Flying Kiwis – October 23
Finn Surman - Portland Timbers (American Major League Soccer)
Phil Neville promised that he’d get Finn Surman some game time before the year was through. He went on record stating his intent. It was looking dicey there for a while but, folks, it turns out Phil Neville is a man of his word because, in the last game of the MLS regular season, Finn Surman was selected to start in the derby game against Seattle Sounders.
This had shaped as his best chance for minutes ever since the likely final standings began to take clear shape a few weeks ago. Probably why he skipped out on the All Whites squad to make sure he was ready to rock. Portland vs Seattle is a big deal fixture, one of the biggest rivalries in MLS, but the Timbers also knew they were bound for a play-in game no matter what happened. The right results elsewhere could allow them to jump from ninth to eighth but even that didn’t matter because they were guaranteed to play Vancouver Whitecaps and since there’s an event already booking out Vancouver’s stadium at that time the MLS had already confirmed that Portland would have home advantage in that game regardless of seedings. So this was Surman’s moment if ever his moment was going to swing around. Happily, it did. And he bossed it just like the Finn Surman we know...
That sliding block was the highlight of his debut but throughout the match he showed great composure and application. He won plenty of headers. His distribution was very good. There is a case that he should have been marking closer to Yeimar Andrade when that bloke got free off a corner to head Seattle into a 37th minute lead... but that was the closest thing to a mistake that can be found. In a big game like that, Surman immediately looked comfortable at this level (admittedly he’s had a few months to get acclimatised).
Portland went on to find an equaliser from Antony in the 68th minute and straight afterwards Seattle’s Obed Vargas was sent off for a second bookable offence. But the Timbers couldn’t find another goal. No dramas. They didn’t really deserve the win, having created almost nothing in the first half and only a few spare chances in the second. Vancouver lost their game but Portland needed to win to overtake them. Not that it’s of any consequence. Surman joins Bill Tuiloma and Jake Gleeson in having played MLS for the Portland Timbers... along with all the other coaching, reserve team, and pre-MLS Portland links to NZ through the years.
Surman started alongside Dario Zuparic at CB, a Croatian defender who has been around long enough to have formerly partnered Bill Tuiloma in the Timbers backline. Chances are that Zac McGraw or Miguel Araujo are back at CB for the Vancouver match but we’ll see how it goes. At the very least, Surman did his chances no harm with this display. Should Portland beat Vancouver then they’ll take the eighth seed into the playoffs for a meeting with LAFC in the first round.
Phil Neville on Finn Surman: “I thought he was incredible. Its what we’d seen when we scouted, when he first came in. We had to win games so it’s been difficult to get him minutes. I left him off the bench in one game and that was really tough because the kid has been doing incredibly well. I said a week last Tuesday when, we came off the international break, that he was always going to start this game because we believe in him, we trust him. With young players, you have to put them in the biggest games because that sends the message of trust to them.”
Finn Surman: “It’s been pretty hectic, to be fair.”
Things went swell for Michael Boxall too. Unlike Surman, he did partake in the recent All Whites internationals but that didn’t slow him down. Ninety minutes for Minnesota United followed as the Loons won 4-1 against St Louis FC. Goals for Robin Lod (21’), Jeong Sang-bin (72’ & 83’), and an own goal (78’) sent them on their way, though there was a brief wobble when they conceded to make it 2-1. The combination of all the decision day results meant that Minnesota United finished sixth in the Western Conference. No need for a play-in over these ways. They’ll face Real Salt Lake in round one. Weirdly, the first round is a best-of-three format even though all the other rounds are single-elimination. No aggregate scores in the first round. Just win or lose, best of three, straight to penalties if it’s a draw (no extra time).
Charlotte FC won 3-0 against DC United in their final regular season game to ensure a fifth-placed finish in the Eastern Conference so they’ll face Orlando City in the first round. No Bill Tuiloma in the latest match. Unused substitute. Maybe he’ll get lucky with the short-turnaround playoff system – he has played five previous MLS playoff games so he’s got experience to draw upon (Boxy’s got 6 MLS playoff apps).
