Chris Wood - Burnley FC (English Premier League)

You can’t keep The Woodsman down for long, you just can’t. Only one goal in his last nine Premier League games meant one thing: he was due. And you don’t want to be the team in his way when that’s the case. It was the fourth minute of Burnley’s match against Brentford. Wood made a quick dash towards Matt Lowton’s long ball down the channel and a poor touch from a Brentford defender allowed it to reach him. No hesitation, he blasted that sucker into the net. Boom. 1-0 to Burnley. Great finish.

That’s one drought over then, the other one that needed ending was Burnley’s winless start to the PL. Four points from nine games had them sitting second-last on the table. Luckily Burnley turned up to play. A few minutes later Wood nearly had another as he dropped one down off the back of his head that the Brentford keeper was narrowly able to gather before it crossed the line. Seconds afterwards he cut onto his right boot and blasted over the top. He was offside though. Neither would have counted because of a foul and an offside but menacing stuff early on from him. In the 15th min he flicked on a header running in behind onto a lovely Ash Westwood ball from halfway and Maxwel Cornet turned it in only for the offside flag (upheld by VAR) to deny them that one too.

Brentford had a couple spells of attack after that but Burnley were sizzling. Johann Berg Gudmundsson missed a huge chance 1v1 with the keeper. Finally, on 32 mins, Matt Lowton got on the end of a Charlie Taylor cross – fullback to fullback – to head in a second for the Clarets. Then four mins later Max Cornet picked up a Dwight McNeil ball forward and swerved back onto his right and picked his spot from the edge of the box. Great form from him early in his Burnley career. 3-0 to the Clarets, how about that?

The rest of the game was a bit lame by comparison. Wood had a chance late first half after Gudmundsson missed another, picking up the rebound but there were two guys on the post to block his low-angle shot. Then he glanced a header narrowly wide early second half. Not much else of note as the Clarets eased towards the finish line. Saman Ghoddos did score a remarkable horizontal scissor kick goal on 79’ to spoil Burnley’s clean sheet but they were always comfortable. 3-1 the final score. First win of the season in the bag.

Up Next: Good thing they won that one because it’s Chelsea away on Sunday at 4am (NZT)

CJ Bott - Vålerenga (Norwegian Toppserien)

It’s been a difficult year for Vålerenga, one which held so much promise but they weren’t able to maintain last season’s standards while competing on multiple fronts. Champions League qualifiers saw them fall one round shy of the group stage as their league form suffered at the same time, the reigning Toppserien champs sinking to what at best will be a third-placed finish (meaning no UCL next year). But they did still have the cup final to play. Up against Sandviken with the trophy on the line. A chance to salvage something meaningful from 2021.

The thing to get out up front here is that CJ Bott didn’t play. Coming back from 180 minutes for the Football Ferns last week she wasn’t in the squad. But there was still a medal in it for her if the girls could do the business and it certainly looked like they would when they came straight out with Synne Jensen heading off the crossbar in the third minute. Close call... then ten mins later Jensen slipped in Dølvik Markussen who hit a beautiful curler angling in from the left wing and Vålerenga were in front.

Sandviken weren’t as potent but Ingrid Marie Spord did rattle the frame of the goal with a twenty-metre cracker. There was also a shot pushed over the top by the VIF keeper but before the half was done Dejana Stefanovic whipped a direct free kick low into the bottom corner and Vålerenga were served their oranges with a 2-0 lead following one of their best halves all season. Saving it for the big occasion.

However Sandviken hit right back. Five mins into the second half it was Marit Bratberg Lund’s turn to score an even more impressive free kick, game on. Jensen would strike another one off the post after an hour. Then Sandviken missed a golden chance to equalise when the VIF keeper missed a cross but Spord couldn’t get a spontaneous header on target. A huge moment in the match but it wasn’t Sandviken’s best moment.

Nope, with five minutes left and VIF hanging on... Rikke Marie Madsen fouled Bratberg Lund to give away a penalty. Lund stepped up to take it herself and, incredibly, she missed the target. Clipped the outside of the post. The first penalty she’s ever missed as a pro, apparently. Still Sandviken pushed for a second goal and there was a decent header parried onto the post by VIF’s goalie but Vålerenga held on ‘til the final whistle. A 2-1 win. Consecutive Norwegian Cup titles for the club. CJ Bott there amongst the celebrations in her trackies even if she didn’t get to play this time.

