Flying Kiwis – December 14
Joe Bell – Viking FK (Norwegian Eliteserien)
The hard work had already been done. Last game of the season, Viking away to Tromso, there was nothing left to gain other than a victory lap to complete their year’s efforts. And that’s exactly what this game ended up being: a victory lap. In what could potentially be Joe Bell’s last ever game with the club if he moves on in the January transfer window, Viking polished things off with a 2-0 win and then quickly commenced the celebrations as they were given their bronze medals after a third-placed finish – the club’s best finish for 14 years.
First half they were actually on their heels for a lot of it. Tromso had most of the chances and it was a bit of a mystery how they didn’t convert any of them. Then Veton Berisha served one up for Kristoffer Løkberg who slammed in the opener a little before the break and David Brekalo scored a second early in the second half from a pinpoint Joe Bell cross and Viking were cruising from there. Bell probably should’ve had another assist as he slid in Veton Berisha on the counter but Berisha missed 1v1 with the keeper.
Get that, aye? 2-0 win and third place. Europa Conference League qualification. Bronze medals for everyone. Joe Bell finishes his personal campaign with 27 appearances, all of them starts (he missed some time to go to the Olympics), with 1 goal and 8 assists playing from central midfield. 5 yellow cards too. Nobody played more minutes for Viking this year.
Bell was absolutely fantastic and don’t think that hasn’t been recognised. The good folks at Vikingpodden had him voted their player of the season. Shout outs are also in order for NZ Olympian Gianni Stensness who quickly won a place in the starting team after joining in the wake of the Tokyo Games and he was first choice from that point onwards.
So will Joe Bell be back in 2022? Word from Norway is that the club have already begun a dialogue with him (and also Veton Berisha) with regards to a new contract. However with one more year on his current deal and known interest from clubs overseas he may not want to sign that bad boy quite yet. There is a European campaign to entice him back. Plus it’s a strong league and he’s been playing great. Could be time for new challenges though...
Gianni Stensness, defence: He too was picked up this summer. Australian national team player. Good with ball. Fearless and tough in the challenge. Among the best this fall despite some mistakes. Still plenty of potential to improve his game. Will benefit from a full preseason, will develop.
Joe Bell, midfield: One of the Vikings' absolute best and most important players. Have one year left on the contract, Viking must use Christmas to put in place an agreement that makes Bell extend - and which at the same time does not stop him if the right club from abroad comes along.
Up Next: We shall see
Sarpreet Singh - SSV Jahn Regensburg (German 2. Liga)
The last time that Sarpreet Singh played against Werder Bremen he was making his Bundesliga debut for Bayern Munich. This weekend he faced them again only this time he was out on loan at Jahn Regensburg and Werder Bremen have been relegated to the second tier. As they say, time changes everything.
Four minutes into the match Sarpreet Singh whipped over an outswinging corner kick that Steve Breitkreuz headed home to give SSV the lead. Seventh assist of the season for Singh who is now in a four-way tie for second in the league. Daniel-Kofi Kyereh of St Pauli leads the way with nine of the suckers. Wonderful start to the match for Regensburg but it didn’t last.
That leaky defence of Regensburg’s was routinely picked on for the rest of the game. Leonardo Jesus Loureiro Bittencourt in the 38th minute, Mardo Freidl in the 58th minute, Marvin Kucksh in the 88th minute. In a mostly even contest in terms of possession, Werder Bremen were consistently able to create the better chances and they got their due rewards for that - Werder bossed the xG stats by 3.07 to 0.86. Can’t argue with that.
However there was a moment of hope in second half stoppage time as Sarpreet Singh, get in there, lashed in a second for Regensburg. A last-gasp glimpse of a way back into the match for SSV... but there wasn’t enough time left. Werder Bremen with the 3-2 win.
Fifth goal of the season for Singh, at least. Despite the defeat he still contributed a goal and an assist. Plus he achieved another curious milestone as well because usually Singh isn’t on the park to be scoring late goals in stoppage time. Generally he’s already been subbed off by then. But that wasn’t the case here: Singh playing ninety minutes for the first time for SSV Jahn Regensburg. As such he was able to see out a stat that he’s often flirting with at half-time of his games... the most distance covered in the match. A breezy 12.1 kilometres. Goal contributions and excessive work off the ball? Coaches gotta love it.
Sadly this defeat drops Regensburg to fourth on the ladder and out of the promotion places. They’ve only taken three points from their last five games. Hardly ideal from Die Rothosen.