Up Next: Vancouver vs Portland, MLS Play-In, Thursday at 3.30pm (NZT)
Maya Hahn & Suya Haering - Turbine Potsdam (German Bundesliga)
There she is. Suya Haering was signed by Turbine Potsdam back in January and for the rest of that season they let her find her feet in the academy system. Then Potsdam got promoted to the Bundesliga and Haering since then she’s been sneaking into matchday squads... but it took until game seven for her to finally get a crack on the pitch. Haering played roughly twenty minutes in a 6-0 defeat against Hoffenheim, subbed on at left-back after the goals had already been scored. Maya Hahn played ninety minutes up front as a second-striker which is a role that she’s worked her way into lately. Both Haering and Hahn are U17 World Cup reps for NZ, though of course Hahn later switched to German allegiance. Haering was at the U20 WC for Aotearoa a few months ago.
There is a problem brewing for Turbine Potsdam though. After grinding their way to promotion immediately after getting relegated the season prior, the return to the Bundesliga has not been comfortable. They’ve lost seven games out of seven and are yet to even score a goal. Results: 0-2, 0-2, 0-6, 0-3, 0-3, 0-3, 0-6. The ray of hope is that there are two other winless teams and they face one of them next after the international break, while the league has also changed slightly this season with only one team getting relegated which doubles their chances of survival. No reason to panic quite yet... but a few Suya Haering masterclasses wouldn’t do them any harm.
Suya Haering becomes the 23rd New Zealander to play in the Bundesliga Frauen, a lineage that includes some of the best Football Ferns of all time with Amber Hearn leading the way in terms of both games (153) and goals (43). Men or women, there is no other top-five European league that compares to this one for kiwi player opportunities. The full list, in descending order of games played:
Amber Hearn (153), Ria Percival (98), Rebecca Smith (80), Sarah Gregorius (41), Meikayla Moore (38), Abby Erceg (30), Jana Radosavljevic (23), Maya Hahn (19), Katie Duncan (16), CJ Bott (15), Rebekah Stott (13), Anna Green (11), Betsy Hassett (10), Hannah Wilkinson (10), Paige Satchell (10), Emma Kete (8), Hannah Bromley (7), Emma Rolston (5), Nicole Stratford (4), Victoria Esson (4), Ali Riley (3), Erin Nayler (1), Suya Haering (1)
Now we await game two.
Up Next: Turbine Potsdam vs Carl Zeiss Jena on November 3 at 2am (NZT)
Chris Wood - Nottingham Forest (English Premier League)
There were hints of international window hangover about Chris Wood’s first half against Crystal Palace. Against a team that’s been in poor form to start the season, in contrast to Nottingham Forest’s excellent start, he was visibly disappointed in himself not to have scored during the initial forty-five. It had been a typical Chris Wood performance in which he had minimal touches but did show some powerful hold-up play, also doing his bit defensively, all the while hunting the big goal-scoring moments... and he did have chances. Two huge ones in that half, both from Elliot Anderson crosses. The first he headed slightly off target, the second was a stretch with his boot that he couldn’t get any power or placement on and the keeper scooped it up. Ryan Yates had also hit the crossbar for Forest, although so had Eberechi Eze and Eddie Nketiah for Palace so it was very much a game in the balance.
And thus Chris Wood did this...
Five goals in eight Premier League matches this season. He scored against Chelsea prior to the internationals, he scored against both Tahiti and Malaysia with the All Whites, and now he’s scored against Crystal Palace. Four matches in a row for club and country. Only Erling Haaland, Bryan Mbuemo, and Cole Palmer have more EPL goals than Wood this season... and Wood has gotten this done from just 15 total shots. Five goals from 3.4 xG. This was also a rarity in that it was only the fourth goal he’s ever scored from outside the penalty area in the Prem. That’s now four out of a total of 74 goals.
The Woodsman is in magnificent form... both on and off the pitch, it seems. You may recall that he missed the Oceania Nations Cup for his wedding a few months back? You may have also noticed his celebration, where he chucked the ball under his shirt and then started sucking his thumb and pointing to the stands? Shouldn’t be too hard to put two and two together there. Big congrats to Chris and Emma.
To be fair, he did get a dose of fortune with Palace keeper Dean Henderson’s poor effort with the save. But those things happen. He struck it sweetly, great technique from the big man, and that was all it took. Despite the contrasting form, Eberechi Eze’s long shots had provided the two best moments of the second half prior to Wood’s goal. But only Chris Wood was able to make something count. 1-0 to Nottingham Forest, final score. Turns out this was his 50th appearance for Forest. Only Bryan Roy and Stan Collymore have scored more Prem goals for the club (although admittedly this is only their eighth top flight campaign since the Premier League was formed). Seven of Forest’s last 10 goals have come via the feet or head of Chris Wood.
