Flying Kiwis – August 6
Elijah Just - AC Horsens (Danish Division 1)
You see what can happen when you put Eli Just in your starting eleven...
After two games off the bench, including last week when he popped up to assist a 90+5th minute winner, Just found his way to a recall and responded with the decisive moment in the match. It was Just, from out wide in his right wing position, who picked off a loose pass inside his own half to spark a counter attack. It was Just who slipped the ball up the line for Sebastian Pingel to run onto. It was Just who collected Pingel’s cut-back and then shimmied enough space to get a shot off through traffic which flew into the top corner. Get in. Brilliant strike... but don’t overlook his key role throughout the build-up too.
The opponents on this day were Esbjerg, former home of NZ’s Oscar Obel-Hall until they released him after earning promotion back to Division 1. Just’s goal was scored in the tenth minute and nobody else ever responded. Esbjerg had one disallowed for offside later in the half. Pingel forced a good save or two. The second half was a lot busier than the first had been but nothing could bust up the status quo which means that Eli Just was the match-winner in a 1-0 victory. ACH have won two of their first three matches. Just already has a goal and an assist in only 102 minutes of footy (he was subbed with twenty to go in this one).
Big churs to the målscorer...
We’ll squeeze the rest of the Danish action in here because there wasn’t a lot of NZ participation. Dalton Wilkins does tend to be rotated a little with Sønderjyske and this week it was his turn on the bench... as his team lost 4-0 away to AGF. Wilkins was subbed on in the 83rd minute after the scoring had all been completed between minutes 35-56. That means they drew the game he played and lost the two that he didn’t. FC Copenhagen are up next so it doesn’t get any easier. Here’s Dalts chatting through his Superliga debut last week...
As for Callum McCowatt... we still haven’t seen him. Silkeborg almost blew a three-goal lead without him but they managed to hang on for a 3-2 win against Viborg. Two wins from three. Decent start once again. However, the Europa League dream didn’t come to fruition. After losing 3-1 to Molde (Norway) in the away leg, they managed to win the second leg but not by enough. A 3-2 win on the day and a 5-4 defeat on aggregate. They were always one goal away. Bugger. Fortunately there’s a safety net because they now drop into the Europa Conference League qualifiers for another chance at continental footy. They’ve been drawn against Gent of Belgium in the third qualifying round which begins on Friday NZT. It’s this round then the playoff round and beyond that is the league phase.
Up Next: Danish Cup first round, Kjellerup vs Horsens on Thursday at 4am; then HB Køge vs ACH in Division 1 at 11pm on Sunday (NZT)
Indiah-Paige Riley – Crystal Palace (English Super League)
We spend weeks wondering whether Ria Percival is going to be signed on a permanent basis by Crystal Palace, which she very well may still do, but if she does then by the time they finally announce it she’ll probably have been beaten to the mark by one of her World Cup teammates...
The Guardian: “Crystal Palace are poised to sign the New Zealand forward Indiah-Paige Riley as they accelerate efforts to strengthen their squad after promotion to the Women’s Super League. A fee has been agreed with PSV Eindhoven and the 22‑year‑old has agreed personal terms with Palace, who have not made a signing since they won the Championship to secure a place in the top division for the first time.”
It might not even be a stretch to say that Percival played a part in this transfer, possibly by a direct suggestions though almost certainly by affiliation – if you’re looking for scouting vid ahead of a loan for Percy then the World Cup is surely where you start and IPR just happened to have an excellent tournament. Since then IPR has spent a quality year with PSV Eindhoven scoring seven goals in 19 Eredivisie matches mostly as a left-winger. She’d already made 52 appearances for Fortuna Hjørring in Denmark’s top division prior to that, plus 30 games for Brisbane Roar across two stings. Pretty busy for someone who doesn’t even turn 23 years old until December. By then she’ll probably have a few WSL matches under her belt too.
Crystal Palace have just been promoted up to the top division (thanks in part to a six-month loan move for Ria Percival) but even promoted teams often have trouble retaining their players due to shorter contracts that allow more established WSL clubs to come swooping in. Palace did announce a few re-signings at the start of July but nothing else until after this IPR reporting, though they have since unveiled Danish defender Katrine Veje and American goalkeeper Shae Yanez. Indi Riley will follow soon. Maybe Ria Percival too but we’ll not make assumptions. Either way, Riley signifies yet another kiwi player moving to a major European league this transfer window. She was already in a big league, now she’s off to an even bigger one… where she’ll follow in the footsteps of Ali Riley, Rebekah Stott, and Macey Fraser as kiwi women to have drawn transfer fees.
