
Nando Pijnaker - Grasshopper Club Zürich (Swiss Challenge League)
Last week Nando Pijnaker made his Grasshoppers debut off the bench, this week he was promoted to start for the first time in the very next game. Away to FC Aarau in a pretty crucial game since GCZ have dropped too many points lately. Nando started at left centre-back, same as he played the other day.
But it was a horror start. After going close and drawing a save themselves in the 12th minute, GCZ then found themselves behind as Aarau went down the other end and the snapshot from Liridon Balaj found the bottom corner. Came from a terrible giveaway in the midfield. They were then lucky not to be down two after twenty mins as Yvan Alounga hit the post... and it took a few more quality saves from their goalie to keep it at that one goal deficit. Pijnaker and fellow CB Veroljub Salatic (wearing the captain’s armband) were having all sorts of trouble against the pace of the Aarau attack. And so... a substitution was made at the break, with Pijnaker replaced by Elias Mesonero, although he wasn’t the only one. They actually made a half-time triple sub such was the panic amidst the ranks.
Thing is, the whole time they were looking stretched at the back they were still creating the odd chance. So even after Balaj scored his second on the hour to make it 2-0, Grasshoppers were still in the hunt (such a dumb goal to concede though, the defender headed the ball right to Balaj when his keeper was calling for it). Hence it wasn’t a complete stunner when Mychell Chagas scored a double in the last half hour to salvage a point for GC Zürich. The second came from an 82nd minute penalty. Better than nothing but results elsewhere killed them as Vaduz won to go three points clear with a better goal difference for the promotion playoff in second place with one round remaining.
As for that final round, it was a disaster. Vaduz scored early in their game to pretty much doom GCZ and although Kriens ended up coming back to win that game 2-1, by that time Grasshoppers had already well and truly shat the bed. They lost 6-0 at home in the local derby against Winterthur. Yup, six goals to nil, no typos. A goal conceded just before the half broke their spirits and they got absolutely rolled in the second half. No Pijnaker (or Max Mata for that matter) in the matchday squad and that’s probably a good thing considering what happened.
That means that Grasshoppers are doomed to spend at least another season in the second tier Challenge League, finishing third on the ladder. Three was a special number for them as they also went through three managers. One was sacked earlier in the year, the next got two games before the pando and then was sacked during the break as management went in a different direction, as they say, then the fella that closed it out for them. On the plus side hopefully it’s a level that offers Pijnaker and Mata more opportunities to settle in. They won just one of their last six games, conceding 19 goals in the process, to miss out on the playoff by three points and some goal differential.
Up Next: Gotta wait ‘til next season now
Katie Rood - Lewes FC (English Championship)
Love it.
Up Next: One more month before football is finally back for Roodie
Bill Tuiloma – Portland Timbers (American Major League Soccer)
The journey continues for the Portland Timbers... who are on track to face Minnesota United in the final if each can win their upcoming semis. Might not be Tuiloma versus Boxall however because with the knockouts coming along the Timbers have settled on their preferred CB partnership of Larrys Mabiala and Dario Zuparic, with Bill Tuiloma (who started two group games to give each of those two a rest – although Zuparic was suspended for his sit-out) on the bench.
First they beat FC Cincinnati on penalties. Bit of a grinding game to be fair as Jaap Stam’s Cincinnati team were very happy to sit deep with numbers behind the ball and defend the crap out of things. For a long time it looked like it might work as Portland kept on knocking but nobody would answer. But finally in the 67th minute Seba Blanco broke into a dangerous area down the left and cut one across to Jaroslaw Niezgoda who buried it from close with his second touch.
With FC Cincinnati offering bugger all on attack that should and been enough. And it would have been enough but for a brain fart from keeper Steve Clark. For some reason he decided not to pick up the ball after it was pumped long over the defence, instead taking a heavy touch off his boot that allowed Jürgen Locadia to step in and Clark fouled him trying to recover. Locadia took the spottie himself and scored.