And it’s not only him who’s going good either. Their defence looks much sturdier this season with Mats Sels in goal and a CB partnership of Nikola Milenković and Murillo. They’ve got options in the midfield (Elliot Anderson has been a great pick up) and are building out their attacking depth as well – winning this match without the services of Morgan Gibbs-White who is usually their focal point. They also did it without manager Nuno Espirito Santo who is serving a touchline ban. While this was Forest’s first home win of the term, their away form is such that they’re sitting in eighth place with 13 points from eight games, having already taken points off Liverpool and Chelsea.
The next thing to look for is a contract extension. Wood’s current deal expires at the end of the season and there’s no way they’re going to let that drift into January without locking him down. The brother’s earned a payrise, that’s for sure. According to the rumour mill, discussions are already underway.
Up Next: Short turnaround against Leicester City away at 8am on Saturday (NZT)
CJ Bott - Leicester City (English Super League)
It took them five pesky games but Leicester City have their first win of the season. Long overdue. They beat Everton 1-0 thanks to a Yuka Momiki goal after eight minutes, a magnificent goal nutmegging a defender on her way into the area and then stretching it past the keeper. Don’t overlook the progressive run from CJ Bott that started the move.
It would have been cool if they’d scored a second goal to ease the pressure but that never happened. Fortunately they didn’t need to because Bott and the defenders locked it down for a hard-earned clean sheet. The Foxes were happy to play counter-attacking footy with the lead so they conceded a lot of possession and Everton did do a few things with all that ball... the best of those chances coming deep in stoppage time when Toni Payne got to the back post ahead of Bott but touched her shot wide. Leicester City had lost six home games on the trot prior to this. They desperately needed that win heading into the international break and they got it.
This comes a week after Bott was subbed off at half-time of a 0-0 draw with Aston Villa. It wasn’t clear if that was tactical or injury or just rotation. She’s still the third for WSL minutes in the squad and backed that game up with a very good performance against Everton so all’s well that ends well. Also, yeah, don’t stress, CJB still leads the entire WSL in tackles won and interceptions made. If this keeps up (and maybe if she adds an assist or two) then we’ll be entering career-best form territory. She might be there already. Bott’s been absolutely flying.
Can’t say quite such effusive things about Indi Riley this week, sadly. She had her first proper ‘welcome to the league’ game for Crystal Palace in the WSL. Bound to happen eventually. She was picked to start on the right wing against Liverpool and played a lovely pass underneath in the lead up to the Katie Stengel goal that put Palace 1-0 up after 14 minutes... but then she lost the ball on the edge of her own area leading to Liverpool’s 37th minute leveller. Got stuck in a fullback position collecting the ball with a Red shirt pressing and she panicked, trying to clear it first time down the middle and only succeeding in setting up Cornelia Kapocs to score. Bugger.
Admittedly, Liverpool had been fighting back already prior to that moment so they were worthy of the goal when it arrived. IPR also had a half-chance rushing in back post on a cross that dipped just in front of her in the corner of the six-yard box. She scooped that over the top but it was a difficult one. Liverpool hit the post in the second half, while Stengel missed a couple other good chances for Palace. It ended 1-1 so still a decent result for CPFC and Indiah-Paige Riley got ninety minutes for the first time in the Women’s Super League. As for Anna Leat and her head injury, word is that she should be back in training very soon. With luck that’ll mean she’s back in contention after the international break.
Up Next: Annoyingly there’s an international break with no Football Ferns fixtures now so everyone just kinda gets a rest... which, in truth, a few of them probably need
Andre De Jong – Stellenbosch (South African Premier Soccer League)
Would you believe it...
He does not sleep. He does not rest. He only hunts goals and assists. This was the first game of the Carling Knockout which Stellenbosch won last season for the first major cup trophy in the club’s history. They were playing AmaZulu and ADJ set up Devon Titus for the first goal with a beautiful cut-back then his extra time header ended up winning the thing. What’s more is seemed to have scored another goal to make it 3-1 and put his team in the clear only they took it off him for an utterly insane offside decision. ADJ walked the ball over the line from the square pass from Titus but was ruled to have been in front. Which he very clearly was not...