Up Next: VIF vs Stabæk on Monday at 1am (NZT)

Sarpreet Singh - SSV Jahn Regensburg (German 2. Liga)

Midweek cup footy, you know how that goes. SSV Jahn had a tough-ish draw against fellow 2.Liga side Hansa Rostock and picked a pretty strong team to try and advance. Unfortunately for them they then conceded a sloppy early goal in the Bavarian fog as the keeper was a little slow in getting to a loose ball six yards out and Julien Riedel knocked it in.

Hansa had a consistent goal threat in them but Regensburg were the team controlling most of the ball. Dishing it around and looking for an opening. Singh involved in plenty of that though perhaps not enough in and around the penalty area as Hansa kept things sturdy at the back. A couple swinging deliveries into the area which caused trouble for sure. But the notoriously first-half dominant Regensburg were down 1-0 at the break.

A low ball across goal early in the second half from Singh nearly sparked something but the urgency didn’t really come until after Hansa doubled their lead with a nicely worked move, a couple one-touch passes and Streli Mamba was through to score. Regensburg now trailing 2-0 as the fog truly began setting in with their cup run seemingly about to get evaporated. Until, that is, a flick of a heel from Sarpreet Singh got them right back into it...

That’s his fourth goal in all comps for SSV Jahn to go with 5 assists (3g/4a in the league and one each in the cup) and he served up that one the complexion of the match completely changed. Now Hansa were on the ropes and Regensburg weren’t about to let them escape.

They should’ve been level in the 75th but the cross in from the left, either from Singh or the fullback it was too foggy to tell lol, was flicked on by a head and then met by Jan-Niklas Beste at the far post who put it over the top from close range. Singh was replaced with ten to go, he doesn’t often play ninety for SSV Jahn, but the onslaught continued. In the 82nd min a belter of a strike from Beste smashed into the post. Couple last ditch defensive clearances for corners too. Joel Zwarts headed just wide from one of those corners. Then, finally, in stoppage time... in came a corner which was headed off the crossbar and it fell to Zwarts to stabbed it home to send us to extra time. Phew.

Steve Breitkreuz subsequently scored in the 101st minute to give SSV the lead. Header from a corner kick, SSV looking a threat from set pieces all evening. Hell of a comeback this one... until the tables turned and Pascal Breier equalised for Hansa in the 121st minute of a very long evening. And Regensburg lost 4-2 on penalties. Jeepers, what a night. When their heads finally stop spinning after all that they’ll probably feel pretty stink about DFB Pokal elimination, however given the start they’ve made to the league pushing for promotion oughta be their only priority.

Good thing then that they bounced back with a convincing 3-0 win over Ingolstadt in the 2.Liga. Not a game in which Sarpreet Singh had a major impact but can’t expect that every match, gotta be fair. SSV Jahn got off to a wonderful start with Benedikt Saller getting all the way around the right edge to the byline and squaring for David Otto to open the scoring in the ninth minute. From there it was a pretty competitive game, albeit without an abundance of clear chances, until a loose kick in the box allowed Regensburg to score that decisive next goal from the penalty spot. Max Besuschkow doing the honours. Then Kaan Caliskaner headed in from a corner kick on 72’ to be sure of it.

Sarpreet Singh with 79 mins before he was subbed off, also picking up a cheeky yellow card in there. Ingolstadt did get one into the back of the net late but it was offside so didn’t count. Regensburg making the most of their spare chances for a 3-0 away win that keeps their opponents at the bottom of the ladder and themselves almost at the very top of it – only one point behind St Pauli now after they drew 1-1 away to Werder. Solidly routine win from Regensburg. Highlights over here.

Up Next: Jahn Regensburg vs Hansa, a rematch in the league this time, on Sunday at 1.30am (NZT)

Joel Stevens & Francis De Vries – IFK Värnamo (Swedish Superettan)

In the same week as he’s called up to the All Whites for the first time, Francis De Vries scored his first goal of the season and it was a goal which, combined with a Victor Larsson strike ten minutes later and a clean sheet, led to a 2-0 win away to Eskilstuna that guaranteed IFK Värnamo promotion to the top flight of Swedish football. The first time ever in the club’s 109-year history. Back to back promotions for Värnamo is an incredible achievement... and with three games still to play and a Superettan title still there for the winning.

