Flying Kiwis – August 2
Marko Stamenic - FK Crvena Zvezda (Serbian SuperLiga)
It has begun. Following a preseason that went pretty much perfectly for both Marko Stamenic and Red Star Belgrade, the Serbian league season has kicked off in pretty much perfect fashion too. Stamenic started all of those preseason efforts, alternating between a marauding eight position and a sturdy six. For the SuperLiga game against FK Vojvodina it was the latter as Stamenic sat in front of the defence and strutted his way through the match.
We’re talking about a passing success of a shade under 95% to go with some hard tackling and fine positioning. It wasn’t a game that required much else of him but there were still a couple hints of attacking spark too. Most notably as he challenged for a header just before half-time and at initial view appeared to have powered in his first goal for the club. Replays soon confirmed he’d gotten nowhere near it, instead a defender had launched that thing into his own net. Whoops. There were a couple of overlapping runs in there too, while Stam’s sharp distribution was a feature in many moves throughout the evening’s mahi. An excellent debut.
This one was not much of a contest. Ten minutes into the game, Jean-Philippe Krasso drew a shove in the back for a penalty that he converted himself. In the 24th minute the same bloke who conceded the penalty, Alexsandar Busnic, gave away a foul on the edge of the box that earned him a second yellow. Vojvodina were down to ten men against the reigning champs... and it didn’t get any better for them from there.
Needless to say, Crvena zvezda thoroughly controlled the game. That own goal put them two up at the break. Krasso then came out and scored his second – he and right wing-back Osman Bukari were borderline unstoppable in this game and the only reason Krasso never got his hat-trick was that they subbed him off in an act of mercy for the ten men of FKV. But not too merciful. Vladimir Lucic (70’) and Bukari (80’) added further goals in an eventual 5-0 win.
Ninety minutes for Marko Stamenic, who picked up a yellow card near the end for chopping a bloke down to stop a counter attack. Probably unnecessary given the lead but then you do want those clean sheets. Also in there was also a solid start for Aussie international Milos Degenek who has returned to Red Star after a stint with Columbus Crew in the MLS. Stamenic was teammates with Mat Ryan at Copenhagen so he’s used to having a spare Australian hanging around.
Crvena Zvezda are coming off an undefeated league campaign (30 wins, 7 draws) in which they finished 22 points clear of second place. Scored 96 goals and conceded only 19. That was their sixth league title in a row so starting with a 5-0 win against a ten-man team is nice but it’s not so unexpected. Nor is it the main priority – that would be Champions League football, with the group stage draw to be conducted at the end of August once the qualifying rounds are complete.
Up Next: Saturday/Sunday at midnight, it’s Red Star vs Napredak (NZT)
Zac Jones – Haverfordwest County (Welsh/Cymru Premier)
The first Europa Conference League qualifying round went alright for Zac Jones...
So how would they fare in round two? Well halfway through the tie we’re in an almost identical place to where things were last time. This after Hwlffordd travelled to the Faroe Islands to take on B36 Tórshavn and emerged from a tough game with only a single-goal deficit. A 2-1 defeat in this instance.
Similar to Haverfordwest, B36 are also from relatively minor league that gets overshadowed by those in the nations around them... but they do have a lot more pedigree in Europe having made it to the third qualifying round in two of the three seasons that this competition has existed for. They’re the favoured team in this tie and it didn’t take them long to show why, taking an 11th minute lead as Zac Jones was left helpless against a smoothly executed cut-back and strike.
Jonesy and company kept it there until the 60th minute when a similar move was converted with a similar cut-back strike. Less than ideal. However Martell Taylor-Crossdale, a former Fulham and Chelsea academy fella, was able to squeeze home a scrappy goal for Haverfordwest County with ten minutes remaining. A potentially crucial goal in the tie. They hadn’t really looked like doing anything on attack in the first half and while they’d have been satisfied with the defensive shift they put in to that point... conceding that second goal could’ve been a killer without MTC’s late strike.
An improved second half for sure. Keeps them in the contest heading back to Wales on Friday. Didn’t get the same plethora of Zac Jones highlight saves on this occasion although he was still extremely sturdy in all those important fundamentals. Couldn’t do much about the two goals that flew past him either. Should be a ripper of a second leg on Friday.