Oh well, they held on for victory anyway. A deserved win that should have been more comfortable than it was but the good thing about cup footy is that goal difference doesn’t exist so it’s purely about whether you’re still in the mix or not. With this goal, ADJ has already scored in four separate competitions this season. Two goals in four Confederation Cup games. One goal in three PSL games. One goal and two assists in four MTN8 games. Now a goal and an assist in one Carling Knockout game. He’s in tremendous form. Last month his coach was banging on the drum for ADJ to get an All Whites recall. It didn’t happen then but there are games coming up in November and Steve Barker certainly has not stopped with that tune...
Steve Barker: “I think he is, in my opinion, one of the most underrated footballers in the country. Just like you say, simplicity at its best. He’s got a good first touch, controls the ball, and links plays for us from defence to attack. He’s a smart footballer, he’s aerially good for us and in scoring goals, he’s become a key player. I’m also hoping that he gets himself back into the New Zealand national team. I think he deserves it. He’s shown consistency in the last 18 months. He’s a valuable asset, I like him because he’s a smart footballer and tactically very disciplined. Hopefully that can continue.”
Up Next: Thursday at 6.30am, Chippa United vs Stellies (NZT)
Hannah Blake & Michaela Foster – Durham FC / Katie Kitching - Sunderland (English Championship)
Squint and you’ll see it. Hannah Blake’s second goal of the season was another smooth finish high into the net. Not quite as outrageous as her first but another excellent goal all the same, giving Durham the lead nine minutes into their match against Sunderland. Gonna have to make it rain harder than that to slow Blakey down.
Blake went close to setting up another when she flipped a layoff to Carly Johns, whose powerful shot was pushed wide by the diving Sunderland keeper. But the game turned after 34 minutes when a cheeky defensive shove gave Sunderland a penalty kick. Not much in it, but the shove was real. And it was completely unnecessary against a Sunderland player who was holding the ball up with her back to goal in the corner of the area posing zero immediate threat. Now, Sunderland is Katie Kitching’s team so KK was out there too. Flying Kiwis derby. But they were mean about it and gave the penalty kick to striker Eleanor Dale instead. She scored... and then five minutes into the second half Sunderland took the lead when Mary McAteer pounced on a loose ball in the six yard box. Kitching was there too but she left it for McAteer.
Mickey Foster began on the bench. She got her summons in the 72nd minute as part of a double sub that also saw Hannah Blake replaced thus there was no overlap from the compatriots. No comeback either as Sunderland held on for the 2-1 victory. They’re getting back into form after a poor start. Durham had a wonderful start but they’ve slipped up a couple of times now. Honours went to Katie Kitching in this Football Ferns clash, even though Hannah Blake was the one who scored.
Up Next: Blackburn vs Durham on Monday 4 Nov at 3am (NZT)
Jacqui Hand & Olivia Page - Sheffield United (England Championship)
Elsewhere in the division, London City Lionesses had the bye so no Grace Neville... but Sheffield United did bag a really nice win beating Blackburn Rovers 2-1 which finally snapped their rubbish league form. The Blades had lost six games in a row to begun but a Maria Farrugia double turned the tides here, the winning goal coming in the 80th minute.
Jacqui Hand played 88 minutes in the front three alongside her old Lewes teammate Farrugia. She’s wasted no time finding her feet in Sheffield. No goals or assists here, although her hold-up play around the halfway line did instigate the move for Farrugia’s first. Hand was involved in a few good moves showing off some smart touches and awareness as the number nine in Sheff Utd’s formation. Tell ya what, she very nearly opened the scoring early on when she charged down a goalkeeper clearance. Problem was it bounced too heavily off her shin and the goalie was able to dive and beat her to the rebound before it crossed the line. Needed to stick a sliding toe on that but it all happened too fast. Still, the goals won’t be far away. This was only her third league appearance for the Blades (second start) to go with one cup game.
But wait there’s more... because as Sheffield United held on for the win in those final stages they made a few substitutions to reinforce things. And one of those substitutions was Olivia Page making a stoppage time cameo, the 19yo kiwi defender thus marking her league debut for the club. She’s played four times in the Conti Cup but here she finally popped up in the Champo. Sweet as. Sixteen bench appearances later, she actually got on the pitch. There’ll be many more where this came from.
