Flying Kiwis – April 23
Macey Fraser - Utah Royals (American National Women’s Soccer League)
One year ago, Macey Fraser was a bit of a forgotten player in the kiwi footballing landscape. She’d been one of the stars of the NZ U17s when they finished third back in 2018 and did have a couple of excellent seasons in the NZ National League. Played for the Aotearoa futsal team as well. But for whatever reason she struggled to get her big break from there, spending time with Ole Academy and the Wellington Phoenix Academy, going to an U20 World Cup but not playing (presumably injury-related), and generally watching as other kept getting opportunities ahead of her.
Specifically at the Wellington Phoenix where she was on the scene yet overlooked for their first two seasons in the A-League. Then Paul Temple came along, quickly gave her a three-year contract (a move that looks even more prescient now that they’ve been able to leverage that contract into a transfer fee), and she proceeded to have an immediate impact upon the WahiNix starting almost every game she was available for with three goals and five assists and in many ways being the driving force behind the team’s style of play. That led to a Football Ferns debut and now, five caps in, she already looks like a first eleven player.
Credit to the Utah Royals because they were paying attention. They’ve stepped in and signed Macey Fraser to a three-year contract with an option for a fourth – and are talking about her going straight into the squad as soon as her visa gets sorted. For an A-League record transfer fee, no less.
Utah Royals Sporting Director Kelly Cousins: “Macey is a player that can make an immediate impact on our team. Not only does she have the temperament, but has the technical and physical abilities to succeed in the NWSL. We are excited to welcome her to the club and to watch her develop here in Utah.”
Fraser is the second ex-Wellington Phoenix player to follow this pathway after Milly Clegg signed with Racing Louisville (via Western Sydney Wanderers) a few months ago. Football Ferns creative players at big league clubs... we used to dream of such things.
A few notes about the Utah Royals: this is their first season back in the NWSL after the previous incarnation of the team was moved to become the Kansas City Current (after the former FC Kansas City team had been sold and moved to Utah). They’ve been revived, brand and history and everything, but have had a rough start to their return after losing four of their first five matches. They’re a young and inexperienced team with quite a few injuries and in desperate need of depth. They’ve helped fix that by adding Macey Fraser. They also subsequently traded for Amandine Henry from Angel City, a French international defensive midfielder, and Spanish international defender Ana Tejada (who has won the U17 and U20 World Cups, as well as earning a senior debut in 2022). They paid a fee for Tejada too, bringing her in from Real Sociedad. Safe to say they’re still building out their roster, more than a month into the new season. And they’re looking towards international talent to do so.
Also, the Royals are coached by former USA international striker Amy Rodriguez who not only used to play for the old Utah Royals but she did so alongside Katie Bowen. Fraser has said that she’s spoken to KB about this move. Dunno if Bowen helped tip off her old mate on a top kiwi prospect but that connection must have helped.
Utah Royals actually played against Racing Louisville this week. Pity that fixture came so soon as Fraser and Clegg weren’t ready to feature. Fraser is still awaiting her visa. Clegg only just got back training after injury. Abby Erceg was out there for RL though... so let’s do that one next.
Up Next: It’s in the hands of the American bureaucracy
Abby Erceg – Racing Louisville (American National Women’s Soccer League)
After four consecutive draws, including twice blowing 2-0 leads, the Racing Louisville folks were in desperate need of a victory following one of the more frustrating unbeaten starts you’ll see. Against a vulnerable Utah Royals team they got exactly that. In convincing fashion.
Didn’t get a heap of Erceg action here. She had a quiet game against a visiting side that didn’t ask her to do much defending. Having said that, this game was still in the balance at the break. Uchenna Kanu headed in from an excellent Lauren Milliet cross on 26’ for RL but the Royals equalised deep into stoppage time. Louisville seemed to be tearing Utah to shreds with the crossbar and a couple of freakish saves all that had stopped them from strolling away within the first half. Instead Olivia Griffiths chopped past a defender and smashed in a great finish to make it 1-1. Louisville with another lead gone astray. How would they respond?
They would response magnificently by scoring four unanswered goals in the second half. It wasn’t until the 68th minute that Savannah DeMelo finally put the Louvillians ahead again but she swiftly added a penalty (78’) to carry things on, then rookies Reilyn Turner (87’) and Emma Sears (90+1’) added to the fun later on. 5-1 final score. The first time in team history that Racing Louisville have scored five goals in a game. Suddenly their unbeaten start looks a whole lot better.
