Vic Esson - Rangers FC (Scottish Premier League)

The Women’s Champions League is a beacon on the horizon every season and at a minimum the qualifying stages usually serve up a few kiwi interests. Vic Esson and Rangers were one of those interests this year... but the draw was not kind to them. RFC were dealt Arsenal in the first round of qualifying. But at least Vic Esson had put herself in line to start in London after some excellent form down the stretch of the last term, form which she’s carried into her three SWPL starts so far (Jenna Fife has played two league games, one was a midweeker and the other was the match directly before this UWCL trip). Cheeky bit of Champions League experience against one of the most recognisable teams on the planet, yeah why not.

And, well, it went the way it was expected to go. Arsenal won 6-0. The Gunners immediately took control with large swathes of possession, albeit without really creating anything in the first quarter of an hour as RFC sat deep and challenged aggressively. Until Esson misjudged a deep cross and was beaten by a header at her near post by Caitlin Foord. That was the first of four goals that Aussie international Foord would score in this match.

Rangers stuck to their gameplan and continued to limit Arsenal for quite a while. It wasn’t until the 59th minute that Foord snuck in behind and stroked home her second... though as soon as that happened, they conceded again to kill the contest. This time it was Alessia Russo getting in behind through the middle and smashing her shot past Esson, who got a hand on both of those attempts but they were too forceful to stop. Foord’s third was a magnificent volley on 70’. Kim Little scored a rocket of a penalty on 87’. Then Foord finished one off on 90’ following up after a very good initial Esson save.

Vic Esson has kept clean sheets in all three of her SWPL games this term but she hasn’t actually had to make a save in any of them. Not one. Here she made five saves but conceded six goals. It proved to be a huge step up in class between the domestic and continental front. Rangers have been bossing it back in Scotland, scoring 43 goals with 0 conceded in their five games, but against Arsenal they got to learn what it feels like to be the team on the other end of those results. It’s all valuable experience. This was only RFC’s second-ever UWCL attempt, with Esson having also kept goal two years ago when they first made it to qualifiers.

Following that match, Rangers faced Atletico Madrid in a consolation game. Atletico had lost on penalties to Rosenborg in their first match. Arsenal went on to beat Rosenborg 1-0 to advance to the second round of qualifying while Rangers lost 3-0 to Atletico... but that’s not important because Vic Esson didn’t play, this was Jenna Fife’s turn. Fair enough. Esson has edged ahead as the top choice keeper this year but it’s still a job share situation.

Up Next: Back to the SWPL to face Spartans at home on Monday at 3am (NZT)

Malia Steinmetz – FC Nordsjælland (Danish Kvindeliga)

Vic Esson wasn’t the only NZer in that Champions League mix... though unfortunately the draw wasn’t any kinder to Danish champs FC Nordsjælland. They were served with Benfica in their semi-final. Further underdog territories. Maybe not as drastically overmatched as Rangers were with Arsenal but let it be known that Arsenal didn’t qualify for last year’s UWCL whereas Benfica were quarter-finalists.

The tricky thing here is that Malia Steinmetz hadn’t yet played for FCN this season. Four games into the new campaign and that was beginning to be a concern... until she popped up on the travelling list for these UWCL matches. Seems we can safely assume she was being rested after the Olympics, or perhaps had a minor knock to recover from. Crisis averted. No worries.

Whatever the deal was, she got twenty minutes off the bench against Benfica so she’s back in business. However, FCN conceded three goals in the first half to pretty much doom their UWCL campaign then and there. They weren’t that far off the pace, Benfica were simply more potent when it mattered and they managed the game from there. Anna Walter did pull a goal back ten mins into the second stanza so if they’d been able to muster another then who knows. But they didn’t so a 3-1 defeat meant no trip to the next round. It might not have helped matters that there was a weather delay early in the match. Still, like Rangers, it was all a positive experience for a club that’s very new to this level of football.

Malia Steinmetz: “It’s something that you dream about and you’ll keep dreaming about even after you play these kinds of games. It’s something that I’ll be able to tell everyone in the future that I got to do this.”

Benfica went on to beat SFK 2000 (Bosnia) 4-0 in the final of this mini-tournament so that backs up the idea that FCN aren’t that far away from where they want to get to. As does the fact that they then beat KÍ (Faroe Islands) in their consolation match – a first ever Champions League victory for Nordsjælland. Steinmetz was on the bench again but this time she got thirty minutes instead of twenty. Carli Scheuer gave FCN the lead after six mins with a well-placed finish from a cut-back and the Danish club continued to run the show from there. 33 shots compared to only 3 for their opponents. But it wasn’t until the 88th minute that Simone Andersen finally made it 2-0 with a headed goal. That was the final score. Had a pinch of trouble trying to unpick a deep defensive set but they got there in the end, with Steinmetz contributing her typical midfield mahi winning tackles and spreading the ball around.