Up Next: Sheffield United vs London City, but not ‘til after the international break
Katie Bowen - Inter Milan (Italian Serie A)
The unbeaten start went on the line as Inter Milan hosted Juventus at Arena Civica Gianni Brera. This is a Juventus team that has qualified for Champions League, that was runners-up in the previous two seasons and won five in a row prior to that, and which had won all six previous Serie A matches this term. It was going to be a serious test for an Internazionale defence that still hadn’t conceded multiple times in a game.
Katie Bowen did spend a couple of games outside the starting line-up but quickly earned her way back in there – helped by Marija Ana Milinkovic moving into midfield. She’d have started anyway... but any doubt was removed when they reverted to the back three shape that we saw in the first game of the season, with Milinkovic dropping back alongside Bowen and Ivana Andres. Gotta say, the back three is more fun as it gives KB a whole lot more licence to go shooting into the midfield and beyond – which she was doing even against the threat of Juventus.
Actually, Inter did a whole lot to limit that threat. They spent much of the game in their own half but they were moved the ball around well under pressure and always seemed capable of countering. Other than a few good crosses with nobody on the end of them, Juve’s most memorable chance came after 28 minutes when the Inter keeper picked up a backpass. Indirect free kick in the box. Inter stacked almost everyone in a wall across the goalline and were able to block the shot. Soon after that instance, Bowen needed a pause when she took a knock to the face going up for a defensive header. Leant in a little too far against Barbara Bonansea and felt the brunt of it... but she was alright once she’d had a chance to catch a breath.
There was one of those Bowen bursts five mins into the second spell which could have led to a famous goal if the cut-back hadn’t been ever-so-slightly behind her. That was one of a few sneaky opportunities that Inter mustered in the second spell, the best of them being a cross that nearly floated top corner from the left wing, instead striking the crossbar. Could even argue that Inter were the better team after the break but they won’t be too upset with a 0-0 draw. Clean sheet, stopped the perfect record of Juventus, stayed undefeated themselves. Yeah no worries. Ninety minutes for Bowen... hard to believe she used to have to sit on the bench in America. She’s New Zealand’s best female footballer right now (and probably has been since the World Cup).
Up Next: Monday 4 Nov at 12.30am away to second-placed Fiorentina (NZT)
Malia Steinmetz – FC Nordsjælland (Danish Kvindeliga)
Here’s someone who has kept very busy over the past fortnight, with three games to catch up on since the last Flying Kiwis yarn. The first of those was a seasonal milestone as Malia Steinmetz went ninety minutes for the first time in 2024-25 during a 1-0 win against Kolding. Ava Collins played the last 21 mins off the bench for the opponents while Steiny got a yellow card. It wasn’t until right at the very end that Winonah Heatley finally scored to turn a dominant performance (though arguably not as dominant as it should have been for first versus last) into a victory thanks to a deflected shot from a corner kick scramble in the third minute of second half stoppage time. Take ‘em how they come. Definite signs of relief as the final whistle blew that day.
That was followed by the third round of FCN’s Danish Cup defence where they had zero issues in squeezing past B93 with a 3-0 win. Emilia Asgeirsdottir scored twice (4’ & 68’) and Alma Aagaard got the other (11’). Two early goals ensured they were in control from there on out. Steinmetz played 80 minutes of that match and you know what? She played an hour of the next one too. Starting to get those regular starts again, getting back up to speed after missing the start of the season and emerging as an important player for FCN once more.
We’re talking a 2-0 win against Odense. Goals for Emmi Sofia Siren (16’) and Emilia Asgeirsdottir (44’). The first came direct from a corner kick while the second came after a brilliant turn and finish in the area from Asgeirsdottir, with Steinmetz playing the pass before the assist. This win means that FCN have not conceded since the 2-0 loss to Fortuna a month ago. Five clean sheets in a row in all competitions, each of them victories. They remain three points clear at the top of the ladder after ten rounds.
Not so much fun for Ava Collins whose Kolding team are already out of the cup and, following the encouraging/deflating 1-0 loss to Nordsjælland, they then lost 5-0 to HB Køge. In contrast to FCN, Kolding have lost five games in a row and haven’t scored in any of the past four. Collins was subbed on in the 64th minute against HBK with the score at 3-0.