Up Next: You know the drill... Hwlffordd vs B36 at 6.45am on Friday, ECL second round qualifying second leg (NZT)
Abby Erceg – Racing Louisville (American National Women’s Soccer League)
A strange thing happened to Racing Louisville in the Challenge Cup this week: they lost. After four straight wins, they were dropped 1-0 by Houston Dash as Ebony Salmon’s 26th minute goal made all the difference. Easy to see why that happened though. You only have to look at the teamsheet to see the absence of Abby Erceg and it all makes sense.
She wasn’t rested. No chance of that happening having played every minute of every game this season. But after Erceg picked up a knee injury in the preceding week they weren’t taking any risks. She was listed as questionable on the injury update midweek and then didn’t make the trip to Texas.
Without her they were under some genuine pressure early against Houston, with Katie Lund making a couple of banger saves in goal. That pressure soon paid dividends when Salmon’s near post finish gave the home side the lead that they deserved... however they never kicked on with it and Louisville definitely had some chances to tie this game up in the second half – including a couple excellent saves and an equaliser disallowed for offside. But no need to worry because results elsewhere still combined to guarantee Louisville a place in the knockout rounds with one more group game to spare. It’ll be their first ever instance of knockout footy, having never made it this far in the cup nor having yet progressed to the NWSL playoffs.
Angel City had a 2-1 win over Portland Thorns, with the latter missing their World Cup internationals a little more than ACFC missed Ali Riley and company. Savannah McCaskill got a brace with the winning goal coming early in the second half. OL Reign are already through from that group so Angel City’s only hope of progressing is to finish as the best second-placed team across the three groups. For that to happen, they’ll need to win their own match away to San Diego and also for Kansas City Current to lose theirs. Plus they need Gotham to take no more than three points from their last two matches... ideally two points or less because then goal difference won’t matter and goal difference is not currently Angel City’s friend. Even if they do match KC they’ll have to overturn an eight goal differential between the two. It’s probably not gonna happen... but the one thing they do have in their advantage: KC’s last game is against Racing Louisville.
Elsewhere in the US of A... there wasn’t much going on. Erceg didn’t play. Riley didn’t play. Over in the Leagues Cup you already knew that Michael Boxall was suspended from last week’s debacle. In his absence Minnesota United lost 3-2 to Chicago Red Stars despite being 2-1 up after 78 minutes. Standard practice for this team to be much worse without Boxy - the same thing happened when he served his accumulation suspension in the league recently. The Loons are already through to the next round no matter what happens between Chicago and Puebla.
As are Charlotte FC following a 4-1 win over Necaxa, though Bill Tuiloma remains sidelined with an injury picked up in training last week. Yet the LA Galaxy lost 1-0 to Leon (despite ninety minutes for Tyler Boyd) which left them needing to beat Vancouver Whitecaps to advance... and they failed to do so. LA were 1-0 up with ten minutes to go but an own goal (81’) and a Brian White strike (90+1’) sent them to a 2-1 defeat to eliminate them. Boyd was subbed off while it was still 1-0.
Up Next: Kansas City Current vs Racing Louisville in the Challenge Cup, Sunday at midday (NZT)
Tommy Smith – Milton Keynes Dons (English League Two)
The omens were strong when Smithy’s trial period with MK Dons was extended into a seat on the plane for their preseason camp in Germany. Now they’ve made it official, signing the All Whites veteran on a free transfer following his release from Colchester United. Smith thus remains in League Two joining a team that has just been relegated down into the division.
MK Dons will be his sixth professional club. He played 267 times for Ipswich Town, with a brief loan out at Brentford in there. Then left to Colorado Rapids for a couple years. Returned to England with Sunderland on a short term deal although he never actually played for them. Then a few years with Colchester including being club captain for most of that time. Including his 50 caps for the All Whites plus youth international stuff, Smithy has played more than 500 games of professional football in his career. Still only 33 years old.
Tommy Smith: “It’s brilliant to get the deal sorted and over the line. I’m delighted to be here and hopefully I can help contribute to a successful season. I got a call from the Gaffer to see if I’d be interested in coming in to train and I jumped at the chance. I have enjoyed my couple of weeks here so far, getting to know the manager and the players, so it was an easy decision to sign. This is quite a young squad and I know the Gaffer wants me to come in and use my experience as much as I can, on and off the pitch. First and foremost, I want to contribute on the pitch and help the team get points on the board but naturally I’ll try and be an experienced voice and help the players around me.”