Niezgoda had another close pop late on but nah 1-1 was the score at the final whistle. Which meant penalties because with all the games in the tournament they’ve decided to spare players the exertion of extra time. Straight to spot kicks and... well, class told in the end. Steve Clark saved Locardia’s shootout effort with the dominant team throughout the game looking much more confident from twelve yards and Portland took it 4-2 on penalties to advance.
There was no Bill Tuiloma in that game, an unused sub, just as there was no Bill Tuiloma in the next game. They didn’t need him. Against New York City FC they fell behind in the 27th minute from the penalty spot but Sebastián Blanco levelled late in the half with a sharp finish and then second half goals for Diego Valeri (65’) and Andy Polo (76’) sealed a 3-1 victory. Polo’s goal in particular was a goddamn beaut, capping a really strong performance from the Timbers after that first half hour. Jeremy Ebobisse had a couple decent chances to score along the way too.
Interesting point that the Timbers have conceded a penalty goal in each of these two knockout games (Larrys Mabiala conceded this one, getting tangled up with Jesus Medina who took and scored the penalty himself). Top work from them asides though. They face Philly in the semis who advanced to this point with a 3-1 win over Sporting Kansas City in the quarters – with Winston Reid yet again an unused sub for SKC there as he was in all of their MLS Is Back Tournament games. Astounding to think a player of Reid’s quality is only considered a backup... unless he’s still not fully fit. No idea what’s going on there to be honest.
Up Next: Semi-final vs Philadelphia Union on Thursday at midday (NZT)
Ali Riley – FC Rosengård (Swedish Damallsvenskan)
Fantastic week for this lot, tell ya what. On Friday morning they had their top of the table clash with Kopparbergs/Göteborg and an hour into it things looked murky. They were a goal down thanks to Emma Koivisto’s back post finish in the 53rd minute in a game where they’d earlier hit the post and missed a couple clean chances. Time to go to the bench so on comes Ali Riley and... she didn’t have anything to do with Mimmi Larsson’s equaliser but they did score it while she was out there so that’s cool. A 1-1 draw, see the highlights here.
That draw came in extremely handy with Göteborg playing on Tuesday morning and Rosengård getting their game against Piteå out of the way 24 hours earlier, with goals from Johanna Rytting-Kaneryd and Mimmi Larsson inside the first twenty minutes getting them off to an outstanding start. What’s more is that Ali Riley started this one, her first start since rejoining the club on loan. Riley began things at left wingback but switched over to the right after the first goalscorer went off hurt, twice getting into decent positions to cross with one turned goalwards and saved by a forward and the other gathered by the keeper. She was then subbed off after an hour following Josefine Johansson having pulled one back on the break against the run of play for Piteå. Tapped it in at the far post, getting there before Riley could track her run. But Rosengård still closed it out and with that win moved top of the table... for a day. Highlights to peruse here.
Up Next: Away to Uppsala on Saturday at 5am (NZT)
Hannah Wilkinson – Djurgården IF (Swedish Damallsvenskan)
Definitely love to win. Wilkie was only an 83rd minute sub as Djurgården got their second win of the season, at the seventh attempt, with a 2-1 win over Eskilstuna. Dutch international Sheila van den Bulk scored a double with one very late in the first half for the lead after a slick corner kick routine and then a penalty midway through the second half following a push in the box. Eskiltuna pulled one back a couple minutes before Wilkie was subbed on, Wilkie who then had a chance to put the points beyond doubt as she cut into the box from the left but the keeper got a nudge on the ball as the shot came past and took enough off it for a defender to get across and clear it away from in the six yard box. But Djurgården held on to earn a deserved victory in a game where they had the majority of the chances. Highlights available here.
That was followed by a match at Växjö who came into that one in bottom place but came out of it three places higher thanks to a 1-0 win. Tough one to take for the Garden, who threw Wilkinson on there after an hour of scoreless football during which they’d had all of the best chances but then with quarter of an hour to go a late sliding challenge conceded a penalty which Signe Holt Andersen put into the bottom left corner and that was the only goal in the match. Wilkinson had one chance to save the day five minutes after the concession but she couldn’t quite win the header over her marking defender and glanced it wide from close range. Peep a few highlights here.