Thankfully, we have since witnessed the return of Ally Green. She finally turned up in an AGF squad for their match against B93. They lost 1-0 but Green played thirty minutes off the bench for her first involvement in any football since the Olympic Games. That was all it took because next game she was into the starting lineup at left-back and lasted the full match as AGF grabbed a shock 1-0 win away against Brøndby. Signe Baattrup with the goal on 50 mins. No idea how they survived the late onslaught but they did, earning just their second win (and second clean sheet) of the Kvindeliga term. There ya go.
Up Next: After the international break it’s a Fortuna vs FCN rematch at 1am on Monday 4 November (NZT)
Callum McCowatt - Silkeborg IF (Danish Superliga)
Good news: Callum McCowatt is back. A muscle injury spoiled the first few months of his campaign but he finally stepped back on the footy pitch this week in a 1-1 draw against FC Nordsjælland. Subbed on as a left winger in the 72nd minute as his team sought to close out a tight victory... which they did not achieve because Oliver Sonne scored an own goal a few minutes later. Sonne was busy guarding his marker with his back to the ball... and the ball hit his back and rebounded freakishly into the net. To be fair, SIF were pretty fortunate to still be leading at that point anyway, having been holding onto that lead since the second minute of the contest. Silkeborg have had a run of draws lately but they still sit fourth with 20 points from 12 games.
And now Callum McCowatt is back to help them out with that. CMC did manage ten minutes off the bench versus Randers back in August but then must have suffered a setback because he disappeared again afterwards. Didn’t get to feature in the Europa League qualifiers where Silkeborg were knocked out by Molde, nor the Europa Conference League qualifiers where they were bundled out by KAA Gent. He did return to the bench for the two most recent Superliga games but was an unused sub for those draws against Lyngby and FC Copenhagen. A mere ten minutes of footy through the first 11 matches of the league season. He’ll be raring to make up for lost time.
Up Next: Saturday at 6am, Silkeborg vs Aalborg (NZT)
Lara Colpi – FC Thun Berner-Oberland (Swiss Super League)
Things are happening for Lara Colpi. Having left Western Springs after a spectacular 2023 season, she headed to Europe to get on the old favourite trial circuit. News was scarce for a long time there... until suddenly she started appearing in NZ U20 squads with Young Boys (Switzerland) listed as her club.
Colpi was able to get one game in for YB’s U20 team before flying out for the U20 World Cup. That one game was a homer against Rapperswil and she scored a goal. Not bad, goal on debut, take that. Albeit her team did win 14-0 so she had a lot of company on that scoresheet. The U20 World Cup went kinda bad for the Aotearoa side (read about it here) with Colpi only getting 36 combined minutes across the three matches. She missed three YB U20s games whilst at that tournament but when she returned she was straight back into the starting lineup. That all led to a game away against FC Yverdon two weeks ago where Colpi scored a hat-trick as her team won 7-0. That’s four goals in five U20s games and, knowing Copli (and seeing a few of those scorelines), chances are there were plenty of assists in there too.
The YB Frauen first team are currently top of the pops with 19 points from nine games. Bit of a slow start but they’ve won five in a row since then as they seek to bust up FC Zürich’s dynasty of having won 11 of the past 14 titles. YB Frauen’s last championship was in 2011. Even though Colpi’s been doing great for the youth side, breaking into that top team is not going to be easy. Nevertheless, they seem to reckon she’s ready for senior footy because this week, without any announcements or anything, she randomly got twenty minutes off the bench for FC Thun. You can see her here, smack-bang in the middle of the image facing the camera in red...
If FC Thun is a recognisable name, that’s probably because Marco Rojas turned out for them back in the day. Doesn’t seem to be much integration between the men’s and women’s teams though – they go by different names with different logos. Anyway, YB Frauen are first and FC Thun are last... although a second-half Selina Ueltschi penalty (57’) did earn TBO a 1-1 draw against FC Luzern in Colpi’s debut. Only their second point from nine games. Colpi wore the #21 jersey and played as an attacking midfielder. It’ll be difficult for them to avoid relegation but we’re assuming LC is only there on loan so no dramas. Mark that down as a professional debut.
Up Next: Thun vs Zurich at 6am on Sunday 3 November (NZT)
Gabi Rennie - Åland United (Finnish Kansallinen Liiga)
Well, that’s that. A 3-0 defeat against HJK brought the season to a close for Åland United, thus ending Gabi Rennie’s first year as a professional. The club finished a very respectable fourth place which is one place behind where they finished last year when Jacqui Hand was in Rennie’s place. Rennie herself had a fantastic campaign, scoring six goals with seven assists in the league (20 games played) and adding a couple more goals in the cup as well. Those assists were good for third-equal in the entire division.