The League Two season begins next week and it does look like Smithy will have to earn his way into the line-up. They went full strength for their last preseason match, a 3-1 loss to Northampton Town, and that saw Smith serve unused substitute duty as they only used five changes despite the unofficial nature of the game (Northampton Town used nine subs including two trialists).
But that’s understandable. Similar to his place in All Whites squads these days it’s not only about what Smith offers on the pitch, it’s his leadership and guidance off it that matters just as much to the squad. Particularly a young squad like this, as he says. The coach made the exact same point in his comments...
MKD Head Coach Graham Alexander: “Adding Tommy’s abilities on the pitch, as well as his character off it, will be a big thing for us. He’s a no-nonsense defender who will go in where it will hurt but he’s also someone who is tactically aware and can pass that information on to the team. He played in the pre-season game against Barnet and then came with us to Germany. We liked how he trained and how he interacted with everybody. He also showed us how motivated he is to contribute to the team this season. Already, in the short space of time that he’s been with us, we have seen him pass on the experience and knowledge he has from playing at a higher level and internationally. However, he’s not coming in to just be a mouthpiece for us – he’s motivated to be a valuable player for us.”
Up Next: Wrexham vs MK Dons on Sunday at 2am... the Americans will be watching (NZT)
Logan Rogerson & Ollie Whyte - FC Haka (Finnish Veikkausliiga)
Boom, get in. Great strike. First of the season for Ollie Whyte in fact, coming in a rare start for him as he’s predominantly been used as a substitute this year. FC Haka have also predominantly lost or drawn most of those games so he was due an opportunity sooner or later and he delivered the goods with that goal.
This was Haka against FC Lahti in the Veikkausliiga and it was a timely goal from Whyte after Lahti had gone close with a couple of huge early chances. Not sure how Haka scrambled through the opening twenty-odd minutes without conceding but they did and Whyte then smacked them into the lead. Respect the finish but also respect his work earlier in the move. The backheeled assist from Juan Lescano too. Lovely stuff.
Meanwhile in a reversal of fortunes it was Logan Rogerson who had to play off the bench. Admittedly this was after a couple of double-gameweeks with their Conference League qualifiers involving a trip to Northern Ireland. He’d enter the game as Whyte left it, part of a double change just prior to the hour. At that stage Haka were pressing for a second goal having hit the crossbar late in the opening half whilst Lescano had also struck one into the keeper’s hands after a feed from Whyte. Rogerson curled a shot slightly over the top on 69’ as well.
But Haka eventually did what they tend to do and conceded to keep their winless streak going. This time it was a Lescano own goal, turning a low whipped free kick past his own goalie on 71’. They drew 1-1 thus spoiling a chance to go ahead of their opponents on the ladder. Instead they remain last. Still a long way to go but it can’t be a comfortable place to reside. Highlights here. Haka last won a game on 10 May – we’re now up to 14 games winless in all competitions, 11 of those in the league.
Up Next: 3am on Saturday, Ilves vs Haka (NZT)
Nikko Boxall – Inter Turku (Finnish Veikkausliiga)
There were much happier vibes around Inter Turku as they won 2-0 against Mariehamn to give a huge boost to their chances of making the top six cut for the playoff rounds. They’re now only one point out with a game in hand after Nikko and the lads orchestrated this clean sheet win.
Opening goal came inside five minutes via an own goal and then added another midway through the half. And actually it was Inter who seemed more keen on scoring the next one throughout the second stanza (other than one defensive slip when they conceded a penalty... but Mariehamn missed it so no dramas). They never did find that third strike... but the 2-0 win snaps a five game run without victory. Another very solid ninety minutes for Boxall who seems to have instantly settled at his new club. Straight in there like he’s been a teammate for years. Here are some highlights.
Up Next: Tuesday at 3am away to KTP (NZT)
Dalton Wilkins - Kolding IF (Danish Division 1)
Wing-back on penalty kick duties? Yeah why not. Dalton Wilkins certainly made no mistake there as he tied things up for Kolding in first half stoppage time of their second Division 1 match of the season. Opponents Hillerød had themselves already scored from a penalty but a clumsy bit of goalkeeping gave Kolding the chance to level. You know how that went.