Elsewhere, Ali Riley was only on the bench for Angel City in their 2-1 win against North Carolina Courage. Riley was brought on after 77 minutes to help seal the deal with some veteran left back minutes. This was soon after NCC had pulled one back after Claire Emslie’s brace (23’, 54’) had put ACFC in the box seat. Mission successful. Solid win. Riley was rested last week after international duty so this was her first NWSL appearance this month.
Up Next: Gotham FC vs Racing Louisville on Monday at 9am (NZT)
Anna Leat – Aston Villa (English Super League)
As you know, there’s a convenient little window available to Anna Leat right now. Aston Villa’s number one keeper, Daphne van Domselaar, is out injured for the rest of the campaign and rumours have it that she might well find herself transferred before the next one starts (Arsenal have been circling). So not only is Anna Leat getting to be the starting keeper for the Villans over their final few WSL games, but this could even be an audition for number one status next season too (although she is coming off contract herself).
In that light, even in any light, this was not how it was supposed to go...
Not even four minutes into their match against Chelsea and she was given a red card. An absolutely deserved one. Handball outside the penalty area. She’d been caught out of position when her centre-back Rachel Corsie passed a gentle ball into the midfield which was read by Sjoeke Nüsken who stepped up and intercepted it. Leat tried to backtrack but possibly lost her bearings in the process. She actually made a really good save, tipping the ball around the post, but of course she was two metres outside the box and that ain’t legal.
Coincidentally, she was up against Hannah Hampton in goal for Chelsea after HH kept her out of the team for the back stretch of last season with some excellent form prior to her move to the Blues. Meanwhile, with DVD out injured, the only other goalie on the books for AVFC was 17yo Sophia Poor who thus made an unexpected debut. Poor would concede three times in a 3-0 defeat. Not bad given they played 86 minutes with ten women against a side that beat them 6-0 in the home fixture earlier in the season.
We could say that Anna Leat has bad luck against Chelsea. She’s now played them three times in the WSL (once in each of her seasons) for 2-0, 3-1, and 3-0 defeats. There was also a 4-2 loss to Chelsea in the WSL Cup when she was at West Ham. But considering Chelsea’s excellence in English football that’s kinda par for the course. And Leat had been superb in a 3-1 loss against Arsenal the other week so losing games to top teams isn’t necessarily anything to harm her reputation.
Early red cards can, though. Especially as this also means she will be suspended for the meeting with West Ham next week. Very much not ideal when you’re in a rare spell of regular games. In fact there’s some suggestion that she may have to serve a three-game suspension... in which case that’s the end of her season because there are only two more matches to be played after that West Ham match: away to Brighton and home to Manchester City, both in May. That’s what the BBC claimed anyway. FA guidelines seem to suggest otherwise so maybe they’re wrong. We’ll find out soon enough.
Chelsea manager Emma Hayes: “I hate that rule, I know it serves as an advantage to us. It is one of these rules in football I don’t like, a goalkeeper being sent off like that… I thought they did well to stay in the game as long as they did.”
Moving along, Leicester City and CJ Bott only get a quick note here because they played Arsenal and lost 3-0. Beth Mead got the breakthrough on 28’ but it wasn’t until late that Alessia Russo (75’) and Mead again (78’) polished things off. Despite keeping it close, the Foxes never really looked like scoring. Bott did made five tackles and completed her passes at 82% so that’s something to hang our hats on, at least. Keeps her up near the top of those stat categories. They subbed her off for the last ten mins for some overdue rest.
Up Next: Villa vs West Ham on Monday at 1am without Anna Leat... also Leicester City vs Man United on Monday at 2am (NZT)
Marko Stamenic - FK Crvena Zvezda (Serbian SuperLiga)
The first game of the championship rounds of the Serbian SuperLiga was by far the most important as it pitted leaders Crvena zvezda against their only serious title rivals Partizan. The last time these two will meet in the SuperLiga. Partizan did lead for a while, back around when Red Star dumped their manager prior to the winter break, but since then it has been emphatic for Red Star. They hit this game up having won 10/11 competitive games in 2024 with the only exception being a 2-2 draw vs Partizan... who also beat them 2-1 in December leading to the managerial change. But Partizan have stuttered while Zvezda have been striding so this was pretty much a defining game. A Red Star win and they’d be 10 points clear. A Partizan win and the gap would only be 4 points.
Marko Stamenic has been working his way back into the starting team again lately, with this being his fourth consecutive start and the second straight game in which he played all ninety minutes. More than ninety in this case, because that’s what it took. This game kicked off in a fog of flare smoke from the ultras and Stamenic almost had them in an uproar when he got into the penalty area in the fifth minute only to drag his shot wide. Instead it was Partizan who saw through the smoke to score first via Samed Bazdar on 11’... although Red Star did win a penalty straight after that Guelor Kanga buried to level things back up on 16’.