Hand obviously used her experiences across two successful years in Finland to launch into English football. We’ll see what Rennie gets up to but let it be known that her output in the Kansallinen is pretty similar to what Hand produced. JH scored seven goals in 17 games in 2022 and seven goals in 15 games in 2023. There will have been a few assists to go with that but they deleted the old stats from the official website so can’t say. Anyway, here’s one of those six Gabi Rennie goals to take us into the offseason...
Up Next: That’s a 2025 thing to worry about
Abby Erceg – Racing Louisville (American National Women’s Soccer League)
The dream is still alive... just. After losing three in a row, RL were on the brink. Defeat against Portland Thorns and their playoff hopes were gone. Instead a 1-0 victory means that they’re still in with a chance going into the final round in two weeks (there’s an international break first).
It was looking like it wasn’t going to happen, Louisville were defending well (led by Erceg of course) but only managed to forge a few sparse scoring opportunities and the likes of Savannah DeMelo and Bethany Balcer weren’t able to convert them. But then, in the 88th minute, Taylor Flint beat the goalie to a near post corner kick delivery and flicked a header into the net to send the home crowd wild. Absolutely massive moment. Louisville now head into the final round knowing that they need to win against San Diego and they need either Portland or Bay FC to lose as well. If it’s Portland then they’ll also need to improve the goal difference margin as well.
Erceg had the most touches (76) of any Louisville player in this game. One tackle, one interception, one block. Completed a ridiculous 70/71 passes. Nothing to worry about there. By the way, Abby Erceg is on course to play every single minute of the NWSL season – one of ten players still everpresent heading into the final round. Five of them are goalies, five are defenders. Erceg, who turns 35 next month, is the oldest of them all. Incredibly, she did the same thing last season too.
Racing Louisville (prior to the Portland game): “Abby Erceg recently overtook Seattle’s Jess Fishlock to claim the second spot in NWSL career minutes played. The New Zealand native currently stands at 17,079 career minutes and has started every game and played every minute for Racing since joining the club via trade from North Carolina ahead of the 2023 season. She has two goals and two assists in 45 league games with Racing.”
Which begs the question... will we see Milly Clegg get her overdue debut in that game? Probably not. There’s a lot on the line there and this is not a club that rotates very often... as you can tell from Erceg’s minutes. Clegg wasn’t even on the bench for the Thorns match.
It’s not that Racing Lou averse to throwing inexperienced players in, it’s more that the inexperienced players that Clegg is competing with are college graduates (Emily Sears, Kayla Fischer, Reilyn Turner before she got traded) who are therefore in that 23-25yo age range whereas Clegg only turns 19yo in November. She’s way ahead of schedule and training at one of the highest levels. Game time might have to wait until next season though. Just quietly, one avenue for her could be a loan to the A-League during the offseason – Racing recently loaned 25yo backup goalie Olivia Sekany to Brisbane Roar on a deal that expires in March so that she can be back in America for next season. It’s a possibility. Depending on fitness that might even be an option for Macey Fraser too.
Up Next: San Diego Wave vs Racing Louisville at 11.30am on Monday 4 November (NZT)
Ben Old - AS Saint-Étienne (French Ligue 1)
Putting that accent to good work there.
Alas, this is not going to be a happy report because Ben Old missed out on the weekend’s game (a 2-0 loss to Lens) after an injury suffered in training. An injury which sounds like it could be very serious. His coach Olivier Dall’Oglio was asked about it at his press conference and was far from reassuring, with French media reporting that Old got his knee twisted in a challenge and the fear is that there’s ligament damage. Scans should take place in the next day or two – they usually can’t do those things until the swelling has eased up.
ODO: “Regarding Ben Old's injury? I don't have much to tell you, he needs to do more tests to get the exact nature of the injury. All I can tell you is that it's not a good injury... it's not a good injury in any case. It's in the knee.”
This comes after Old started both games for the All Whites during the international break and we know how common it is for footballers to get injured straight after international breaks. He was getting around town on crutches with a knee brace a few days ago. By a rotten stroke of timing, they also did the big team photo this week so Oldy had his knee brace on for that as well. We pray for mercy... but this has all the indications of a season-ender.