Crazily enough, there was still time left for Kolding to score again before the half-time whistle went. This one began with a long throw from Wilkins and ended with Jakob Rask punting one in amidst the scramble. Goals on 45+4’ and 45+6’, completely flipping this game. Wilkins again played as a right WB which is not his usual side... although he seems to be making a fair crack of it (and just quietly it won’t do his All Whites chances any harm whatsoever).
He was subbed off with twenty to go, very soon after picking up a yellow card. Kolding held on for the 2-1 win to ensure back to back victories since getting promoted to this tier. Lovely way to start the season for both club and kiwi player. That’s what we’re here for.
Up Next: B 93 vs Kolding at 1am on Sunday (NZT)
Callum McCowatt - Silkeborg IF (Danish Superliga)
The rest of the Danish contingent were quieter this week... although Callum McCowatt is making steady progress with a much longer stint off the bench than he got last week. Silkeborg were 2-0 down away to FC Midtjylland after a pair of goals scored in first half stoppage time plus FCM had missed a penalty. To be fair there had been 23 minutes of stoppage time due to a passing thunderstorm so it wasn’t like they collapsed on the brink of sliced oranges. But those two quick goals (both very good goals) did obviously affect the match rather drastically.
Thus on came Callum McCowatt at half-time. They like the ol’ Christmas Tree formation at Silkeborg, a 4-3-2-1, and McCowatt came on as the right-sided number ten (in that 2 line) and tell ya what he almost scored straight away. Great energy and a burst of speed running through as SIF countered from the other side. Ball across met McCowatt. One touch then a shot... but the keeper got out there quick enough to deflect the attempt. McCowatt then charged at the rebound with his head but that was saved too.
Midtjylland later scored a third but it was disallowed for offside. 2-0 was the way it ended, another defeat for Silkeborg although they have played two good teams so far. They should have better luck next time when they face Vejle BK who are one of the promoted clubs.
Meanwhile Joe Bell returned for Brøndby! He was named on their bench for their 2-1 defeat against OB... but he didn’t play. Unused sub. At least they did confirm that he missed last week’s game due to illness rather than being iced out. Still kinda thinking that a transfer away this month might be best for all involved though. It’s certainly what the local fans seem to be anticipating.
Elijah Just was back to the bench for Horsens in Division 1, not appearing until the last 15 minutes away to Aalborg. They then lost 1-0 to an 88th minute goal. Consecutive defeats for ACH since their relegation – not exactly how they planned it. The other kiwi in a first team situation is Oscar Obell-Hall in Division 2 with Esbjerg and their league season kicks off this week. Obel-Hall did score in one of their preseason games. He’s just been promoted to the first team, so quietly optimistic for some decent moments from the Canterbury striker over the season.
Up Next: Silkeborg vs Vejle at 5am on Saturday (NZT)
Sarpreet Singh - Hansa Rostock (German Bundesliga 2)
Casual debut game photobomb from Sarpreet. The stage was set for a beautiful first official game for him against one of his old loan clubs FC Nürnburg... but in the end that wasn’t needed. Hansa won 2-0 with the goals bookending the half-time hiatus – one in the 42nd min and one in the 47th. Singh wasn’t subbed on until the last quarter of an hour and there wasn’t really a whole lot to do as FCN were the team with most of the ball trying to find a way back into the game (they did score about ten minutes before Singh entered the game but it was ruled out by VAR for a handball).
The xG stats were 0.89 for Hansa and 3.4 for FCN... yet Hansa won 2-0. That gives you a decent indication of how this one went down. Lots of close range blocks from Hansa Rostock defenders as well as a couple of bad misses from their visitors. Add it all together and it was a tidy victory to get their campaign up and running. Can’t complain.
Up Next: Away to SV Elversberg on Saturday at 11pm (NZT)
Max Mata & Nando Pijnaker – Sligo Rovers (League of Ireland Premier Division)
Another week and another bitter taste in the mouth following a Sligo Rovers game. On the surface, a 2-2 draw away to Drogheda isn’t a terrible result... yet a draw hits different after being two goals up. Particularly when they’d blown a lead against the same opponents to be knocked out of the FAI Cup just one week earlier.
No Max Mata goals this time but he was still a strong presence up front in a mostly impressive first half display from the Bit’O’Red. Much better than the previous meeting with Drogheda in that cup game where Mata did score from a penalty but in fairness that goal had come against the run of play. Here they had Stefan Radosavljevic converting on 24’ as a beautiful team move ended with a shot off the post that bounced right to him for the rebound finish and they were entirely worth it.