FDV: “It's a wonderful feeling. I'm so proud of everyone. Everyone has done so well this year.”

Dig those yellow celebration hats. CJ Bott’s team get them out whenever they win a trophy in Norway too, must be a Scandi thing. Also dig FDV’s apparently fluent Swedish language skills doing multiple post-game telly chats.

Little bit of a bummer that Joel Stevens was only on the bench though, didn’t get to get amongst it. He hasn’t featured nearly as much as FDV this season – De Vries is a first choice left back so he’s starting most games (especially lately) whereas Stevens is in the forward rotation coming in and out. Still, 18 games (12 starts) for JS so far, with one goal to his name. He’s been a big part of the journey too and fingers crossed they’re both still with the club in 2022 in the Allsvenskan. FDV, btw, has played 26 times (starting 21), with 1 goal and 3 assists.

Up Next: IFK vs Helsingborg on Sunday at 1am (NZT)

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

What a way to close out the regular season. The dynasty of the North Carolina Courage has been in real jeopardy lately, leaving them on the brink of missing the playoffs coming into the final week of league play. Uncharacteristic mistakes, low conversion rates from their usually unstoppable strikers, dealing with players missing due to the Olympics, the departure of/injuries to a couple of their best USA internationals. Those dramas were already taking their toll on the Courage before the Paul Riley scandal rocked them to their core. But they still had one game left to save things... away to their old rivals Portland Thorns knowing that only a win would guarantee them a top-six spot and that a loss would eliminate them immediately (a draw would leave them waiting for the Houston result the following day).

Huge ramifications on what was already a grudge match given the multiple times these two teams have met in grand finals over the last half decade. Helpfully, both teams came out keen to run and create and there was no shortage of excitement. 39 combined shots in this game, it was wild. But it was Portland who had the better of those shots, especially in the first half. North Carolina were often left scrambling against the likes of Christine Sinclair and Sophia Smith... but Erceg and friends managed to get by. A few handy saves and some breath-holding as shots flew past posts but they got by. All about getting by.

Then in the second half the likes of Lynn Wiliams, Jess McDonald, and Debinha were able to come into their own. The highlights below are from Portland’s channel and they’re a little biased, NCC were definitely running with it too. Thing is, like in so many matches this year, the finishing touch wasn’t there like it has been in past years. Never did they come closer than in the 88th minute when McDonald headed off the crossbar from a corner but alas there was no breakthrough for either team. 0-0 was the way it ended and the Courage were left on the brink of elimination.

But guess what? Houston Dash lost 1-0 to Washington Spirit the next day; Trinity Rodman with the 76th minute winner. Houston only needed a point to make the playoffs and eliminate the Courage as a result but they lost and it may have happened by the barest of margins but the Courage will get the opportunity to try and defend the NWSL title they won back in 2019. Not only that but if they’re wanting to say thanks to Washington then they’ll get that chance too because Washington is who they’re playing in the first round (effectively the quarters). Bring it on.

Up Next: Washington Spirit vs North Carolina Courage, Monday at 11.30am (NZT)

Ali Riley - Orlando Pride (American National Women’s Soccer League)

The Orlando Pride were already out of playoff contention so their final game was only for... well, pride. Didn’t quite get that as Kealia Watt scored the only goal early in the second half, Chicago Red Stars beating Orlando 1-0. Also being the last game and all, plus considering international duty and all that, Ali Riley only played off the bench. She did get a decent half hour of footy but wasn’t able to spark an equaliser which means that her first NWSL season ends with 20 appearances and 1556 minutes played. No goals or assists but solid defensive stats for a team that had to dig in for most of their points.

Up Next: Offseason blues

Katie Bowen – Kansas City (American National Women’s Soccer League)

And that there was the end of Kansas City’s season too. Long since out of the playoff hunt, KC looked favourites for the wooden spoon pretty much the entire way and sure enough that’s where they ended. Definitely made some strides in their first year back in Kansas City, and the good performances got more common in the second half of things. Lots to build from for sure. However it ended kinda rough with a 3-0 defeat to OL Reign.

