Flying Kiwis – May 3
Ria Percival – Tottenham Hotspur / Rebekah Stott - Brighton & Hove Albion (English Super League)
Last week we were promised something very exciting: that Ria Percival would be named on the subs bench when Spurs hosted Brighton in a hugely important relegation six-pointer. Ready to rock after 13 months out of action recovering from an ACL/meniscus tear suffered on international duty. Turns out manager Vicky Jepson’s word was as good as advertised because there on the teamsheet was that Tottenham number 12 that they’d been missing so much.
And with eight minutes remaining the journey was completed...
Wonderful scenes. It’s been a long road back to fitness but Percy’s made steady progress the entire way and now has the chance to sneak in a few more games before the end of the season, upping her match fitness ahead of the World Cup and also hopefully helping her club avoid relegation.
They rolled out the red carpet too... or rather the green carpet. When you’ve been out for so long with a knee injury, it’s gotta be nice for your first game back to be on the immaculate surface of Tottenham Stadium where the men’s Premier League team plays. Gotta be said that Percy wasn’t the only NZer in the mix here though... Rebekah Stott has also had an injury-riddled season but she was promoted into the starting team for Brighton as the left-sided central defender. Only her third start of the WSL campaign.
Stott’s presence was impactful straight away as her ability on the ball gelled with a Brighton team trying to whip some slick passing moves – their first shot came after Stott stepped up into midfield (her trademark move). Most of that Brighton fizz came down the right wing, leading directly to the opening goal as Elisabeth Terland finished at the second attempt after ten minutes. However that lead didn’t last very long because Beth England tied things up almost immediately off a corner kick. As you were.
Naturally that shocked both teams back into their shells a bit as Spurs fired some long rangers but mostly the rest of the first half unfolded as a midfield scrap. All to play for in the second half... with Stotty causing some gasps when she stayed down clutching at an ankle after being tripped stepping onto a loose ball. The physio had to have a look but thankfully she was all good to continue. Brighton did still make a couple subs in that window though. One of those introduces was Lee Geum-min who seemed to give BHAFC the spark they were looking for. A couple of slick touches in the area. Good intensity on attack. Then on 65’ she whipped in a wonderful goal to put Brighton back in the lead.
You know how these ones go though. Ten minutes later Beth England did her thing again and it was 2-2. Running in behind the defence and burying her attempt. Minutes earlier Stott had diffused a similar ball in behind but this time the left-back kept England onside as Stott and others had pushed up.
England was subbed off for Percival soon afterwards and as the crowd applauded her double it was notable to see England gesturing towards Ria so that the fans knew to give her teammate her flowers too. Beautiful sign of respect from a teammate. And you know what the first thing Percival did was? Challenge for a header against long-time teammate Rebekah Stott (Stotty put it out for a corner kick). Sadly they only overlapped for about a minutes and a half before Stott was replaced.
Despite the best efforts of both teams it ended 2-2. Brighton had one great chance with a 2v1 that they were too slow with. They also had a flurry of corners. Meanwhile Spurs lumped in some dangerous crosses including a couple that Percival attacked – as it happens RP only actually had two touches of the ball in her time out there: a blocked pass and an interception cleared out for a throw. ‘Twas a gentle return and that’s probably not a bad thing. 2-2 was the final score. One valuable point each.
Up Next: Manchester United vs Spurs on Sunday at 11,30pm; Brighton vs West Ham on Monday at 1am (NZT)
CJ Bott - Leicester City (English Super League)
Circumstances conspired that Leicester City hadn’t played a game for four weeks at this crunch stage of the season. They’d just gotten themselves off the foot of the ladder, finally, thanks to a late win over Reading when an international break came around, followed by an FA Cup weekend (with LCFC already knocked out), then their game against Chelsea was postponed due to Chelsea’s Champions League commitments. Long time, no drinks. But that worked out alright for CJ Bott who’d been dealing with an injury sustained in the Reading game and while it did cost her a couple of Ferns caps she was good to go by the time the Foxes took on Liverpool at home.