Up Next: Let’s see the announcement, people
Ryan Thomas – PEC Zwolle (Dutch Eredivisie)
One more year. That’s what we’re talking about. Ryan Thomas will be staying with PEC Zwolle for the 2024-25 Eredivisie season, where he may even get to run across an old mate in Matthew Garbett whose NAC Breda team were spectacularly promoted at the end of last season.
Thomas missed most of the previous campaign after requiring yet another knee surgery (the third season-ending knee surgery of his career and he’s only 29 years old) which left him in a frisky place when his contract expired. He’s a beloved figure at Zwolle so they were cool about it, inviting him to continue training with the squad even after he became a free agent, and there always seemed to be an interest in formalising things. But Thomas had to prove his fitness first. He was back in some form of training a month ago yet took no part in any of their preseason games with a lack of match fitness continually cited as the reasoning. It was getting nervy for a while there. But yeah nah we’re sweet, mate.
Ryan Thomas: “PEC Zwolle is my club. It holds a special place in my heart. Wherever I can, I want to help the club and help my teammates, just as everyone inside and outside the club has supported me. I am now back on the field, having a lot of fun, and will do everything I can to be of value. I’m really looking forward to the new season.”
Gerry Hamstra, PZ technical director: “In top sport it is about wanting to get better every day. That's what's in Ryan's DNA. Ryan is a great personality, has already gained a lot of experience in his beautiful career and is rightly a leader in our selection. I wish Ryan a wonderful season.”
Zwolle recently said goodbye to 38yo club legend Bram van Polen who has retired after 16 years at the club. Ryan Thomas is therefore one of the few other links remaining to Zwolle’s finest ever achievement – the 2014 KNVB Cup title – not to mention the experience he brings to the squad at a time when they’ve just lost a whole lot of that without BVP. Thomas’ career has been filled with injury struggles yet he’s still achieved an enormous amount. With luck he’ll be able to contribute regularly in the upcoming term. Maybe, just maybe, he might even add his first All Whites cap since November 2019 to the collection... although one thing at a time, right?
Up Next: Utrecht vs Zwolle at 12.30am on Monday in week one of the Eredivisie (NZT)
Joe Bell – Viking FK (Norwegian Eliteserien)
Fresh from making three starts in the space of a week at the Olympics, Joe Bell was straight back into the Viking side that walked out to face HamKam. The lads had taken care of business with a huge 1-0 win over Molde while he was away (the only game that Bell missed – the only game that he’s missed all season), which has them right up there challenging for European qualification a little over halfway through the campaign. Just gotta keep winning and they might even find themselves in a title challenge.
They didn’t win against HamKam... but it was one heck of a football match all the same. Zlatko Tripic gave Viking the lead on 26’ with an inch-perfect penalty in off the post, then the same bloke went close to scoring a second when Bell chipped one into his path angling in from the left wing. Keeper made a good near-post save. Bell also set up Sander Svendsen for an effort that rocked off the crossbar. Bellinho hasn’t actually been credited with an assist for a couple of months but every week there’s at least one or two big chances that he’s directly responsible for.
Annoyingly, Viking did not take advantage of those moments and therefore it was only 1-0 at half-time. Then HamKam got to sizzling at the start of the second spell with a series of chances that led to a 60th minute own goal from a corner kick, Sondre Bjørshol glancing a header into his own net at the near stick. VFK were quick to respond as Edvin Austbø lashed a powerful strike into the roof of the net on 66’. But, incredibly, they scored another own goal from a corner on 72’... and then found themselves trailing after 84 minutes when a third corner kick goal found its way over the line (at least this one was scored by a HamKam player). Not to worry, because Sander Svendsen tied it back up on 86’ with help from a slight deflection on his heavy shot. Joe Bell almost won it in stoppage time swinging his boot through a nod-down from about twelve yards but the pesky thing bounced away off the post. 3-3 was the final score.
The good news is that Molde lost 2-1 to Odd in the midweek, so they didn’t gain anything on VFK. Bodø/Glimt did win their match... but Frederikstad only drew. Once again there were points galore being dropped amongst the top five. An exception was Brann whose victory takes them back above Viking into second on the ladder, though VFK have a game in hand that could rectify that situation. VFK also have league-leaders Bodø/Glimt to face in their next fixture. Win that one and suddenly there really will be an open title race. That game takes place three days after B/G’s trip to Poland to face Jagiellonia Białystok in Champions League qualifying.