Up Next: Djurgården vs KIF Örebro, 1am on Sunday (NZT)
Joe Bell – Viking FK (Norwegian Eliteserien)
Two games and two defeats for the Vikings. 180 minutes for Joe Bell in amongst it but yeah not quite what they were after. The first was last Friday when they faced off with Rosenborg away from home and after a slow start from both teams Viking began to assert themselves, hitting the post once and having a one on one saved along with a few blocked efforts from desperate defending. But then after all that pressure it was Rosenborg who scored first in the 40th minute when Pål Andre Helland smacked one in from a sneaky angle.
From there it got dumb. Even Hovland headed in a second at the far post after a corner kick and then Torgeir Børven killed it off with a dozen left on the clock, a downward header from a cross that the goalie got a foot on but couldn’t deny. Joe Bell came close to setting up a goal from a corner that was flicked narrowly over while it was still 2-0 but his most memorable moment was probably his first yellow card as a professional... and thoroughly deserved too. Big old handful of jersey there.
Then next up was Kristiansund on Monday morning and this one started great, to be fair. Only eleven minutes on the clock when Bell swirled a corner kick across that Veton Berisha headed into the net, the second assist that Bell’s clocked up for Viking.
This game had a dose of the back and forths about it but Viking closed the first half much better and were one fantastic tipped save from it being 2-0. They’d eventually pay for not getting that second goal though. 65th minute and Olaus Jair Skarsem levelled it for Kristiansund, slamming home at the far post. Then two minutes after another Bell corner was headed over the top, Kristiansund won it. Dan Ulvestad with a leaping header. 87th minute. Viking more than good enough to have won it and instead came away with a 2-1 defeat that leaves them only two points above the relegation playoff after 12 games.
Up Next: Aalesund vs Viking on Monday at 4am (NZT)
Vic Esson – Avaldsnes IL (Norwegian Toppserien)
They took the lead three minutes into the game, Avaldsnes did. American defender Robyn Decker was awarded the goal with the final touch... but then in the 18th minute she put one into her own net from a cross driven low in the six yard box from close range, an awkward one in fairness. Avaldsnes maybe coulda extended that lead before that, they had the chances, and they were made to pay dearly when in the 22nd minute Vilde Hasund got in behind the defence and there was nothing Vic Esson could do about it as she gave Sandviken the lead.
There were a few Esson could do something about in the second half to keep the game close, the post also helped out in that regard, but Avaldsnes’ habit of giving the ball away in defence kept them under regular pressure. Eventually they leaked a third. A free kick crossed in deep and Esson came out to claim it but was left stranded when she couldn’t get through the crowd and her defenders weren’t able to clear it, the ball smashed in off the crossbar by Kennya Cordner for a 3-1 Sandviken win. Second loss in a row for them. Bugger.
Up Next: Røa vs Avaldsnes at 4am on Saturday (NZT)
Betsy Hassett - Stjarnan (Icelandic Úrvalsdeild kvenna)
Every week there are crazy little instances that pop up in Flying Kiwis, sneaky coincidences and funny happenings and the like. The latest game from Betsy Hassett’s Stjarnan was most definitely in that category. It hasn’t been much of a fun time for them lately with a run of defeats including getting knocked out of the cup and things weren’t looking flash when they were two goals down after twenty minutes at home against Thróttur Reykjavík... but football is a strange game sometimes.
Sjarnan closed the gap with a belter from range courtesy of Jana Sol Valdimarsdóttir in the 28th minute however Ólöf Sigríður Kristinsdóttir responded from a corner kick in the 40th min to make it 3-1. The second goal the Stars had conceded from a corner kick that half, not ideal. Yet three minutes later Stjarnan responded via captain Arna Dís Arnþórsdóttir who curled one in directly from a corner kick herself, the second such goal she’s scored this season... but a fine ball in behind the box in stoppage time put Kristinsdóttir through for her second goal to make it 4-2 at the half.