This game was at the King Power Stadium where the men’s Premier League team play (LCFC are one of the better ones at putting home games at the Prem grounds) and it was an enormous game against a beatable opponent with a chance to get back out of the relegation spot after results elsewhere had sent them last again during their hiatus.
Yeah you’d better believe they were up for it. Quick, direct, energetic footy as we’ve come to expect from Leicester since the turn of the year. They pressed well and were super organised within a game-plan. Curious to see that CJ Bott’s role was a little different here with less emphasis on getting forward, instead letting the midfield three offer cover in the wide areas while Bott tucked infield almost as an extra defensive mid to guard against the speedy Liverpool counter. A tactic that definitely came in handy a couple times.
That Foxes buzz was rewarded after fifteen mins. Corner taken short-ish then pumped in on the angle. Kept alive. Then Josie Green took a pop that caught a deflection and made the net swish. Early reward from the first proper chance of the game – though Bott was one of a few players making sure the team huddled up and stayed focused. Good thing she did because on 21’ they dashed forward after playing through the Reds press and Carrie Jones thumped in a screamer of a goal off the underside of the crossbar for 2-0.
It was almost three as Remy Siemsen had a scrappy effort come back off the cross via a point-blank save. Not to mention a gorgeous deep CJB cross that was only just headed away by Liverpool with Eileen Whelan smashing the rebound on target but it was cleared off the line. Still 2-0 at the break although Leicester were looking far more likely to find the next goal and they soon picked up where they left off with Bott slipping a pass inside for Hannah Cain to strike from outside the area... which was cleared off target by a Liverpool defensive header. Ah but that earned a corner kick from which Ashleigh Plumptre blasted in off the noggin from Courtney Nevin’s delivery. 3-0 after 48 minutes and the Foxes were in loving life.
Liverpool did their best stuff in the wake of the third goal but couldn’t find the shots to properly test Janina Leitzig in goal (genuinely one of the signings of the season for the impact she’s had on LCFC since joining on loan from Bayern Munich in January). Not until the 83rd minute when Leitzig had to tip a strong header onto the crossbar. Then again, this time diving low to push one past the post on 88’. All a bit too late for the Reds anyway.
Meanwhile Leicester City were having such a great day they decided to score a fourth goal. Despite having been happy to wind down the clock in the latter stages, with a succession of CJB throws down in the corner taking out about two minutes in one big chunk, Nevin chucked in a cross in the last seconds and Missy Goodwin headed it home. 4-0 final score. Enormous. How’s that table looking?
Combine this result with the Spurs vs Brighton game that followed soon after it – as well as Reading getting beaten by Manchester City – and all three of the kiwis in relegation trouble will be sleeping easier this week than last. This was an especially important win for Leicester City because their next two games are away to Arsenal and Chelsea, aka probable defeats against Champions League semi-finalists. Not necessarily... but they needed to make the most of this game first and they absolutely did that. Ninety mins for CJ Bott with a tidy clean sheet.
Up Next: Away to Arsenal at 6.30am on Saturday (NZT)
Max Mata & Nando Pijnaker – Sligo Rovers (League of Ireland Premier Division)
Honestly, what is there to say? Max Mata cannot be stopped. He cannot be contained. Sligo Rovers had been beaten 2-1 away to Shamrock Rovers on Friday night local time with a disappointing first half costing them big time. They did rally back in the second half with a Greg Bolger goal with twenty to go got them back within range but they couldn’t find another where that one came from. There was some conjecture about the goal with some crediting it to Mata as it was hard to tell who the deflection came off. In the end most (but not all) sources seem to agree that it was the defender who touched it so Bolger gets the goal.