Up Next: 4am on Sunday against Bodø/Glimt (NZT)
Andre De Jong – Stellenbosch (South African Premier Soccer League)
A new season is upon us in South Africa and Andre De Jong is letting everyone know about it...
Yessir. ADJ is coming off by far his best season in South Africa and it was in the cup competitions that he was most potent. This one began with the annual MTN8 knockouts, where the top eight teams from the previous campaign do their thing, and the Stellies may have conceded early but they roared back for a 3-1 victory. De Jong was the bloke who supplied the second goal – nodding in from a corner kick five minutes before the break. Opponents TS Galaxy had a man set off near the end. Afterwards TSG’s manager berated the state of the pitch, calling it a swimming pool and claiming that the grass was thick enough to “break a cow’s leg” but, look, that’s why you’ve simply gotta win those headers from in-swinging corner kicks like ADJ did. Easy solution.
This win puts them into the last four of the MTN8, one win away from another final. They won the Carling Knockout last year as well as making the semis of the Nedbank Cup (the main cup competition) and the MTN8. Plus they finished third in the PSL which means that they’ll soon have CAF Confederation Cup preliminary games – they’ve been drawn up against Nsingizini Hotspurs of Eswatini so at least there won’t be far to travel. Last season was great for both De Jong and his club. Now the task is to try do even better.
Up Next: TBD depending on how the other two quarters go next week
George Stanger – Ayr United (Scottish Championship)
Good vibes around Ayr United even if they didn’t quite scrape through into the League Cup knockouts. Despite that elimination, winning three games out of four still gave them a running start leading the Championship... and they used that momentum to grab a 2-0 win against Hamilton Academicals in their opening match. The Accies just so happen to be the club that Stanger got his start with, including his four Scottish Premiership appearances to date, and therefore he was contractually determined by the fates to score in this match. That he did. Tidy composed finish too, taking the time to bring that loose ball down with his knee before slipping it past the keeper from close range.
Stanger’s 18th minute goal was a fair reflection of the game to that point, although the Accies did pick their game up after conceding. Stanger and his mates saw it through until the break and then GS himself nearly had set up a second with a header across goal that soon bounced off the post. Just begging for a touch from a teammate there... it got one, but not enough of one. No matter. They continued to defend well. Got lucky when a long strike hit the crossbar for Hamilton. Then saw their opponents reduced to ten men after a 68th min red card which was promptly followed by Anton Dowds (72’) scoring the goal that sealed the victory. A win, a goal, and a clean sheet for the Scotch-Kiwi defender. Can’t complain.
Meanwhile, Aberdeen had a victorious start to their Premiership season by beating St Johnstone 2-1 on the road. Got a little frisky towards the end though, which maybe prevented them from giving James McGarry a run around. Unused sub duty for him. So it goes. Also, Cove Rangers lost 3-1 to Annan Athletic in League One but Will Gillingham did play ninety mins at the back.
Up Next: Saturday at 6.45am against Airdrieonians (NZT)
Abby Erceg – Racing Louisville (American National Women’s Soccer League)
A 1-1 draw with Orlando Pride in the Summer Cup followed by a penalty shootout win for the bonus point. Ninety minutes for Abby Erceg. They were clearly second-best in the opening half with Evelina Duljan’s 38th minute goal for the Pride reflecting that fact but Racing Lou improved significantly in the second forty-five and Reilyn Turner equalised on 67’. Neither team could muster a winner even though both needed one in order to have a chance of advancing from the group. At least Louisville were able to grab the bonus point and finish second. Jaelin Howell actually missed their first attempt but they scored their other four and Orlando missed a couple and that was that. One win and two draws for Louisville – with a shootout win and a shootout loss.
It’s a strange format that they have for this thing, probably because of the semi-exhibition nature of the tournament (which takes place during the NWSL’s Olympic hiatus). There are twenty clubs split into four groups but from there it’s straight to semi-finals – meaning that one of the group-winning teams doesn’t even advance. Sadly for Macey Fraser, that was the Utah Royals whose six points were insufficient despite topping group A. Angel City FC did sneak through but it’s doubtful that either Fraser or Ali Riley would be fit enough to play a semi-final anyway. As for Louisville, they’ve got a friendly game against Brazilian club Palmeiras next week before the NWSL resumes a fortnight later. Maybe that Palmeiras game will be the tipping point where Abby Erceg finally accepts a rest, having played every minute of every NWSL and Summer Cup so far (19 games).