Crvena zvezda should have had a lead by half-time. After their equaliser they went nuclear with all their chance but too many shots went astray, hence Xander Severina was able to put Partizan back on top in the 57th minute with a lovely curling left-footed strike. A potentially enormous goal in the scope of the championship. Until the late drama happened.
A disallowed goal on 69’ was a false alarm for the rowdy home crowd. Slight offside in the build-up. The wait continued, as it did after Stamenic set up In-beom Hwang only for that shot to end up striking the post after a touch from the keeper’s fingertips (before Osman Bukai missed a sitter on the follow-up). But Red Star did eventually level things up again through Cherif Ndiaye in the 89th minute with a clever dink over the goalie from close range and then Bukari dashed into the area in stoppage time to win a penalty that Aleksandar Katai finally got to take, after all the VAR checks and arguments and whatnot, in the ninth minute added-on. He scored it. Red Star won 3-2. Immense scenes.
What this means is that Stamenic’s team are now 10 points clear with six matches left in the SuperLiga. The perennial champions are on course for yet another title and they could make it a double if they can win the Serbian Cup too. They play their semi-final in a few days and it’s against a dusted-off Partizan team. That should be a goodie. Of course, Stamenic won a league and cup double with FC København last season so he could be about to win a double double in two different countries. Whilst playing Champions League group stages for both. Absolutely incredible if that should come to pass.
Up Next: Red Star vs Partizan in the Serbian Cup semi-final on Thursday at 5am (NZT)
Emma Pijnenburg – Feyenoord (Dutch Eredivisie)
It was in the KNVB Cup that Emma Pijnenburg made her Feyenoord debut a few months ago, very quickly becoming a regular starter (at right back) after their incredible upset win against FC Twente in the following round. Since then she’s scored her first goal. She’s been called up to the Football Ferns for the first time. Milestone after milestone and the latest was a KNVB Cup semi-final against Ajax. They’d already knocked out the league leaders, now they had a crack at the second-placed team.
Could they repeat the magic? Initial pressure from Ajax suggested not... yet they survived those sketchy moments and by midway in the first half they were creating a few chances of their own, with a header just wide from a corner and a volley that hit the post then almost went in off the goalie. But Feyenoord made a mess of a clearance in the 39th minute which allowed Tiny Hoekstra to put Ajax in front – EP had switched over to the left by then, where she’d remain, and wasn’t able to prevent the cross from an underlapping runner behind her.
The first goal is always crucial in these games and the worry was that Ajax would run away with it from there. They threatened to. Again, though, Feyenoord hung on with one brilliant save in particular keeping them in range before Ella Van Kerkhoven smacked in a swivelling effort from close range. Opportunistic and emphatic. Scores even. 67 minutes gone. Unfortunately, Feyenoord then made a fatal error by subbing off Pijnenburg in a double change on 73’.
Nah, patriotism aside, it was an attacking change in search of a winning goal – can’t complain about that mentality. Sadly, though, they didn’t get there. Took them to extra time only to give away a penalty four minutes into the bonus stuff which Sherida Spitse converted for what ended up being the winning goal. 2-1 to Ajax after extras. Another great effort from Feyenoord and another huge experience for Pijnenburg in her first season as a senior professional. Just not quite enough to take them into a cup final.
Next came another milestone: Feyenoord’s first defeat over ninety minutes with Emma Pijnenburg in the team. This streak had begun against ADO Den Haag in a cup tie when EP was brought on as a debutant substitute in a match that ended 1-1 after extra time, with Feyenoord winning on penalties. Seven games later they’ve finally lost one over ninety and it was against ADO Den Haag to complete the circle. A goalkeeping mistake put them behind in the third minute. They fought back to equalise through Celainy Obispo on 48’ but could not sustain it from there, going down 2-1 with Pijnenburg getting a full game. Feyenoord have two matches left and cannot be relegated.
Up Next: Away to Heerenveen on Thursday 2 May at 4.45am (NZT)
Indiah-Paige Riley - PSV Eindhoven (Dutch Eredivisie)
A 5-0 win against Heerenveen and another goal for Indi Riley. All in a day’s work. PSV got things going inside the third minute through Joelle Smits and it was only a matter of time until IPR got amongst the scoring, which she eventually did in the 53rd min. Five different scorers. A convincing win against a side that had won their previous three matches. Check out the full highlights.