But there was also a second game this weekend. It was away to St Pat’s and it ended in a 1-0 victory for Sligo with Max Mata scoring the decisive goal, his ninth of the season to have him three clear at the top of the Golden Boot standings. It was his one big chance for the game and he buried it. Yet another header from the fella. Don’t even worry about it.
Sligo didn’t create much more after the Mata goal, instead being forced deeper and having to withstand the home team’s fight back. That task was helped near the end when St Pat’s got a red card for a lunge in the corner but a hard-earned clean sheet nonetheless... so we simply cannot ignore the other bloke, who has been laying down some premier defensive performances all season and was excellent once again in contributing towards this clean sheet...
Good yarns all around.
Up Next: Sligo Rovers vs Dundalk at 6.45am Sunday (NZT)
Liberato Cacace – Empoli (Italian Serie A)
The margins are very slim in the highest professional leagues. That applies to your first touch under pressure and it applies to dangling a leg in the penalty area in the 94th minute of a tied game. It doesn’t take much for a match-winning penalty to go against you and that was a lesson that Liberato Cacace learned the hard way when Empoli went down 2-1 to Sassuolo...
Cacace was subbed on in the 84th minute. Empoli had been leading 1-0 since the 11th min thanks to a wonderful individual goal from Nicolo Cambiaghi but they’d ridden their luck to get that far. A couple of bad misses from Sassuolo had given them some breaks – although they did have a couple chances themselves to extend the lead that went astray. Things seemed to have swung strongly in their favour with twenty to go when Sassuolo’s Andrea Pinamonti, who spent last season on loan with Empoli, was sent off for dissent... yet that’s obviously not how it turned out.
Dominico Berardi, Italian international, scored a lovely equaliser in the 83rd minute of the match. Left-footed volley. Keeper was slow to react and left-back Fabiano Parisi didn’t close him out like he should have and Berardi’s skill took care of the rest. Score was finally level and it was in the wake of that goal that Cacace replaced Parisi for the final stages. A lot of that time was spent with Empoli controlling the ball trying to make sure they got out of there with a point. There was also a cross from Martin Satriano (subbed on at the same time as Cacace) which deflected onto the crossbar to almost provide Empoli with a fluke of a winner.
But then Sassuolo rolled the dice for the final time when Berardi, doubled in the corner, tried to swing in a cross. That cross was charged down by Cacace but teammate Jacopo Fazzini dropped to the deck after a perceived shoulder to the face which took him out of the play as Berardi had another crack against a now-isolated Cacace. Berardi drove into the area. Cacace shadowed him. Berardi chopped back. Cacace stuck his leg out. Tiny brush of contact... and DB collapsed in agony. Penalty given. VAR had a looksee and upheld the decision so Berardi stepped up and buried the winner from twelve yards. Three defeats in a row for Empoli.
Clearly that was a milked foul from Berardi, Cacace hardly touched him (although there was contact enough, no matter how minimal, that the VAR wasn’t going to overturn anything). But there is a lesson in there about not giving a clever player the opportunity. Also Libby might wanna have a word to Fazzini who was lying on the ground with his face in his hands while that whole thing unfolded when they’d have otherwise had Berardi under control. No doubt Fazzini was trying to milk a foul as well.
Really though... Empoli had one shot on target all game, only had 42% of possession, and conceded both goals after their opponents had gone down to ten men so if they’d managed to scrape a win or even a draw out of that it would have been extremely fortunate. Empoli are five points clear of relegation with six games remaining. They should be alright but it’ll take another couple of results to be sure of that... and they sooner that happens the better as it could be the impetus to give Cacace some extra minutes with Parisi expected to leave in the summer.
Up Next: Friday at 6.45am against Bologna (NZT)
Jacqui Hand - Åland United (Finnish Kansallinen Liiga)
Åland United started their league season with consecutive 2-1 defeats in which Jacqui Hand was their most dangerous player but they lacked the control they needed to cash in – despite Hand giving them a first half lead in the second of those games. Frustrating start to the term. They really needed a win as they travelled to face ONS, a club that’d also lost both their first two games (including an 8-2 defeat to KuPS in week one). Let’s just say this one went alright for them...