So that’s that for kiwis in the UWCL for another year. Vic Esson and Malia Steinmetz have exited at the first qualifying round and things aren’t much better on the men’s side. Between transfers and qualifications, it’s only going to be Marko Stamenic with Olympiacos playing league phase footy this season (in the Europa League). Callum McCowatt’s Silkeborg failed in qualifying while he was out injured and nobody else even got that far. There will be a secondary women’s competition next year which is long overdue considering they’ve already got three for the blokes. Maybe that’ll boost the numbers. The last NZ woman to play in the UWCL proper (the only one to make it that far since they implemented the group stage) was Indiah-Paige Riley with Fortuna Hjørring and she was still affiliated with Australia at the time. As for Malia Steinmetz, the task is simple. She won a league and cup double with FCN last season, now she’s going to try and do it again.

Up Next: Away to B93 at 5am on Saturday (NZT)

Maggie Jenkins - Gaziantep ALG Spor (Turkish Süper Ligi)

The Football Ferns need more attackers, you say? More creative players who can help supply goals? More options to drive competition for places, ensuring that national team squads can be picked on form? Then you’ll no doubt be impressed to read that Maggie Jenkins, a 1-cap senior international dating back to 2017 when she was still a teenager, has joined Turkish top division club Gaziantep ALG Spor. This follows four years at the University of Central Florida where she graduated from earlier this year. The college career stats aren’t amazing (42 games, 15 of those being starts, with 2 goals and 3 assists) but they often aren’t for kiwi players in those leagues. Don’t judge them by the stats. Judge them by what they do afterwards.

Back in 2019, Maggie Jenkins was one of the more impressive players in the legendary U17 World Cup squad that finished third in the tournament. It took a wee while for that team to break into the professional circuit overseas but we’re starting to see it now through the likes of Anna Leat (Aston Villa), Maya Hahn (Turbine Potsdam), Gabi Rennie (Aland United), Macey Fraser (Utah Royals), Grace Wisnewski (Lexington SC), and now Jenkins herself – not to mention Mackenzie Barry, Marisa van der Meer, Kelli Brown, and Georgia Candy who’ve all played in the A-League. More on that U17s generation and its legacy over here.

ALG Spor are a good team too. They won the Turkish title in 2021-22 and have twice competed in the Champions League qualifiers. Last season they were sixth so they’re probably stocking the shelves to try and climb back up. Like many nations, the trend in Turkey seems to be that the clubs with powerhouse men’s teams (Besiktas, Fenerbahce, Galatasaray) are beginning to dominate the women’s league as well so ALG Spor are kinda swimming against the tide as a club that only has a women’s team.

Jenkins went straight into the starting team to face Amed SF in week one of the new season. She played on the left-wing wearing the number 8 jersey (you can watch the full replay here) and ah yes would you look at this...

That was a slick little turn too. Huge involvements for Jenkins from day one, this could be a very enjoyable pocket of Flying Kiwis footy to track. By the way, there is some history of NZers in Turkey recently. Tyler Boyd on the men’s side, obviously, but Jana Radosavljevic also spent the first half of last season with Fenerbahce before returning to Germany to play for MSV Duisburg (and she’s now in Portugal with CF Maritomo).

Up Next: Monday at 1am away to Beskitas (NZT)

Hannah Blake – Durham FC (English Championship)

Here’s another attacking player capped by the Football Ferns but who hasn’t been in the picture recently. Blake had some great moments in the A-League with Perth Glory and then Adelaide United, but that Adelaide team were awful which held her back from being able to make more out of those stints. Nevertheless she found her way to England, where she was born, to sign with second tier club Durham... and although her debut wasn’t quite as impactful as Maggie Jenkins’ she was similarly straight into the starting line-up.

Blake played 81 minutes of Durham’s 2-1 win against Sheffield United. She’s had a full preseason so no issues there. Picked as the number ten both in terms of role and also jersey number and she showed some excellent touches – most notably a spinning turn followed by a stabbed through-ball early in the second half that probably should have led to a goal. She also had a chance to make it 3-1 with a side-footed shot from a cut-back but a defender stuck a toe out and diverted it wide (to where a teammate turned it onto the post).

Good from Blake. Even better from Durham who get a win on the board at the first attempt. Last season this team finished ninth out of 12 teams, only winning 6/22 matches, so it will have been a relief to get underway with three points.