Up Next: SSV Jahn vs Darmstadt, Monday at 1.30am (NZT)
Ria Percival – Tottenham Hotspur (English Super League)
Back at it after a few weeks off, first for the international break and then after that the WSL remained on pause so that the FA Cup final could get its glory... last season’s FA Cup final which got delayed at the quarter-final stage because this season’s FA Cup is well underway at the lower levels (as we’ll find out soon). But maybe Spurs were a little rusty kicking off against Aston Villa because 19 mins in they went behind to a Remi Allen goal, sharply turning in a cross at the near post.
One thing’s for sure, Ria Percival wasn’t rusty. She’d sparked an earlier chance hustling the ball back in the midfield and then carrying it forward before sliding it to Jessica Naz who slipped in Rachel Williams but RW dinked it wide, damn. Then Allen scored and Spurs were down a goal. Gotta find a way back. Need a goal from somewhere. Who’d step up for the team? Ten minutes later Ria Percival did a bit of this...
Angling that run into the penalty area, drawing the contact from Megan Sargeant, and then perhaps a little exaggeration with the hands just to make sure the ref was paying full attention. Aussie Kyah Simon buried the spottie to tie things up again after 29 minutes. RP doesn’t get an official assist for winning the penalty... but she still created the chance so close enough.
The match remained level into the sheds, after which Aston Villa had a few good moments. That was until Rachel Williams put Spurs in front on 68 mins with a tidy finish after Naz had picked her out in the area. There was one extremely sweaty incident near the end when the Spurs keeper spilled a cross and Villa reckoned they’d smacked it over the line before Shelina Zadorsky could hack it to safety but there’s no VAR in the WSL and the live officials reckoned it hadn’t crossed. Replays were inconclusive. Potentially a lucky break there but Tottenham were due one of those. Highlights here.
The 2-1 win ends a run of four games without a win after their 4/4 start. In fairness there were draws with Man Utd and Arsenal in that streak so it wasn’t so bad. But lovely to get back to winning ways regardless. With Brighton losing to Manchester United that has Spurs up to third on the ladder again – remember that the top three places earn Champions League spots this season.
Percival didn’t win that Player of the Month for November thing by the way. Jessie Fleming (Chelsea) got that honour which wasn’t much of a surprise. But hopefully Percy’s well on her way to a December nomination after another strong performance here. And now for some festive cheer, courtesy of Ria and a few teammates….
Up Next: Away to Coventry in the Conti Cup group stage on Thursday at 8.45am and then it’s home versus Everton on Monday at 3am in the WSL (NZT)
Bill Tuiloma – Portland Timbers (American Major League Soccer)
MLS Cup Final days. Portland Timbers hosting New York City FC... but Bill Tuiloma was named on the bench once more. He was on the bench as the game began cautiously as finals so often do. He was on the bench as NYCFC took the lead late in the first half thanks to a pretty soft goal for Taty Castellanos. He was on the bench as Portland made attacking change after attacking change in an attempt to get back into the contest somehow. He was on the bench as Felipe Mora stunningly popped up at the back stick in the 94th minute to equalise for the home side. He was on the bench as the game went into extra time and the Timbers were unable to capitalise on the momentum of that dramatic equaliser. He was on the bench as the game tipped into a penalty shootout. And he was on the bench as they lost that penalty shootout. Missed their first two attempts and it’s not often you get to recover from that in a shootout.
Thus NYCFC win their first ever MLS championship, the Manchester City offshoot club lifting the trophy despite Portland’s home advantage. Still an amazing run from the Portland Timbers but it hasn’t gotten as much of a focus in Flying Kiwis as it should have because Bill Tuiloma didn’t see a minute of it. An unused sub in all four of their playoff games. He’d been in and out through the whole regular season but come knockout time they never called upon him which was a bloody shame. Still, he’s been a pretty incredible hype man for the lads all the way along the journey.
Timbers have confirmed that Bill Tuiloma remains under contract for next season though and he wasn’t on their list of Expansion Draft eligible players so that’s all sweet. He’s the first NZer to be involved in an MLS Cup Final matchday squad since... Bill Tuiloma in 2018, making this the second time he’s been an unused sub in a final. His second runners-up medal. Jake Gleeson, Andy Boyens, and Tony Lochhead have all also been unused subs in MLS Cup Finals meaning you have to go all the way back to Ryan Nelsen in 2004 for the last kiwi to feature in one of these suckers. Maybe 2022 will be the year instead.