No sign of Rosie White for OLR despite two appearances for the Footy Ferns during the international break. She still hasn’t cracked a matchday squad for the Reign since returning from illness (that squad is stacked to the brim with players in her position). However Katie Bowen did start in the midfield again for KC so that was good. It was Bowen who made a superb recovering challenge on Rose Lavelle in the box after a runaway in the tenth min, that one surely saved a goal. But the Reign dominated this game throughout and that eventually paid off when they took the lead on 35’ via an own goal from Kiki Pickett. Couldn’t deal with a very good cross from Sofia Huerta.

Aaaand that was about it for Katie Bowen. She was subbed off at the half with Victoria Pickett on in her place as KC would make all of their subs before the 75th min, spreading out the minutes in the final hit out of the year. Eugenie Le Sommer scored twice more for OLR in the second half (49’ & 64’). Ah well. Reign finish second on the ladder and maybe we’ll get to see Rosie White in the finals or maybe we won’t. Also, should Katie Bowen be back next season then she’ll be playing for the Kansas City Current... the club finally getting their new branding done a year late.

Up Next: Some Footy Ferns before the year is out?

Erin Nayler - Umeå IK (Swedish Damallsvenskan)

Right on. New threads for Erin Nayler, she’ll be rocking that Umeå goalkeeping jersey next year after signing on for the 2022 Damallsvenskan season. Umeå were actually relegated from the Swedish top flight in 2020 but with three games to go they’ve already booked promotion back up again and will surely win the Elitettan trophy with a healthy gap. We just had a rare season with zero New Zealanders in the Swedish top flight so Erin Nayler’s transfer goes down well.

Nayler’s had a couple rough years at club level, to be honest. She fell in and out of the Bordeaux team in her last year there as they began to look towards the future beyond her, then her move to Reading turned out to be a disaster as she played just one League Cup game all season. Nayler’s been unemployed since though has been training in the USA lately which allowed her to be available for the Footy Ferns games in Canada. So the chance to hopefully play regularly in one of the better European leagues is a very welcome one.

Umeå head coach Samuel Fagerholm: “Erin is a goalkeeper with many fine qualities. She communicates and manages the team well around her, a clear leader on the field. Her experiences are of course very interesting with games at the highest international level. We have received very good references on Erin as a person and she will contribute positively to the cultural development of both the team and the club as well. I believe a lot in Erin and everything she will contribute to make us competitive in OBOS Damallsvenskan.”

Erin Nayler: “I’m very excited about joining Umeå for this season and I have heard great things about Samuel, the girls, the club, and the direction the team is headed in. I am honoured to be a part of it. Really looking forward to bring my experience and attributes to the field and working together with the team to succeed in the Damallsvenskan next season.”

Up Next: Gotta stay patient ‘til around April when the next season will most likely kick off

Joe Bell – Viking FK (Norwegian Eliteserien)

Churning the results out. Even in the pouring rain, that’s what VFK have gotta do the rest of the way. The weather was horrific for the game against Brann and it massively affected the quality of the match. This thing was chaotic as hell with the ball stopping in puddles and everything, however it was Viking who were able to make the most of those conditions. Get the ball into the box plenty of times and see how they deal with it. 20 mins gone and Sebastian Søraas Sebulonsen was there lurking as the Brann goalie spilled a simple one and he tapped it in for the lead.

It remained 1-0 at the break. Brann had a couple good looks which the VFK keeper dealt with impressively. A few long range shots from Viking players might also have led to something with better connections – Bell had one where his first touch was like silk but then he hoofed it miles over. In conditions like this where mistakes are unavoidable you really want that buffer of a second goal, eventually that buffer arrived for VFK on the tick of 64 minutes as the ball held up in a puddle and Zlatko Tripic stole it, feeding Kevin Kabran who slid it under the goalie for 2-0. All about game management from that point. Viking FK able to shut up shop and take the 2-0 win for three more crucial points.

Also, just to indicate how wild that weather truly was...

With Rosenborg subsequently losing to Lillestrøm, Viking were in a fantastic place as they lined up against Sarpsborg on the weekend. Another favourable fixture as so many of them are down the stretch for VFK. The thing about that, though, is expecting a team to win ten in a row is a lot even if they are gonna be favoured in all of them. There’s always gonna be an off day or two. Unfortunately they caught one of those in the Sarpsborg game.