London City Lionesses are probably going to be the team to beat given their massive investment and some of the signings they’ve made. It could take them some time to gel though, and it certainly wasn’t an easy task for them having to face promoted Newcastle United in week one (Newcastle are also getting big foreign investment but without the statement international signings so far). That game ended in a 1-1 draw with Grace Neville playing twenty minutes off the bench at right wing-back. Swedish star Kosovare Asllani scored on debut for LCL.

There’s also Olivia Page at Sheffield United hoping to get some Championship minutes this term after only playing cup footy for the Blades last season. But she’s been with the U20 World Cup squad so wasn’t available to face HB and Durham. Katie Kitching did play 80 minutes for Sunderland... but they were thrashed 5-0 by Birmingham in a rather concerning result. It’s only those four for now but there are still a couple days left in the transfer window so you never know. Check back next week and see.

Up Next: Portsmouth vs Durham at 1am on Sunday (NZT)

Joe Wallis – West Bromwich Albion (English Championship)

WBA.co.uk: “Albion’s development teams have added three new players to their ranks. In the PL2 side, two recruits have joined Richard Beale's group for the 2024/25 season. Defender Michael Parker, formerly of Burnley's youth setup, has signed a one-year deal, while New Zealand U20 goalkeeper Joe Wallis has penned a two-year contract - with both having a further 12-month option in the club’s favour.”

Just another talented young goalkeeper joining the professional ranks. Wallis has played a bunch of games for Auckland City over the past two seasons and was recently part of the NZ squad at the Oceania U19s Championships where he started one game (a 10-0 win against Papua New Guinea) as the main back-up behind Alby Kelly-Heald. He’s still only 19 years old and as the excerpt says he’s signed a two-year deal with a club option for a third at West Bromwich Albion where he’ll feature for their PL2 squad (U21s).

Not only does this mean another professional kiwi goalie, it means another one in England – following in the recent footsteps of Henry Gray (Ipswich Town) and Scott Morris (Stoke City) who have moved directly to England after impressing in the NZ domestic leagues as teenagers (or a couple years older in Morris’ case). In all three cases we’re mostly talking academy football but that’s still a proven pathway. Good times to be a goalie.

Up Next: WBA U21s vs Southampton U21s at 6am on Saturday (NZT)

George Stanger – Ayr United (Scottish Championship)

Challenge Cup action in Scotland, which is a knockout competition for teams outside the top division, and it wasn’t looking good for Ayr United down 2-0 after twenty minutes against Raith Rovers. One goal conceded from the keeper spilling a shot. One goal conceded from getting caught overplaying at the back. But a handball penalty early in the second half got Ayr U back in the mix before a couple of quick goals later on delivered a 3-2 comeback victory. George Stanger played ninety minutes. Ayr United continue into the last sixteen.

There was also a victory for Arbroath with Brynn Sinclair getting 86 minutes of their 3-0 result against Montrose. Sinclair helping with that clean sheet playing at right-back. Will Gillingham got a full game for Cove Rangers too but after thinking they’d scored an 84th minute winner, they conceded twice in the dying stages to go down 3-2 against East Kilbride. One down, two remain with the NZ presences. We’ll take that. Ayr United are also top of the Championship after five matches (although Falkirk do have a game in hand) so it’s been a superb start to the campaign from them, with Stanger having played every minute of all ten games across all three competitions to date.

Up Next: Ayr vs Partick Thistle at 2am on Sunday (NZT)

Abby Erceg – Racing Louisville (American National Women’s Soccer League)

Another rough one for Racing Louisville. They lost 1-0 away to Bay FC in a close game with small margins which damages their playoff hopes even more. Both keepers made excellent saves. Both teams made defensive clearances from within their six-yard box. Abby Erceg even made this remarkable challenge to deny Nigerian standout Asisat Oshoala...

Still got it, aye? Plus new Lou forward Bethany Balcer put a header over the top from about eight yards and this was all in the first half. There was another good block from Erceg to divert a shot wide after 56 mins... sadly there was also a moment where she got her feet tangled and couldn’t clear the ball on 75’ which allowed Oshoala to slam in the only goal of the game. Louisville’s attacking thrust disappeared in the second half and a single mistake sent them to defeat. A mistake from their everpresent kiwi centre-back who’d also done as much as anyone to keep the game scoreless up until that point. A cruel twist of fate. RL have now lost four of their last five matches and are four points adrift of the top eight with seven matches remaining.