So it continued into the second half, with Sligo playing solidly albeit maybe not creating the quantity of chances that they ought to have. However an own goal in their favour just before the hour an own goal took care of that. Sligo were seemingly striding towards three points... until a mix-up between keeper Luke McNicholas and the bro Nando Pijnaker. Each left a bouncing ball in behind for the other and a striker poked through to score on 68’. Ten minutes later they conceded again from a cross nodded back over for the close range finish. 2-2 final score.
It’ll feel like two points dropped (because it was – although credit for knuckling down and at least holding on for something), but at this stage they’re only really competing to avoid relegation so perhaps a point is okay after all. This draw puts them seven clear of ninth-placed Cork City (with UCD way adrift in last).
This also might not be Max or Nando’s problem for much longer. Word is that Shrewsbury Town manager Matt Taylor was in attendance for the Drogheda game as he scouts for players ahead of their League One campaign (which begins next week). Drogheda United do have a couple young fellas who’ve been rumoured for moves but it’s Max Mata and Nando Pijnaker whom he was reportedly there to see.
Admittedly this was not the best game he could have gone to for scouting purposes, considering how it went, but if he was flying over to Ireland then he was already well keen. In fact there’s a chance they could both have already made their Shrewsbury Town debuts by next week’s Flying Kiwis. Word is that Mata is also being scoped out by Carlisle United which could force through a quick deal to avoid a bidding war. Hopefully that also includes Pijnaker in recognition that these dudes are, after all, a package deal. They played together at Grasshoppers in Switzerland and Sligo Rovers in Ireland. They were in the same U20 World Cup squad. Heck, they even made their All Whites debuts in the very same game (against Lithuania in 2019). It’d be a shame to break up the dynamic duo. Watch this space.
Up Next: Sligo Rovers vs St Pat’s on Saturday at 6.45am (NZT)
Kyle Adams - Louisville City (American USL Championship)
Aye, would you look at that? It’s another transfer to report because Kyle Adams has made the mid-season switch from San Diego Loyal to Louisville City in the USL. This was a trade between the two teams which also saw South African forward Enoch Mushagalusa head in the other direction, albeit only on loan for the rest of the 2023 season. Adams moves permanently and SDL have already replaced him by signing defender Michael Chilaka from Maccabi Tel Aviv (Israel).
This sheds more light upon why Adams had suddenly dropped to the bench in his previous two games despite having led the team in starts. Turns out they were preparing for life without him – chasing further attacking depth to help them stop drawing so many games. That in turn has a knock-on effect for the kiwi left behind as Elliot Collier could find his steady bench role under threat with Mushagalusa’s arrival. Time will tell. Collier has 2 goals and 2 assists in 744 mins of action so far this year.
Louisville needed a defender. They’d already had one bloke leave for a European deal while another suffered a season-ending injury. In comes Kyle Adams, a long established defensive rock at this level, and now they can return to their back three formation.
LouCity coach Danny Cruz: “Kyle is a defender who brings us a lot of quality both with and without the ball. Since Jordan [Scarlett]’s injury was confirmed as season-ending, we’ve been on the market looking to acquire a center back. This opportunity presented itself and we feel it provides us with flexibility in our shape as well as the depth needed to finish this season strong. We are constantly evaluating the roster and will continue to look at different opportunities to add to the attack. With that being said, Enoch is still a Louisville City player who is under contract for 2024. This is an opportunity for him to go get games and in return we feel we are receiving a quality defender.”
Indeed, he’s already made his debut for Louisville City. Adams straight-away helped his new team bounce back to winning ways with a 2-0 result against Indy Eleven. The arrival of Adams worked exactly as anticipated by allowing them to pick a three-man defence with their wing-backs turning in huge attacking performances with that extra freedom. Adams delivered a dominant display and earned some glowing praise from his new coach.
Danny Cruz again: “I thought he was excellent tonight. He’s the player that we thought he would be. I thought tonight was a great start for him. He was excellent in the shape, he allowed us to do some things that we’ve been wanting to do, and he should be really, really proud of that performance.”
So yeah that’s worked out well.