Up Next: The Palmeiras friendly is at home on Saturday at midday (NZT)
Bill Tuiloma – Charlotte FC (American Major League Soccer)
It’s gotten to the stage where Bill Tuiloma is playing reserve team football (well, technically youth team affiliate football but it’s basically the same thing). Not ideal but he did show the kids a thing or two when he popped up to score a 90+8th minute equaliser for Crown Legacy in their 1-1 draw against Huntsville City. Standard Tuiloma things, rising high and winning a powerful header. Same as he used to do in MLS when given the opportunity. He had crept onto the pitch for the first team a few days earlier right at the end of a Leagues Cup 0-0 draw against Cruz Azul – both of those games were followed by penalty shootouts in which Tuiloma’s teams won but he didn’t take any kicks. There were four first-teamers who played for Crown Legacy in that match, presumably all searching for match fitness during the MLS break – especially after Charlotte failed to progress in the Leagues Cup.
This was his second match for the ressies after also having done half a game back in June. He’s made three MLS appearances in 2024 plus that lone light cameo in the Leagues Cup. However, there could be an end to the isolation soon because Charlotte FC are on the verge of completing the signing of USA international defender Tim Ream from Fulham and it has been whispered that someone will need to make way for Ream to fit in the squad... and you’d have to assume that Tuiloma is a likely candidate given what his experience and known profile could offer another team. Then again, Charlotte knew his profile enough to trade for him and then asked him to play in a conservative, unfitting way that neutered his effectiveness. Things might have been different under Dean Smith this year except that other defenders were ahead of him in the pecking order. Hopefully there’s an escape rope hanging around so that he doesn’t end up any further down the depth chart when Ream arrives.
Up Next: Charlotte FC doesn’t actually play again until August 25 when the MLS resumes (NZT)
Ben Old - AS Saint-Étienne (French Ligue 1)
It’s only preseason but how good’s this...
Benjamin Old with his first (unofficial) assist for Saint-Étienne and he did it in trademarked fashion by winning possession and charging forward on the dribble before the defence could get set. This was in a 2-1 win against Montpellier – the second match for which Old’s been fit. There’s still another fortnight until Ligue 1 begins so several more friendlies remain... but so far so good. They didn’t spend that money on a project player, they’re clearly planning on Oldie having an immediate impact. Clearly that ankle’s feeling better too.
Just to further prove the point, he’s gotten another start in a friendly against Grenoble since then – three starts from three opportunities in his fresh green #11 jersey. This was a 120-minute game split into four quarters so even less official than most unofficial matches. ASSE lost 5-3. It doesn’t matter. Oldie did play a part in their first goal.
Up Next: The real stuff begins away to Monaco at 7am on Sunday 18 August (NZT)
Alex Greive - Bohemian FC (League of Ireland Premier Division)
Wasn’t as much fun as we’re used to in the League of Ireland this week. Norman Garbett was absent for another Dundalk game, the first time he’s missed consecutive matches, meaning he didn’t get to partake in a 2-0 home defeat against Galway United which has shrunk the gap between themselves and last place to just two points. Even if Dundalk hang on to second-to-last with ten matches remaining, they’ll still need to win a playoff to avoid relegation. Not looking good. It had been looking better for Sligo Rovers after Nando Pijnaker’s return inspired a surge in form but that bubble has burst too after they were beaten 3-2 by St Pat’s Athletic to snap a four-game LOI winning streak. They were leading 2-1 but ended up losing to a penalty that was converted ten minutes into added time. Yikes. To be fair, it was a very soft pen decision.
And frankly it ain’t been much better for Bohemians either. They were 2-1 up against Drogheda at half-time but a 60th minute own goal sent home with a 2-2 draw instead. That makes it a whopping eight games without a win (though they did at least advance in the cup during that spell). Alex Greive started and played 73 mins of this latest match and that’s the most he’s gone since joining the club, though his industrious mahi out on the right wing wasn’t enough to swing things in his team’s favour. A couple of bright moments from him but not really enough involvement yet as he settles in with Bohs. He’s getting there.
Up Next: Bohs vs Waterford at 6.45am on Saturday (NZT)
Niko Kirwan – Calcio Padova (Italian Serie C)
They lost 3-1 away to Cesena in the preliminaries of the Coppa Italia so not a good result. But Niko Kirwan did start for Padova, getting 66 minutes before he was subbed with his team down 2-0. There had been chat that Kirwan was leaving Padova only for him to instead be amongst the first to return for preseason with a new contract apparently all signed. Now we’ve got full clarity on that matter with Kirwan digging in for game one of the new season. Rightio.