Didn’t have to be the case. Yann-Erick De Lanlay scooped one over the bar on the follow-up at one stage that was begging for a goal. That miss came back to bite them when they conceded on 35 mins, Anton Salétros scoring it, with basically the first chance they’d allowed all match. In fairness it was a cracking strike. 1-0 to Sarpsborg.

That deficit only lasted five mins because Gianni Stensness, kiwi Olympian if no longer an All Whites candidate, thumped in his first goal for the club with a powerful header to make it 1-1 at HT. Stensness has had a great impact since joining Viking, wasting very little time in establishing himself as first choice (although he did waste some time in the second half when he had to swap his boots over and Viking were stuck defending with ten men). And at that point it was there for the taking. Viking had been the stronger team, they’d have backed themselves to score a winner. Not only that but Molde were also down 3-0 at home in a parallel kickoff meaning that if that result held and Viking won then they’d both be level on points for second place. Molde ended up getting a red card and losing 6-0 to Strømsgodset in a massive blowover... but Viking couldn’t take advantage.

59th min and Joe Bell dashed back to make a sturdy block in his penalty area. The ball stayed alive and was shifted to Joachim Thomassen. Bell closed him down too... but Thomassen’s shot took a deflection off Bell’s heel and went in off the post. Despite throwing all they had at Sarpsborg over the final half hour they went down to a 2-1 defeat. Highlights here. Still third with five games left, albeit first place is goneskees now with Bodø/Glimt taking advantage of the three teams directly below them all losing (this after they beat Molde the week before) and are now cruising to the title over the final month after a 1-0 win vs Sandefjord.

Up Next: Mjøndalen vs Viking, Monday at 5am (NZT)

Liberato Cacace – Sint-Truiden (Belgian Pro League)

STVV weren’t expected to do a whole lot against Club Brugge. They haven’t kept these guys scoreless since 1968 and it took a mere 40 seconds for Bas Dost to give CB the lead after they were able to somehow keep the ball from going out through a couple challenges and Dost finished nicely from a tricky angle. So that was a mess. STVV spent a whole lot of this game defending and if the goal was a little wider on each end then they’d have been dead and buried within ten minutes. But thankfully they don’t bend the rules for Belgian football so STVV were able to hang in there thanks to the post and their goalie and then on 23 mins they tied it up as Robert Bauer scored on the half-volley as a free kick into the area was only partially cleared.

After the leveller, Club Brugge looked rattled and STVV were able to take it into the break without too many more eventful moments. Then they nearly took the lead as quickly in the second as Brugge had in the first – a Libby Cacace corner kick headed on target by Daiki Hashioka but CB goalie Simon Mignolet got two outstretched hands to it. A couple mins later Bas Dost did it again for Brugge. Great guided header after some sloppy defending. Cacace had gotten beaten in behind by a step but there was an air-swing clearance that could have ended the threat from one of his mates. Bugger.

STVV went attack mode with nothing to lose., not that you’d really know it because the Club Brugge defence kept them at arm’s length for most of the second half. But that attack mode did come with a few substitutions and after 59 mins one of those was Cacace being replaced by Aboubakary Koita, who is ordinarily a left forward. Nothing much else happened. Club Brugge with the 2-1 win.

There was also a midweek cup game before that, away to RFC Seraing. Cacace was one of a number of regulars to be rested for that one. He wasn’t even in the squad as they lost 3-2 in extra time: a crap result but clearly they didn’t put much stock in that competition to begin with.

Up Next: Mechelen vs STVV, Sunday at 6.30am (NZT)

Michael Woud – Almere City (Dutch Eerste Divisie)

It’s been a shocker of a season so far for Almere City and sad to say that Michael Woud’s form has dipped with the rest of the team. During their 2-0 loss to Go Ahead Eagles in the midweek, which eliminated them from the KNVB Cup, it was Woud who gave away an early penalty diving late at a striker’s feet. AC were unlucky at times. One of their guys missed an open goal from about thirty centimetres out in the second half and they also hit the post. But then the second goal came about from a dude who would have been miles offside had the defender on the post stepped up (it’s one thing for him to stay put, it’s another thing to be appealing for the flag when you’re the reason it’s not gonna go up). From scrapping for promotion a lot of last term to starting this one with just two wins from their first 12 games.