Hand was on corner kick duty and they looked like they were gonna score every time she whipped one in. Two of those times they did score, count ‘em as a pair of assists. Hand also scored twice herself: the first a sharp finish on the swivel after a throw-in led to a cross, the second was a tap-in following up as a good greedy forward ought to. 5-0 was the final score. Ascendant performance. Åland cashed in as they should have against a vulnerable team and Jacqui Hand was the most influential player within that victory.
The Finnish league isn’t the highest standard going around, UEFA coefficients rank it 24th in the continent, but it’s definitely good enough that two-goal/two-assist games don’t come around too often. AU’s top striker from last season signed with Celtic for this term (Kit Loferski). That’s the potential trajectory that Hand’s aiming for and what’s more she’s also pushing a case to start at the World Cup in a few months. We’re talking about some propulsive career momentum for JH right now.
Up Next: Home to OK-35 Vantaa at 2am on Sunday (NZT)
Callum McCowatt - FC Helsingør (Danish Division 1)
A couple weeks ago FCH had a game abandoned at half-time after a spectator suffered a fatal heart attack in the stands. It later emerged that spectator was a well-known volunteer at the club, someone who many of the players would’ve been personally familiar with. A really awful tragedy and one that was honoured last week with a minute’s silence before the game in which McCowatt scored twice in a 5-4 loss to SønderjyskE, as covered in last week’s Flying Kiwis.
FCH were 1-0 up against Næstved when that game was called off thanks to an Alexander Lyng goal in the 29th minute. On Wednesday NZT they picked up where that one had been stopped by playing the second half through to a conclusion and things went pretty swell for ol’ Helsingør. Not initially, as Abdoulie Njai levelled things up for Næstved ten minutes into the second half... but then Callum McCowatt carried on his barnstorming ways with a little bit of this...
That goal put FCH back in the lead and they went on to claim the dub with a 4-2 final score. Alexander Lyng scored the fourth goal just after his team had conceded to make it 3-2 with quarter of an hour left. Nice timing to put that one to bed. Speaking of timing, that means that Lyng scored a double in this game, one in the 29th min and one in the 76th min, yet those goals were scored roughly ten days apart.
That was an important win for Helsingør to keep up their slim hopes of promotion. Alas, it was followed soon after by a trip to face Vejle, the top ranked team in the division, and that match could not have started much worse for them. Eight minutes gone and they were 2-0 down. Blitzed by the league leaders with neither goal reflecting well upon their defence.
It wasn’t to get any worse but it also wasn’t to get much better. FCH dug deep in defence to withstand a few tough moments yet they weren’t able to hit them back until there were only ten minutes to go, which did at least set up a dramatic ending... all the way up until deep stoppage time when FCH got the ball into the back of the net only for the whistle to sound for a foul. It was the right call. Helsingør got dropped 2-1. Hey but guess who scored the goal...
Nice way to celebrate your birthday, aye? That’s five goals in his last four games, Callum McCowatt is in the form of his life right now. Unfortunately the loss leaves FCH 11 points behind the second promotion spot with only a maximum of 15 more points on offer (five games). Could be officially out of contention as soon as the next edition of this article... although at least we’ll get five more games of Callum McCowatt excellence to indulge in over that time. Let’s see how long the goal streak lasts.
Up Next: Næstved vs FCH at 11pm Sunday (NZT)
Elijah Just - AC Horsens (Danish Superliga)
No dramas here, it’s only one of Eli Just’s very best performances since joining Horsens. They were at home to OB and it didn’t get off to the best beginnings when they conceded five minutes in... but before the half was through Just won ACH a penalty slicing in from the left wing. He was also a menace on the counter all game and hardly missed a pass. Really positive influence.