This was after Riley scored a double in PSV’s most recent match, prior to the international window. She’s scored seven goals in 17 matches overall this Eredivisie campaign, playing largely on the left wing. Easily the best scoring season of her career.
Up Next: Ajax vs PSV on Thursday 2 May at 4.45am (NZT)
Andre De Jong – Stellenbosch (South African Premier Soccer League)
Yes brother, there’s another one. Andre De Jong with the winner against TS Galaxy, the same team that the Stellies beat in the Carling Knockout final a few months ago. That was their first ever cup trophy, though they could soon win another as they’re into the semis of the Nedbank Cup as well (the main cup competition in South Africa). Chuck in some great league form with Stellenbosch sitting second there and it’s proving to be a spectacular season. With this win they’re now 23 games undefeated across all competitions.
The Stellies were 1-0 down at half-time against TSG but they struck back through Fawaaz Basadien on 53’ before ADJ scored the decisive goal on 61’. Bit of controversy about it. No dramas with the clearance because that bloke was inexplicably standing two metres behind the line. Probably wanna sort out that positioning for next time, amigo. However there were shouts for a foul on the keeper which might have had some merit. Not on this day though. 2-1 to the Stellies, get in.
Put simply, this is the best sustained form that De Jong has shown since he’s been in South Africa. Across three different clubs he’s had great games, he’s had great months, but nothing like this where he’s earned his way into a regular starting gig for a team that keeps on winning games of football. Just look at the celebrations for his goal – those teammates love him. He’s largely playing as an attacking midfielder so nothing crazy with the goal tallies. Also, for whatever reason, much of his work has come in cup ties: he’s actually scored in four different competitions this season. This was his second league goal to go with two assists this season, adding up to seven goals overall.
Here was ADJ speaking a few weeks ago prior to their Nedbank Cup quarter-final victory (in which he scored)...
Andre De Jong: “Naturally, as a team, we have all been in good form, so it’s easier when everyone is pulling together in the right direction. If you have a slightly off day you know one of the other guys will lift you and boost you for that game. I think the fact that the team is doing very well overall, combined with some really good individual performances, makes it easier to stay in form.”
Up Next: Stellenbosch vs Polokwane City at 6am on Sunday (NZT)
Bill Tuiloma – Charlotte FC / Michael Boxall – Minnesota United (American Major League Soccer)
Happy alignment meant that Bill Tuiloma’s second appearance of the season saw him come up against the bro Michael Boxall in a Flying Kiwis derby. A pair of All Whites veterans going head to head in Charlotte... although since both are central defenders there weren’t a lot of direct interactions. For example, Boxall certainly was not marking Tuiloma when he had a great opportunity midway through the first half. Nobody was marking him. It was a great chance getting forward for a set piece – something they never leant into under the previous manager – which saw Tui flip a low header on target at the far post... but the keeper made a very good stop adjusting to his left.
That turned out to be Charlotte’s only shot on target all afternoon. Other than that they were very poor and Minnesota United soon put them to the sword. Tani Oluwaseyi got it started on 31’ with a brilliant run leading to a sharp finish. First he angled towards the near sideline in a way that attracted Tuiloma’s attention, then he peeled back over to the other centre-back having created the room to avoid an offside... and was given enough time to pick his spot and power in a super finish off the inside of the post.
Things got a little crazy as Minnesota scored twice in the first ten minutes of the second half. A beautiful counter attack sparked by a switch then an overlap then a cut-back saw Robin Lod score on 48’ and that lead was extended when Hassani Dotsom headed home after 53’. They almost scored another straight afterwards but the post got in the way.
The Loons went on to claim a 3-0 road win, dealing Charlotte their first home defeat this season. Tuiloma was okay... but his lack of a combination with Andrew Privett was exposed several times by Minnesota’s fast breaks. He’s going to need to do a lot more to win back a permanent starting spot once the injuries clear up. Michael Boxall hardly had to do anything for his clean sheet, other than anchoring a switch to a back three when in possession. No worries there.
Up Next: Sunday at 11.30am it’s New York City FC vs Charlotte; Sunday at 12.30pm it’s Minnesota vs Sporting Kansas City (NZT)
Jay Herdman - Vancouver Whitecaps (American Major League Soccer)
Welcome to the big time Jay Herdman. The 19 year old from Invercargill (with a bit of English and Canadian in his heritage and upbringing too, sure, we’ll admit it) made his debut for the Vancouver Whitecaps first team this week as a late substitute in a 2-0 win against the Seattle Sounders. Herdman was given a temporary first-team deal for the third time this campaign to allow him to make the matchday squad. He’d been a part of the home leg of their Champions Cup qualifiers. He’s also been on the bench for their MLS season opener. Thus it was third time lucky as he got that much-anticipated debut.