Hence it was a huge relief that they were able to come out and beat Helmond Sport on the weekend. Two goals inside the first quarter of an hour by Jonas Arweiler. 2-0 up bright and early, from there it was all about how well their defence could handle the situation and while they did concede late in the half as Jellert van Landschoot got in behind the backline they did pretty well to limit them in the final forty-five.

Almere’s two goals were their only shots on target but it was enough for a 2-1 win. Breaks a five game losing streak in all comps. The Eerste Divisie does give a playoff spot to the best team in each quarter of the season so a hot run later on can still give them a chance. Realistically, they’ve just gotta steady the ship somehow and this win will help massively with that.

Up Next: Almere vs Den Haag, Monday at 12.15am (NZT)

Callum McCowatt, Elijah Just & Nando Pijnaker - FC Helsingør (Danish Division 1)

Phwoar, imagine that! That was a Callum McCowatt cross too, don’t overlook it. But sadly it didn’t nestle into the top corner or else we’d still all be talking about it. Thus the top of the table clash against Lyngby ended in a mutually acceptable 0-0 draw. Full game for Just while McCowatt was subbed with quarter of an hour left. No Nando Pijnaker in the squad. The draw keeps FCH first on goal difference but it has allowed Fredericia (whom they play next) and Hvidovre to close the gap - there’s now just one point separating the top four teams in the Danish second tier and Lyngby has a game in hand on the rest of them.

Up Next: Tuesday at 7am, FCH vs Fredericia (NZT)

Bill Tuiloma – Portland Timbers (American Major League Soccer)

Short turnaround for this game so Larrys Mabiala had a rest and Bill Tuiloma slid back into the centre of defence to play San Jose Earthquakes. The Timbers looking to bounce back after their hot form came to a halt recently and also hoping to stabilise their playoff expectations.

And they did it in style. Diego Chara, the longest serving player on the roster, gave them the lead late-ish in the first half (34’), finishing off a nice team move that was instigated by a long, low inlet pass from Bill Tuiloma on halfway. A welcome goal after a few frantic spells during the opening stages, though Portland were better once they had the lead. Couple more close calls to add to that lead before the half was out including a Dairon Asprilla effort that came from a long Tuiloma ball – his passing a clear factor here against a team even more desperate for the win than Portland were, thus leaving space in behind their midfield for the early attack.

That second goal would surely be the killer but after Felipe Mora missed a great opportunity early in the second half there was an inkling that the Timbers might come to rue their lack of finishing. So Asprilla responded with the goal of the season. Not a goal of the season contender but the no doubter Goal Of The Season. No need to vote for it or anything, it’d only be a landslide. Now, it did require an awful bit of goalkeeping... but oh sweet jeezus this was sweet...

Portland then promptly went back to bottling great chances the rest of the way but they never looked like conceding so they got away with it. Should’ve won four or five nil but for some very good saves and some very bad misses, so it goes. A 2-0 win with a full game for Billy T – who tried to add another wonder goal to his own personal tally with five mins left when he lashed a free kick narrowly wide from about 30 metres out. Keeper probs had it covered. One more win from their last two games will now guarantee the Timbers playoff football.

Up Next: Real Salt Lake vs Portland, Thursday at 3pm, then they’re home vs Austin at midday Monday (NZT)

Michael Boxall – Minnesota United (American Major League Soccer)

Oosh, that’s rough. The old club getting sassy like that too, damn.

Boxy probably woulda laughed it off easy if they’d won but sadly that was not the case. Away to Vancouver Whitecaps, both teams were scrapping for playoff spots and for most of the first half it was a hotly contested affair. Chances at both ends. Then Boxall got struck by a random rebound for an unlucky own goal just before the break and the Whitecaps were up 1-0.

Minnesota survived a bit of pressure early seconds and cracked back to almost, almost, almost equal things up on 62’ when Adrien Hunou slipped one past the keeper but off the post... then eighty seconds later Vancouver slalomed their way up the other end where Ryan Gauld whacked in another one for 2-0. Boxall headed over the top from a corner soon after. Plenty of unclear shots. Minnesota did pull a goal back in stoppage time thanks to Fanendo Adi bundling one home but it was too late by then. 2-1 to Vancouver and Minnesota, having won to get back into the playoff spots last game, dropped out of them with a loss this time.