OB scored again early second half but another penalty kick (no Just involvement this time) tied things up again after 72 mins. It ended 2-2. An important point for Horsens who thus keep it four points ahead of the relegation zone... and they play Aalborg, the team directly below them, in their next game. This was also the second match in a row in which Just has played the full ninety minutes – something that he’d only done once in his first 20 league appearances for the club (most of those off the bench, to be fair).
If only we could’ve added some more fizz from the championship rounds where Brøndby sprung the 1-0 upset away to København... alas Joe Bell and Marko Stamenic were both unused subs. Not much fun to be had there. Bell had been getting a nice run of starts too so this was a real bummer. At least Stam’s unused sub duty is a commonplace these days. Lucky for FCK that second-placed Nordsjælland also lost 1-0 to AGF so they remain two points clear at the top – although Viborg are also now within three points of them. FCK and Nords meet twice in the upcoming week, once in the second leg of the cup semi-final (with FCN leading 3-2 on aggregate) and then in the Superliga a few days later. Massive trophy ramifications all over the place. Hopefully Marko can sneak in a minute or two off the bench.
Up Next: 10pm on Sunday, Horsens are away to AaB (NZT)
Vic Esson - Rangers FC (Scottish Premier League)
It was a Vic Esson game as Rangers hosted Hearts in their latest SWPL effort. Yet it didn’t go the way that those ones usually go. Hearts are a tricky team though Rangers were full of chances, especially in the first half, and it’s not entirely clear how it took until the 38th minute for them to finally score, Samantha Kerr smacking in a sharp finish. Nor is it entirely clear how they never managed to score again. The press was working well, they were finding space on attack, shots were flying. But they couldn’t seem to finish off these moves. Some brave Hearts defending certainly gets heaps of credit with blocks and deflections all over the place. A clearance off the line in the second half too. Rangers also hit the post.
They had 31 shots and 9 were on target. Two-thirds of possession. Hearts only had three shots in total... however in the fourth minute added-on at the end of the game Hannah Davison seemed to be confidently guiding the ball out of play for a goal kick when her marker skipped around the outside to keep the ball alive then maybe just a hint of a tug on the jersey led to a very late penalty being awarded. Vic Esson hadn’t made a save all game as she got ready to face Ciara Grant from twelve yards... but she couldn’t keep her out.
Controversial penalty. Even still, Rangers only had themselves to blame for not adding a second goal. The 1-1 draw thus does some genuine damage to their title hopes with both Glasgow City (2-0 vs Partick Thistle) and Celtic (3-0 vs Motherwell) winning this week. Neither Meikayla Moore nor Olivia Chance were in those squads and there’s no news on either yet.
Up Next: Big game on Friday morning at 6am, it’s Celtic vs Rangers (NZT)
Katie Rood - Heart of Midlothian (Scottish Premier League)
Ah that’s no bloody good. Roodie had been having a really strong season with Hearts, scoring five SWPL goals along with a few cup heroics (none more so than this wonder goal) and based on those words she was about to get a chance to try earn a spot in the World Cup squad in that extended Footy Ferns training camp.
Instead it’s instant membership into the ACL club. The injury was suffered two weeks ago in a loss against Celtic – a match she’s credited as playing ninety minutes in as the injury happened in the 84th minute after they’d already used all their subs. Lots of ACLs happening in women’s footy at the moment, the epidemic is showing no signs of slowing down despite being an issue for years upon years, but we’re only talking about one person here so best wishes to Roodie for a prompt and full return to fitness.
Up Next: The road to recovery
Ryan Thomas – PEC Zwolle (Dutch Eerste Divisie)
This was one of those simple ones. Zwolle were at home against Dordrecht and they ripped ‘em up from the get go with Ryan Thomas drifting into the penalty area after six minutes, collecting the ball and then collecting a kick to the shins. Seems like an undercurrent theme of penalties this week and here was another one. Lennart Thy buried it for the early lead.