Up Next: Offseason yarns
Liberato Cacace – Sint-Truiden (Belgian Pro League)
Oh the scandal. In his 43rd game Pro League game for Sint-Truiden it appeared that Libby Cacace had finally scored his first goal and in thrilling fashion too with the 97th minute equaliser against Cercle Brugge. But then the VAR got involved and took it away from him for a marginal offside with even more marginal interference in play. There’s a little more on the reasoning behind the decision here in our latest Substack mailer by the way – sign up within.
Once again Cacace was confined to the bench. Hasn’t started a game since late October. Still gets on at some stage in almost all of these games but it ain’t the same. Here he was summoned with ten mins to go – soon after Cercle Brugge had retaken the lead. Not at all undeserved either, Cercle had been by far the stronger team in the first half only to somehow get shut out (meanwhile STVV had zero shots on target in the first half). Eventually Cercle Brugge did score, 50th minute via Edgaras Utkus, but then the same dude who scored conceded a penalty which allowed STVV to get back level thanks to Christian Brüls.
That led to a frenetic last half an hour with both teams gunning for a much needed victory. The Cercle keeper may have been in the middle of the controversy near the end but Thomas Didillon made a remarkable save to deny Yuma Suzuki in the 73rd min diving to his left. Two mins later, Welshman Rabbi Matondo dashed down the left wing, beating the entire STVV defence for speed, and slipped in what proved to be the winner. Eventually.
Cacace came on at right back. Only got ten minutes plus change yet he still managed to be involved in two massive moments. The second was the disallowed goal, obviously, but a little before that he’d recovered the ball on attack and been absolutely clattered by Matondo rushing back. Very hard foul... and a second yellow for Matondo. Off he went.
Then the disallowed goal happened. Then the STVV manager, Bernd Hollerbach, was sent off for angrily protesting the VAR decision. Then the final whistle went. Bugger. There’s a double gameweek coming up next so could be some rotation that gets Cacace back in the starters. Fingers crossed. This result means that STVV have now lost three in a row.
Up Next: Away to Anderlecht on Weds at 9am, then away to Gent on Sun at 8.45am (NZT)
Olivia Chance - Celtic FC (Scottish Premier League)
Fresh from winning the SWPL Cup, the Ghirls had one more match to get through before the Christmas break offered a month off and clearly they were still brimming from the cup win because they absolutely mauled Motherwell for their biggest win of the season.
Olivia Chance started in midfield, as per, and in a game completely dominated by Celtic she was right in amongst the action. Chinese international Shen Mengyu had given Celtic the lead on 17 minutes running in behind to finish what already felt like an inevitable goal. Ten minutes later it was Liv Chance’s turn. A bit of bounce-around in the box and it fell to Chance who drilled her left foot through the ball for her fifth goal for the club. A penalty for Chloe Craig after a handball in the box then made it 3-0 going into the half.
After which... no let up. It was 6-0 when Chance was subbed off after 68 minutes and they’d add another one before full time for a 7-0 victory. The team’s biggest win of the season and a lovely way to finish off the year. Celtic are still only in third place, five points off Rangers in top at Christmas, but they’ve won four games in a row in all comps.
Up Next: Bit of a break then it’s back at it on 17 January away to Hibernian (NZT)
Andre De Jong – AmaZulu FC (South African Premier Soccer League)
Two games to get through here. The first was the major one as it was another start for Andre De Jong with AmaZulu taking on Orlando Pirates, two teams who’d have been hoping to challenge for the title after how last season went but both are already well adrift of the undefeated Mamelodi Sundowns with more than half the season still remaining.
ADJ almost had another assist for the reel after 14 mins when a brilliant little turn into the area saw him beat one man and then hold off another to chip in towards Malepe. The cross was partially blocked by a defender but still got over to Precious Malepe who missed his header and the ball went wide off his back instead.
Pirates then took the lead through Deon Kavendji on 29’ but there was some controversy about that because it came about after ADJ had thought he’d been fouled on halfway. The ref waved play on and Pirates went on to score. The AmaZulu manager Benni McCarthy had a right old moan about that non-foul in his press conference afterwards. However Tsepang Moremi did smack one in right at the end of the half to get the teams back on level terms.