The game itself was a mess thanks to Seattle getting two red cards. One late in the first half while it was still 0-0. Then another with about quarter of an hour to go after the Whitecaps had scored twice against ten men. That made this an almost perfect occasion to chuck on an academy youngster, giving Herdman around about ten minutes of action – during which he had a few tidy touches and dragged a shot past the post from outside the area.
Herdman starred for the NZ U20s at the World Cup last year. He then suffered a long-term injury that stopped him from sneaking into any MLS gamedays for the rest of that year but he’s back now and has been excellent for the reserves, captaining them in their first four matches of 2024, after hanging with the first team throughout preseason. He has 3 goals and 4 assists in 30 MLS Next Pro appearances. Doing absolutely everything an academy player needs to in order to make that next level.
Where this gets funky is if he gets called up again, which you’d imagine he will at some stage. A reserves player is only allowed to sign four short-term contracts in a season. After that they either have to be permanently signed to the first team or they cannot be called up like that again. That’ll be a pick-and-choose situation for the Whitecaps who’ll want to progress Herdman but will also want to see him keep getting regular game time for VW2. Herdman himself will be wary of that trade-off because he’s a bloke who’ll be right in the mix for the Olympics in a few months. Got to stay match fit for that.
Regardless, we can add another New Zealander to the list of MLS representatives. Herman becomes the 21st kiwi to grace the American top flight. He’s the first new debutant since the 2020 season when Winston Reid and Noah Billingsley each joined the crew. Simon Elliott still leads the way with 247 MLS games (including playoffs), though Michael Boxall is on track to surpass him if he plays another season after this. Boxall is one of three NZers to have played MLS for Vancouver Whitecaps, with Stefan Marinovic being the other. Lots of reserve team footy at VW from the likes of Deklan Wynne, Myer Bevan, Francis de Vries, and currently Finn Linder... but only those three have made it to the Major League.
Up Next: Presumably back to the reserve team to keep chipping away with goal contributions
Kees Sims - GAIS (Swedish Allsvenskan)
Well now. Jay Herdman wasn’t the only member of that 2022 U20 World Cup squad to make a debut this week because Kees Sims just took a huge step in his career by making his first appearance in the Allsvenskan of Sweden. He’d been doing his thing for third-tier Ljungskile for the past two years before recently getting signed by top tier GAIS. Sims featured a couple times in preseason and got half a match in their final Svenska Cupen group stage game. He was on the bench for their first three league matches, two defeats with a win in between, but then regular starter Mergim Krasniqi took ill before their meeting with Mjällby. You know what that means.
Sims had a nervous moment mid-first half when a pass of his was charged down by a pressing forward, fortunately rebounding wide of the goal. He’d been able to get his hands on a deflected free kick shortly before that – his first save, one of three overall. All the while his teammates had been creating all sorts of chances up front with only the finishing touch evading them. Great flowing slicing attacking footy but no goals. So they subbed on Jack Cooper-Love who took advantage of a very clever dummy move to then score within a minute of his entrance. 77 minutes gone and GAIS were finally in front.
Not for long though. Soon afterwards we saw the best of Kees Sims as he expertly tipped a booming header over the bar on the stretch. However, from the resulting corner kick he rushed out to punch and couldn’t get through the traffic. Claimed a foul but that wasn’t forthcoming. Jakob Rask nodded in for the 80th minute equaliser. But the keeper up the other end made a much worse mistake as he and a defender got mixed up going for a loose ball which fell for Cooper-Love to slip into an empty net. 83rd minute winner. GAIS with the 2-1 victory on Kees Sims’ debut. A couple of things to work on but he played his part in a very good win against a team that was third prior to this fixture. There’s now a short turnaround for their next match so we’ll see if Krasniqi is recovered or not by then.
Up Next: Friday at 5am, Kalmar vs GAIS (NZT)
Maya Hahn - Turbine Potsdam (German Bundesliga II)
There are a few too many relegation yarns this week so how about a promotion quest instead? That’s what Turbine Potsdam are charging towards after another good victory in the Bundesliga II. They had some wobbles coming out of the winter break, losing their first two games back, but since then have won six in a row. The first two of those wins were 1-0 victories. Then came a 2-0. Now they’ve scored three times in three consecutive matches. They’ve been on a steady improvement plan which has then tied for first place (behind on the tiebreaker) with five matches left on the calendar. Andernach also have 44 points with a +16 goal difference yet Andernach have scored more goals overall. As close as it gets.