Up Next: FC Tulsa – and Moses Dyer – vs Louisville City at 1pm on Saturday (NZT)
George Stanger – Ayr United (Scottish Championship)
They needed to beat Alloa Athletic in order to make the League Cup knockouts... and they did. George Stanger’s new team smoked his old team 6-0 with Alloa also getting a red card with about fifteen to go (they were already five down by then so little consequence). Alloa never had a shot on target all game. Ayr United had 10 of them. It was a comprehensive victory with Stanger logging ninety at centre-back on one of the quieter afternoons that he’ll get this season.
Also through to the next round are St Mirren following a 4-0 win over Forfar. No dramas for them since losing their first game. They subsequently won three in a row following to finish top of their (admittedly kinda weak) group. However Alex Greive was an unused sub in the Forfar win as new attacking signings appear to have forced him down the pecking order. Doesn’t help when guys like Stav Nachmani and Mikael Mandron are coming in and immediately scoring League Cup goals. Greive only played 130 minutes across their four group stage games.
Will Gillingham’s Cove Rangers didn’t advance. They had to settle for a 2-2 draw with Hamilton Accies in the latest round of fixtures after conceding in the sixth minute of stoppage time. Granted, they did win the penalty shootout for an irrelevant bonus point. But they’re out of the cup. No real dramas there, this was more or less expected given their third tier status. More importantly it was another full game for Will Gillingham who, just like Stanger, has immediately become a first eleven defender for his new Scottish team. The league stuff kicks off this upcoming weekend across all the various divisions.
Up Next: Greenock Morton vs Ayr, Sunday at 2am, the Scottish Championship begins (NZT)
Chris Wood - Nottingham Forest (English Premier League)
He’s back. Chris Wood has returned to the footy field after being stuck on the sidelines since going off hurt in a game against Tottenham Hotspur in March. That injury was only a bad case of bruising and it didn’t keep him out of the subsequent All Whites squad to face China... but perhaps it should have because he travelled all the way to Aotearoa only to pick up a worse injury which required surgery and ended his season. Nearly five months later now here we are.
Nottm Forest had indicated that he was close to a return when he was selected as part of the preseason training camp squad that went to Spain. He didn’t partake in any friendlies during that time but he’s since marked his comeback with half an hour off the bench against his old club Leeds. Forest went on to lose 2-0 thanks to a defensive mistake and a shot that should’ve been saved. It’s only preseason though, who cares.
More important was the Woodsman’s comeback – particularly after rumours a few weeks back that he was already on the transfer block at Forest amd would need to prove his fitness in order to gather up a move. That’s a debatable perspective considering how many forwards Forest have sold or released lately. Still feels like there’s a good chance he serves as Taiwo Awoniyi’s backup and the fact that he was running around with the number 11 on his back certainly doesn’t suggest that the coach is ready to dump him. Wood wore 39 last season while 11 belonged to the now-free agent Jesse Lingard. Wood initially wore 11 for Burnley before the 9 jersey became available (which he wears for the All Whites). Awoniyi wears 9 for NFFC.
Wood was then given a start against PSV, a game that was lost 1-0 but again it was only a friendly. This time Woodsy got a full hour before the changes were rung, with Hwang Ui-jo taking his place – a Korean forward who joined the club last year but spent the season out on loan. Don’t worry about that. It’s all about minutes in the legs at this stage.
Up Next: Premier League starts in two weeks, still a couple more friendlies to go
Matt Dibley-Dias - Fulham (English Premier League)
More Premier League preseason activities over here. Fulham just got done with their American holiday having played three friendly games against fellow EPL clubs as part of the Premier League’s Summer Series. Chelsea won the meaningless trophy so good for them. They beat Fulham 2-0 in the last game or else the Cottagers would have lifted it instead. Here’s the thing we’re here for...
Fulham vs Brentford - Matt Dibley-Dias subbed on in the 83rd minute
Fulham vs Aston Villa - Matt Dibley-Dias subbed on in the 61st minute
Fulham vs Chelsea – Matt Dibley-Dias subbed on in the 81st minute
Not only did MDD make the trip to the States but he ended up featuring in all three games. Obviously they’ll tighten things up as they get into the competitive stuff but he’s showing already that he’ll be challenging for that Premier League debut this season. Coach Marco Silva seems to really rate him.
Up Next: Opening league fixture is Everton vs Fulham on 13 August at 2am (NZT)
Liberato Cacace – Empoli (Italian Serie A)
Up Next: First proper game is in the Coppa Italia against Cittadella, 3.45am on August 13 (NZT)
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