AmaZulu had to survive some frisky moments early in the second half but survive they did and ADJ had a chance to give them the lead on 55’ as he struck a cut-back from the edge of the box... yet a pesky defender was lurking back on the post in cover and Siphelele Mthembu couldn’t turn it in from close range at the second attempt. That was AmaZulu’s last major moment on attack. Couple more close calls on defence to get through. ADJ was subbed off in the final minute. 1-1 the eventual score.
Then ‘twas back to the bench for the subsequent match, an away fixture against Chippa United. This one also ended 1-1 with both goals scored in quick succession in the first half. Lehlohonolo Majoro put AmaZulu in front on 24’ but then Evanga levelled up a mere two mins later for Chippa. Andre De Jong was chucked on with quarter of an hour left and his team chasing a winner but he wasn’t able to find one. Incredibly this was the sixth drawn game in a row for AmaZulu. Better than losing, s’pose.
Up Next: AmaZulu vs Chippa United, Weds at 2.30am (NZT)
Chris Wood - Burnley FC (English Premier League)
Another opponent whom the Woodsman has had success against... but sadly this one went the same way as the Wolves game the other week. Wood had one big chance in the fifth minute of action: a header from Johann Berg Gudmundsson’s corner kick which Wood wasn’t quite able to get above at the back post, sending it over the top. And... that was pretty much the last we saw of him until he was hooked with half an hour to go.
Another early substitution for Wood. Only 19 touches in 60 minutes and a third of them were probably headers. No other shots to speak of. Only completed half his attempted passes. The service from the deeper areas is non-existent for the Clarets at the moment and Wood’s not doing a whole lot else. Bleak times... though usually for both Wood and Burnley that means there’ll be a fortnight of incredible form right around the corner. Better hope so anyway.
Helpfully, Burnley’s defence was rather good against West Ham and was able to hold them scoreless in response. A few Declan Rice runs and the odd set piece or long shot led to some nerves along the way, West Ham were by far the more threatening team, but a 0-0 draw’s not the worst against a team currently positioned around the top four. Gonna need to see more outta Chris Wood soon though because if Burnley continue to look this toothless then he could find himself dropped.
Got a decent long throw on him, at least...
Up Next: Burnley vs Watford on Thursday at 8.30am, then Aston Villa vs Burnley on Sunday at 4am (NZT)
Meikayla Moore – Liverpool (English Championship)
It was FA Cup weekend for the ladies in England (those below the top division, anyway). For Meikayla Moore and Liverpool that meant a trip away to Burnley where Moore was named amongst the subs... however she was one of three subs brought on at half-time after a goal for Lauren Bracewell (38’) had given them a well-deserved buffer – a keeper error helping with the breakthrough, dropping a corner kick on the line where Bracewell made sure of it.
Moore had some fun hanging around in the back three knocking the ball here, there, and everywhere as the Reds continued where they left off. Rachel Furness eventually gave them a second in the 57th min with an emphatic finish bringing the ball down in the area. Niamh Fahey scored on the end of a corner quarter of an hour later. Then Melissa Lawley polished off a nice team move for the fourth near the end. 4-0 final score and Liverpool advance to face Lincoln in the fourth round.
Here’s a complete replay...
No game on the weekend as their match with Charlton has been postponed due to a clash with Charlton’s own FA Cup tie. Moore will likely get a start in their final Conti Cup group stage game against Sunderland in a week though – the Reds are already through but a win or draw will see them qualify in first place.
Up Next: Sunderland vs Liverpool, Conti Cup group stage, Thursday at 8.30am (NZT)
Katie Rood - Southampton (English National League Southern Premier)
More FA Cup yarns where that one came from because Southampton had an absolute ripper of a contest against traditional foes Portsmouth. Actually there were two cup games this week because a few days earlier the Saints took on Eastleigh in the Hampshire FA Womens Senior Cup. Rood played the entirety of that one as they won it 8-0 in a bit of a stroll, not getting on the scoresheet however she did go close several times as well as setting up one for Emilie Castagne. A few highlights from the match report...
“Always searching for more, Saints continued to challenge the Eastleigh defence, with Katie Rood the next to fire a powerful ball into the centre of the box but it was a little too much for Pharoah to get it under control.
Eager to find a fourth before the break, Rood made a fantastic solo run down the pitch and into the box. Her shot fired over the bar, but it was an impressive spell from the New Zealander.
It wasn’t long before Saints netted for a seventh time, a delightful run from Rood was followed by an inch-perfect cross into Castagne at the far post, whose thumping header safely found the back of the net.
Rood tried her luck in front of goal once more in the 89th minute but was denied by a fantastic outstretched leg from Venables.”