Suya Haering joined this team in January. She’s a kiwi age grade international fullback who won the National League with Auckland United last year, though Haering hasn’t yet played for the first team of Potsdam as she settles into German football (at 18 years of age). But former NZ U17s representative Maya Hahn is one of Potsdam’s key players and it was she who got them started in the 3-0 win against Hoffenheim most recently...
Now 23 years old, Hahn joined Turbine Potsdam last season and made eight appearances in the top flight on their way to relegation. But the drop in divisions has allowed her to really find her place in the team and she’s been in fine form throughout this campaign. MH’s appeared in 20 of their 21 2.Liga games. Also scored four times from midfield. Influential stuff.
There is still some work to be done. The title race is obviously neck and neck but arguably even more important is ensuring they remain in the top two for promotion. SV Meppen are only three points back with Hamburger SV a further point behind and Carl Zeiss Jena another point away. Five rounds left and four teams are within five points so Turbine Potsdam are going to have to keep winning. So far so good though.
It looks like we’ll be swapping one club with kiwi connections for another in the Bundesliga, because if Turbine Potsdam do go up then one of the teams they’ll be replacing is MSV Duisburg. Jana Radosavljevic joined them after they were already on course for relegation and now that fate’s been made official. Rado did get a run late off the bench in their 4-1 defeat to Wolfsburg. Hopefully she can stick around in the second tier and get the boost that Hahn has gotten from that experience.
Up Next: Monday at 00:00, Potsdam vs Wolfsburg II (NZT)
Malia Steinmetz – FC Nordsjælland (Danish Kvindeliga)
Minor events here because of the limited kiwi action... but there is a three-way title race going down in Denmark so we’ve still gotta give an update. The main one was FC Nordsjælland rallying from a goal’s deficit to win 2-1 against AGF. Malia Steinmetz had nothing to do with the goals (the winner was a tap-in after the keeper spilled one to the striker) though she did battle away nicely in the midfield. Helped set a tone for their comeback win.
At the same time, Ally Green was only an unused sub for AGF. She had been getting some great opportunities prior to the winter break but they’ve started playing Johanne Guldbæk at left back instead, after she returned in between seasons at Franklin Pierce University in the USA. Not ideal for Greeny at a time when she’s been playing her best stuff for the Football Ferns. So it goes.
Over in the other game of note, HB Køge were able to grab a draw away against Brøndby. Conceded first but levelled up before the half and then neither team could find a winner from there. But Daisy Cleverley only played the last seven minutes and Claudia Bunge was an unused sub for the second game in a row. For Cleverley, that’s normal. She’s usually a sub so sometimes that means half a game, sometimes that only means a few minutes. But Bunge has been a regular starter throughout for a winning team so hopefully that’s just a matter of a slight injury niggle coming back from international duty.
As a result of these results... Nordsjælland are now first with 37 points, Brøndby are second with 36 points, and HBK are third with 33 points. Five more fixtures remain for each.
Up Next: HB Køge vs FC Nordsjælland at midnight on Saturday/Sunday (NZT)
Gabi Rennie - Åland United (Finnish Kansallinen Liiga)
Last week came a professional debut. This week came her first ninety minutes. Gabi Rennie played out on the wing for Åland United in their match against Ilves, running hard and drilling in crosses as she does. Big relief to see her straight into the thick of things after a four-year college career in which she only started 17 games combined (across two schools – with her last year at Arizona State in 2023 being by far her best).
This is good and promising stuff, though she could have been a headliner this week had things worked out slightly more fortuitously. Åland United conceded after 36 minutes and trailed for much of the rest of the game until some fine work from Aada Törrönen gave them a long overdue equaliser. Most of the shots had been going the way of the home side AU, who then threatened to hit the afterburners by taking the lead straight after... alas, Gabi Rennie wasn’t able to direct her header past the keeper. Didn’t get enough of a glance on it and sent it back across goal to where the goalie was stationed.
Ilves then broke away and scored in the 83rd minute themselves, before an even later own goal consigned Åland to a 3-1 defeat. Back to back losses for them and what’s worse is they were both home games – knowing what a big deal their home advantage is considering how much travel they go through for away games from their small island (which is actually closer to Sweden than to Finland). Rennie had an otherwise excellent game with a couple of key passes and multiple shots and plenty of defensive hustle too. She’d have been more than deserving of a winning goal but ‘twas not to be... still, there’s a lot to like about how she’s settling into the professional ranks. The goals will come in due course.