Twenty minutes later they were 3-0 up. By half-time it was 4-0. Younes Taha scored all three of those additional goals, all of them beautiful efforts. Dordrecht did have a few good moments but they simply couldn’t handle the speediness of Zwolle’s passing and movement. ‘Twas a clinic in why they’ve been the best team in this division. Only issue therein was that star player Thomas van den Belt went off injured after half an hour. That bro’s been their star player, scoring some absolutely crucial goals lately. Dunno how serious the knock will prove to be although they’ve gotta get used to playing without him anyway because he’s already confirmed he’s joining Feyenoord at the end of the season.
One ramification of TVDB’s injury (and the busy first half) was that Zwolle settled for cruising through the second half without adding to the score. Another ramification was that, with the other midfield partner already replaced, Ryan Thomas was left out there to complete ninety minutes. That, folks, is the first time he’s done that since a Europa League game with PSV in February 2021... and the first time in a league game since October 2020. Just another significant milestone in his injury comeback – took him until his 15th game back to do so.
Zwolle won 4-0 against Dordrecht. Heracles also had a solid win so Zwolle’s lead remains three points with three games left to play (goal difference is almost identical too). They’ve already been promoted but there’s an Eerste Divisie title to be won and this was one more confident stride towards that end goal.
As for Matt Garbett and NAC Breda, it was a quiet week for Garbs but his team picked up two very good results. You may remember the game that got abandoned against Willem II a couple weeks back? Home fans lighting fireworks and causing disruptions, particularly after Willem scored? Well, they picked up that game where it left off, turning up to play out the remaining 18 minutes, and Breda were able to snap a goal back for a 1-1 draw. Then they won 4-2 against Roda JC. They’ve taken 13 of a possible 15 points recently and are up to fifth on the ladder. Three more games left to ensure they make the playoffs and on current form they should stand a decent chance of challenging for promotion if they do.
Up Next: Away to Jong PSV on Tuesday at 6am (NZT)
Daisy Cleverley - HB Køge (Danish Kvindeliga)
It’s getting slippery in the Kvindeliga. HB Køge’s loss to Brøndby last week closed the gap at the top and now that lead has further shrunk to a mere two points after HBK failed to find a way through against Fortuna Hjørring in a 0-0 draw. FH had knocked them out of the cup so definitely no easy task... but HBK were all over them and just couldn’t find a goal to show for it. Frustrating day at the office.
But it did come with a Daisy Cleverley start. In fact Clev had a shot on target after half an hour with a spinning volley that didn’t drop enough for her to catch it with any power. Cleverley lasted 69 minutes before she was replaced by Yujie Zhao. This was her fifth start of the league season out of ten appearances. There are six more games remaining in the championship round and HBK should win their next few although they’ll finish with rematches against Fortuna Hjørring and Brøndby. Championships are earned, not given, after all.
Up Next: Away to Kolding at 1.30am on Saturday (NZT)
Grace Neville - London City Lionesses (England Championship)
Last game of the season, nothing left to play for, up against the bottom team who’d already been relegated. Might as well have a bit of fun with it. That’s what London City Lionesses did with a 9-0 win over Coventry and ah yes would you look at this...
Couple assists for the Neviller. LCL finished third in the Championship with 45 points from 22 matches. Only three points off first (and promotion) although Bristol City wrapped that spot up a couple of weeks ago. Neville played in 18 of those games (14 starts) with a goal and four assists. Southampton were a few spots back in sixth after being promoted into this division. Only four league appearances for Ashleigh Ward, totalling 176 minutes.
Up Next: N/A
Michael Boxall – Minnesota United (American Major League Soccer)
Boxy: “It feels like two points dropped. Dayne [St Clair] didn’t have a whole lot to do in his goal. We’re still creating chances but not enough quality chances and we’re not able to beat the keeper. It’s something we’re going to have to keep working on. But then the difference between how we started the first five [games], the performances are pretty similar where we were scrapping to get one good chance... we were just able to finish that chance and take hope the points. These last couple games we’ve not been able to do that.”