Wasn’t much better anywhere else. Milly Clegg was away at the U20 World Cup so she couldn’t join Erceg for Racing Lou... not that she’s made a first-team appearance yet anyway. Macey Fraser is still recovering from her ankle injury for a Utah Royals team that’s actually begun to get a few results recently, having sacked their coach and made a bunch of mid-season signings. And Angel City lost 3-2 to Seattle but Ali Riley’s out for the season regardless.

Up Next: Racing Louisville vs Angel City at 11.30am on Sunday (NZT)

Norman Garbett - Dundalk (League of Ireland Premier Division)

It’s not as much fun in Ireland since Nando Pijnaker (and Max Mata) departed the scene. Both Norman Garbett and Alex Greive (Bohemians) have had encouraging moments but neither of them are starting games at the moment despite their teams battling relegation.

Greive was an unused sub for Bohs even as they chased a late equaliser (which they got) in a 1-1 draw against Shelbourne. Really not sure what the deal is with AG because he’s looked good in opportunities in the Scottish Premiership but struggled to get consistent minutes after dropping down a tier on loan with Dundee United and has probably dropped even further to land in the League of Ireland and yet he’s still finding himself on the outer. He’s proven that he’s better than this yet it’s just not happening for him this year no matter where he goes. AG scored in a cup start a few weeks back but has only gotten a combined seven minutes of action across the past four league matches.

At least Norman Garbett was blessed with fifteen minutes for Dundalk in their 2-1 defeat to St Patrick’s Athletic. Dundalk scored after two minutes and were still leading at the break but it had already gotten away from them by the time that Garbs was introduced. Five games without a win keeps Dundalk in last place and drifting further and further from any possibility of avoiding relegation. This was only NG’s fourth appearance for the team, having been in and out trying to get his fitness up after limited football over the previous year. He’s also experiencing limited pay-cheques at Dundalk. The club’s murky financial state has led to delays in player and staff wages going through. There are even worries they might not be able to find the cashflow needed to get through to the end of the season (which is likely to end in relegation).

Nope, Ireland’s not a fun place to be for the kiwis these days. At least Una Foyle’s going good with Cork City women... though even they lost 4-0 to league leaders Athlone Town this week. Four superb finishes there so nothing much more that Foyle could have done to try and save any of them.

Up Next: Waterford vs Dundalk at 6.45am on Saturday (NZT)

Maya Hahn & Suya Haering - Turbine Potsdam (German Bundesliga)

It’s a quiet week with the men on international break and a lot of the top women’s leagues either not having begun yet or also just not having fixtures this week. So here’s a screenshot of Maya Hahn getting a yellow card for absolutely nothing in Turbine Potsdam’s 2-0 win against Viktoria Berlin in the DFB-Pokal. A teammate made a wonky pass to Mahn under pressure and the VB player stuck a foot in to win the ball and then fell over and Hahn was punished for it for some reason. Looked like a good tackle and play-on but apparently not. Never mind. Hahn was subbed on after 68 minutes with the goals already in the bag. Solid win and onto the next round. Good that they remain in the cup because this is potentially a stage where Suya Haering could make a first team debut when she returns from the U20 World Cup.

Up Next: Werder Bremen vs Potsdam at midnight on Saturday/Sunday (NZT)

Moses Dyer - Pacific FC (Canadian Premier League)

It’s been a while since Moses Dyer last made the Flying Kiwis cut. In that time he’s been traded from Vancouver FC to Pacific FC in what was considered a “blockbuster trade” within the CPL. Basically, Pacific weren’t scoring enough goals so they went after a proven goal scorer from a rival team. In return, Ayman Sellouf went the other way. The moves were both loans so Dyer will potentially return to Vancouver after the season is done. Never seen a temporary trade like this before but there you go.

Pacific FC head coach James Merriman: “We know Moses brings a very aggressive attacking mentality. He can play anywhere across the front three, he’s also played as a central midfielder, more of a number 10 position in behind the striker, or a second striker. He’s something that we need in terms of our aggressiveness going forward, our looking forward first mentality. We knew the time he spent at Valour, what he brought to Valour, what he brought to the league then, and to see him come back into Vancouver and now join us, and we need him to hit the ground running with us in terms of improving our attack.”

Dyer had started sharply with Vancouver after they brought him back from the USL, but then he seemed to fall out of favour. Meanwhile the bloke he was traded for was one of the players of the season last time but had only scored from the penalty spot this year. Two big name players flipped for perhaps more fitting situations. Dyer had already made two appearances for Pacific prior to this latest one, where he scored a goal, served up an assist, and went home with a 3-0 victory and Man of the Match honours. That’s the way to do it.

Up Next: A meeting with his parent club (if he’s allowed to play)... Pacific vs Vancouver at 9am Sunday (NZT)

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