Michael Boxall: “It was a long travel day [Thursday] so you have a lot of time to think about that ninety minutes, so it’s frustrating, that for the most part we do all the right things, and then for me personally you switch off for half a second and that kind of defines whether you have a good game or not. And on the other side of things, we still need to be a bit better in the final third. To have as much possession as and good possession as we had in that game and not create more until the 90th minute is frustrating. We’ve still got everything in our hands and everything in our own destiny and we can control that by winning on Sunday.”

Thus the Loons were basically in a position where they needed a win against Sporting Kansas City who are the top team in the Western Conference. As if that wasn’t a tough enough ask, they had to come from behind too after Khiry Shelton flipped in the opening goal from a set piece routine in the eighth minute. Scary signs on Halloween for Minnesota United. But you know what? They weren’t about to lie down without a fight. In the 19th min, Franco Fragapane slammed in an equaliser after a clever feed from Robin Lod, and from there it was Minnesota on top. Tim Melia made a good save to preserve the scoreline but he was left helpless when Emanuel Reynoso won a penalty in the 38th min and then panenka’d that little bastard right down the middle. Glorious stuff. Minny’s first successful penalty all year.

Weird thing was that after conceding early, Michael Boxall and company basically shut SKC down. They wouldn’t allow another shot on target in the first half. That obviously changed in the second half but Minny continued to hold firm at the back the whole way. A tense performance at times but the Loons got that 2-1 win which shoots them back up into the playoff spots again with one game remaining. They probably need to win that one too if they don’t wanna be stuck praying on other results.

Also here’s an iron man stat for ya. Boxall’s now played 450 minutes across five games in 16 days and he’s done that immediately after returning from international duty in the Middle East.

Up Next: LA Galaxy vs Minnesota United, midday on Monday (NZT)

Olivia Chance - Celtic FC (Scottish Premier League)

One goal was all that separated Rangers and Celtic in the Glasgow Derby. This in the SWPL Cup quarter-final, Celtic taking it 1-0 through that second half Charlie Wellings strike which was hit well but also kinda snuck in under the keeper if we’re being honest. Regardless, if you look closely you can see it was Liv Chance who slipped that ball in for Wellings to strike – yet another assist for the Ghirls. Chuck in some gritty defence throughout and the victory books Celtic into the semis. Full game for Liv Chance. Keep ‘em coming.

Up Next: Away to Hearts on Thursday at 8.30am then home to Rangers, in the SWPL this time, on Monday at 5.10am (NZT)

Nikko Boxall – SJK (Finnish Veikkausliiga)

Nikko Boxall has been dealing with an injury since returning from All Whites duty which has kept him out of the subsequent squad to face The Gambia (although NB didn’t actually play last time so all goods). Meant he missed three games – two draws and a win, the lads doing alright without him even if they did concede twice in each of them. But Boxall was back for the club’s final match of the year.

The game was away to Inter Turku. A team on equal points with them and therefore an effective playoff for third place (both clubs were already guaranteed entry into the early stages of Europa Conference League qualifying next season). Once again SJK conceded twice but by the time that happened they were already in a glorious position. That’s thanks to a first half hat-trick from Ariel Ngueukam. Got it started with a lovely header from a cross on 16’ and then doubled that with another header from a corner this time on 32’. Inter Turku hit the post soon afterwards and then Ngueukam got on the end of a low delivery this time and followed up to score (39’) after his initial shot had hit the keeper in the chest. 3-0 up at half-time.

Turku had nothing to lose so they came out swinging blindly and pulled one back within ten minutes of the second half kickoff, though it was their 71st min goal that really made it frisky (they also had one disallowed on 61’). With their superior goal difference, Inter Turku would have snatched third place with a draw and no doubt they had SJK scrambling. But scramble they did. Hanging on long enough to pounce up the other end by winning the ball off the IT midfield before Ngueukam dinked in his fourth of the day in the 88th min. Then in stoppage time substitute Rafał Wolsztyński scored another as SJK won it 5-2. Third placed finish, everybody gets a bronze medal and a rose.