Now on to the Pompey game where their South Coast Derby opponents took a 31st minute lead as Cherelle Khassal flipped a volley up from the edge of the box that dropped in at the far post. Useful finish for the lead. Southampton would eventually get level in the second half when Lucia Kendall headed in on 65 mins to reward a much stronger second half from the Saints. That led to some frantic footy with both teams chasing victory. Katie Rood was subbed on with twenty to go. Khassal whipped a cross in that didn’t quite get the touch it needed. Milly Mott made not one not two but three goal-line clearances for the Saints in quick succession. No deal. Off to extra time.
At which point the game slowed down as the players fatigued, not a lot going on in the first half of extras, but then Ella Morris almost scored for Southampton with ten to go. Her effort was deflected wide for a corner. That corner was cleared for another corner. Then that other corner was sent in to where Leeta Rutherford could glance a header onwards... with Morris slipping in at the back post for the 112th minute winner. That’s how you do it. 2-1 to Southampton after extra time and they’ll get another go at their local rivals in a couple of days because the two sides are due to meet again in the league.
Meanwhile by some funky coincidence the fourth round FA Cup draw has dished Southampton up a fixture against Bristol City, a former club of Roodie’s. Those fourth rounders will be played in late January.
The fourth round is also when the WSL clubs come into the mix with Ria Percival’s Tottenham drawing Leicester City at home. Anna Leat is potentially a chance for a cup start when West Ham play away to Sheffield United. Elsewhere Grace Neville’s also got a coincidental tie as London City Lionesses have drawn Arsenal, the club where the prospective-Football Ferns fullback began her career (Neville got 57 mins in a 6-1 win over Ashford in the third round). Alas, no such luck for Ashleigh Ward’s Actonians as they were knocked out in the second round by Gillingham 2-0.
Up Next: Thursday at 8.40am, away to Portsmouth (NZT)
Niko Kirwan – Calcio Padova (Italian Serie C)
Top of the table clash against Südtirol right here. Kirwan was subbed on in the 53rd minute and his introduction did seem to help them get a few things going in attack after a fraught first half spent watching their goalie make way too many saves. No breakthrough to show for it... although the closest they came was from a Kirwan cross that was headed onto the post in the 78th min. Almost had a penalty near the end but the ref correctly ruled that contact had come outside the area leading to the funny instance of both teams crowding the ref complaining about the decision. A cheeky 0-0 draw means they remain second by six points after 18 games.
Up Next: Coppa Italia Lega Pro semi-final first leg... Padova vs Catanzaro on Thursday at 3.30am (NZT)
Nik Tzanev – AFC Wimbledon (English League One)
The Dons are sneakily coming into some decent form lately. Away to Accrington Stanley in the midweek, they had to deal with some blustering wind and some heavy rain and as such there was not a lot going on in the way of footballing excitement. Wimbledon started well but clear chances rare. Basically it was only set pieces that offered anything for either team in the first half.
Thankfully things opened up down the back stretch and Stanley shoulda scored after Tzanev made a low save at his near post only for the rebound to be chipped across to the back post... and headed wide. Then Luke McCormick picked up the ball on the turn in the area and lashed it home have the Dons up 1-0 after 58 minutes. And Ayoub Assal scored another on 77 mins, slipping a deflection that had fallen into his path under the goalie for 2-0. Nik Tzanev made a couple mean stops to preserve the clean sheet late on and there ya go. Three points from a 2-0 away win.
Then they made it five games undefeated in a row on the weekend with a 2-2 draw away to Wycombe. Only problem was that this one should been a win too. They scored after four mins through Jack Rudoni and maintained that lead for the majority of the game until old mate Adebayo Akinfenwa held off his man on the edge of the area and then quite brilliantly lobbed one over Tzanev to equalise. But the Dons were back in front in stoppage time as Rudoni scored a fine header after some battling work from Egli Kaja getting into the area and crossing. Hardly any time remaining. Gotta be another three points, right?
Nope. Even deeper into stoppage time a long ball was sent into the mixer, took a bounce before bobbing down into the area, and while that was happening Paul Osew and Sullay Kaikai got tangled up with Wycombe awarded a penalty for the incident. A harsh call but he did have his arms all over him. Tzanev went the wrong way for Joe Jacobson's spottie and the game ended 2-2. Took the lead in the 92nd minute but then conceded in the 96th. Whoops.
Interview time now. Get amongst...