That’s the main man speaking to media after a 0-0 draw at home against FC Dallas. A strong defensive performance in which they kept a tidy clean sheet but they still can’t find the creativity they need up the other end which, as Boxy says there, has been a problem even when they were grinding out results at the start of the term.
The Loons have gone four MLS games without a win. Eight goals scored and eight conceded in nine games. The defence has been excellent. The attack not so much. It’s all a work in process... but the platform is there if they can figure out that final third. They did at least surge through into the final 32 of the US Open Cup as a rotated eleven (with no Boxall) came from behind to beat USL Championship team Detroit City 3-1.
Up Next: Vancouver vs Minnesota at 2.30pm on Sunday (NZT)
Bill Tuiloma – Charlotte FC (American Major League Soccer)
The good news is that Charlotte FC cruised through their US Open Cup tie against South Georgia Tormenta with a 4-1 victory. The bad news is that Bill Tuiloma limped off injured after twenty minutes. A right thigh injury is the official word and according to the coach it could keep him out for a pesky while. They also lost star winger Kamil Jozwiak to injury in the same game and the coach addressed that in his subsequent press conference.
Christian Lattanzio, Charlotte coach: “They did the MRI yesterday and it’s more or less what the medical department thought. We hope to have Kamil back within seven, maximum ten days. For Bill it will take a little bit longer. We’ll see how it will progress. I spoke with both of them personally and they feel pretty good, better than they thought. But sometimes that feeling doesn’t match the time that it takes to recover with muscles.
They are two player who are hitting form... I thought [Bill] was playing really well in the role that I gave him in the game. He’s one of those players who was improving more and more within the team, because obviously he’s now more familiar with the principles of play and more familiar with his role and responsibility. His qualities were showing more. On the ball, off the ball, he understands the time when doing some tactical changes in the game. He’s aggressive. He’s good in the air. He’s a player that we’ll miss.”
Without either of those blokes, Charlotte FC played away to DC United over the weekend... and lost 3-0. Christian Benteke scored a bikey for DCU.
Up Next: Give it a couple weeks for Billy’s thigh to come right
Abby Erceg – Racing Louisville (American National Women’s Soccer League)
That’s cool. 150th NWSL appearance honours. Erceg’s been around long enough that there seems to be a new milestone like this every couple months but this one was clearly special and the club treated it as such. Technically her 150th was a couple games ago, it’s just that they waited for a home crowd to make the presentation. Also that number doesn’t include her 10 postseason games so she’s actually at 162 all combined. This was also the 1000th game in NWSL history... meaning that Abby Erceg has played in 15% of all NWSL matches.
Louisville were up against OL Reign, always one of the top teams in the league, and they used this occasion to deliver probably the best performance of their season so far. Particularly in a thrilling first half which saw Louisville take a 2-0 lead thanks to Paige Monahan (7’) and Savannah DeMelo (45’). The Reign are perennial title contenders for good reason though (and it’s not only money) so they came hustling back in the second half. Erceg’s defence were able to handle that for awhile but a reckless slide from the keeper allowed Megan Rapinoe to get one back from the penalty spot with twenty to go and then a red card for DeMelo made the task even tougher. Kicking the ball away after a foul for a second yellow. So needless.
Still Louisville hung on desperately for what would have been a vindicating win... except that a Jordyn Huitema header in the 90th minute meant they ultimately had to settle for a 2-2 draw. It was a point they’d have taken prior to the game yet one that felt like defeat at the end of it. Gutted... but RL are clearly making steps in the right direction since Erceg rocked up into town.