Up Next: HPS vs Åland at 11pm on Saturday (NZT)
Chris Wood - Nottingham Forest (English Premier League)
There’s a lot of mental pressure that comes with relegation battles. Not everyone is cut out for it. There’s also expectation that comes with knowing that you’ve got the best penalty taker in the world (Chris Wood last missed a penalty in April 2016... he’s scored 27 consecutive attempts in regular play and shootouts since them). Those two weights converged this week after Nottm Forest lost 2-0 to relegation rivals Everton.
The game itself was nothing much. Idrissa Gueye scored a slick one on 29’, firing in off the post from distance. Wood had a chance prior to that trying to catch onto a keeper’s parry but Jordan Pickford got there first. Then after the goal, Wood had one deflect his way six yards out which he smashed on target but Pickford made a very good (and brave) save to deny him. Wood’s hold-up play was great but he didn’t really get the service as Everton (coached by his old boss Sean Dyche) did a great job of shutting down Morgan Gibbs-White through the middle.
What would have been nice is if Wood had gotten a chance from the penalty spot. He almost did... except that three decent shouts were all declined by the referee and the VAR team. The worst came late in the opening half when Ashley Young blocked a cross destined for Woodsy with an outstretched arm. There were also two potential fouls where a Forest forward was clipped from behind. Those ones weren’t so bad but the handball one... we’ve seen ‘em given for much less, as they say.
Unfortunately for Nottm Forest, they’d already been embarrassing themselves by hiring ex-referee Mark Clattenburg as their club officiating analyst... or some such silly title. He’s basically on the books so that they can moan about decisions with a false air of legitimacy. So Clatts wrote an article for one of the tabloids about how bad the refs were while Forest put out a statement whinging that the VAR was a Luton Town fan. Pretty much calling the bloke into disrepute... shameful club behaviour but then that’s the pressure of relegation when you’ve got Chris Wood as a slam-dunk penalty taker. Dwight McNeil ended up scoring near the end to ice the game, also a long distance low strike that went in off the post. Everton thus won the Financial Fair Play Points Deduction Derby 2-0. Luton Town also lost so Forest remain one point out of the drop zone... although Burnley won so there are now two teams breathing down their neck.
Anyway, here are some Woodsman stats (from prior to the Everton game)...
Up Next: Nottingham Forest vs Manchester City on Monday at 3.30am (NZT)
Liberato Cacace – Empoli (Italian Serie A)
Libby Cacace made his 50th appearance for Empoli this weekend (49 in Serie A, 1 in the Coppa Italia) and it was against his childhood club of Napoli. Pretty cool. Except he only played nine minutes off the bench. Less cool. At least Empoli did manage to pocket a very important 1-0 win, one which puts them three points clear of the relegation zone.
Alberto Cerri scored the only goal in the fourth minute of action and then they kinda just hung tight the rest of the way, especially in the second half as Napoli held more than three-quarters of the ball... yet couldn’t find find the space they needed against a deep defensive line. Cacace basically came on with a mandate to sit in and he did so and they won. Sweet as. Moving on now.
Up Next: Atalanta vs Empoli on Monday at 4am (NZT)
Vic Esson - Rangers FC (Scottish Premier League)
Check it, we got a rare Vic Esson league appearance over here. Last time she played an SWPL game was three months ago. Last time she played at all was the League Cup final. She got a keep-busy game prior to that one and it just so happens that Rangers play Celtic in the Scottish Cup semi-final on Saturday evening NZT, hinting that this effort against Partick Thistle may also have been intended as a cheeky bit of match fitness ahead of that clash.
They almost got in trouble with it though. Despite only allowing two shots all match, one of those shots beat Esson to make it 1-1 after 68 minutes and it was not a pretty one. Long ball over the top, Esson had it covered... but with a striker closing in she tried to backpedal into her area where she could pick the ball up, only to realise there wasn’t enough time, then she slipped as she stepped forward again which allowed Imogen Longcake to run it into an empty net. Mistakes like that and perhaps she won’t be playing that cup semi-final after all.
That goal came just ten mins after Rangers had finally broken through with a goal of their own. Good thing they were able to put 74% of possession to use across the full ninety with Sarah Ewens (85’) and Rachel Rowe (89’) popping up towards the end to clinch the points and keep Rangers from falling further behind Celtic in the title race. By the way, the other shot on target for Thistle was an early 1v1 which Esson saved excellently, rushing out with perfect awareness of the edge of her area (no doubt having paid attention to her buddy Anna Leat’s game). So she did have that one in her favour.