Up Next: No game next week but they will have a League Cup tie the week after
Finn Linder - Vancouver Whitecaps (American Major League Soccer)
Whitecaps FC: “Vancouver Whitecaps FC announced on Friday that the club has signed Whitecaps FC 2 (WFC2) defender Finn Linder and midfielder Eliot Goldthorp to their second MLS short-term agreements for Saturday's Leagues Cup 2024 group stage match against LIGA MX side Club Tijuana at BC Place. This marks the second time the pair has signed an MLS short-term agreement with the first team. Both Linder and Goldthorp made their Whitecaps FC first team BC Place debuts in the match against Wrexham AFC on July 27. Linder started the match and played the full 90 minutes, while Goldthorp came on as a substitute at halftime and played 45 minutes. The pair were also named to the bench in the 'Caps opening Leagues Cup group stage match at Los Angeles FC on July 30.”
Finn Linder’s stayed busy while Jay Herdman has been away at the Olympics. First he got to run around for ninety minutes in a friendly game against Wrexham (credit goes to Vancouver native Ryan Reynolds for setting that one up), then he stuck around to make the bench for a Leagues Cup match against LAFC. He didn’t take the field in that instance, however a second short-term contract allowed him to also stick around for the match against Club Tijuana... where Linder was subbed on deep into stoppage time in a 3-1 victory. There was just enough time left for him to complete four passes and make one clearance.
The Leagues Cup isn’t exactly the most serious competition going around but it’s still a competitive debut for Linder, coming a few months after Jay Herdman’s own first team (MLS) debut for the club. Herdman’s been the dude accelerating through the Whitecaps grades but 20yo Linder (who was part of NZ’s U23 Olympic qualifying campaign and went to the U20 World Cup in 2023) has himself been a steady regular for VW2 as well. That work has not gone unnoticed.
This win was good enough to sent the Whitecaps through into the knockout rounds where they’ll face Pumas UNAM on Friday afternoon NZT. There are quite a few restrictions around these short-term MLS contracts. A player is only allowed to sign four of them (four-day maximum deals) per a season and can only appear in two MLS games (no limit on non-league games), and they have to either be homegrown or earning under the MLS minimum salary at the affiliate team. Linder and Herdman are both homegrown, no dramas there. Herdman has signed three short-terms and made one MLS appearance. Linder is at two contracts and zero MLS games... though of course these rules would no longer apply if they were to sign proper first-team contracts. Say, there’s an idea. The ‘Caps are fifth in the MLS Western Conference and looking to climb but you never know what could happen.
Up Next: Friday TBD against Pumas UNAM in the Leagues Cup round of 32 (NZT)
Kees Sims - GAIS (Swedish Allsvenskan)
Could be something to keep an eye on here. See this screenshot...
That’s GAIS number one keeper Mergim Krasniqi clutching at his leg after a collision with a striker, making a brave intervention with twenty minutes to go and his team down 1-0. Krasniqi took some sprigs for his troubles but the shot went over the top. Unfortunately it was all in vain because GAIS failed to find an equaliser against IFK Norrköping and fell to defeat. One shot on target from 19 attempts did not help the GAIS cause – although it was helpful for IFKN’s backup keeper David Mitov Nilsson, who was making his fifth appearance of the season with regular starter Oscar Jansson absent amidst transfer speculation that includes “interest from New Zealand”.
Anyway, the relevant thing is that Krasniqi was unable to recover from the knock and had to be substituted. This would have been prime Kees Sims territory – with the young kiwi keeper having deputised for Krasniqi a couple of times already this season – except that he was still with the Olympic team so third-choice goalie Erik Krantz instead got to make his Allsvenskan debut at the age of 28. But Sims should be back for next week which means he might get an opportunity against Elfsborg if Krasniqi (who also saved a penalty in that IFKN game) doesn’t recover in time.
Mergim Krasniqi: “I have some pain in my knee but we will see what it looks like on Monday. It was a collision where he goes in with the sole and puts his studs on my lap. There were deep wounds, but we’ll see how bad it was. At the moment it feels okay but it was really painful when it happened. Now it's bandaged up and I think it could have been worse. I should be able to be back soon, I hope.”
Not too soon though, brother. Don’t want to risk anything. Take your time and recover properly. GAIS still sits fifth on the ladder after 17 matches despite the defeat which sure ain’t bad for a freshly-promoted team. Krasniqi has been a big part of that success between the sticks for one of the top defences in the league so Sims must be learning quickly by his example.
Up Next: Elfsborg vs GAIS on Monday at 2am (NZT)
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