Nik Tzanev: “I’m quite happy with my form. It’s nice to get on a run and where we’re putting in performances like Tuesday night. We’re coming together nicely as a team. My personal goal is to become more of a leader in the dressing room, I think I have done, especially in the last couple of games. I’ve been leading from the back, keeping everyone switched on. Everyone is buying into what Robbo is trying to do. Tuesday night was a very mature performance. It was one of those games where there were horrendous conditions to play in, so it was really positive to come out of that with a win.”
Up Next: AFC Wimbledon vs Portsmouth on Sunday at 4am (NZT)
Tommy Smith – Colchester United (English League Two)
Two games and zero goals for Colchester this week. The first one was alright. They drew 0-0 with Bradford City away, a team they apparently haven’t lost to away from home for 40 years. But this was some cold, dour, midweek lower-league English football at its most stereotypical with neither team having any real bite in attack. City asked a few stern questions in the first half but didn’t seem to know where the corners of the goal where whereas Colchester might have snatched the points in the second half but for some fine close-out goalkeeping. Neither team was complaining about a point. Tommy Smith with a late yellow card.
Tommy Smith: “It was a good away performance at Bradford. It's a cliche but an away point is never a bad point and to keep a clean sheet away at Bradford is always a good one as well. The chances are being created and we'd more worried if we weren't creating anything at all. But the chances are there and on another day, they'd go in for us.”
They then got pumped by Walsall on the weekend. Also away from home. A ten-minute brace for Otis Khan (22’ & 32’) set the tone for the match. Colchester’s best phase was early in the second half and maybe if Junior Tchamadeu’s shot had gone in then they could have threatened a comeback. But the keeper tipped it onto the inside of the post and it conveniently bounced back into his grasp. Jack Earing then added a third for Walsall (66’) and that was that. 3-0 final score.
Colchester apparently no longer score goals away from home. That’s now six consecutive times they’ve been shut out on the road in a League Two match - their last away goal in league play came in early September... a drought of 550 minutes of football. Only Carlisle have scored fewer total goals than Colchester’s 16 in 21 games. But a decent defence means they’re doing just enough to hover clear of the drop zone as we near the midway point of the campaign. Full game for Smithy. No cards this time.
Up Next: Colchester vs Hartlepool, Sunday at 4am (NZT)
The NWSL Brigade (American National Women’s Soccer League)
Hectic NWSL times at the moment even without any football being played. The first few weeks after the year’s play ends is when the next year’s preparations properly spark up. Contract options get decided upon. There’s an expansion draft coming up. Trades are happening. Coaches are being replaced. All of which has caused some havoc amongst the quartet of Flying Kiwis in the NWSL for 2021.
Abby Erceg was already under contract with the North Carolina Courage. Ali Riley at Orlando Pride was not... but in the days after hiring new coach Amanda Cromwell the club announced that they’d be offering her a new deal. Katie Bowen has also been offered new terms at the conclusion of her Kansas City Currents contract. However Rosie White was not so fortunate. Waived by the OL Reign having only played 45 NWSL minutes for them last season (missing mostly due to illness). Not a surprise given how little she played and it’s arguably for the best that she moves to a club where she’ll get more game time moving forward... although it’s a shame it didn’t work out because she specifically angled for a move to Seattle in order to be closer to her partner who lives there. Such is life.
Rosie White: “I am so grateful to have spent the last three years with the Reign. The players on this team have become family. I will miss being part of this organization, but I am also very ready and excited for a new challenge. Thank you to everyone who made my time here so special.”
Which brings us to the Expansion Draft. Two new teams are entering the league in 2022: Angel City FC and San Diego Wave. In order that they’re not completely disadvantaged with entirely new rosters, they’re allowed to pick a handful of players from other teams with those teams first allowed to protect a certain amount of their roster. Abby Erceg was protected by her club. Meanwhile Currents players are ineligible for the Expansion Draft due to an agreement with the league when they relocated from Utah so Katie Bowen is safe. Ali Riley on the other hand... she went unprotected by the Pride and with her quality and experience that could make her a tasty option for either team. In fairness, that might be something she’s pretty keen on given that she grew up in California.
The Expansion Draft takes place on Friday NZT so keep ‘em peeled for that. Then two days later there’s the Rookie Draft. Yet to see the lit of eligible players (today is the final day for submissions) but there’s definitely a chance that Daisy Cleverley and Jacqui Hand may have put their names in the hat. Exciting times.
Up Next: Hmm...
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