Meanwhile Glasgow City were the opposite, getting their work done early through a 13th minute Lauren Davidson goal and then holding that 1-0 lead the entire rest of the way against Hibernian away. Full game for Meikayla Moore. Another clean sheet. Keeps them from losing any ground on both Celtic and Rangers.
Up Next: Scottish Cup semi-final, Rangers vs Celtic, 11.15pm on Saturday (NZT)
Ria Percival – Crystal Palace (English Championship)
It was moving day in the Championship. The penultimate round, with some of the New Zealander benefiting and others punished by the outcomes. The most consequential of all games was this one between Ria Percival’s Crystal Palace and Jacqui Hand’s Lewes FC. Palace won it 2-0 with Shanade Hopcroft scoring a fantastic deep volley in the 25th minute before Molly-Mae Sharpe popped up with another on 52’. Jacqui Hand, playing mostly as an attacking midfielder, had one big chance to level up later in the first stanza but she pushed her shot slightly wide from the edge of the area.
That loss relegated Lewes. Disappointing stuff after they’d gotten so much better after the turn of the year once Hand and a couple other transfers arrived. Yet they wasted a lot of points by conceding late goals along the way and that was always likely to cost them in the long run. Hand only signed a short-term deal so she doesn’t have to go down with the ship... but it does look like she’ll be searching for a new club after next week.
On the other side of the coin, Crystal Palace are outright first having won four games in a row and it looks like they’ll be getting promoted to the WSL after Charlton beat Sunderland 1-0. That keeps Charlton in with an outside hope but it would take an outrageous turn in goal difference on top of opposing results for them to overtake Palace. That ain’t likely. Sunderland do play Palace in the last round... but they’re now out of the running for first – guts to Katie Kitching. This outcome begs the question as to whether Ria Percival might forego her last contract year with Spurs to remain at Crystal Palace in the WSL where she’s likely to get more game time.
Finally, London City Lionesses have officially avoided the drop thanks to Lewes’ defeat. The Lionesses were beaten 3-1 by Southampton though Grace Neville did make her return from injury as a half-time substitute. Paige Satchell also played off the bench. One more week for all involved, even if the important things are pretty much confirmed already.
Up Next: Crystal Palace vs Sunderland at 1am on Monday (NZT)
Max Crocombe - Burton Albion (English League One)
One more entry in an exhaustingly jam-packed Flying Kiwis edition (remember to support us on Patreon/Substack/Buy Me A Coffee if you rate the yarns – they don’t write themselves!)... and it was another Flying Kiwis Derby as Max Crocombe and Burton Albion played Tyler Bindon and Reading. As much as it would have been cool to see Bindon continue his great form, there was a greater need for Burton Albion. So rejoice that the Brewers scored three first half goals on the way to a crucial 3-2 victory.
Crocombe was beaten by a free kick and a penalty, nothing dramatic there. Bindon had a sloppy afternoon but that’s alright. This result puts Burton on the brink of safety (Cheltenham have to win both remaining games to overtake them, while Burton still control their own fate if they win their last match anyway) and despite the defeat it also confirms Reading’s astonishing survival story. From where they were six months ago to where they are now. What a tale... one which Bindon’s been such a big part of. Sadly, the reason that’s worked out with time to spare is Port Vale’s relegation which was made concrete by a 2-0 loss to Bolton. Deklan Wynne did not play. Maybe he’ll get a debut in the last game.
Down a division, Forest Green Rovers have suffered relegation to the National League which serves them right for having Jamie Searle on the books but continually bringing in emergency loan keepers to block his path rather than giving him a chance. The third of those emergency loanees is younger than him too. Kinda insulting, to be honest.
We did get something cool in League Two though: Nik Tzanev’s first league appearance of the season. Alex Bass suffered an ankle injury and missed the match, spoiling his everpresent status in the second to last match. At least Tzanev can say he’s been kept out of the side by an in-form teammate rather than a youngster from some random other club. Tanz was on the bench for 43 of his team’s matches (pretty sure he missed that other one due to All Whites duty) but he finally got a non-cup appearance when they travelled to face Tranmere Rovers. His team lost 3-2 and now cannot make the playoffs.
And since we’re on about promotion/relegation in England, Plymouth Argyle lost 3-0 to Stoke City in the Championship. Ben Waine was an 82nd minute substitute. The Pilgrims are two points clear of the drop zone with two matches remaining.
Up Next: Fleetwood Town vs Burton Albion at 11.30pm on Saturday (NZT)
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