Once more Stjarnan drew themselves within one as Jasmín Erla Ingadóttir caught the Thróttur Reykjavík goalie flat-footed with a shot from outside the box which made its way into the bottom corner but once more their opponents responded. Kristinsdóttir completed her hat-trick with a left-footed nutmeg of the keeper (a perfect hatty, one off the head, one off the right foot, one off the left) with quarter of an hour to go and 5-3 down they were staring at yet another defeat.
But then incredibly Gyða Kristín Gunnarsdóttir, who had come on as a sub after the fifth goal was conceded, scored twice in the last ten minutes to pull a 5-5 draw out of the hat. The first a swerving shot from outside the box, the second a driven effort from the same range that took a huge deflection... sometimes the luck goes your way in the end. Betsy Hassett, somewhat amazingly, didn’t have anything to do with any of the goals despite playing the full match... having said that, it’s still one she won’t soon forget.
Up Next: Breidablik vs Stjarnan on Friday at 6am (NZT)
Ryan De Vries – Sligo Rovers (League of Ireland Premier Division)
Not only was this RDV’s first start for Sligo Rovers (which is already a big deal because there had been talk about them having to cut import players during the pando but De Vries has hung around) but he also got a mean ninety minutes as he helped his team to their first win of the season, 2-0 away to Derry City. Kyle Callan-McFadden and Ronan Coughlan scored the goals, the first a powerful header from a corner in the 19th minute and the second from the penalty spot early in the second half.
This was Sligo’s first game back since the pandemic and was obviously played behind closed doors (Derry had fake crowd noise blasting out of the ground’s PA system... which clearly didn’t have the desired effect) but it was by all accounts a pretty convincing win and a strong performance. They’d lost their first three games all without scoring a goal back at the start of the year before losing 3-2 in the fourth and final game pre-pando, with RDV making his debut off the bench that day. So... the evidence is clear – they’re a better team with him on the park.
Some more context from the Irish Mirror: “Crippling defensive injuries also played a part back in Liam Buckley’s charges sluggish start back in February and March. Five overseas players then returned home just before the pandemic peaked and while it was hoped they would return to the Showgrounds, nothing was certain. But Ryan De Vries is back from New Zealand and Teemu Penninkangas has returned from Finland. American Will Seymore is also back in harness and so too are Scotland’s Alex Cooper and Englishman Lewis Banks.”
Up Next: Sligo Rovers vs Waterford, Wednesday at 6.45am (NZT)
Nikko Boxall – SJK (Finnish Veikkausliiga)
Old mate having a chat about his transfer, always a worthy bit of context to hear it from the players directly. And while you’re listening to that one here are the highlights from his second game for SJK as they scored a 78th minute equaliser to draw 1-1 with the delightfully named FC Haka. Boxall picked up an early yellow card and his defence was a tad lucky not to have already conceded when they did but they also had a chance or two to maybe win it at the end. All in all... a draw’s a good result when it snaps a three-game losing streak.
Up Next: SJK vs KuPS at 3.30am on Thursday (NZT)
Chris Wood - Burnley FC (English Premier League)
Beautiful. Majestic. So talented.
The Woodsman also had a chat with The Athletic about the Golden Flag dynasty he’s building after his second consecutive season leading the Premier League in offside calls against. Flying Kiwis likes to celebrate that lovely achievement and that can be a bit of a laugh at times but getting caught offside is a necessary offshoot of the way that Chris Wood plays. He hangs off the last defender and that’s key to the way that Burnley plays. It’s the same as with shots, you’re not going to score from them all but you keep cracking at them because it’ll be worth it for the one that does sail into the top corner. But let’s let Woodsy himself explain it all...
Chris Wood: “I have to stretch the game and create space for the midfield boys so they can have room to play, and so Dwight [McNeil] can come into the pocket. If I just came short, it would make it easy for defenders... It really doesn’t bother me, getting caught offside, because I know that the one time that I don’t, I’ll be in on goal.”
There’s also some cool stuff in there about his his close connection with his sister and his journey to professional football from Aotearoa to the English Premier League. Decent yarns.
Up Next: The 2020-21 season kicks off on 12 September
If you appreciate a bit of Flying Kiwis, hit us up on Patreon to say cheers, muy bueno
Also whack an ad if you enjoyed all that and sign up to our excellent email guy