As for Ali Riley’s Angel City... same deal, coincidentally. They met the Portland Thorns away which is always a notoriously difficult fixture but having twice from from a goal down they were leading 3-2 with ten minutes to go. On course for a famous win only to also concede a last gasp equaliser. In this case it was 90+7’ on the clock when Thorns goalie Bella Bixby scored the leveller with a deft backheel amidst a scramble in the penalty area. Insanity for the home fans. Gut-wrenching for the visitors. Note that Ali Riley played left-back in this one having previously been starting on the right side.
Up Next: Orlando vs Louisville at 11am Sunday; Angel City vs Kansas City at midday Monday (NZT)
Ben Waine – Plymouth Argyle (English League One)
They’re going up. A 1-0 win over Burton Albion wasn’t the most comfortable to sit through as they failed to take full advantage of a dominant performance but they got the one that counted thanks to Niall Ennis in the 45th minute. No Ben Waine in the matchday squad yet thanks to these three points he was at least able to get amongst the celebrations as the Pilgrims were confirmed for a top two finish and therefore a rise into the English Championship next season.
They haven’t sorted out the title yet. Ipswich’s immaculate form continued with a 6-0 win over Exeter so there’s still only one point that separates them. That trophy will be determined this weekend when Plymouth travel to face Port Vale in their 46th and final game of the League One campaign. Ipswich are away to Fleetwood Town and will probably win without conceding as they usually do so the task is simple for Plymouth: three points and they’ll be champs. All the games kick off simultaneously, meaning that if Ipswich do stumble they’ll know as and when it happens. The significance of that game probably means Ben Waine will be lucky to feature but just imagine if he comes off the bench and scores the goal that clinches the title? Dream material right there.
No matter what happens, Waine-o’s gonna be playing Champo footy next term. Back in the Wood/Smith days that used to be a league that got covered heaps in Flying Kiwis but it’s been a long time since then. The last NZer to feature in that division? Stefan Marinovic for Bristol City. He played one game, didn’t go too well, and never got another chance. Of course, Chris Wood could also be back in the Champo next season with Nottingham Forest currently in the bottom three of the Premier League after losing 2-1 to Brentford. They’ve got Southampton (H), Chelsea (A), Arsenal (H), and Crystal Palace (A) remaining with which to save themselves. All in the Woodsman’s absence.
Up Next: Sunday at 11pm away to Port Vale... win and they’re champs (NZT)
Marco Rojas – Colo-Colo (Chilean Primera División)
Last week there was a yarn about the formation change which has led to Marco Rojas’ minutes drying up with Colo-Colo. Seems he’s also not having much fun away from the pitch either as reports from Chile say that he’s requested an early release from his contract, asking if he can be set free mid-year instead of at the end of the year. But this development already got written about in our Substack newsletter last Friday so might as well give it a plug over here.
To the surprise of nobody, Rojas was an unused sub in the game on the weekend. If he does leave early then he’s still ticked off playing for the biggest club in Chile, for whom he won a league title last season scoring the goal that clinched the trophy. A shame he’s not been given more opportunity but there are some amazing experiences in the bag and hopefully he can still add a few more... like a Copa Libertadores debut, for example.
Up Next: Oh what do ya know there’s a Copa Libertadores game against Boca Juniors at midday on Thursday (NZT)
Myer Bevan - Cavalry FC (Canadian Premier League)
Myer Bevan’s partaking in activities...
This was in a 1-1 draw against Valour that keeps Cavalry both undefeated and also winless. Three draws from three games. Add in their Canadian Championship game which was also a 1-1 draw (they then lost on pens to Pacific) and Myer Bevan has three goals and an assist through four games this year.
Up Next: Away to Vancouver FC at 11am on Monday (NZT)
Kyle Adams – San Diego Loyal (American USL Championship)
As is Kyle Adams...
Absolute screamer from Adams there to take San Diego to extra time against MLS team Seattle Sounders. In the third minute of stoppage time no less. They ended up losing 5-4 after extras to be eliminated from the US Open Cup in the third round but at least we got that moment. What. A. Hit.
Up Next: Away to Orange County at 2pm on Sunday (NZT)
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