Meanwhile, Dijon FCO bounced back from their first defeat of the Division 1 Feminine season last week – where they were beaten 3-0 by perennial champs Lyon, going with a back three formation to match their star-studded opponents. Kate Taylor got ninety minutes against Lyon... but that wasn’t the case in the Saint-Étienne game. She was the odd one out as they turned three centre-backs into two centre-backs, though she did still pop up for the last ten minutes as a sub, replacing a striker in a ‘let’s keep what we’ve got’ kinda move shortly after Dijon had scored to go 2-0 up. That was the way it ended. First game out of five that Taylor hasn’t started and played the full thing. Doesn’t hurt to mix it up, onwards we go.
Up Next: Hopefully Old is fit for Angers vs ASSE at 4am on Sunday (NZT)
Joe Bell – Viking FK (Norwegian Eliteserien)
We’re into the final stretch of the Norwegian season and Viking FK are holding steady. Bødo/Glimt have been running away with the championship for a long time now but it is wide open for the European spots beneath them and Viking could finish second or they could finish outside the top four altogether. Just gotta keep grinding out points.
Joe Bell took the international window off - part of an arrangement between NZ Football and Viking FK that had seen him released for the Olympics – so he was fresh for the visit of Odd this past weekend... and he needed to be because this game was nuts. Viking started well, creating a couple of good early chances at home, but then conceded after 14 mins when their goalie made a mess of a corner kick and Magnus Ree was credited with the own goal. Set piece defending has been their achilles heel for most of this season and in the 18th minute they found themselves 2-0 down when Sheriff Sinyan headed in off a long throw. This was trouble. This was a hole to dig themselves out of.
That digging began on 35’ when Henrik Heggheim snuck in at the far post to make it 2-1... but the next goal was harder to find. Gianni Stensness went close stepping up and smashing a chest-and-volley slightly over the top. A Joe Bell dummy created another shooting chance that went wide. There were saves. There were defensive blocks and deflections. There were hopeful substitutions. Finally, on 79’, Lars-Joergen Salvesen followed up a shot off the crossbar to give VFK the equaliser... but then right at the end of the ninety a long ball over the top led to keeper Ree and defender Stensness running into each other which gave Bilal Njie a tap-in for 3-2. Absolute throwaway... until the fifth minute of stoppage time when another Aussie, Nick D’Agostino, popped up with a back stick header for 3-3. Heck of a game. Extended highlights here.
Viking should have won this. They had overwhelmingly more shots and possession and two of the goals they conceded were goalkeeping errors. But at least they didn’t lose. Joe Bell wasn’t involved in the goals. He actually hasn’t done a lot of assisting lately, mostly just sitting deep in midfield and making sure the ball gets where it needs to go. He completed 47/53 passes and won a few interceptions, though was perhaps less effective with his tackling in this one. That means a draw either side of the international break for Viking, although they do go tied for third with Molde thanks to this result after that lot were defeated. Brann won their match to open up a five point gap between themselves in second and Molde/Viking in third/fourth. Fredrikstad also won so they’re only one point behind in fifth. Five rounds left. Top two means Champions League qualifiers. Third or fourth means Europa Conference League qualifiers.
Up Next: Sarpsborg vs Viking at 5am on Monday (NZT)
Kyle Adams - Louisville City (American USL Championship)
Right on, right on. That there is Kyle Adams getting his hands on the USL Championship Players’ Shield, a trophy that’s awarded to the team with the best regular season record. Lou City had it wrapped up with two weeks to spare – there’s no other club even close. They’ve got one more regular season game and are eight points ahead of second place Charleston Battery, who themselves have a better record than any club in the other conference. One more game and then the serious stuff begins. Racing Louisville deserve to be favourites but Indy Eleven have found some tidy form lately with Elliot Collier and James Musa in tow. In fact here’s James Musa scoring a winning goal two weeks ago...
Not sure how to feel about 200 regular season USL appearances for the Moose. The fact that he’s been so good for so long at this level yet only ever got to play 244 minutes in the MLS simply is not fair. He’s never won this competition though. Twice runners-up with Phoenix Rising but no trophy. Elliot Collier won it with San Antonio two years ago, playing off the bench in the final. We’ve also got Riley Bidois at Loudon United but they’re going to need a minor miracle to get into the playoffs.
Up Next: Louisville City vs Phoenix Rising at 12.30pm on Sunday (NZT)
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