That’s SJK’s best finish for five years - a return to form after several disappointing seasons for a club that won the title back in 2015. Boxall finishes with 24 appearances totalling 2147 minutes, the 20th most in the league. Had he not missed those other three games then we’d be talking third place potentially. Injuries happen though, it’s part of football. NB also scored three goals.

Up Next: Rest up, brah

Logan Rogerson - FC Haka (Finnish Veikkausliiga)

Elsewhere in Finland, HJK clinched their second league title in a row and their tenth in 13 years as they held on for a 1-1 draw against KuPS to take the title by a single point over their opponents. Presumably Logan Rogerson doesn’t get a medal for that since he only played for the reserve team and spent the last half of the season out on loan but the fact that HJK earned entry into Champions League qualifying next year is pretty exciting should he return to the first team there. Their season isn’t even over either, HJK Have gotta keep going with their Conference League happenings. They’re third in their group with a win and two defeats to date.

As for the end of the loan deal, Logan Rogerson went out with a win and ninety minutes as FC Haka beat IFK Mariehamn 2-0 which didn’t really mean anything as neither side could be relegated but in general it’s better to win than to lose. Didn’t score but Rog did go close early on after pouncing on a loose ball at the far post after a corner but his shot was blocked by a lunging defender.

Quite a good game this one. See-sawing momentum. Rogerson should’ve probably had an assist on 28’ but two separate dudes weren’t able to turn in his mint cut-back. He did play a small role in the build up for Samuel Chidi’s 67th min opener though, then a bigger role holding the ball up and then sliding Chidi through so he could square for Antto Hilska to clinch the points in the 92nd min. Mariehamn had missed a couple golden chances late on that could have levelled it. FC Haka ended with 10 men after Luiyi de Lucas lashed out but a 2-0 win was a positive way to end the year overall.

Logan Rogerson played 12 league games for FC Haka, including 8 starts. 753 minutes all up. Scored one goal plus had a few assists and, having begun the season injured at HJK, the most promising thing of all was seeing him play regularly and contribute. Now we see if he can work his way into that HJK crew.

Up Next: Back to the parent club to show off the progress

Matthew Garbett – Torino (Italian Serie A)

Noice. First goal for the Torino Primavera team and it’s a late winner in the Coppa Italia second round. Then he did a bit of this in their next game, scoring a second half winner against Sampdoria U19s. Two in a week, mate. Hope Ivan Jurić is paying attention.

Up Next: Keep on truckin’ with the under-19s

Moses Dyer – Valour FC (Canadian Premier League)

Love a good counter attacking goal, especially 25 seconds after your keeper has just saved a penalty. Would be better in the last minute than the tenth minute but that’s all good. Better yet when it’s Moses Dyer scoring his seventh goal of the season.

Valour went on to win it 4-2 away against Cavalry. Dyer’s was the first strike but by late in the first half they were trailing 2-1. All goods, an equaliser before the break and then a couple more in the second half (the fourth a clincher in stoppage time) got VFC home safe. Very important win too as it keeps Valour in with a chance of making the semis as the CPL heads into its final round of fixtures. Gonna need York City to take no more than one point from their two games at home versus Forge, though helpfully Forge are scrapping for first place.

Up Next: Edmonton vs Valour, 8.30am on Sunday (NZT)

Kyle Adams & Max Mata - Real Monarchs (American USL Championship)

It was Kyle Adams on the board last week, it was Max Mata this week. MM’s second of the year. Following up where following up was required and getting the treats. Unfortunately the Monarchs conceded again (from the penalty spot) before the first half was out and ended up going down 3-1 in what was their final game of the season.

Meanwhile, look who won the club’s Defender of the Year award...

“Adams led the Western Conference with 140 clearances, the second-most in the entire league. The defender led the team in blocks (42), interceptions (42), aerial duels (100, aerial duels won (58) and recorded the second-most duels won (124). Adams appeared in 29 matches, 27 of which were starts while playing 2,477 minutes that marked the most of any Monarchs player. Additionally, Adams scored the lone goal in the 1-1 draw against Colorado Springs Switchbacks on October 22.”

Up Next: Nuthin’ much

Cheers for reading... be a champ and chip in on our Patreon if you dig the yarns

Also whack an ad, sign up to our Substack, and tell a mate about us – it all helps